“…And when you have to pay for justice, no one can afford it…” – from the audience

“…We’re a family friendly society, we have to have family friendly rules…” – a member of the panel

Our previous coverage of the July 10th round table discussion at Pierson Auditorium on the campus of the University of Missouri – Kansas City:

Michelle Obama in Kansas City – remarks

Michelle Obama in Kansas City – photos

Michelle Obama in Kansas City – the audience gathers

The question and answer portion of the event:

….Q: My question is about Social Security. Which is another women’s issue, also. We hear that it’s not gonna be there, but unfortunately there’s a large part of Social Security that the government uses, not for us. And, I mean, I feel they need to not do that, keep dipping into that. And that’s why, one of the reasons why we won’t have any for the younger people. [applause]

Michelle Obama: I don’t want to misstate Barack’s position. That’s always one of the tricky parts about being a spouse out here. [laughter] ‘Cause I, I don’t know everything  he knows. But I do know that generally Barack is, you know, believes in the importance of Social Security and doing the work that we need to do to save it. For the reasons that you just outlined. There are generations of people who need it. There are many more that are counting on it. I don’t know what the plan is to do that, but we can definitely get you more information on his plan for dealing with Social Security. We’ve got our policy people here, so if somebody will just make sure to follow up specifically with this, with this woman and anybody else who has questions about Barack’s specific proposal on Social Security – we’ll get that to you. [applause] [garbled] first.

Q: Good morning Michelle. I just want to say we really thank you being here. One of my questions, I guess, I wanted to inquire on minority businesses. I’m a minority business myself and it’s really a touchy subject for a lot of governments at this time. And getting minority participation on projects is kind of like, I haven’t heard about it too much, so I wanted to kind of ask what was the position [garbled].

Michelle Obama: You know, again, I’m not sure of Barack’s specific position on minority women owned businesses, minority owned businesses, but I do know that we come from a state where the kind of investment in insuring that these businesses can grow and thrive and have, have access to compete is, is top of mind. But one of the things that Barack has found out is, is becoming just as critical to the survival of woman and minority owned businesses and all small businesses. It still boils down to the question of health care costs. Because what he’s hearing from small businesses all over the country, regardless of the, the nature of the business, is that these businesses are having difficulty surviving because, you know, well, one business owner yesterday in, in Pontiac was saying that they’re still trying to pay for eighty per cent of health care costs for their employers, for their employees. If you imagine what an economic drain that is, because the unpredictability of costs for a small business is the same that it is for individuals as co-pays are going up and so on and so forth. And small businesses want to be able to do this. They know that that’s, you know, an important resource to have for recruitment and retention, But it’s becoming very difficult and what we’re finding is that there are a lot of people who aren’t even trying to start new businesses because of health care costs. It’s not because they’re not innovative, they don’t have the ideas, they can’t develop the capital. It’s because when they look at the costs of insurance it is just too great of a burden. So we’re hearing more and more that even as important as the ability to compete for business, is the ability to thrive as a business. So, you know, that, that’s why this universal health care piece is, it is so critical. That is why it, it is on the top, it isn’t accidental. It’s not that the other issues for Barack aren’t important, it’s just that when you start pulling apart that, you know, some of these big ticket items like education and energy and, and health care that they, they impact so much of what this economy can and can’t do on so many levels that if we don’t fix that, to begin anywhere else is almost, you know, it, it’s not realistic to expect a solution when the big, you know, the big problem is health care.

Okay, so we have time for one more, let’s give this young lady right here, I’m trying to spread the wealth. Unless somebody tells me we can do more questions. Uh! Okay. We can do another one.

Q: Well, I didn’t really have a question I had a comment. Is that okay?

Michelle Obama: That’s, that’s okay. [laughter]

Q: ‘Cause I wanted to share…

Michelle Obama: No, you must leave. [laughter]

Q: [laughter] I wanted to share a story with you because I believe that you’re gonna  be the next first lady…

