michelle obama is more popular than sarah palin but in part that's because michelle obama doesn't get inside of these kinds of back-and-forth fights. >> glor: and michelle obama is out on the campaign trail right now with just about, as of monday, two weeks left before the midterms. there's been talk recently this mini-democratic surge. will it make a difference with only two weeks left? >> there has been a little bit of a surge. strategists in both parties talk about it, in states like pennsylvania, the senate race there, things are getting a little tighter. the senate race in connecticut is looking better for democrats. they also say that's the case in the california senate race. but if things are getting better, they're also not looking good. democrats are having to move time and attention away from a whole slew of races, essentially leaving them for dead. the president is out on a campaign swing this week. he'll go to important states like california, washington, and nevada. so their hope is that if things are getting better, they're only getting better from a very, very bad elect

celebraron el galardon que dicho programa recibio esta semana de la primera dama de la nacion michelle obamaa onda, bien simpatica, bien alta pero bien simpatica dentro de mas de 500 programas, writers corps fue elegido como uno de los 15 mejores y mas efectivos en el pais , para promover el arte y las humanidades entre los jovenes....nicole fue seleccionada para recibir el premio a nombre de los 600 estudiantes que como ella, actualmente participan de el en san francisco. francisco. les ayuda mucho sobre todo porque se sienten mas seguros, porque pueden desarrollar mas su personalidad este programa ubica escritores profesionales en grupos de jovenes para que les ensenen a escribir creativamente...para nicole es claro que esto la ha ayudado, no solo a mejorar en la escuela. escuela....no me expresaba muy bien en frente de la gente, siempre estaba asi como timida pero ahora 44 44 puedo hablar en publico muy bien la sociedad a veces no reconoce los talentos de los jovenes y con un programa como ese ellos encuentran como expresarse y como tener el coraje para enfrentar la vida lo bello de este

i think michelle obama has done a good job at that. i think laura bush did a good job at that. >> i that is it for this edition of to the contrary. next week a half hour profile of house speaker nancy pelosi, the first female speaker in u.s. history at a time when many pollsters and pundits are predicting speaker pelosi may lose her historic title. please join us on the web for to the contrary extra whether your views are in agreement or to the contrary. please join us next time. >> funding for "to the contrary" provided by: >> additional funding provided by:

one of the fun fact, it costs more to get into a michelle obama fund-raising than a barack obama fund-raiserld that be? because she's not out on the campaign trail as much as the president and supply and demand if there's more of the president and his price goes down? >> exactly. in these particular cases it's just more expensive to see michelle obama and she's doing the big fundraisers and the white house in some ways is trying to protect michelle obama. that's why she's not at a big campaign rally. she has to maintain that role as first lady and her high approval ratings keeping it invite only and more personal sort of setting. >> it's interesting. sophie nelson wrote an opinion spot saying she's worried about putting the first lady on the campaign trail. it was only two years ago during the 2008 campaign that michelle obama became fodder for political conservatives and pundits. i'm not sure it is wise that it may resurrect that old stereoty stereotype. is there any concern about that for the folks for whom she will be campaigning? >> well, i don't think she'll go out deliver an angry or p

. >> that is michelle obama, trying to throw a lifeline to struggling russ feingold. kenji save them, mark -- and she save them, mark? >> he will save himself. michelle obama, the lightning rod, the controversial figure in the campaign of 2008, has emerged as the more popular. she can go to colorado. the president has not been, to my knowledge, invited back to colorado since he helped michael bennet win the primary. she can go where he cannot, and her numbers are hot. as far as delivering votes, we don't deliver votes in this country, we don't deliver groceries, we barely deliver mail. >> se67 percent approval rating, michelle obama. does putting her out there put in jeopardy, nina? >> i don't think so. she is an incredibly graceful circuit -- graceful sordid who can only help a candidate. she cannot elect a candidate and more than any president really likes the candidate, but shean help -- then the president elect the candidate, but she can help. >> how does a look to you, evan? >> obama's approval rating is not that bad compared to progress. -- compared to congress.

