CNN
—

Michelle Obama issued a scathing indictment Donald Trump on Saturday at a Michigan rally for Kamala Harris, calling the former president an existential threat to women’s rights and telling men that a vote for Trump “is a vote against us.”

The former first lady, in a replay of her passionate and often cutting lines this summer at the Democratic National Convention, he expressed hope and fear in equal measure, promoting Harris’ courage and compassion as he openly agonized over the prospect of Trump returning to the White House. As she introduced and embraced Harris, Obama’s voice was almost shaking — wracked with concern and frustration in a race that, she insisted, should not be as close as the polls suggest.

“By every measure, she has shown that she is ready,” Obama said of Harris. “The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?”

Addressing a raucous and adoring crowd in Kalamazoo, Obama spoke candidly and often in grim terms about the implications for women — and “the men who love us” — if the federal government, led by the president, is not inclined to soften the blow. the state ban on abortion.

“Please, please don’t leave us to the fate of people like Trump, who knows nothing about us, who has shown deep contempt for us,” Obama said. “Because a vote for him is a vote against us, against our health, against our worth.”

Harris’ rally in Kalamazoo — or “Kamala-zoo,” as the former first lady joked — followed another event on reproductive rights on Friday evening in Houston, where music superstar Beyoncé supported the vice president and issued a similar message of faith and fear.

“I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician,” said the singer. “I’m here as a mother.”

Houston’s Harris spoke directly to male voters, saying, “The men of America do not want to see their daughters, wives, sisters and mothers put at risk because their rights have been taken away.”

Michigan’s Obama made a similar overture, but often in more vivid, painfully detailed terms.

“If your wife is shaking and bleeding on the operating room table during a routine, labor has gone missing, her blood pressure is dropping as she loses more and more blood, or an unexpected infection is spreading and her doctors aren’t sure if they can act … you’ll be the one praying it’s not too late,” Obama said. “You’ll be the one asking someone, anyone to do something.”

For the women watching, Obama asked them to either try to convince undecided friends and family members to vote for Harris or go out on their own.

“If you’re a woman living in a family of men who don’t listen to you or value your opinion, remember that voting is a private matter,” Obama said. “You can use your judgment and vote for yourself and the women in your life. Remember, women who stand up for what is best for us can make a difference in this election.”

Appealing to moderate Republicans and conservatives disenchanted with Trump’s brand of Republican politics has been another theme of Harris’ campaign in the final weeks of the campaign.

“Kamala, she puts herself out there fearlessly, facing even her harshest critics. She’s looking to Republicans to find common ground,” Obama said. “Unlike her opponent, she doesn’t shy away from interviews or cower in safe spaces with only kind audiences. She shows us what a healthy and stable leader looks like.”

After writing a litany of criticisms of Trump, his “horrible behavior” and what she described as his inadequate response to the pandemic, Obama – again – offered a glimpse of her own anxiety.

“With all that being said, I’ve come to wonder, ‘Well, why the hell is this race even close?'” Obama said. “I lay awake at night wondering what the hell was going on in the world.”

Harris, who has been on a blitz for several days except for his star-studded event in Texas, focused his remarks on now-familiar themes and lines of attack, again contrasting Trump’s “enemies list” with “the welcome them”. make the list.”

“Just imagine Donald Trump without the railings,” Harris said. “The one who will claim uncontrolled and extreme power if re-elected, the one who swore to be a dictator on Day 1, the one who said he wished he had generals like Hitler, who names Americans who are not agree with him “the enemy from within.”

Standing behind a podium with a presidential seal, Harris pointed to Trump’s the previous call to end the Constitution and reinstate him, saying only comments should disqualify him.

“Never, never,” she said.

Harris received thunderous applause as she delivered the impassioned line, the loudest response to the vice president of the night.

Speaking in a typically blue county that President Joe Biden won by about 20 points in 2020, Harris also made a direct appeal to younger voters — including those in Kalamazoo, which is home to several colleges.

“Generations of Americans before us have led the fight for freedom, and now the baton is in our hands,” she said, asking, “Can I see Generation Z?” — which drew cheers from younger attendees.

“I love you guys,” Harris said, adding, “Of the many things I find so great about you, you’re rightly eager for change.

“I like that.”