Michelle Obama visits Pitt

‘ ‘ ‘ Heavily equipped with Barack Obama stickers, pins and Andy Warhol-inspired T-shirts,… ‘ ‘ ‘ Heavily equipped with Barack Obama stickers, pins and Andy Warhol-inspired T-shirts, eager potential voters lined up outside Soldiers ‘amp; Sailors Military Museum and Memorial yesterday morning to attend a ‘Change We Need’ rally where Michelle Obama spoke. ‘ ‘ ‘ A mixture of cheering and boos for Allegheny County chief executive Dan Onorato, who attended the event, quickly transformed into a crowd of bouncing Obama supporters wildly waving their campaign signs as Michelle Obama walked on stage. Despite her late arrival, she received a standing ovation. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘You’re just fired up because the Steelers are doing so well,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ In an attempt to rally support from the middle and lower classes, Obama related her and her husband’s experiences with those of currently struggling Americans. She said that the current government has been nothing but talk. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We just haven’t made enough progress,’ said Obama. ‘What we’ve been doing hasn’t been working. We have to ask ourselves, ‘Don’t we deserve some new solutions? Don’t we deserve a new approach?” ‘ ‘ ‘ Obama emphasized the importance of affordable health care, an improved educational system and an increase in jobs, all of which have been the basis of her husband’s campaign. She also reminisced about her childhood. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘My father never complained once,’ she said. ‘[He] never talked about his disappointment, his doubt, his fear. He was proud he could get up and go to work and raise a family, and because of his hard work and sacrifice, we’re here.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ She said that her father was able to support her family and send them to school despite their struggles. However, the issue, she added, is that some students accumulate debt when taking out heavy loans. ‘ ‘ ‘ Obama said the solutions to today’s conflicts rely on whom the American people elect as the next president of the United States. She told her audience that America needs a leader who ‘gets it.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I’m married to a man who gets it,’ she said. ‘I try to explain that Barack doesn’t get it in some philosophical way. He gets it because he lived it.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Obama also referenced Wednesday night’s debate, calling her husband the only candidate who recognizes what she believes Americans need most. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Folks aren’t asking for much,’ she said. ‘They don’t want much.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ For Obama, this election is not only politics, she said. It is personal to groups including single mothers, the lower class and struggling families. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘This is personal because we’re all feeling it now,’ she said. ‘We feel it when we go put gas in that gas tank and that 20 dollars means nothing anymore ‘hellip; And we feel it when we tuck our kids into bed and look at their faces and wonder what’s going on.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Obama said she has had a lot of fun supporting her husband and campaigning with him. ‘ ‘ ‘ What keeps her smiling is the diversity of their supporters. From students to senior citizens, many have told her that they ‘never thought they’d live to see the day.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ While she came to Pittsburgh as a wife supporting her husband’s campaign, she regards ‘mother-in-chief’ as her primary title because her children, she said, are the center of her world. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘For me, it is their future, and all their children’s future, that’s at stake in this election,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ According to Obama, the only way to ensure a better future for America is to aid Barack Obama in his race to the White House. ‘ ‘ ‘ Obama urged attendees not only to vote, but also to encourage others to do so as well.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘This is an amazing time in our nation’s history,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’ve been at this for 20 months ‘hellip; We can rebuild not just our families and communities, but we have the chance to rebuild and develop a better future for our entire nation.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ While Obama will continue to campaign across the United States until Election Day, she pleaded to her audience to help spread the word. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘If we do this together,’ she said, ‘and continue to stay unified regardless of our party, races and religion ‘mdash; if we stay unified understanding that as a nation we rise and fall together ‘mdash; if we do that for the next 19 days, not only will we elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States, we will build that better future for all of us.’