tonight michelle obama is here, tomorrow, she'll be in los angeles. why coming to just this area? because obamas know they can't get near california's battle ground. in the bay area this, district stretches from lodi. and and he didn't go anywhere here 11th and neither will michelle obama. and this brings the president in to 11th is nationalizing the race in the 11th. it's note the strategy democrats think will work with them. >> on the other hand having michelle obama in san francisco is a good way to raise man and rally democrats for races. chief among them, barbara boxer' reelection bid. boxer and her chair toured a solar plant this morning. and worker says democrats are making a come back. >> what i've seen out there is tremendous enthusiasm whenever i go. in california. >> and this telling reporters its republicans that have momentum its clear there is a huge amount of voter enthusiasm on our side that. is clear throughout this county. i think it's clear throughout the state. >> latest poll averages show boxer with a slight lead. however, abc is calling this race a toss up. a

yeah, i'm a little surprised the fact michelle obama wasn't sent down to florida. e question, does the obama campaign team choosing not to put her down here, because in fact if alex loses, look back and say, well, michelle obama went to florida yet they couldn't pull it out. you got to wonder if there's some 2012 strategy going on, ed. >> we will continue to discuss that with our political editor. first a break and i'll remind before you we go to break that sarah palin will be here soon and we will bring it to you live. we promise. we'll be back with "ballot bowl" soon. rheumatoid arthritis, there's the life you live... and the life you want to live. fortunately there's enbrel, the #1 most doctor-prescribed biologic medicine for ra. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, fatigue, and stop joint damage. because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, and other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbre

the campaign blitz continues. >> michelle obama has not been on the stump since 2008. will be the big draw. kate amara joins us from our washington bureau with more details. good morning. >> michelle obama making a return to the campaign trail today in milwaukee. she is kicking off a series of attend fund-raisers in 12 days. the warehouse sends out its secret weapon today. michelle obama hitting the trail to help democratic candidates, pushing voters to the poll. to not expect the same message. >> republicans may have given it a new name, the pledge to america. it is the same old snake oil the have been peddling for years. >> michelle obama will try to strike a more upbeat tone. can the appeal of the first lady be enough to counter the momentum of the tea party? the tea party holding rallies of its own. >> government is too big and tries to do too much. >> ramping up efforts to get out the vote and getting its candidate in office. >> we are americans. we have to speak up for our freedom. >> the president and first lady have their first joint appearance scheduled for th

michelle obama has not been on the stump since 2008. but this week she is the big draw at some fund raisers. kate amara joins us live from our washington bureau with that story. good morning. >> michelle obama making a return to the campaign trail today in milwaukee. she is kicking off a set of fund raisers. the white house sends out its secret weapon today. first lady michelle obama hitting the trail to help democratic candidates, raising money, pushing voters to the polls. but don't expect the same message we've been hearing from her husband. >> republicans might have given it a new name. they called it the pledge to america. but it's the same old snake oil they've been peddling for years. >> instead of partisan shots, michelle obama will try to strike a more upbeat tone. but can the appeal of the first lady be enough to counter the momentum of the tea party? as we head into the home stretch, the tea party holding rallies of its own. >> government is too big and it tries to do too much. >> ramping up efforts to get out the vote and ge

michelle obama habla en ar la universidad de los niÑos. >> sÍ, y tambiÉn lo de refinanciar la casa. >ar combustible en su primera planta nuclear, sin embargo, la secretaria de estado clinton dijo que estados unidos no tiene problema con dicha planta si no con otros lugares donde se cree que conducen su programa de armas nucleares y ahora aquí en estados unidos el gobernador de california y su esposa convocaron a miles de mujeres para discutir sobre educación y liderazgo la conferencia anual de mujeres que tuvo entre las oradores a la primera dama de estados unidos, michelle obama aunque no sólo se habló de las elecciones ese tema estuvo presente. con una gran ovación de bienvenida michelle obama dejó en claro la popularidad al presentarse en la conferencia anual de mujeres en los Ángeles. . >>> haciendo una tregua en los discurso para promover el voto se refirió a la la complicada de mujeres sobre todo para las mujeres que están al frente de las familias de militares en combate. >>> porque es muy importante lo que hacen las mujeres por mamá, por hermanas por amigos es que podemos hace

but i don't understand why sarah palin went after michelle obama. e most liked woman in terms of the obama administration. the only thing i can think of is just a stab in the eye. >> right. i'm not saying, and i know you're not saying that anyone is exempt from criticism. but it seems there is a list. she's bringing up something. and misquoted her from 2008. >> you're right. there's a list you go down. pelosi, obama, reid, you keep going down. a lot of folks out there are still upset with michelle obama for her comment about being for the first time in her adult life being very pleased to vote for her husband. >> what do we make of the fact that you have sarah palin out there being very vocal out in california, but meg whitman and carly fiorina are the two top republican women in the state who are in really close races, and both could win. won't be seen at the two events. >> sarah palin's base is the base. it's red meat conservatives. it's tea parties. they need moderate democrats. they need independents. sarah palin does not poll well with the indiv

