2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Michelle Obama visits Reynolds Coliseum
5,500 people were in attendance, according to Students for Barack Obama
Keith Kennedy
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: News
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A crowd of approximately 5,500 grew restless as they waited approximately 30 minutes after Obama was scheduled to arrive to hear her speak.
Despite her late arrival, the crowd gave Obama a standing ovation when she took the stage. Obama spoke of her work ethic that she gained from a blue-collared upbringing. She also spoke about her husband's upbringing in a lower-income family. Obama quoted her husband's mother, stating that he was taught to do what he loved, not what was prosperous.
The audience gave a positive response to all of Obama's points in her speech, However, several students felt her speech lacked meaning.
"I thought she was a good speaker, and I liked a lot of what she said, but a lot of it didn't have much substance," Josh Carpenter, a sophomore in First Year College said. "She talked about change, but she didn't talk about how they were going to change everything."
Some of the things Obama mentioned in her speech included the war in Iraq and the No Child Left Behind Act, but she did not provide any information for how her husband would resolve them.
Elizabeth Harris, freshman in animal science, agreed with Carpenter that Obama's speech lacked depth.
"All of her comments were pretty vague, and it was a really promotional speech," Harris said. "She didn't say that much about how things were going to materialize."
Both also felt that the speech was not aimed towards college students.
"She mainly directed her speech towards lower-middle class America in general, and middle-aged adults that have families and parents to take care of," Harris said.
Carpenter said when Obama did try to include young people, it was not effective.
"There was a part where she talked about young people, and it made you feel that she was trying to fit in young people; I didn't feel out of place, but it felt like it was more directed to old people," Carpenter said.
While Harris felt some areas of Obama's speech lacked "depth," she felt Obama will be an effective first lady.
"She would be really supportive of her husband and she is knowledgeable enough to have an effect on politics," Harris said, "I was already a supporter of Barack Obama, and she supported my view set. They are well educated people and will make effective leaders. But it wasn't particularly impressive because she wasn't very specific with her exact plans."
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 15
Obama's got my vote
posted 4/09/08 @ 12:18 PM EST
Although her speech may have not given enough answers... it was a million times better than Chelsea Clinton's speech (which isn't saying much)....
Carnegie Mellon: Michelle Obama "needs more white people"
posted 4/09/08 @ 1:56 PM EST
Suddenly (gasp!)... suddenly... somebody noticed something:
"...While the crowd was indeed diverse, some students at the event questioned the practices of Mrs. (Continued…)
Joseph Libson
posted 4/09/08 @ 2:07 PM EST
A McCain voter speaks:
This is a very encouraging article. The college students who were quoted sounded reasonably intelligent and insightful. They were able to criticize their candidate (or at least a proxy for their candidate) despite their support for him. (Continued…)
Loniece
posted 4/09/08 @ 3:14 PM EST
I loved what Mrs. Obama had to say. Explaining how she and her husband weren't that far removed from paying hefty student loan debts. She did talk more to middle age adults but I don't understand why the students interviewed couldn't identify with her talking about having to borrow money for college and then once you graduate your first job not paying enough to hardly pay the loan back. (Continued…)
Andrew
posted 4/09/08 @ 3:18 PM EST
Surprise Surprise, the Obama speech lacked substance. Could it be because the Obama campaign lacks any real substance to begin with?
When your entire campaign is a pipe dream fueled on a combination of barely legal voters lacking civic knowledge or an equitable stake in the economy and a feel good vocabulary that builds false allusions of hope, you're creating a recipe for disaster. (Continued…)
Shanda
posted 4/09/08 @ 3:38 PM EST
I must agree with Loniece, as a recent graduate of NC State I thought her speech spoke directly to me. She spoke on student loans and career choices which many can relate to, also issues with healthcare go beyond middle age adults. (Continued…)
Jeff
posted 4/09/08 @ 8:24 PM EST
Agree. This article is biased. Those students dont represent the majority that were there. I thought it was a great speech. Im a white guy, and I liked that there were equal amounts black and white people there, and filled up half of Reynolds. (Continued…)
Deborah Trauley
posted 4/10/08 @ 1:08 PM EST
The whole tone of this article is ho hum and critical. I can read the bias of your grinding ax Technician author whomever you might be!I thought Mrs. (Continued…)
brian
posted 4/12/08 @ 2:05 AM EST
the technician isn't allowed to be biased, and harris said herself that she still thought highly of obama. and tone? are you joking me, the article is only 480, there is no way that you can sum up her speech, add in what other people thought, and still have a tone, its like trying to put an entire novel onto one page. (Continued…)
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