Michelle Obama on the radio

On Saturday, I heard President Bush's weekly radio address, followed by the official Democratic response offered by Michelle Obama. I was shocked, since I've only heard the response given by elected officials. I'm told, though, that as the Democratic Presidential nominee, Barack Obama is now the head...man in charge and can choose whomever he wants for such things. C-Span radio re-aired the addresses and followed them with John McCain's weekly radio address. The contrast between the three was stark. Bush faux sympathizing as best anyone "born with a silver foot in his mouth" can (wish you were here Ann Richards!) regarding the harsh economic realities many face, McCain spending most of his time lambasting Barack Obama. Here's what Michelle had to say (the Youtube video is incomplete):

Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The following is a transcript of the Democratic response to President Bush's radio address on Oct. 25:

Good morning. I'm Michelle Obama.

Nine days from now, millions of folks across this great country will head into the voting booth and cast their ballot for the next President of the United States.

When I do, I'll of course be thinking about my husband, Barack.

But I'll also be thinking about my dad. He was my rock. He was a blue-collar city worker who never missed a shift in hopes that he could give my brother and me a better life.

He was also a precinct captain who believed that the right to vote was one of the most precious gifts of our democracy. Some of my earliest memories are of tagging along with him as we'd walk door to door and help folks register to vote. We'd sit in neighbors' kitchens for hours and listen to their opinions, their concerns, and the dreams they had for their children.

And before we left those kitchens, my father would make sure that everyone could get to the voting booth on Election Day - because he knew that a single vote could help make their dreams a reality.

That's the opportunity you have in just nine days. November 4th is our chance to begin building a better future for our families, our communities, and this country that we love.

Each of us has our own reason for voting.

I'm a wife who believes with all my heart that my husband will be an extraordinary president.

I'm a Mom whose girls are the center of my world - they are the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about when I go to bed at night. Their future, and all our children's future, is my stake in this election.

And that's why, for me, the issues the heart of this election aren't just political. They're personal.

I know they are for you, too.

Maybe you're a student who wonders if you'll be able to pay off your loans or find a good job after you graduate.

Maybe you're a small business owner unsure of whether you can pay your employees next month.

Maybe you're a mother who puts off taking your child to the doctor because you can't afford the co-pay.

So we all have a choice to make. And when you look at the issues, and the candidates, and their plans for our future - the choice is clear.

There's only one candidate in this race who can bring about the change we need, restore our economy, and rebuild our middle class.

That candidate is Barack Obama.

His leadership and his policies are the change we need in the White House. But first, we've got to send him there.

That's why your vote is so important. Because if you don't vote, you are saying that you're fine with the way things are. You cast an equally powerful ballot for four more years that look just like the last eight.

In 2004, 16 million Americans who could have voted didn't. Yet, the election was decided by just 59,000 votes in Ohio.

This time, we can't wake up November 5th only to discover we fell just short and didn't elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden. We can't look back and think about what might have been.

So visit your neighbors. Listen to their concerns. Tell them what's at stake. Then take them with you to vote.

In most states, you can vote early and avoid long lines on Election Day. To find the early vote location most convenient for you, go to VoteForChange.com, and then go vote today.

If you do, we will win this election. We'll put Barack Obama in the White House. And we will change this country and fulfill the hopes of all those like my father, who work so hard to give their children a better future and guarantee that the American Dream endures.

I'm Michelle Obama. Thank you for listening, and I hope you and your families have a great weekend.

Have you manifested today?