. >>> mom and chief michelle obama, can she save her husband's party? >>> also, a lot more on the miners as we said, but also the foreclosure fiesta going national. will mortgage companies have to stop the foreclosures because of breaking the law? until the day they met their match. cascade complete pacs. the best of cascade powder and gel in one pac. dual forces combine and conquer. sending stuck-on food and greasy messes to a watery grave. ♪ that was easy. [ male announcer ] cascade complete pacs. combine and conquer. etfs? exchange traded funds? don't give me just ten or twenty to choose from. come on. td ameritrade introduces commission-free etfs with a difference-- more choice. over a hundred etfs.... ...chosen by the unbiased experts at morningstar associates. let me pick what works for me. for me. for me. the etf market center at td ameritrade. before investing, carefully consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. contact td ameritrade for a prospectus containing this and other information. read it carefully before i

but michelle obama prefers a different title, and sharyn alfonsi spent the day on the campaign trailith the first lady. >> reporter: in milwaukee today, no mud slinging. instead, a focus on her role as the self-described mom in chief. >> the children are at the center of my world. >> but the truth is, it is going to take a longer time to dig ourselves out of this hole than any of us would like. >> reporter: the white house is now dispatching michelle obama to help candidates in eight key states over the next three weeks. >> i've heard people say, the one i want to meet is michelle obama. >> reporter: today, she was in wisconsin with senator russ feingold. do you think she's a greater asset than the president? >> no, the president is number one. but she's a close second. >> reporter: but the numbers tell a different story. the first lady's favorability rating, 68%. and in a more recent poll, her husband's, 50%. why do you like her? >> because she is so -- she seems to down to earth. >> reporter: even so, linda fisher told us, that's not likely to influence her vote. >> something needs

tomorrow michelle obama will appear in los angeles. live in san francisc francisco, abc 7 news. >> all right lillian thank you. political fire stormy erupted in san jose over a you tube video showing a city kuns man taking campaign signs against the measure that he supports. video shows councilman oliver being questioned by police about the no on measure v signs in the back of his car. if passed the measure would change how arbitration is done between the city and public safety union. now the union are strongly opposed to it. the campaign says what oliver did was ill legal. >> i saw councilman oliver with the car parked. his trunk up and walk over and pull a lawn sign off private property. >> oliver insist it is legal because the signs were on public property. and he has the mayor on his side. >> our immune cal code allows volunteers take them down on behalf of the city. >>reporter: and tonight another salvo from the no on measure v campaign that sent thought mailer claiming that oliver broke the law. >> some delevoping news tonight. w

outside, and inside the hotel, michelle obama is expected to run 6:00 p.m.re ready and no parking across the street and traffic is going to be diverted from the hotel. >> it will be tight, and traffic during the arrival, departure and the motorcade for the first lady. we will be shutting down streets and it is only for short. of time. only during a rebel, departure. >> she will speak at 6:30. to support candidates for barbara boxer who is against carly fiorina. joe biden, the wife is of joe biden, is on the guest list and nancy pelosi is hosting. and also, to honor an extraordinary woman. >> the second time that she is been and the bay area since in office. mr. obama was you're coming of support for local democrats. in san francisco, vicki liviakis kron 4 news. >> the senate race between barbara boxer in carly during the continues to heat up. maureen kelly was in san jose when carly fiorina. >> this is the candidate that i support. >> senior senator, dianne feinstein and showed a solid their support for the barbara boxer. walking arm in arm, the toward a man

we saw machine -- michelle obama on the campaign trail. it will take a few weeks to figure out of it is working. >> thanks. we will see you later. >> 57 degrees. >> still ahead, a change of command in the district public school system. what parents are saying about the next school chancellor. here is a check >> this animal was not feeling well, but we have her fixed up, and she is feeling better. come on down and visit. good morning. >> some areas of light sprinkles moving overhead in arlington. it is glazing the road surfaces. we have heavier rain. let's take a look at the doppler 7 radar right now. it is heavier than he evhere in arlington. in towards vienna and the panhandle, moderate rain. it will be off and on today. high temperatures in the 60's. about 1 inch of rain when it is all over with. it should be breezy tomorrow with an isolated showers. we will talk about the weekend weather coming up. >> i want to talk about what is happening right now and make sure the issue slow down with the little bit of listed that he was describing.