Michelle Obama: Well, that’s very…

Q: …and I hope… [cheers] [applause] …and I believe that you care about people’s difficulties that they have. My name is XXXXX and I’m a working mother with like fifty hours. And, you know, when I get up every day what I think about’s my son. My son’s name is XXXXX. That’s all I think about. That’s what that motivates me. And I’m fighting to be with my son. The Jackson County Family Court is keeping me from doing that. And also my son’s father. Channel 41, the local station, did a story on it. And I just wanted to tell you a, a recession affects people in different ways. But people that are in litigation, especially concerning their families, it’s the worst. Because you’re not just choosing between your car, you know, things you have, maybe going out. I’m choosing between paying bills and having a chance to be with my son. And so is my son’s father. And I also wanted to say that, you know, as, it’s, it’s a little off subject, as related to something that Barack said, about fathers stepping up to be with their children, to support their children. There is a system in this country where even in family courts they’re keeping people from doing that. People want to step up. People want to take care of their children. But they’re keeping them from doing that. And when you have to pay for justice, no one can afford it. I can’t afford it, he can’t afford it. [applause] [garbled]

Michelle Obama: Thank you for that. Thank you for that. [applause] [garbled] You know, and, and Sister Berta [sp] you may want to talk a little bit about this because this has come up as well in every round table is that the challenges that people are facing in foster care, in the court systems as well, you know, you may want to talk a bit about those struggles because, you know, and also I want to make sure that people understand that, you know, as Barack talks about his experiences growing up without a father. That that in no way doesn’t recognize that there’s serious problems in, in the system at all. I think part of what we all have to do in addition to fighting the system and making sure there’s equity and that people have the resources to, to keep their families whole, I think Barack is always of the view that we have to talk about all sides of the coin. You know, that as we’re talking about that fight we also have to recognize that there are people who do have complete ability an access to do what they need to do. And sometimes in the face of all that is bad we don’t always do what’s, what’s the best as individuals. And part of Barack’s message will always be there’s government responsibility and ac
countability, but there is individual [voice: “Yeah.”] responsibility [applause] and accountability. And, and one never cancels out the other, you know. So, as a part of this conversation, as a part of healing, our growth as a nation we have to own what we do right, own what we do wrong, and work to fix the stuff that is in, within, our, our power as individuals and communities [applause] and families. So, so, you want to talk just a little bit about what you’ve seen? [crosstalk]

Panelist: Well, I, I think systems were designed originally to help families. But what happens, I think, is systems stay the same and the families change and so the systems become useless. You know, you get, you get, it’s easier to get into the court system than to get out of it. [laughter] And, one of the issues I think with, with fathers, I’ve been around a while, but I never tell my age, but anyway [laughter]. When I first came here, to get welfare, they went in your home, looked in your cabinets to see if there were men’s stuff anywhere. If there was, you were denied. And now we are blaming the women because they don’t have stable relationships. If one of our moms who was working at a fast food place marries the man that works next to her she loses health insurance, child care, any housing help, and food stamps. And yet we say we’re such a family friendly society and we believe fathers should be at home taking care of their children. But we, we create systems that cause them not to be able to, and then we turn around and blame the women for not doing a better job at this. And I think a lot of this stuff that ends up in court is part of the issue. And we, we have, we’re a family friendly society, we have to have family friendly rules. Which means if a couple gets married we support them, not completely, but help them for a while, and ease them off of it. If a mother comes in and tells me she’s getting married it’s, I don’t say, I say, “Oh good” and I’m thinking that’s not a good economic decision. [audience voices] It should be. It should be the best decision. And so our systems are destroying our families. And I don’t know how to fix it. But somebody needs to fix this because we pay a huge price for these kids. Kids growing with foster care, what seventy per cent end up as homeless kids. And when they’re eighteen they get a hundred dollars, they drop them at a shelter. I mean, come on, we can do better than this. We do better with our pets in this country. And I like pets, but we do. [applause]

Michelle Obama: How much time do we have? Melissa? [laughter] Melissa on your Blackberry. Oh, you know what? In all fairness, you’re, you’re, you’re back here. I [garbled] . I know. I’m trying to spread the wealth. This gentleman. Do we have a mic over here? Coming, it’s coming. That was hard. [laughter]

Q: My name is XXXXX, I actually go to UMKC here and, and I’m one of the student advocates for the [garbled]. But my question is, we have a lot of students who have issue getting health coverage because they can’t afford to do it with their parents, or their parents don’t allow them to stay on their health insurance because they’re going away to school. They also have issues with things like loans and the Federal Pell grant has stayed the same while the costs for education has gone up over and over again. And students like me, I, I’m a, I’m a, student loan person, I’m a program person, and we just can’t afford to constantly be paying back these loans and we’re worried that the Pell grant isn’t going to increase when it doesn’t cover any of our expenses. Is there anything that, that, that you all foresee as, as [garbled] administration that can help ease that burden, because the Federal government literally covers maybe a fifth of what I have to pay every year? [voice: “Yeah, yeah.”]

