Michelle Obama's speech today may have just changed the fate of this election. At least, it should.
Her words need to be heard by anyone with a beating heart because election has gone far past a joke, or a heated political campaign. This election has caused a rift within our society that is resonating internationally.
Win or lose, Trump made our world uglier. I don't want any reality shows from him after this, no cutesy late night sketches. I want nothing.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) October 13, 2016
But like the super-woman she is, Michelle Obama delivered a speech that will go down in history as an iconic FLOTUS moment. During a Clinton campaign stop in New Hampshire, she deliver her rousing speech about what's at stake this election with the sincerity and impact we all needed today. Especially in the wake of Trump's recent meltdown and blatant admittance to sexual assault.
"The fact is that, in this election, we have a candidate for president of the United States who over the course of his lifetime, and the course of this campaign, has said things about women that are so shocking, so demeaning that I simply will not repeat anything here today. And last week, we saw this candidate actually bragging about sexually assaulting women. I can't believe that I'm saying that a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women. And I have to tell you that I can't stop thinking about this. It has shaken me to my core in a way that I couldn't have predicted."
Without even mentioning Trump, only referring to him as Hillary's opponent or simply 'the candidate', Michelle conveyed incredible conviction with every word delivered. "This is not something that we can ignore. This is not something that we can sweep under the rug as just another disturbing footnote in a sad election season because this was not just a lewd conversation. This wasn't just locker room banter. This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior... It's one of countless examples of how he has treated women his whole life."
First Lady Obama continued, "And I have to tell you that I listen to all of this, and I feel it so personally. And I'm sure that many of you do, too, particularly the women. The shameful comments about our bodies. The disrespect of our ambitions and intellect. The belief that you can do anything you want to a woman. It is cruel. It's frightening. And the truth is, it hurts. It hurts... We thought all of that was ancient history, didn't we?"
The next part of First Lady Obama's speech especially hit home for me as a young woman because again this election has become so much more than voting for a political leader. This campaign has become a symbol magnifying what's right and what's not. The fact that the argument that a woman's right to vote should be repealed in order to elect Trump is simply disgusting, insulting, and sad.
As Obama put it so perfectly, "we're hearing these exact same things every day of the campaign trail. We are drowning in it. And all of us are doing what women have always done. We're trying to keep our heads above water. Just trying to get through it, trying to pretend like this doesn't really bother us.
"None of us deserve this kind of abuse. And I know it's a campaign, but this isn't about politics. It's about basic human decency. It's about right and wrong and we simply cannot endure this or expose our children to this any longer. Not for another minute, let alone for four years. Now is the time for all of us to stand up and say 'enough is enough.'"
And enough is enough. I am happy that in a little over a month's time the election will be over, but I'm also absolutely petrified that this political climate has such racist/sexist/hurtful undertones that the bigot that Trump is could even be elected as a major party representative. So my fear now isn't will or won't Hillary secure the presidency - although the thought frequently crosses my head - but will the damage done in the country, and the rest of the world, still somehow make it okay to think and say these hurtful, racist, sexist and derogatory things.
"See, we know that Hillary is the right person for the job because we've seen her character and commitment not just in this campaign but over the course of her entire life ... Hillary has been a lawyer, a law professor, First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, a U.S. Senator, Secretary of State. And she has been successful in every role, gaining more experience and exposure to the presidency than any candidate in our lifetime. More than Barack. More than Bill. And, yes, she happens to be a woman.
"And remember, we won't just be setting a bad example for our kids, but for our entire world. Because for so long America has been a model for countries across the globe -- pushing them to educate their girls, insisting that they give more rights to their women. But if we have a president who routinely degrades women, who brags about sexually assaulting women, then how can we maintain our moral authority in the world? How can we continue to be a beacon of freedom and justice and human dignity? Well, fortunately, New Hampshire, here's the beauty: we have everything we need to stop this madness. You see while our mothers and grandmothers were often powerless to change their circumstances, today we, as women, have all the power we need to determine the outcome of this election. We have knowledge. We have a voice. We have a vote. And November the 8th, we as women, we as Americans, we as decent human beings, can come together and declare that enough is enough, that we do not tolerate this kind of behavior in this country."
Mic drop. Michelle 2024 (just saying).
Read the full transcript of the speech from Bustle, here. Or just watch it below.