>> i think, first of all, in terms of michelle obama that we've already learned that she's a charismaticng person. we learned that right before president obama took office. the problem is that spouses in this case, male or female, they kind of reinforce the office holder and, in this case, i think when you've got president obama's numbers going down what michelle obama's presence on the campaign trail might reflect is how weak the president may be at the moment. i mean, the question came up in the california gubernatorial debate last night, do you want president obama out here campaigning for it. just the fact that that question was asked tells you a lot about what happened to the fading star power of president obama. i'm not sure as charismatic as michelle obama is going to make that big of a difference. in terms of bill clinton, you've seen it over the years. he is a popular guy. >> he's, at least in our polls, he's the most popular politician in america right now. his aprivproval ratings are way again. >> but, chris, he's not on the ballot anywhere. i think that people like to be arou

, but certainly taking michelle obama's remarks from 2008 completely out of context.smart in any case to take on the popular first lady? we are joined by politico's reporter glenn white. and this is not maybe where she wants to be? >> michelle or sarah? >> sarah. >> well, in is taking it pretty far out of context and she was not talking about the military or service members, but she was sort of talking about the country being infused with a new sense of hope once she made that speech in february of 2008 in milwaukee. you know, but sarah palin has been talking about death panels, too, and people are criticizing her about that, and she does not seem to stop. >> well, the first lady has been making military families one of the signature issues, so it seems like bringing that up at this stage -- in any case, let's talk about palin's impact, and the whole palin factor with her picks. how is she doing so far? she seems to be effective with the people she has highlighted? >> yeah, i mean, look, she is clearly sort of identified folks out there, rand paul, being one of them a

i think michelle obama is a charismatic person and she has all the positives of barack obama without, which is always the case. karen's exactly right. i remember republicans using laura bush when george w. bush, you know, was persona nongrada in some states. they are using her wisely. they need to be careful and protect her brand. vice presidents are attack dogs but first ladies have to be above the fray. based on norah's report, they'll use her smartly and send her to places where she will be well received. they're not going to send her down to arkansas where bill clinton might go unless it's a closed door fund-raiser. i think if they use her appropriately and they avoid having her become some sort of negative attack dog, she is a big plus for president obama, absolutely. >> we're out of time and totally off topic, given what we talked about the bad economy and isn't this little so nice? >> nice to see something happy happening. >> won't you watch, matt? >> i would if it's an occasion where we can all come together, you know, which is rare in this business. >> for at least a minute.

next came michelle obama at 15%. then laura bush at 12%.michelle obama came in essentially third here on this list of popularity, but of all the first ladies on that list as well, she ranked highest in the favorability rating. i think it hovers around 65%. so people still have a good opinion of her even if she's not their favorite first lady. >>> we told you about this a moment ago, you can fly first class, business class, coach class, but there's a cuddle class coming out now. this is a cuddle class, and they call it this because you essentially can cuddle with the people you're flying with. >> oh, really? >> you can book a row of seats. some people do this on emtier or lighter flights that aren't so full. if you have a row to yourself, you'll do this. but this is planned by air new sea lapped for transpacific flights. it's a sky couch. you see it there. three seats designed to recreate a space for children to play or you can lay flat, relax, and do anything else with the person you might be snuggled up with. >> so basically, you're paying