Michelle Obama: Yes. [applause] Well, on the, on the insurance front, and just somebody check me, if, if I’m wrong, part of what Barack is proposing in his plan is that students can stay on their parents’ insurance longer. You know, that’s one of the, you know, I don’t want to get it wrong. [laughter] But I, I did notice that as I am a parent, I was like “Whoo, that’d be good.” [laughter] But, you know, part of it is that in, in, I believe in, in some policies, you know, kids get cut off at a certain age and it doesn’t sort of coincide with any realistic life structure that people have. Kids are going to college, they’re still dependent much longer than that. I think that’s why, you know, that would help on the student piece with health care if, if students could stay on. But again, that doesn’t, you know, help you if your family doesn’t have insurance at all. But again, if we had universal health care coverage this kind of stuff, you know, it, it would encompass students and families without insurance and so on and so forth. On the, on the loan grant, on the loan issue, you know, one of Barack’s big proposals around education is linked to his proposal on national service. And we are big national service, we’re big national service family. [applause] Because one of, one of the best jobs I had in my life before going into the hospitals was running an Americorps national service program under the Clinton administration. I run, Americorps was an outstanding idea. And it’s still funded under the current administration, just at lower levels. But, you know, through these types of initiatives young people are do, and, and people of all ages for that matter, that would be part of the expansion, that it wouldn’t have to just apply to college age students. But, our seniors and so on and so forth, you imagine the amount of manpower that could be used and put into child care and health care and elderly care and nursing homes if we had young people who in exchange for their college tuition, you know, you do, you get a little college support, you do a little service. [voice: “Yes.”] And, [applause][cheers] and, and because of that the creation of that Americorps culture under Clinton young people are just exciting, this isn’t, you know, this wouldn’t be hard, young people are doing this already. Service has become a part of the culture, particularly among high school and college age, because many schools and churches require community service. So kids are embracing this already. And it wouldn’t have to be abroad. The Peace Corps is wonderful, that would be an option, but there’s so much that needs to be done around conservation and energy and social services support. Having national service volunteers working with foster families and, and in those systems that would supply more support  – young people would relish the chance to do that and it, and also exposes them to these wonderful careers in public service, which sometimes you don’t always get exposed to in college. Even wonderful institutions in college, you’re majoring in soc, psych, you can be pre-med, you can be a law student, but if you want understand what it meant to be in the foster care system or to run a non-profit organization, to, you know, do a whole, be a community organizer. You don’t, you don’t learn that in college. [voices: “No.”] you know, college is good [garbled] [laughter], love it. We’re gonna probably see more and more of those service learning initiatives coming out of our colleges, well but we’re, you know, we’re growing and what, what, what I found in the young people who did service that they were more inclined to be more civic minded. [voice: “Yes.”] Whether they became lawyers, or investment bankers, hedge fund managers – if you had a taste of working on the ground with people as a college student that affects your thinking forever.

So, [applause][cheers] okay, I just got the cut sign. [laughter] So I, we have to stop. But, you know, let me begin by thanking my panel. [applause] It isn’t easy to sit up here and share your story, stories, but is so helpful. It’s helpful to this campaign, it will be helpful to Barack’s presidency, because one of the things that, you know, I , that Barack understands is, is incumbent upon him as he ascends the rank, is to continue to keep h
is feet planted to the ground and to, to know these stories not just from, you know, anecdotes. But to hear them in settings like this where people let their guards down and they feel the safety of their communities to be able to talk and express. And there’s nothing like the stories that fill your head as you have to advocate and understand how to structure this stuff, and what’s broken, and who’s getting, you know, and understanding that things are not black and white. There’s a ton of gray in life ,you know, as we think about what we want to do and how we want to invest in, in policies. It’s easy, you know, in the vacuum outside of life to think that the answers are so easy. They’re so hard. And they’re so complicated. So, thank you all for sharing and know that we will be working hard to stay grounded and stay focused and to keep fighting. It won’t be easy. So many systems have already been locked in place that it will take decades to unravel, but if we begin the process then maybe we’ll be at a point in time…[applause] So, thank you everyone. [applause]

Michelle Obmama addresses the audience.

