On issues regarding her husband’s agenda, Michelle Obama may be as partisan as anyone in Washington.
But when it comes to her smackdown of a heckler, the first lady has found something that can unite red and blue America.
The incident occurred at a Democratic fund-raiser in a private home in Washington this week. When Mrs. Obama was interrupted by a self-described lesbian activist, the pool report says she walked over and laid down her ultimatum: “Listen to me or you can take the mic, but I’m leaving. You all decide. You have one choice.”
The protestor was asked to leave.
Now, we often find ourselves on the other side of the argument from President and Mrs. Obama. But when people are invited to speak — especially the president or the first lady — simple courtesy demands they be treated with respect and allowed to talk without interruption. We note too that the boorishness directed at Mrs. Obama came just days after the president was himself interrupted several times by a heckler during a major speech on war policy.
Frankly, we’d like to see more of the Michelle approach to the unchecked public rudeness that is epidemic today. And if the first lady is looking to gain even more bipartisan good will, she might direct her lesson about good manners to America’s leading offender when it comes to interrupting people with opposing views: our college campuses.