Obama, Biden make surprise visit to women’s Caucus

First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, made a surprise visit to the Women’s Caucus meeting Thursday morning, thrilling delegates, politicians and others at the Charlotte Convention Center. Obama encouraged attendees of the caucus to help register voters, especially in battleground states, for the upcoming election. “If you don’t live in a battleground state,” the First Lady said, “move to one. If you can afford it, write a check.… If you haven’t maxed out, max out.” Obama’s speech capped a two-hour event that also saw Lilly Ledbetter, Jehmu Greene and Jill Biden speak. With the large crowd intermittently shouting out, “We love you, Michelle,” Obama spoke of her husband’s commitment to the women in his family, and how he plans to fight for the rights of “all our daughters.” “This election is more than issues right now,” she said. “It’s about how we want our democracy to function for decades.” Obama rehashed some of the talking points from her speech given on opening night of the Democratic National Convention Tuesday. She reiterated that her husband stands for a woman’s right to control her body, and she also praised Jill Biden for being a working mother. “There’s nothing second about this lady,” Obama said. The First Lady said the energy, not just in the caucuses but also on the streets of Charlotte, was “palpable.” She closed her remarks with a “four more years” chant before exiting to Stevie Wonder’s song “Higher Ground.” Ledbetter, for whom the Fair Pay Act is named, spoke to the crowd about moving forward, not back – a common, oft-repeated theme at the event. Democrat Rep. John Lewis of Georgia spoke briefly, telling the crowd that Rosa Parks inspired him to “get in trouble,” and urged women to get in trouble, as well. Greene, a political commentator frequently on Fox News, spoke negatively of Republican candidate Mitt Romney and his stance on the rights of women. “Behind every man, there’s a strong, great woman,” Greene said to an audience willing to fill in the blank for her. “Let’s talk about what’s behind Mitt Romney.” She said the agenda set by Romney wants to take women back, not to 1950, but to 1910. “Sure, Anne (Romney) is a great woman, but let’s be clear who’s pulling the strings.”