Our previous coverage of the July 10th round table discussion at Pierson Auditorium on the campus of the University of Missouri – Kansas City:

Michelle Obama in Kansas City – photos

Michelle Obama in Kansas City – the audience gathers

Michelle Obama’s remarks:

[applause][cheers] Thank you so much. You guys, please. Sit down, rest your feet. [laughter] This is a round table for working women, so I don’t want you standing up anymore than you have to. You work hard enough as it is. [laughter] Even, even the men that are here, you can sit down. [laughter]

I want to thank Susan [Montee] for that wonderful introduction. It, it has meant so much for us to have strong early supporters in this candidacy. And have people who came out a year ago when nobody knew who Barack Obama was, really. It, it means a great deal and we are grateful to have her support.

I also want to thank Chancellor Bailey here at the University of Missouri for opening up this institution to us. I got an opportunity to meet him and the student body president. Would you gentlemen please stand up so that we can just say, “Hello.” [applause]

But I am just delighted to be here in this state to have a conversation about what’s on so many of our minds. I know it’s, it’s on my mind. And in this issue of balancing work and family and making sure we all have an opportunity to create sane home lives for our kids and keep ourselves together at the same time. I know that there’s so many people here like me who wear so many different hats. And I’ve done that all my life. I am not just the wife of a presidential candidate, which is like eight hats, [laughter] but I am a professional, still I had a job, [laughter] another job that, but I’m a daughter, a sister, a best friend, but the roll that I cherish most is, is the role of mom. That role means so much to me. [applause]

[garbled] Like so many of you my little precious girls are, are all that I think about. They are the first things I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last, the last things I think about before I go to bed at night. And it, it doesn’t really matter what I’m doing. In the whole, talking to folks, they are on my mind, whether I’m campaigning or working. I am constantly worried about how they’re doing, how they’re feeling, are they being loved, are they having fun. So, for me the policies that support working women and families, it’s not just about politics for me, this stuff is personal. these are the issues that I have mulled around my head my entire life. And no matter what the outcome is of this election, I’m gonna to continue to work and talk, and fight to make sure that we put women and families in a better place in this country. [applause]

And I don’t know about you all, but I’m, I’m always amazed at how different things have, are today for working women and families s compared to when I was growing up. As Susan alluded to, I’m the product of a working class community. I’m a proud product. I talk about it everywhere I go. But back then, a man like my father, who was a city worker, he worked a shift, could raise a family of four on a single city salary. And allow my mother to stay home to take care of me and my brother. And today one income, let alone the kind of income that would come from a man like my father, just doesn’t cut it anymore. [voice: “That’s right.”] What we’re finding in this country is that working families are finding that two people have to be working to make ends meet. And I don’t how people do it when there’s only one parent, a single parent in the household. But people are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. And that’s not even including the kind of jobs that you do once we get off of work [voices: “Right.” “That’s right.”] and I know as women the truth of the matter is, is that those jobs still disproportionately fall on our laps. Those jobs like getting laundry done, making lunch, signing field trip form. I can tell you what I did before I got on the plane to come here, ’cause no matter who’s in the house, a grandma or me, the kids come to me for all of that. They look straight to me.

And then as those bills pile up, and the tasks seem to get harder and harder, we all have the job of late night worrier. And like many of you I have wished in, in those late hours that I had this magic machine that create more time [laughter] in the day that would allow me to get a little more sleep at night. Or maybe duplicate myself, once or twice, so that I could be at three places at once. But even as I dream in, in those late nights I, I do know, Barack and I know, that we are blessed. We are fortunate. We are among the lucky ones because we have the resources that we need to make sure that our family can hold it together. And I, of all people, have the most important resource of all. I’ve got my mom who lives near by me and is there to take care of my girls when I’m not there. And I’ve said this around the campaign trail, there’s nothing like grandma. When you were [applause], and I know that more and more families are finding it hard to have that informal support structure. When jobs are drying up in states and cities all over the, this country young families have to move away from grandma and great aunts. And they’re left to fend for themselves. So there’s so much more that happens when an economy crumbles. It’s not just the loss of jobs, but its the break down of those informal support structures. So, Barack and I know we’re blessed.

