Hillary-Michelle in 2016? First Lady Presidential Dream Ticket May Be In The Works

Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton might have to both get used to the idea of being called the first gentlemen. The Washington Examiner reported that buzz is growing for current and former first ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton to unite and form a 2016 presidential dream ticket.

"All due respect for President Obama and Vice President Biden, but that would truly be a dream team for America," former Hillary spokeswoman Karen Finney told the Washington Examiner. "Both women are proven effective leaders who've raised children, so dealing with Congress would be a snap!"

Although neither party has publicly acknowledged the possibility of the dream ticket, potential supporters are already starting to pop up. According to CafePress, sales of a “Hillary-Michelle 2016” bumper sticker have skyrocketed, boasting a 60 percent increase in March compared to December.

Hillary appears to be a lock to enter the 2016 presidential fray. The former secretary of state is already trouncing other potential Democratic candidates in preliminary polls and still has an extensive donor network in place from her 2008 campaign.

The real wild card is Michelle Obama. As the Epoch Times reported, the first lady has routinely achieved a higher approval rating than her husband. “Michelle Obama, with her bearing, with her intelligence, with her degrees from Princeton and from Harvard Law School -- added to that, Hillary Clinton’s precedent in seeking and gaining political office -- mark my words, Michelle Obama will run for president,” CNN iReporter William J. O’Reilly said.

NBC late-night host Jimmy Fallon went as far as to ask the first lady about a possible 2016 presidential run. Michelle chose to be coy, though. “You know, I have my eye actually on another job,” she told Fallon. “You know, I hear that when Jay Leno retires that ‘The Tonight Show’ position is gonna be open, and I’m thinking about putting my hat in the ring.”

Not everyone believes that a Hillary-Michelle dream ticket would work. “These women receive their highest approval ratings when presenting themselves as apolitical and nonpartisan moral guardians,” wrote college professor Mary Anne Borrelli in her book, “The Politics of the President’s Wife.” Furthermore, a 2009 CNN poll revealed that 83 percent of respondents were against a Michelle presidential run.

Regardless of the various opinions, a Hillary-Michelle dream ticket would do more than merely generate headlines -- it would represent a major shift in American conceptions of gender roles. According to Democratic strategist Chris Lehane, the dream ticket “reflects the growing awareness that it is time for the glass ceiling of the last old boys' club to be firmly shattered."