Michelle Obama and Pride in America

"For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country, because it feels like hope is making a comeback." — Michelle Obama

This is a puzzling statement. There are several ways that she could have meant this. According to her husband's campaign:

“What she meant is that she’s really proud at this moment because for the first time in a long time, thousands of Americans who’ve never participated in politics before are coming out in record numbers to build a grass-roots movement for change.”

But she didn't say that she was proud for the first time in a long time. She said that she was proud for the first time in her adult life. It also begs the question about why she has never been proud before?

Most people are too timid to say it but she could have meant that she thinks little of her country because of perceived racism and she is finally proud because a black man has a good shot at winning the presidency. There is a good chance that this is how she thinks. Unlike her husband who some people think is not "black enough", Michelle was born to and raised by black Americans. This gives her a different perspective than her husband who was raised by his white mother and grandparents and, for a while, by a step-father in Indonesia.

While Michelle has done better for herself than most people, some racial incidents in her childhood may still factor into her views about her country. She has been quoted as saying that her husband could be shot just for going to the gas station. Clearly she is convinced that most whites are racists.

But Michelle is also a liberal (now known as a progressive). Many liberals follow the teachings of Noam Chomsky and others who insist that America is an evil empire that only brings harm to the world. She might feel like George Soros that the USA needs "de-nazification". This attitude is pretty common on the left.

Neither of these is a good attitude for a First Lady. I doubt that most Americans want to be hearing about institutionalized racism, especially from someone who is currently rich and powerful. Neither to Americans want to send a First Lady on a good will tour only to have her tell other countries why they should hate the US.

The trouble is that both of these possible explanations seem more likely than the one the Obama campaign is putting out.