US News
Obama rushes to ailing grandmother at height of election
Oct 23, 2008, 20:04 GMT
San Francisco - Democratic candidate Barack Obama was rushing to the bedside of his ailing grandmother in Hawaii Thursday, taking a break from intense campaigning to make sure he saw her before she died.
Madelyn Dunham, 85, was a formative figure in the life of the White House frontrunner, helping Obama's single mother raise him during his teenage years when his own mother was working abroad.
Obama said Thursday he decided to take a break from the campaign to avoid repeating the tragic error when he failed to make it back to his mother, Dunham's daughter, Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro, before she died of cancer at the young age of 52.
'(We) got there too late,' he said in an interview with CBS. 'We knew she wasn't doing well. But, you know, the diagnosis was such where we thought we had a little more time and we didn't. And so I want to make sure that I don't - I don't make the same mistake twice.'
Obama has often paid tribute to Dunham, and mentioned her decisive influence on him when he accepted the Democratic nomination in September.
On Thursday he again explained their special connection.
'My mother was a single mom, so she raised me with the help of my grandparents. And so my grandmother, my grandfather, my mom, they're really the people who - who took care of me all throughout my childhood.'
'My grandmother's the last one left. She has really been the rock of the family, the foundation of the family. Whatever strength, discipline that I have, it comes from her.'
Asked whether he feared the impact of his break on the election campaign, Obama said the electorate would understand.
'I think most people understand that if you're not caring for your family, then you're probably not the kind of person who's going to be caring for other people,' he said.
Obama was flying to Hawaii on an eleven-hour trip from a campaign stop in the battleground state of Indiana. He was due to stay there for 24 hours before flying back for a campaign stop in Nevada on Friday night.
Independent analysts say that the trip could even play as an advantage to Barack, especially among seniors in key states like Florida.
It could humanize him and portray him as a caring grandson at a time when the rival camp is being defined by the scandal of the Republicans spending 150,000 dollars of campaign funds on Sarah Palin's wardrobe.
'With exactly two weeks until Election Day, the timing of Obama's absence isn't ideal, although the image of a doting grandson with his grandmother isn't exactly harmful, either,' said Chuck Todd, the widely-respected political director of NBC News.
Republicans were doing their best to fight back however. Republican strategist Brad Blakeman, responding to a question about how John McCain could square his opposition to wasteful spending with the Palin's wardrobe spree, said that the real outrage is Barack Obama 'taking a 767 campaign plane to go visit Grandma.'
'Forget about the energy that is wasted, what about the hundreds of thousands of dollars to take a private trip when this guy should be humping his bags on a commercial plane or taking a smaller plane,' he told MSNBC. 'Taking a 767 of campaign money from people who could least afford it is more of an outrage in my opinion.'
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Older Talkback
page: 1
who wants to be with a seriously ill grandparent. This is a deeply personal thing for any man or woman. The first poster is typical of the GOP mindest. Attack, attack, attack. Show some intelligence. Show some compassion. Have some honor. You may not like the politician, but for God's sake, leave the f*cking politics out of this.
I know lots of people that spend a decade with their paralyzed and stroke victim parents and grandparents. 24 hours is a drop in the bucket, actually shameful and shallow. A token gesture at best.
Sorry, but this does not cut it.
'Here is a man who wants to be with a seriously ill grandparent.'
Gee, that qualifies him to be president... huh? That and the big 143 days in the senate and the 20 years in the damn America church.
'This is a deeply personal thing for any man or woman'
If it is so personal ow come we have had so much fanfare about it? If it is so personal why is he using it to milk as much sympathy as he can?
'You may not like the politician, but for God's sake, leave the f*cking politics out of this. '
We he had a duplicitous, sycophantic press tripping over itself to speak adoringly of every move Obama makes. I am sorry Obama's grandmother supposedly isn't well, but it is looking more and more like a choreographed stunt to get sympathy from the already adoring press and the suckers and rubes who believe every obama PR release like it was gospel.
Three of the four posters on this thread are idiots. Probebly the same cold heated McSame supporter who thinks both he and McSame are owed something special for being in the Navy---both are owen nothing more than a thankyou!
This isn't the first assault on a McCain supporter either:
'A 20-year-old woman who was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield was also maimed by her attacker, police said.
Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richard tells Channel 4 Action News that the victim was robbed at knifepoint on Wednesday night outside of a Citizens Bank near Liberty Avenue and Pearl Street just before 9 p.m.
Richard said the robber took $60 from the woman, then became angry when he saw a McCain bumper sticker on the victim's car. The attacker then punched and kicked the victim, before using the knife to scratch the letter 'B' into her face, Richard said.