. >> that is michelle obama throwing a lifeline to the struggling russ feingold. kenji save them, -- and she save him, mark? >> if he is say he will save himself. but michelle obama, the lightning rod in the 2008 colelection, is now more popular. the prime -- the president has not been invited back to colorado since he helped michael bennet win the primary. her numbers are high. we don't deliver votes in this country, which don't deliver groceries, we barely deliver mail. >> 67 percent approval rating, michelle obama. does putting her out there but that in jeopardy, nina? >> i don't think so. the only time she was controversial was early on in the campaign. she is an incredibly graceful saurrogate who can only help a candidate. i don't think she can elect a candidate anymore than any president can elect a candidate. but she can help. she can help raise money and give a warm, fuzzy feeling. >> how does it look to you, evan? >> obama's approval rating is not that bad compared to progress. but there is kind of a limit as to him now. there is -- lameness to him now. m

but i want to go back to the michelle obama comment if a minute.s so outrageous and so not classy. i want you to think back in 2007, you know, barack obama was not necessarily running for president yet. he was a contender. he was kind of like sarah palin in that sense. no one knew if he was going to run. can you imagine barack obama ever taking a shot at laura bush? i mean it's just not done. it's beyond political decorum. there's no decorum when it comes to the obamas. >> i think there's a tribal aspect to this thing. our group out here won't like them at all as people so anything goes. let's take a look at palin again in california. here's tom brokaw. she's out there -- so here's tom brokaw asking meg whitman about palin in the tuesday debate we covered. he asked about this event. >> ms. whitman, a real force in your party is sarah palin. she'll be in california on saturday. she's been a governor of a big western state. are you going to seek her advice on what you may do for california after her experience in alaska? >> so sarah palin's coming to

i think you will see two faces of michelle obama on the stump. on the one hand you will see her posing as the champion of the working people and demonizing republicans as the mean people who are keeping them out of their jobs. you see that with the grass roots online appeals. she is now doing a michelle match program. where she is moneygrubbing for small donations of three dollars or more that she says will be matched. matched by whom? we didn't know. apparently there are unnamed anonymous donors who will match it. i believe is code for big labor and is 88 million dollar war chest. >> sean: there was a piece today saying the president two days after election day is plan -- planning to head out of dodge and going on a foreign trip for 12 days. what do you think of this, perhaps maybe i'm making too much of this. the president speaking and the presidential seal, how symbolic falls off the front of the podium when he's speaking. >> the president: that starts with education, especially in fields like science, technology, engineering and math. we cann

. >> and what do michelle obama and lady gaga have in common?he answer is next on news watch. [ female announcer ] when you save an average of over 50 a year with the humana walmart preferred prescription plan, you have more time to remember what it's really a about. enroll starting november 15. go to walmart.com for details. it's work through the grime and the muck, month. tow and pull without getting stuck month. sweat every day to make an honest buck...month. and if you're gonna try and do this in anything other than a chevy... well, good luck...month. great deals on the complete family of chevy trucks all backed for a hundred thousand miles. it's truck month. during truck month, use your all-star edition discount for a total value of five thousand dollars on silverado. see your local chevrolet dealer. >> this incident with jon stewart is where i think what i was feeling got in the way of what i should have done and said and that's why i think i'm going through what i'm going through now. it was my mistake, i screwed up. i take full responsib

. >> that is michelle obama, trying to throw a lifeline to russ feingold in wisconsin. can she save him, mark? >> if he is saved he will save himself. michelle obama, the lightning rod, controversial figure in 2008, has emerged as the more popular. she can go to colorado. the president has not been, to my knowledge, invited back to colorado since he helped michael bennet win the primary. she can go where he cannot, and her numbers are high. as far as delivering votes, we don't deliver votes in this country, we don't deliver groceries, we barely deliver mail. >> 68% approval rating, michelle obama. does putting her out there put that in jeopardy, nina? >> i don't think so. the only time she was controversial was early on in the campaign. she is an incredibly graceful surrogate, who can only help a candidate she cannot elect a candidate any more than any president really elects a candidate. but she can help, and she can certainly help raise money and give a warm, fuzzy feeling. >> how does it look to you, evan? >> obama's approval rating is not that bad compared to congre

buff she spoke yesterday and made fun of michelle obama.e was ripping on. roll it. >> for the first time in my adult lifetime i'm really proud of my country. megyn: palin says the following. when i hear people say or had said that they had never been proud of america until that time, i thought haven't they met anybody in uniform yet? now you have got supporters of the white house saying that was beyond the pale. and sarah palin had no business taking that shot at michelle obama. >> it's a 2-year-old quote. if you are michelle obama you have got to be careful once you hit 0 about using lines about for the first time in my adult life. you are talking about a lot of time. >> she said it in public. it's not like sarah palin referencing michelle obama a private person said. she said it as a public figure. megyn: does that reignite it now three weeks before the election? that was said two years ago. >> i think it's important because the barack obamas are good about saying what's appropriate right before the election and turning around later and d

