Now Democrats dream of Michelle Obama again

Mats Larsson

No last name needed, but if anyone is wondering, it's Obama. She is back in US news headlines again.

It's nothing new that American voters aren't very happy with what appears to be on offer in November's presidential election.

Many are Democrats who fear President Joe Biden is too old, and view with increasing dismay the numerous polls showing Donald Trump has a realistic chance of defeating him in November.

Imagine if someone else showed up at the last minute. This is where Michelle Obama comes into the picture.

When the Center Square news site conducted a poll in early January asking voters who typically vote Democratic to imagine the candidate they wanted, Michelle Obama won… just that.

24 percent wanted her as a presidential candidate in 2024. Joe Biden had to settle for second place with 20 percent. Since the measurement was made, several other things have happened.

This is not the first time that speculation has been raised about whether Michelle Obama will enter the world of politics. She herself has always made it clear that she is not interested in this matter.

So some pointed the eagle when, in a rare interview with “On Purpose,” she described her fears ahead of the 2024 election. She claimed to lie awake at night.

– What will happen in the next elections? I'm afraid of what could happen.

Were there subtle signs in that letter that she was beginning to rethink her resistance?

Then one of America's most famous columnists joined the fray. New York Post – Cindy Adams is 93 years old.

She claims that sources told her that Barack Obama reached out to potential donors to test support for Michelle.

The idea is that Joe Biden will announce just before the party convention this summer that he will not run for reelection for health reasons. Instead, Michelle Obama will be nominated at the convention.

Many Republican voices – such as former Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone – also say they are convinced Michelle Obama will intervene.

There are currently no metrics that pit Michelle Obama against Donald Trump, but it is probably reasonable to assume that she will do well. Barack and Michelle Obama remain very popular among Democrats and many centrist voters.

It has also happened in the past that a sitting president decided very late not to run. Lyndon Johnson first announced on March 31, 1968 that he did not intend to participate.

But Lyndon Johnson had a strong competitor in the primary. Joe Biden has no running mate, and there's no excitement when South Carolina Democrats hold their first primary on Saturday.

Frankly, the speculation about Michelle Obama mostly seems like wishful thinking on the part of Democrats who are very concerned about what might happen in November.

She has said repeatedly that she does not want to become president, and there is actually no indication that she has changed her mind. She has also never been elected to any political office.

Joe Biden also has a complicated relationship with Barack Obama. It is true that they were close during Biden's eight years as vice president.

But Biden also took some offense when Barack Obama made clear he favored Hillary Clinton as his presidential nominee in 2016. In 2020, Biden got no help in the primaries, and the fight wasn't over until April of that year. Practically, Obama ran after him.

Joe Biden is actually the only person to have defeated Donald Trump in the election. He seems confident that he can do it again.

As long as Biden himself feels that his health is sound, he will not step down.

But Michelle as a vice presidential candidate then? Mother…