Closing the first night of the Democratic convention, Mrs Obama spoke¹ of the vision and values that guided him as president.

 

She said it was "extraordinary privilege" to serve as first lady.

 

President Obama will formally accept the nomination² on Thursday, and face Republican Mitt³ Romney in November.

 

A recent opinion poll shows Mr Obama maintains a thin lead over Mr Romney.

 

But an ABC News/Washington Post poll released as the convention got under way in Charlotte, North Carolina, showed Mr Obama with the lowest pre-convention favourability for an incumbent⁴ president（现任总统） since the 1980s.

 

The president is aiming to recapture the political spotlight⁵ over the next few days, after last week's Republican convention.

 

 

Mrs Obama said that four years ago she "believed deeply" in her husband's "vision for this country" but worried about how a run for president would change their life and the life of their daughters.

 

In a speech roundly welcomed by a hyped-up crowd, she shared memories from their 23-year relationship, and noted⁶ that she had found a "kindred spirit（志趣相投的人）" in a man whose values were similar to hers.

 

"Barack and I were both raised by families who didn't have much in the way of money or material possessions but who had given us something far more valuable - their unconditional⁷ love, their unflinching sacrifice, and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves."

 

The first lady's speech connected their shared background to the values she said guided Mr Obama as president.

 

"As president, you can get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people," she said, "but at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as president, all you have to guide you are your values and your vision and the life experiences that make you who you are."

 

She said Mr Obama was inspired by his own background when advocating for laws involving fair pay for women, healthcare and student debt.

 

He had not been changed by the White House, she said, and was "still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago".

 

"He's the same man who started his career by turning down high-paying jobs and instead working in struggling neighbourhoods where a steel plant had shut down, fighting to rebuild those communities."

 

In the toughest moments, she added, "he just keeps getting up and moving forward… with patience and wisdom, and courage and grace."

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