coming in number one, michelle obama, next the ceo of kraft foods.mogul oprah winfrey takes the top spot. helen merkel and number five spotted, secretary of state hillary clinton. rounding out the top ten, pepsico's ceo and then the youngest lady gaga. and singer beyonce and talk show host ellen degeneres. and women that bring in news and entertainment. katie couric and diane sawyer. christiane ammanpour and martha stewart is at 99. judy where were you on the list? >> i was looking for andrea and some of the others, i didn't see any of us. >> jon: maybe next year's list. >> like a popularity contest. >> jon: that is

a shout-out might have been a little trouble for first lady michelle obama. she was speaking alongside nancy pelosi and jill biden. hermes sa-- message, making america better. >> and even though she was passed over year after year after year because she was a woman, she rarely complained, because she knew she was doing this to give something more to barack and his sister. and that is what the american dream is all about. >> this is michelle obama's second trip to the bay area since her husband took office. it comes just days after president obama was in town drumming up support for the democratic party as well. >>> decision 2010 right around the corner but not wouithout drama. lying and cheating. this video shows firefighters confronting a councilman, accusing him of stealing their signs and putting them in a car. in a statement today, he says, quote, that campaign contains mostly misinformation, disinformation and lies. their actions do not reflect the values of the men and women in our police and fire departments. >>> on election night, count on nbc bay are

michelle obama is being touted as the democrats' secret weapon, stumping for struggling candidates inand president obama is trying to rock the youth vote, leading a youth town hall to be broadcast on mtv and other networks. he has his work cut out for him, according to an associated press/mtv u poll, in may 2009, president obama enjoyed 69% approval rating. fast moored forward to now, september 2010 and just 44% approval and 27% disapproval. msnbc's mike viqueira joining us live from the white house a good day to you, mike. >> hi, alex. >> let's talk about the waning support from students. anything the mtv poll will show us? >> put your finger on the problem here, a disaffected and discouraged democratic base includes all democratic voters, those on the left and the youth vote that showed out in such force for the first time in many cases in 2008 to help vault president obama into the west wing and the oval office here in washington. michelle obama is being used very sparingly from the beginning. her office has said that she will not be engaged in partisan attacks, but what they are d

also, what is sarah palin doing taking a shot at michel obama? who has an approval rating twice as high as hearse. does sarah palin think about what she think about what she says? or does she look for attention wherever she can get it? and turns out john boehner did give money to the republican who likes dressing up as a nazi and didn't ask for money back. we'll talk to ohio senator sherrod brown about that one. >>> let's talk about a grim reminder of the iraq war and who did the pushing. all of that's ahead but first, let's get to the latest polls. for that we check the "hardball" scoreboard. start with california, new reuters poll shows out. jerry brown with a four-point lead over meg whitman in the governor's race. i've been watching that one. in the senate race reuters has barbara boxer up one. that is a fascinating race. 46% to 45%, and it could go either way. in the west virginia senate race, a new poll shows joe manchin the governor up by ten. he has really cleaned up. i guess it was that hicky casting call that got him in trouble. manchin

michelle obama is hitting the trail for democrats battling for their political lives. but there's no tough talk from the self-described mom in chief. >> my children are the center of my world. and my hopes for their future are at the heart of every, single thing that i do. >> reporter: the first lady is asking for patience from voters who wanted change. >> many of us came into this expecting to see all of the change we talked about happen, all at once, right away. but the truth is, it is going to take a longer time to dig ourselves out of this hole, than any of us would like. >> reporter: voters in eight, key states will hear that message over the next three weeks. today, colorado. wednesday, it was illinois and wisconsin. >> other people say, the one i really want to meet is michelle obama. >> reporter: senator russ feingold skipped a fund-raiser with the president this fall. so, what's different about the first lady? >> do you think she's a greater asset than the president? >> no. the president's number one. she's a close second. >> reporter: but the numbers tell a d

