First Lady Michelle Obama has been hitting the campaign trail with a series of commanding, passionate speeches. Recently, Mrs. Obama addressed a crowd of thousands in Phoenix. The First Lady urged the crowd to vote, stating that “if Hillary does not win this election, that will be on us.”
The First Lady also addressed Donald Trump’s troubling comments in the last debate, specifically his failure to say whether or not he would accept the results of the election.
Trump has ruffled feathers across party lines with his most recent refusal to say if he will accept the election results. Many of Trump’s followers have embraced his anti-election stance, and have promised to rise up in the event of the republican nominee’s loss. During her speech in Phoenix, The First Lady also expressed her disdain for Donald Trump’s overall campaign strategy, which she says is “to make this election so dirty and so ugly that we just turn off the TV and say, we just don’t want any part of it.”
The democratic process is an essential characteristic of the United States. The United States was founded on certain principals, and the voting process is one of those fundamental aspects. Obama mentioned this, saying that “our democracy is revered around the world,” and reminding the packed arena that “this is how we elected John F. Kennedy; Ronald Reagan; two George Bushes; Bill Clinton; and Barack Obama, it has worked for decades.”
Trump’s evasive answers during the debate have many worried that he will fight the peaceful transfer of power. The peaceful transfer of power is another cornerstone of American democracy. The First Lady reiterated the importance of the process by reminding those in attendance that Americans are fortunate to live in this country. She stated that “when a presidential candidate threatens to ignore our voices and reject the outcome of this election, he is threatening the very idea of America itself.”