Is Barack Obama Pussy Whipped?

There’s been a lot of eye-rolling since The New York Times Sunday Magazine published yesterday The First Marriage, a profile of the Obamas’ personal relationship. I have a big crush on the couple, so reading the article was a big step up from my usual rushed fix of gratuitous celebrity gossip in the supermarket checkout line. Furthermore, I think Barack Obama is HOT, HOT, HOT. Many other women of all ages feel the same way, including my college-aged daughter and her friends.

Do you know what the hottest thing about Barack Obama is? It’s the way he looks at Michelle. The Times piece states that their marriage is central to his political brand. Fair enough, it enhances his curb appeal. As a marketing strategist, I can tell you that the reason it works so beautifully is that it is real. There are no artificial notes being struck when these two appear in public. Sparks fly when they look at each other.

They kiss, touch, and flirt in public. She teases him. He gazes upon her adoringly. The crowds may be roaring, cameras flashing, but he only has eyes for her. Though the feeling is clearly mutual, there is a sense that he is being solicitous of her, always reinforcing the impression that she is the woman of his dreams. In fact, one often gets the sense that he would like nothing better than to carry her upstairs and ravage her. And yet, she is no helpless female. She is strong-willed, of strong opinions, strong family values and possesses a strong and brilliant mind. Barack Obama chose a woman as smart and talented as he is. And he looks as if he can hardly believe his good fortune.

Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson met in 1989. She was a corporate attorney at Sidley Austin when he showed up as a summer intern. Because they were the only two African Americans in the firm, she was assigned as his mentor. Michelle had never had a serious boyfriend, saying that she had never known a man who met her standards. Barack asked her out right away that summer. She said no. She had heard about his unusual background, and thought it was strange. Later in the summer she heard him give a speech, and recalls thinking to herself, “OK, yeah, this could work.”

The Obamas do not have a perfect marriage. For twelve years, they were only able to live together part-time. They openly acknowledge “bumps in the road” along the way. When he first announced his intention to seek public office, she said, “I married you because you’re cute and you’re smart, but this is the dumbest thing you’ve ever asked me to do.” She has always supported him, but not by being on the campaign trail endlessly. “I’ve had to come to the point of figuring out how to carve out what kind of life I want for myself beyond who Barack is and what he wants.”

Is Barack Obama pussy whipped? No. Theirs in an equal partnership. I imagine he gets his way much of the time, in fact. What’s remarkable is that this President feels secure enough in his own masculinity to demonstrate in public that his sense of well-being clearly depends on the love and good opinion of the woman he loves.

If the coolest dude on the planet can unabashedly adore and desire his wife for all the world to see, he makes an awesome role model for the next generation of men.