Getting to know Michelle Obama

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Michelle Obama will co-host an episode this week of "The View," a daytime TV talk show that scores huge ratings among women. Her appearance on the ABC program will be a media milestone for her husband's campaign -- after a rough week of press scrutiny for the Ivy League-educated attorney, corporate executive and mother of two who wants to become the nation's next first lady."The View" has a strong following among the white suburban female voters that recent polls show Sen. Barack Obama needs to win the presidential election. There, Michelle Obama -- nicknamed "The Closer" by the Obama campaign for her ability to secure voters -- will attempt to boost her husband's campaign and also to introduce herself to some Americans who remain uncomfortable with her.While the 2008 presidential campaign has been historic in the way a black man and a female candidate have broken barriers, Michelle Obama's attempt to become the first African American first lady is likely to show how attitudes toward black women have evolved.Last week a Rasmussen Reports poll showed that 42 percent of the study's 1,000 respondents, who are likely voters, had an "unfavorable" impression of her -- including 25 percent whose impressions were "very unfavorable." So who cares what people think of a candidate's spouse? According to Rasmussen, 61 percent of the respondents said it was at least "somewhat important" in how they vote. Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, had an overall unfavorable rating of 29 percent, including only 10 percent "very unfavorable."Not helping negative impressions of Michelle Obama was an on-screen tagline on the Fox News Channel last Wednesday that identified her as "Obama's Baby Mama" -- a slang term popularized in the black community to describe the mother of a child born out of wedlock.The Obama campaign recently created a Web site called FightTheSmears.com, dedicated to debunking rumors about the couple before they become stories in the mainstream media.Some of the attacks on Michelle Obama are rooted in long-held caricatures of black women, said Avis Jones-DeWeever, public policy and research director of the National Council of Negro Women.They're seen as either welfare queens or "neck-rolling, brash women with attitude -- loud and confrontational," she said."The reality of the situation is that these are pre-existing stereotypes of black women in this culture," Jones-DeWeever said. "So (the campaign) has to be very careful with her image and how they present her. Because any time something happens, they're going to pigeonhole her into one of those stereotypes."We talk a lot about the possibility of having the first black president. We also could have the first black first lady, and we should talk about what that should mean," she said.But the depiction of Michelle Obama, and in many ways Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, shows "clearly we're not beyond" female stereotypes, said Catherine Orenstein, an author who has traced the historical depiction of women.Michelle Obama was raised by working-class parents on the South Side of Chicago, and when the Obamas had children, Michelle tried to balance work and family obligations like many moms. Even though she was her husband's adviser at the law firm where they met, her career sometimes has taken a backseat to his."It's not like she was an heiress who didn't have to make those choices," Jones-DeWeever said. Cindy McCain's wealthy family runs a beer distribution empire, and John McCain's father was an admiral. Still, Michelle Obama continues to be dogged by her comment in February to Wisconsin voters that "for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because of what Barack has done, but because I think people are really hungry for change."TV pundits and commentators chewed on that for days, some arguing she was unpatriotic. But last week, first lady Laura Bush came to Michelle Obama's defense, saying, "I think she probably meant 'I'm more proud,' you know...."You have to be very careful what you say," Bush said. "I mean, I know that, and that's one of the things you learn, and that's one of the really difficult parts both of running for president and for being the spouse of the president, and that is, everything you say is looked at and in many cases misconstrued."Michelle ObamaAge: 44, born Jan. 17, 1964.Education: Bachelor's in sociology, Princeton University, 1985. Law degree, Harvard Law School, 1988.Career: She worked for three years at a Chicago law firm, where she met Barack Obama. In 1991, she began a career in public service with the city of Chicago. In 2005, she was appointed vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.Personal: The Obamas were married in 1992 and have two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 7.Sources: barackobama.com, infoplease.com(E-mail Joe Garofoli at jgarofoli(at)sfchronicle.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)