But we know that so many of families around this country are not as fortunate. As I’ve traveled around the country for the last year and a half I’ve heard stories, so many stories of families that are doing their best to keep it together. I’ve heard from so many mothers who are struggling to make ends meet. And were gonna talk to some of those mothers today. Folks who are seeing their income stagnate as prices continue to climb, making decisions about putting gas in the car or getting the grocery bill paid. And then there are the women who find it difficult to take time off of work to care for a sick child for fear that they’ll be penalized. Or mothers to be that don’t want to let their bosses know that they’re pregnant because they’re afraid of losing their jobs. And then there are the women who are working hard every single day doing some of the same jobs as men but they’re not getting paid the same thing. [applause]

And then there are military families. That’s a group of families that I’ve just begun to talk to as I’ve traveled around the country. And you just imagine all the struggles that the average families are dealing with and you take that struggle and you double it and you triple it and you add on two, or three, or four consecutive tours of duty. So these young families are struggling just as well trying to make it on one paycheck when there used to be two. They’re still dealing with the questions of how to cover the cost of child care, trying to get mental health support for their families and for themselves. And they welcome their loved ones home with open hearts, but often find that the government just isn’t there to provide the support to honor the service that some of these men and women have given.

So those are some of the struggles. These are the types of struggles that we hear all over the country. And the struggles aren’t new to me, not new to anyone in this room, but I want people to understand these struggles certainly aren’t new to my husband, Barack. He understands the struggles. He understands them because he was raised by strong women. He is the product of two great women in his life. His mother and his grandmother. [applause] Barack saw his mother, who was very young and very single when she had him, and he saw her work hard to compl
ete her education and try to raise he and his sister. And he saw through her struggle essentially what she tried to teach him, that you can do anything with a little hard work in this country. But he also saw her struggle to make ends meet, sometimes relying on food stamps. And the pain, that it effect, that hit her, the pride of ask, having to ask someone else for help. He saw his grandmother. who is now in her eighties, was the primary breadwinner in their household. Held the family together. He saw her rise from being the secretary at a bank to being a senior level executive. This woman in her eighties, a ground breaker in her own right. But he also [applause], but he also saw her hit that proverbial glass ceiling that even with her abilities and her hard work there was only so far that she’d be able to go. And he also sees me, his wife, who struggles every day with that guilt we all hold deep in our heart as women. That guilt that you don’t have the choice to stay home, and even if you do you feel guilty, you’re working. When you’re working you’re not with your kids, so you feel bad about that. And when you’re with your kids you know you need to be doing more somewhere else. It’s a guilt that we all hold. He has seen me struggle with this my entire life, so trust me, Barack, Barack understands the struggles of women. Because the women he loves the most in his life, he has learned these lessons from. So Barack, you have to know, carries our stories as women in his heart every day. And they have affected who he has become as a man. And they’ve impacted the choices that he’s made over his entire life.

That’s why, when Barack graduated from college, he moved to Chicago to become a community organizer, working on the south side of Chicago and some communities that had been devastated by the closing of steel plants. He saw the struggles of single parent mothers, grandmothers raising grandchildren, and folks who had given up hope that the government could help them. He came into those communities and worked for years trying to help folks find their own power to build a life, better life for themselves and their children. That’s why Barack, when he became an Illinois state senate, worked to pass welfare reform law. That would move people from welfare to work so that generations of children would have a better life. And that’s why in the Illinois senate he fought to pass legislation to give three hundred thousand more women protection from paycheck discrimination.

And that’s why he’s been fighting so hard in the U.S. Senate to pass legislation to help women hold their employers more accountable when they’re not paid fairly. And that’s why as President of the United States Barack has determined to change Washington so that we don’t just talk a good game about family values, but we actually develop policies [applause], real policies that have meaning to working women and families.That help us raise our children, to care for them. And to insure that we;re not just surviving, but that we’re thriving.

Right now in this country thousands of women don’t have any family leave, nothing. And for those who do many of them don’t take it because it is unpaid. And people can’t afford to do something unpaid. Right now in this country [applause], twenty two million working women don’t have a single paid sick day. Not a single paid sick day. And that’s, it’s not only unacceptable, it’s unrealistic. [voice: “Right.”] In this country families shouldn’t be punished because somebody gets sick or there’s a family emergency. That’s why Barack is going to be working hard to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act, so that millions of additional Americans will be able to take a little time off when they need to. Maybe take care of a sick child, or elderly parent, or go, heaven forbid, to a school play or a parent teacher conference. Or just spend a few hours reading to your child, that they need a little extra attention. Barack is going to require every single employer to make sure that all their workers have at least seven paid sick days a year. [applause]

