By AMY HARDER
What's your opinion of first lady-to-be Michelle Obama? Actually, if two new polls out this week are any indication, the question really should be, What do you know about her?
More than a third of Americans don't know enough about Barack Obama's leading lady to form an opinion on her, according to a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey. Just over half of the respondents rated her favorably, while 13 percent said they had an unfavorable impression. A recent CBS News survey [PDF] found that nearly half of its respondents didn't know enough about Michelle Obama to rate her one way or the other. Only 4 in 10 rated her favorably, and 1 in 10 unfavorably.
The Times/Bloomberg poll also contrasted the first-lady-designate's ratings with those of past first ladies. Obama's favorables pale in comparison to those of George W. Bush's wife Laura in August of 2004 (72 percent favorable) and George H.W. Bush's wife, Barbara (83 percent). Of course, as the wives of a sitting president and vice president, respectively, the Bushes were much better known.
Michelle Obama does best Hillary Rodham Clinton, though, who garnered not even a 40 percent favorability rating in August 1992. Ronald Reagan's leading lady, Nancy, didn't surpass the 50 percent mark either -- with 43 percent of Americans rating her favorably in January 1981.
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