Michelle Obama pens blog for women's media site BlogHer

First lady Michelle Obama has returned as a blogger to the women's media site BlogHer almost four years after she last wrote for the site.

In a blog post titled, "Four Years Later," dated July 17, the first lady compares what she wrote about her husband, then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, for the site in 2008 to today, and writes that "seeing those words fills me with pride, because they show that Barack keeps his promises."

"He said he’d have the backs of American women and our families. And that’s what he’s done every single day as President," she continued.

Michelle Obama's post on the site advocates her husband's willingness to "fight" for women, referring to his support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and women's health preventative services included in the healthcare reform bill.

The content of the post is similar to the stump speech she has delivered in numerous recent appearances on the campaign trail; but its appearance on the popular site is significant as part of a larger trend by the campaign in putting Michelle Obama forward as a surrogate to niche forums that reach important voting blocs. She also recently reached out to a forum for Hispanic moms called Mamiverse.com, appearing in a video chat for that women's media outlet. These Internet forums might not be widely known, but are influential with certain groups and tend to generate strong loyalty in their target audience.

Editor-in-chief Stacy Morrison notes on the post that Obama is the first to respond to the site's attempts to reach out to both presidential campaigns.

"BlogHer has reached out to both candidates to ask for their perspectives, as well as those of their wives, on what’s at stake in the upcoming election," Morrison wrote in an editorial note. "Thanks to Ms. Obama for being the first and continuing the conversation she started four years ago with the BlogHer community."

Both Obama's campaign and the campaign of 2008 Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) reached out to the popular women's blogging forum during the last cycle, and even credentialed BlogHer to cover some events as media. Michelle Obama submitted several blog posts that are still available on the site.

---