Michelle Obama: An Unhappy Spouse

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is back in the news. This time she is complaining that America is “not ready” for a woman President of the United States. She says it with the same conviction as her startling criticisms of her husband as a person – the way he chewed his food, his lack of communications, and virtually everything else that is better left unsaid in a public forum.

Ms. Obama is a deeply unhappy woman. Let’s see if we can determine why.

Ms. Obama started with nothing. She became a lawyer and practiced real estate law with one of the nation’s largest law firms – Sidley&Austin – where she was just another of the 2,300 hundred lawyers employed by the firm. She married Barack Obama, then a “community organizer” with a law degree who never practiced law. Mr. Obama went on to become President of the United States after a short and unproductive stint in the Illinois legislature followed by an even shorter and less remarkable stint as a United States Senator.. During Mr. Obama’s time as a “community organizer” Ms. Obama was likely the primary bread winner.

At the end of Mr. Obama’s presidency, the couple became instantly wealthy primarily based on Mr. Obama’s books and speaking tours. According to Celebrity Net Worth the couple’s wealth is pegged at about $70 Million dollars. They have three homes in Massachusetts, Illinois, and Washington (state) and are currently building a fourth in Hawaii. Mr. Obama commands between $400,000 and $600,000 per speaking engagement and Ms. Obama charges between $250,000 and $400,000 for her own speeches. She has her own podcast and pumps out books on a routine basis ranging from life in the White House to fashion tips.

Both of the Obamas receive around the clock Secret Service protection. They travel the world – seldom together – in luxury and acclaim. And yet, Ms. Obama uses her podcast to obsess about the shortcomings of Mr. Obama – the way he dresses, the way he eats, the lack of communication and probably somewhere along the line we’ll be exposed to his bathroom habits. She does interviews for no good reason except to further complain about the misery of her life. The latest being an interview with Traci Ellis Ross in which she told the world to stop coming around to recruit her to run for the presidency because America is not ready for a woman president. Which is a premier example of one projecting their own shortcomings as applicable to all women. But we’ll come back to that later.

So what is the source of Ms. Obama’s misery. Well, it is obvious that the primary source is Mr. Obama. And quite frankly that is understandable albeit without the necessity of her public disclosures. Mr. Obama is one of the most self-centered, egotistical, condescending people to ever hit to the stage. And that is in a political world of self-cantered and egotistical men and women in Washington, DC. More than most he enjoys the put-down of those with whom he disagrees. (You may remember the infamous meeting with the Republican leadership when he reminded Sen. John McCain* (R-AZ) that elections have consequences and that he – Mr. McCain – lost.) Mr. Obama constantly reminded all that would listen – including Ms. Obama – that it was he, and he alone, that was responsible for “his greatness.” And I’m as sure as sure can be that he took pains to remind Ms. Obama that he was responsible for her lifestyle and “her greatness.” And to a degree he would be right but still terminally obnoxious for mentioning it – a truth best left unsaid. In point of fact, but for Mr. Obama’s election, Ms. Obama would still be buried in covenants, property descriptions, deeds and real estate trusts at Sidley&Austin in Chicago. In other words, Ms. Obama’s professional life would be unremarkable.

And here I need to be careful. In addition to her professional life Ms. Obama raised two daughters. I don’t know whether she will be successful in that endeavor but I do know how difficult and consuming that is based on my own wife’s experiences. I also know that in my own case that much of my own success is due to the welcoming personality of my wife in our business and social circles. Suffice it to say there are any number of times when people commented on what nice people the Husses were having met me only in passing but my wife in depth.

Which brings me back to what bothers Ms. Obama. It would appear that in addition to a “pantload of self-importance and condescension” in the man she married, it is the recognition that she is like every other woman – but living a life far beyond what her own accomplishments would bring her.

That being said, there is an easy solution. First, dump the chump. Second, cancel your podcast – we’re all tired of your whining. Third, move into your mansion in Hawaii and find friends that will accept you for who you are rather than who you have been. Learn to surf, play golf, pickleball and bridge and stop watching the news or giving interviews. Retirement time is great as soon as you quit trying to be someone who you once were.

But let’s not ignore the comment of Ms. Obama about America not being read for a woman as President. In support of that thesis she offered only Hillary Clinton and Kalamata Harris as proof and ignored the literally hundreds of women who have become governors, senators and members of the House, the hundreds who have risen to lead major companies and the hundreds who have excelled in the world of science and industry/ The women Ms. Obama mentioned are deeply flawed. Ms. Clinton’s lack of integrity and honesty was written large by her own actions both before and after her run for the presidency. And Kalamata demonstrated on a daily basis her ignorance and inability to complete a sentence. No, Ms. Obama, America is not ready for someone simply because she is a woman but it is more than ready for someone who is honest and competent with demonstrable accomplishments who also happens to be a woman.

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* Given my long-standing antipathy for Mr. McCain and his own condescending ways, I even smiled briefly when it happened.