Barack has also put, to committed to insuring that women are paid fairly for the work that they do. And today although a majority of women are now the primary bread winners in their households, women still earn seventy seven cents for every dollar that a man earns. And a recent Supreme Court decision made it actually harder for women to hold employers accountable for paying them less for the same amount of work. And that’s why Barack was a proud supporter of legislation that would overturn that Supreme Court decision. And let me know, just want to let you know as president Barack is gonna keep fighting and working hard until that gap in equity is closed once and for all. [applause]

So in my famous Michelle Obama honesty [laughter] that sometimes gets me in trouble [laughter] I have to say that when Barack approached me, when he was seriously considering this run for president I said, “No way.” [laughter] “Absolutely not. Please don’t.” Because the truth be told it’s, I thought politics was mean rough business. I don’t know that I feel any differently about it today. [laughter] But the last thing in the world that I wanted for my girls was to have their lives turned upside down. I mean, you can understand that. {voices: “Uh, huh.”] I couldn’t bear the thought of them being in the public eye or hearing their parents being criticized on national TV. Or having their dad away from them for weeks on end. It broke my herat just to think about it. I, I wanted, like all mothers and parents, do I want the best possible life for my girls. But then I had to take a step back. And I had to take off my me hat. And I had to put on my citizen hat. And I started thinking more broadly about the kind of world that I would want my girls to grow up in. And I thought about a world where when they grew up they’d be paid equally and fairly for the work that they’d do. A world where they could choose a career and not have to worry about choosing between their kids and earning a living. I wanted them to be in a world where they could dream as women without limitations and imagine anything for themselves. And then I realized that’s the kind of world that I wanted for my girls and for all of our children. And I had no choice but to work hard to make sure that a man like Barack Obama would be the next President of the United States. [applause][cheers]

So, so that’s why I’m here. [laughter] That’s it. Because I’m gonna do my part to make sure that we get this man in office. And we’re gonna need your help every step of the way.

So, I’m gonna stop now [laughter] and we’re gonna open this conversation up to the wonderful women on this panel who have so eagerly agreed to share their stories.

I see breathing a little hard it’s. [laughter] Ignore the cameras [laughter] if you can. [garbled] is like, “Oh, just keep talkin’.” [laughter] You’re doin’ just fine [laughter][garbled] by me. [laughter] I feel that way, too, when there’s a good speaker, I’m just sort of like, “Oh good!” [laughter][garbled] But we’re gonna have a conversation that we’ve had, I’ve, I’ve helped to organize these conversations all over the country for the last year and a half. And this is the best thing I’ve done in my life because we need to start sharing our challenges and our struggles, first of all, so that we know that we’re not alone.

I don’t care what city I’m in, what state I’m in, whether it’s rural or urban – the stories that you will share are the same stories we hear everywhere. Folks are hurting in ways that sometimes we don’t want to admit. But in order to fix it we have to admit it. But this is only the beginning. These are the kind of conversations that I know we have to continue to have, not just for the rest of this campaign season, but for, for the next four or eight years. So this is just the beginning.

So I want you guys to relax [laughter], breathe deeply, drink water. And also we’re gonna ask everyone else to join in, share stories, ask questions. And thank you again for giving us the time. let’s begin. [applause]…  
 

“A Discussion with Missouri Women and Michelle Obama”.

We attempted to live blog the event – Michelle Obama in Kansas City – the audience gathers, but we were like a bad clown act trying to juggle one too many things, sometimes it just ain’t pretty. The photos turned out quite a bit better.

The television trucks started showing up after 7:00 a.m.

A local television reporter does a morning news “stand up” before the public is let into the auditorium.

The panel of five women waits with the crowd.

Michelle Obama is introduced by Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee

Michelle Obama delivers her prepared remarks.

Michelle Obama and the panel.

Michelle Obama and the crowd on the rope line.

A number of people asked to pose for photos (and did).

A significant number of individuals gave and received hugs.

Michelle Obama is an engaged and ebullient individual. In almost every instance when she encountered someone on the rope line she took time to listen.

Vendors hawked Obama 2008 paraphanalia after the event, in the hallway inside and outside the venue.

The audience starts filling the auditorium a little before 9:00 a.m.

Blue Girl and I are here in the media pen waiting for Michelle Obama to speak at Pierson Auditorium on the campus of the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

The event is titled: “A Discussion with Missouri Women and Michelle Obama”.

If the WiFi holds up we’ll try to do some live blogging.