Opinion: Michelle Obama invokes MLK in cash pitch to supporters

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Every e-mail that arrives these days from Laura Bush, or from John Kerry, it seems, carries a fundraising appeal with it.

So it is not surprising that the e-missive from Michelle Obama, wife of Barack Obama, should carry a plea for cash. Yet, wrapped as it is, in a commemoration of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., on this anniversary of his assassination, there is a certain jarring aspect to this campaign dispatch.

‘Today is the 40th anniversary of the tragic assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,’’ Michelle Obama writes, ‘and I want to share a video that reveals how far we’ve come and how much this campaign owes to Dr. King’s legacy. Students at a high school in the Bronx, who had no real interest in their government, have found new hope. They were surprised by their own excitement and engagement, but to me, they embody so many reasons why Barack and I decided to get into this campaign.’’

At the bottom of this long letter from the Obama campaign sits a ‘Donate’’ button. The e-mail also invites readers to share the inspirational video of the Bronx high schoolers speaking of race with friends. And, after the YouTube video is dispatched, another page appears on the computer screen, with an option for a monthly subscription in contributions to the Obama campaign.

-- Mark Silva

Mark Silva of the Chicago Tribune’s Washington Bureau writes for The Swamp.