Obama's wife joins push to court working class

By Caren Bohan

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - If Michelle Obama had her way, her husband Barack would be a teacher, a writer, a singer, a dancer -- anything but a politician with the chance to make history as the first black president of the United States.

She described to an audience in Indianapolis how they struggled, like any other young couple in Middle America, to raise two children and pay off debts.

"We are still so close to the lives that most Americans are living," she said. "And I don't know about you but for most of my lifetime, I've felt disconnected from Washington."

The Obamas hope the "regular guy" narrative will resonate with the white working class voters that the Illinois senator has had trouble winning over and who may be the key to his White House bid.

Cast as an elitist by New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic Party nomination, and John McCain, the Republican senator he could face in November's presidential election, Obama has turned to his wife to bolster his "close to the ground" credentials.

"We're a young couple with small kids with all the challenges and the emotions and the stresses that come with raising kids, like being a working mom," said Michelle Obama, 44, who is on leave from her job as hospital administrator and now divides her time between campaigning and raising the couple's two daughters -- Sasha, 6, and Malia, 9.

Though she is a Harvard-trained lawyer like her 46-year-old husband, she said the couple was not far from the years of paying off student loans and working to "keep up with bills."

The Obamas brought in $4.2 million last year, according to their tax returns. Most of the money came from royalties on Barack Obama's two bestselling books. The couple moved into the millionaire category a few years ago, moving up from their previous six-figure income.

'THE CYNIC IN THE FAMILY'

Michelle Obama described herself as slow to warm up to his interest in a career in politics and said she was initially skeptical of his vow to remake the political culture -- a theme that is central to Barack Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" and to his presidential campaign.

"I'm the cynic in the family. I'm the one. This is the hope guy," she said, drawing laughter as she pointed to her husband during a campaign stop with him in Indiana this week.

"I've spent my life trying to convince him not to be a politician. Teach, write, sing, dance -- I don't care what you do. Don't do this. These people are mean."

She says she has since come around, viewing her husband as someone "who could unite people around values."

Barack Obama's task of courting working class voters was made more difficult by comments he made last month at a San Francisco fundraiser about "bitter" small-town voters. His rivals said the comments suggested he was "out of touch."

But when Michelle Obama made a campaign stop on Thursday in Jeffersonville, Indiana, to talk to about two dozen working mothers, retired administrative assistant Paula Goehe said the candidate's wife seemed perfectly down to earth.