Michelle Obama rekindles message of 'hope' to turn Arizona blue
Michelle Obama rocked a packed, enthusiastic hall Thursday as she made a passionate case for the election of Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.
Speaking for about 30 minutes at a Democratic get-out-the-vote rally, the popular first lady painted a portrait of the Republican presidential nominee as an out-of-touch billionaire, "living high up in a tower in a world of exclusive clubs."
Trump, she said, has had little exposure to the real 21st-century America and thus finds it easy to view the country through an us-versus-them prism that produces contempt for Americans "who are different than you."
And that makes it easy "to take advantage of those who are down on their luck, folks who play by the rules, and pay what they owe," she said. "Because you don't know them. You can't even see them," Obama said.
Trump has a radically different vision of America than Democratic nominee Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of state and U.S senator from New York who comes from a different, more modest place, Obama said.
"Maybe that's why this candidate takes certain immigrants for criminals, instead of for folks who work their fingers to the bone," Obama said. "... That's why he thinks we should be afraid of our Muslim brothers and sisters. Because he really has no idea who they are."
The crowd enthusiastically cheered that line, one of several that drew a loud cheer from supporters who packed into the Phoenix Convention Center.
While Trump is offering a vision "grounded in hopelessness and despair," Clinton sees that "each of us is a precious part of the Great American Story," Obama said.
Calling her "a policy wonk," Obama said Clinton has a vision of equality, inclusion, liberty and justice for all and has the policies "to actually make that vision a reality."
Obama cited the Clinton agenda that includes fixing the broken immigration system, making public college education tuition-free, paid family leave, raising the minimum wage and lowering taxes for working families.
"Hillary has well-reasoned policies to help people. Her opponent has tweets," Obama said. "You decide."
Big week for Democrats in Arizona
Obama's stop in downtown Phoenix was the crescendo of a big week for Democrats here.
It started with an announcement that the Clinton campaign would invest more than $2 million in its Arizona advertising efforts in response to polls that have shown the traditional red state in play this year.
To help get out the vote in an election that could swing either way based on turnout, three high-profile surrogates were dispatched to Arizona: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont was in Flagstaff and Tucson on Tuesday; daughter Chelsea Clinton was in Tempe on Wednesday, and Obama was in Phoenix on Thursday.
City officials said the crowd inside the Phoenix Convention Center numbered 6,907. Several hundred were turned away because the room was full, after waiting hours in a line that snaked around the convention center.
Ron Mack was among the last voters to make it in. The Phoenix resident came dressed in a black T-shirt that reflected the frustrations he and other African-Americans have with police brutality. The shirt was emblazoned with gold lettering that read: "Dear Police: 'I am a White Woman.' ”
“I’m here today to support a candidate that is more for the American people and they’re able to actually help the American people and not jeopardize any of the current situations that we’re in," he said. "I know that there’s a lot of turmoil going on and tension going on, and I think that this president, Hillary Clinton, can get it to the right places.”
Wants respect for women
Kellee Lemons 38, had tears in her eyes by the time she finished explaining why she drove her children from Tucson to Phoenix to hear Obama speak. Recently, she sat with her girls and listened to the first lady talk about Trump's lack of respect for women.
"With all of the rhetoric about inappropriate advances toward women and women being devalued, to me that's a big issue," Lemons said. "Donald Trump certainly doesn't represent my ideals."
Lorraine Newman, 70, came to the speech with her daughter. Though she said Obama’s visit is important to her African-American community, the most important issue is translating the audience’s enthusiasm for the first lady into votes for Clinton on Election Day.
“I think that it’s extremely important that we be here to support Hillary because she’s our best candidate,” she said. “I’m one of her biggest fans. She’s more informed. She’s been a politician for a long time.”
A new Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll, conducted Oct. 10 to Oct. 15 and released Wednesday, showed that Clinton was supported by 39 percent of the Arizona voters surveyed, while Trump is backed by 33.9 percent. Another 20.7 percent of those polled hadn't decided yet who to vote for in the Nov. 8 general election.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
It also comes the day after the third and final presidential debate between Clinton and Trump, in which Trump would not commit to accept the results of the election.
"I'll keep you in suspense," Trump said.
Obama, in Phoenix, directly confronted Trump over the remark, saying conspiracy theories about rigged elections are designed to discourage voters and get them to stay home. She suggested Trump is making a mockery of a system that is revered around the world.
"You do not keep American democracy in suspense," she said to more cheers.
Hillary Clinton criticized for not visiting Arizona
Despite speculation that an Arizona visit from Clinton herself is likely before Election Day, the Trump campaign took note that Clinton has so far in the general-election season left the stumping to surrogates. Trump has campaigned in the state six times.
"Michelle Obama's visit reminds Arizonans that Hillary Clinton hasn't been here in over seven months," said Coalter Baker, the Trump campaign's Arizona communications director. "It's no wonder Hillary is phoning it in with Arizona voters, given her support of open borders, increasing Syrian refugees by 550 percent, and her pay-to-play corruption scheme at the State Department, where she traded official access for million-dollar gifts to the Clinton Foundation and six-figure speaking fees for her husband. Arizona voters are tired of the same old Washington double-speak and back-room deals from career politicians like Hillary, and will vote for change in November."
The last Democrat to carry Arizona was then-President Bill Clinton in 1996. Before that, it was President Harry Truman in 1948.
Inside the downtown Phoenix convention hall, it was pure Clinton country.
As the jubilant crowd awaited Obama’s arrival, pop and Latin music blared. Every now and then, the crowd chanted, “Hillary! Hillary!” They held signs that read: “Hill Yes!” “POTUS,” “I’m With Her” and “AZ with Hillary.”
One woman wore a T-shirt that had "I'M WITH NASTY" emblazoned across the back. The homemade slogan was a reaction to Trump's parting shot to Clinton during the debate, in which he interrupted her and said: "Such a nasty woman.”
As anticipation built for the first lady's arrival, the crowd chanted, "We want Michelle!"
Prior to the first lady's arrival, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who is running against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain, "dreamer" Ramon Chavez and U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., gave speeches reminding the crowd of the importance of casting their ballots.
"We are officially a swing state!" Gallego said to the crowd's roar.
Obama was introduced by Carolyn Goldwater Ross, granddaughter of the late U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican presidential nominee from Arizona.
Goldwater Ross said there may be two candidates on the ballot, but there’s only choice. Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who "lives up to my grandfather's values," "can unite our country," "can move our country forward," and can ensure civil-rights protections for women, minorities and the LGBT community, she said.
From the stage, Obama no doubt caused some Kirkpatrick supporters to cringe when she gave her a shout-out as "Ann Patrick."
Kirkpatrick is trailing McCain by 11.5 percentage points in the latest Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll.
After her speech, Obama spent about 20 minutes taking pictures with supporters before leaving.
Obama entered and exited the venue to the strains of the old Stevie Wonder hit "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours."
“She gave us hope and she just put into words everything we’ve been feeling this whole campaign with the negativity and transformed it into something we can put our hands onto,” said Kathy Beebe, a Tempe Democrat. “This is historic.”
Beebe said she has already cast her early vote for Clinton, and helped register 200 new Democrats, including one woman she said has not voted since 1964, for Goldwater.
She said the message of hope is key at this point in the race: “One candidate portrays hope, the other one tears it apart and makes us fearful of the future.”
Republic reporter Dianna Náñez contributed to this article.
