Becoming

Election day arrives, and Michelle and Barack take Sasha and Malia with them to cast their vote for Barack as President of the United States. Michelle’s parents took her to the polls when she was young, and Michelle likes continuing this tradition, “hoping to reinforce both the ease and the importance of the act” (273). Afterward, Barack goes to play basketball with Craig to blow off some steam, and Michelle warns them not to let Barack get injured because he’ll have to be on TV that night. The polls leading up to the election have indicated that Barack leads the popular vote, but Michelle remains skeptical, because voters have a history about lying about minority candidates to cover up their own prejudices.

The general election has been less strenuous for Michelle than the primaries, with Sarah Palin proving to be enough of a distraction as John McCain’s running mate. The home loan crisis hits, but Michelle has faith that Barack can lead the country through it: “We’d be foolish at this point not to put him in office. Still, he would inherit a mess” (275). The day of the election, both Michelle and Barack retreat upstairs to get away from the hubbub of family, friends, and staff downstairs.