Why should I care about Politics ?

Michelle Obama was never interested in politics, nor is a politician; this tells us that her observations are coming from a rather neutral place. She shares some interesting insights about the way an outsider of the Political world experiences it as FLOTUS.

When she met Barack Obama,she didnot share his faith in the government ability to resolve issues. Not only that from her place she saw the lack of efficiency of the three branches as they are in permanent competition, but she also witnessed the limited power of the executive branch alone.

However, her take on Politics is one of many, surely we may feel that little is getting done aor that no one cares about the population but it is wrong to not recognize the effort and progress that have been made by certain policies, initiatives or bills. It might not be enough, but politics affect our everyday life directly, just as she through her position was able to affect the lives of the military spouse, children, and young girls. Politics concerns us all.

Politics is not useless, it is also a powerful tool to help bring change to communities and people. Despite all, it enabled her to effectively transform the eating habits of thousands of children in school, reform food composition , give more and better opportunities to military’s family.

In February 2010, she proudly announces her initiativeLETS MOVE ending the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. Barack signed a memorandum to create a first of its kind federal task force on childhood obesity. She confessed that she was ‘generally happy to stay out of politics and policy making’ but for this she needed and was happy to hurl herself into the ring.

She then shares something touching with us; she had “lived with earnest and well intentioned concerns for our safety”. She goes on to relate the 2011 White House shooting on November 11^th, when a man fired at the residence aimed at the Yellow Oval Room where she sometimes ‘loved to sit and have tea’. She adds that the mark of the bullet it took two weeks to replace the window.

Their terms at the White House can be compared to the evolution of the garden:

  “What would come from it? I did not know, the same way I didn’t know what lay ahead for us in the White House, or what lay for the country or for any of these sweet children surrounding me. All we could do then was put our faith into the effort, trusting that with sun and rain and time, something half-descent would push up through the dirt.”(p. 322)

 “The garden churned through the seasons teaching us all sort of things” “we grew cantaloupes that turned out pale and tasteless (…) pelting rainstorms that washed away our topsoil. Birds snacked on our blueberries; beetles went after the cucumbers. Each time something went a little awry … we made small adjustments and carried on, savoring the overall abundance”

“Among the staff the garden became a pride. Early skeptics had quickly becomes fans. For me a symbol of diligence and faith.”