Name: Is Michelle Obama angling for her own shot at the White House?
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Is Michelle Obama angling for her own shot at the White House?

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All politics aspires to the condition of entertainment. Given the condition of entertainment these days, this is no longer such a stretch. Michelle Obama . This was planned, but it did not go to plan. Obama has star power. She made low-wattage Biden look like a guttering candle.&nbsp;&nbsp;Obama was meant to warm up the crowd for Biden. Instead, she blew him off the stage to rapturous applause – or would have, because this convention is being conducting as the world’s biggest Zoomathon. In space, no one can hear you whoop.Conventions go on for days, until the party members surrender. The speaking order is planned like an old-time vaudeville bill or a modern rock festival. The punters are entertained by a mix of talents and tricks – Monday night’s novelty turn was Republican auto-flagellator John Kasich – but the top of the bill belongs to the last act to hit the stage. This applies even when there is no stage to hit. The Democratic convention is in Milwaukee, but the speakers are all at home.It’s mourning in America. At least, it is if you’re a Democrat. So Michelle Obama, estimated net worth $70m, spoke from a typical living room of the struggling middle class: . If politics is showbiz, this was a soap opera set."I am here tonight because I love this country with all my heart,"&nbsp;said Michelle, who once said she was never "really proud"&nbsp;of America until her husband won the Democratic nomination. But the country she described sounds like a police state, wracked by "the horrors of systemic racism".She also spoke the truth that will determine November’s election: "Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy".Obama, who was once a serious-minded healthcare administrator, graduated as a mature student from the Oprah Winfrey School of Television Arts. She is living proof of the ‘prosperity gospel’. Upward mobility is the stairway to heaven, and ‘empathy’ the mutual endorsement of unattainable dreams.Americans, whether Republican, Democrat or disgusted, know that something has gone wrong. The Democrats claim that white racism still overrides human empathy. The Republicans blame socialism and identity politics. The people blame the politicians, and know that mere politics cannot repair American society.&nbsp;Michelle Obama’s empathetic performance offers the alternative: dreams over the deficit. Obama and Trump won elections on escape from reality. She might not be a spontaneous performer&nbsp;like&nbsp;Trump or&nbsp;Boris Johnson, but she is charismatic and, crucially,&nbsp;delivers a credible&nbsp;impersonation of an&nbsp;ordinary person. This performance will feed speculation that she has a run at the White House in her sights.&nbsp;She says she’s not interested, but this would not be the first time a president has backed into the limelight.Is wobbly Joe Biden capable of ‘steadiness’? Is Biden, who cannot speak without jamming his foot in his mouth, really going to stem the ‘chaos’? She came to praise him, but she might just have buried him.&nbsp;Related TopicsThe Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our.You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. Find out more.Show commentsAdvertisementRelated TopicsWe rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism.We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future.Thank you for your support.Need help?Visit ourpage.Close

All politics aspires to the condition of entertainment. Given the condition of entertainment these days, this is no longer such a stretch. Michelle Obama . This was planned, but it did not go to plan. Obama has star power. She made low-wattage Biden look like a guttering candle.&nbsp;&nbsp;Obama was meant to warm up the crowd for Biden. Instead, she blew him off the stage to rapturous applause – or would have, because this convention is being conducting as the world’s biggest Zoomathon. In space, no one can hear you whoop.Conventions go on for days, until the party members surrender. The...

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Dominic Green

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Is Michelle Obama angling for her own shot at the White House?

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