people believe that about her. >> we all love michelle obama.hink we are all proud of the first lady. he's a mother like many of us. >> reporter: in fact capacity crowd of 700, mostly women paid $500,000 to break bread with the first lady, and others paid $10,000 to take a photo with her. just two protestors were outside of the fundraiser. that may subject why her approval is 20 points higher than the president's. with just days to november 2nd november 2nd, she is being seen as a defiblator for runners like barbara boxer. they are giving the national party the heart palpitations because the races are so close. >> we have eight days to finish what has been going on for more than a year. >> reporter: the first lady seems to deliver in a speech that started like a sideline cheerleader. >> my question, san francisco k we do this? yes! >> reporter: and quickly rose to the passion of a sunday sermon. >> change has not come fast enough. >> reporter: it's believed obama is on the campaign trail to address the voters that two weeks ago that were voting

, here in denver michelle obama continued her first campaign trip since 2008. >> this is officially myecond y campaigning. >> reporter: in washington, president obama held a televised town hall meeting with a group of young people. >> although i'm a proud mocrat, i'm a prouder american. >> reporter: he wants to make them young voters. >> thank you so much. >> repter: the president and the first lady are hoping to make it feel like old times, too. on the stump, mrs. obama repeatedly invokes memories of the presidential campaign. >> yes, we can. we were energized, we were hopeful. we were fired up. >> reporter: the obamas are trying to rekindle the energy and enthusiasm of the 2008 campaign. that's when young minority and first-time voters turned out in huge numbers and became a ke part of the democrat success. once mr. obama took office and tackled tough issues like the economy and health care rerm, his popularity plummeted. but mrs. obama, who got off to a slow start in the 2008 campaign, has seen her popularity soar. she's since held her own, making her an important part of the democr

. >> president obama and first lady michelle obama will come to the bay area to campaign for democratsthe president will be here on thursday followed the next day really for jerry brown and barbara boxer. mrs. obama will be in southern california for a boxer fund-raiser. we'll look what is at stake for the white house in this midterm election. >> president obama's point man is set to speak in palo alto. time geithner will talk about the administration's effort to get more americans back to work and reinforce long-term growth in the u.s. he'll also talk about efforts to build a more stable financial system in the global economy. >> a new grocery store's bright color scheme is expected to be raised at tonight's city council meeting in gilroy. gilroy's mayor says he doesn't think the planning commission properly examined whether the dark colors of the mi pueblo market fits with parking lot city stores. some feel the colors need to be toned down. >> on the san mateo it followed emergency work to fix a crack. it began after a routine inspection discovered a 10-inch crack in a seismic suppor

dean, the democrats are hoping michelle obama's star power can help turn things around at a number ofraces. >> reporter: well, it's true, katie, that michelle obama's popularity exceeds her husband's and now she's on a three-week seven-state campaign swing. first in wisconsin this morning and later in illinois, she got right down to the economy. commiserating with families, asking for their patience and reminding voters it's going to take a lot longer to dig ourselves out of this hole than any of us would like. the truth is this is the hard part. it's also a measure of how hard the environment is for democrats nationally that the first lady would be campaigning in her home state, in her home town, involving barack obama's old senate seat. and right now, the race for that seat is neck and neck. katie? >> couric: all right, dean reynolds in chicago, thank you. coming up next, she is the face of education reform. and now she's out of a job. yea? we mail documents all over the country, so, what if there were priority mail flat rate... envelopes? yes! you could ship to any state... for a l

michelle obama hits the campaign trail today to try to shore things up. >>> good afternoon. welcome back to news4 at 4:00. i'm pat lawson muse. >> and i'm jim handly. d.c. school's chancellor michelle rhee has resigned. she said it was a mutual decision between her and vincent gray. mayor fenty named chancellor as acting chancellor. >>> d.c. police are on the lookout for one man who killed one man and injured another. this happened this morning in the department public works. on the 1200 ock of "w" street northeast. 51-year-old larry hutchin of suitland, maryland, was killed. they said those shot were working at the time. police do not believe the act was random. >>> we're following the otr top story of the day. the quick and steady rescue of chile's trapped miners. here's a live picture of the scene. smft people brought with family member and loved ones who have been waiting as we've said for 69 days. the 22nd miner was pulled up. at the current pace, all 33 should be out before midnight. the shift manager will be the last one to emerge. the miner's vital signs are being clo