First lady Michelle Obama opened the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday with a deeply personal speech showing how the economic struggles of average workers and her own parents shaped the policies of her husband, capping a night that began with sharp attacks on the GOP. Her nationally televised address was a portrait of the U.S. economy from the view of working people, including the first lady's father, a city water plant worker with multiple sclerosis. Mrs. Obama used the story of her father, and of Mr. Obama's bank-worker grandmother, to explain the president's support for equal-pay laws, his signature health-insurance law and student loans. Mrs. Obama didn't mention Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, or his party. But her story drew an implicit comparison to Mr. Romney's life of greater privilege. Her speech tried to explain Mr. Obama's governing impulses but did not dwell on tougher questions of his policies at a time of tepid job creation and growing federal debt. 'In the end, for Barack, these issues aren't political─they're personal. Because Barack knows what it means when a family struggles,' Mrs. Obama said. Her address capped an opening night to the party's three-day convention that was crafted to make a special appeal to women and Latino voters, two critical parts of the Obama coalition. It included a prime-time address by Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio, seen as a rising Democratic star. Ahead of Mrs. Obama's speech, Republicans continued to press the argument that Mr. Obama's leadership of the U.S. economy has fallen short. They seized on the president's comment during an interview Monday with a Colorado TV station that he deserved an 'incomplete'' grade on his performance. 'Four years into a presidency and it's incomplete? The president is asking people just to be patient with him?' Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said on CBS. In making the comment, Mr. Obama had said that many of his goals, such as making college more affordable and boosting clean energy, required more time. The Republican criticism built on arguments the party laid out in its own convention last week in Tampa. Members of the party argued that Mr. Obama had made few concrete achievements to show he deserved a second term. In the convention hall in Charlotte, Democratic delegates echoed the feisty rhetoric on stage with loud cheers as one speaker after the next took the stage to defend Mr. Obama's record in the White House and assail his rivals. Mrs. Obama speech built on one of her husband's greatest advantages with voters, who have a sense that he understands their problems. Other speakers emphasized progress in the economy since Mr. Obama took office; she related to families who are still struggling. She told the story of her father, whose illness made it hard to get out of bed to get to his job at the city water plant, but who rarely missed a day of work. She and her brother mostly paid for college with loans and grants, she said. She said Mr. Obama had grown up with many of the same sort of challenges: His grandmother woke at dawn to catch the bus to her job as a secretary at a community bank, only to see men no more qualified pass by her. Mrs. Obama said the stories explained husband's record on the auto industry, health care and taxes. Convention planners also presented an array of speakers aimed at pressing the party's advantage among women and Hispanic voters. Opening the Democratic convention in his role as chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke Spanish from the stage. 'Si se puede!' he called out, Spanish for 'Yes, it can be done.' While Mrs. Obama stirred clear of partisan jabs, other Democrats delivered sharp attacks at the Republican ticket. 'Mitt Romney quite simply doesn't get it,' Mr. Castro said, suggesting he was out of touch with everyday economic struggles. 'He just has no idea how good he's had it. 周二，美国第一夫人米歇尔•奥巴马(Michelle Obama)以一篇非常个人化的演说拉开了民主党全国代表大会(Democratic National Convention)的序幕。她在演说中谈到了工薪阶层及其父母所遭遇的经济困境是如何影响其丈夫的决策的。这篇演说为这个以尖锐抨击共和党开场的夜晚画上了句号。 周二，美国第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马在民主党全国代表大会上发表演讲，回顾了她和奥巴马的人生经历，以及他们共同拥有的美国梦。米歇尔这篇在全美范围内被电视转播的演讲从劳工阶层的视角对美国经济进行了一番描述。演讲中提到了她的父亲，一位在市自来水厂工作且患有多发性硬化症的普通工人。米歇尔用其父亲以及奥巴马身为银行员工的外祖母的故事来解释奥巴马支持同工同酬法案、极具其个人风格的医疗保险法案以及反对提高助学贷款利率的原因。 米歇尔在演讲中没有提到共和党及其总统候选人罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)，但她讲述的故事无形中同罗姆尼极为优越的生活形成了对比。米歇尔的演说试图解释奥巴马国家政策的种种依据，但她的演说没有具体回应在眼下就业增长乏力、联邦债务增加之际对奥巴马的政策所提出的那些尖锐的问题。 米歇尔说，对于奥巴马而言，这些最终都不是政治问题，而是个人问题。因为他知道一个家庭挣扎度日意味着什么。 米歇尔的演说为开幕当晚的活动画上了句号。此次为期三天的民主党全国代表大会经过设计希望吸引女性和拉丁选民。这两大群体是奥巴马选民基础的重要组成。会议期间，圣安东尼奥市长朱利安•卡斯特罗(Julian Castro)将在黄金时段发表演说。外界认为卡斯特罗是民主党内一颗冉冉上升的政治明星。 相关报道 在米歇尔发表演说前，共和党人还在坚持这样一种论调，即奥巴马对经济的领导并不成功。他们抓住奥巴马周一接受科罗拉多州一家电视台采访时的讲话，说就他的工作表现而言，确实该得一个“未完成”的评分。 共和党副总统候选人莱恩(Paul Ryan)在哥伦比亚广播公司(CBS)的节目上说，当了四年总统，工作还是“未完成”？奥巴马是叫选民对他再耐心一点吗？ 奥巴马在接受科罗拉多州电视台采访时曾表示，他需要更多时间去实现他的目标，比如让更多的人上得起大学以及推进清洁能源的使用。 共和党提出的批评建立在该党上周于坦帕召开的全国代表大会所列出的观点之上。共和党代表认为，奥巴马没有取得多少具体成就，无法证明他值得连任。 在夏洛特的会议厅里，民主党代表在舞台上高喊着强有力的口号并大声欢呼。与此同时，登上舞台的一个个演讲人都在捍卫奥巴马入主白宫以来所取得的政绩，并抨击他的对手。 米歇尔的演讲构筑在奥巴马争取选民的一个最大优势之上，即选民认为奥巴马理解他们面临的问题。其他发言人强调奥巴马上台以来美国经济所取得的成就，米歇尔则对那些仍在苦苦挣扎的家庭表现出感同身受。 米歇尔讲述了她父亲的故事。疾病令她的父亲难以下床到市自来水厂工作，但她的父亲很少请病假。米歇尔和她的弟弟主要是靠贷款和助学金支付大学学费的。 米歇尔说，奥巴马的成长过程也曾面临很多类似的挑战：他的外祖母是一家社区银行的秘书，每天天刚亮就得起床搭巴士去上班，然而结果是资历不如她的男同事都在她之前获得了升职。 米歇尔说，这些故事解释了奥巴马此前在汽车行业、医疗保健和税收等问题上所采取政策的原因。 大会组织者同时安排了多位演讲人上台发言，此举旨在强化民主党在妇女和拉美裔选民中的优势。作为民主党全国代表大会主席的洛杉矶市长维拉戈沙(Antonio Villaraigosa)给大会开幕。他在舞台上用西班牙语说：是的，可以做到(Si se puede)。 虽然米歇尔在演说中没有挑起党派之争，但其他民主党人则猛烈抨击共和党总统候选人。卡斯特罗说，罗姆尼根本不了解民情。他不知道自己的生活有多么优越。卡斯特罗此话暗指罗姆尼和民众脱节，不了解普罗大众在经济上每天面临的挣扎。
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