The robber is described as a dark-skinned black man, 6 feet 4 inches tall, 200 pounds with a medium build, short black hair and brown eyes. The man was wearing dark colored jeans, a black undershirt and black shoes.'
quote:
'Here is a man who wants to be with a seriously ill grandparent.'
Gee, that qualifies him to be president.
unquote
What a paranoia,nobody ever said that,it neither qualifies or nor disqualifies him .Where did you ever read it qualifies him anyway ?
Is it lack of decent health care that paranoid people like you are roaming in the street and posting on the internet ?
Get a life ....
'Probebly[sic] the same cold heated McSame[sic] supporter who thinks both he and McSame[sic] are owed something special for being in the Navy---both are owen[sic] nothing more than a thankyou[sic]'
It isn't about 'thank yous' it is about continuing to try to protect the country from a threat.
It's been almost 72 hours since Barack Obama announced he was leaving the campaign trail to be with his ailing white grandmother and from all accounts he's yet to leave for Hawaii. Hate to be harsh here, but for a guy who's lamenting not being there with his mother when she was ill, he appears to be taking his time getting to Hawaii to visit grandma.
So, if according to reports your grandmother is 'gravely ill', why haven't you arrived yet to see her? Mrs. Dunham has been in poor health for at least the past 18 months. Just seems convenient to go visit now.
It takes a special rat to pick apart why Obama should be spending time with his grandmother or how much, etc. A major election always brings out the worst in people - maybe their true colors!
'It takes a special rat to pick apart why Obama should be spending time with his grandmother or how much, etc. '
It is a transparent sympathy ploy.
'A major election always brings out the worst in people - maybe their true colors!'
Like the McCain supporter's who have been attacked by Obama thugs over the past week? Physically beaten up? Knifed?
'Go out there and get in their faces.' - Barack Obama (D)
'While the Democrat-leaning media continues to scare undecided voters with bedtime stories about some mythical angry McCain supporter whom nobody has seen, here is a real district attorney’s complaint documenting an unprovoked assault by an enraged Democrat against a McCain volunteer in midtown Manhattan: “Defendant grabbed the sign [informant] was holding, broke the wood stick that was attached to it, and then struck informant in informant’s face thereby causing informant to sustain redness, swelling, and bruising to informant’s face and further causing informant to sustain substantial pain.
...the victim was a small, quiet, middle-aged woman wearing glasses, and the attacker was a loud, angry man who went into orbit at the mere sight of McCain campaign signs.
and both McCain and Obama are directly responsible for the weirdos out there.......get real!
McCain didn't advise anyone to 'get in their face'.
Measley and minor drivel from a neo-con nutball.
not to worry .
Mccain will win it's all set up already.
it's clear america wants Mccain and not Obama.
Yeah, the navy guy. He sat in his garbage scow, eating hot food, sleeping between sheets, having hot showers, fresh socks, while real men were in the dirt getting their asses shot off. And that pansy has the shrunken atrophied balls to call himself a Vet. He ain't nothing but a mouth.
Love it when sock-puppets attack.
Leave it to a hate-monger Republicant to call Obama's trip to see his grandmother a sympathy ploy. Is that what is being done when McCain's POW status and injuries are brought up?
And is that also why Palin drags her special needs baby around on stage during her speeches - a sympathy ploy and trying to appeal to parents of like children?
Nope. But you did. Or was it UNDER him.
you suppose Obama is going to rush to Grand-mother's house?
America doesn't know when she's being hustled. Tell me; What's so great about Obama?
'Tell me; What's so great about Obama?'
He's NOT McLame.
a dick-head answer.
''He's NOT McLame....'
John McCain is a good man who has dedicated his life to the USA.
He wouldn't be caught dead near:
Bill Ayers
Bernadette Dohrn
Jeremiah Wright
Frank Marshall Davis
Nadhmi Auchi
Tony Rezko
Dr. Khalid Al-Mansour
Rashid Khalidi
Robert Malley
Raila Odinga
Of course Obama is playing this up for sympathy. If it was so important WHY hasn't he gong to Hawaii already?
yup. A dick-head answer for a dick-head.
'If it was so important WHY hasn't he gong to Hawaii already?'
gong?
This isn't the Gong Show, pal.
'Of course Obama is playing this up for sympathy.'
Oh, yes indeed he is. It is all a plot by Obama, his grandmother, the libnazi press, the democrats and Satan himself. They're all in cahoots. But do you know what the real scarey thing about this is? Obama doesn't have a grandmother. He never did. The Dems have had this whole thing planned for years. Fiendish, isn't it?
'When do you suppose Obama is going to rush to Grand-mother's house? '
IF he had read the first sentence, then he would know the answer.
'IF he had read the first sentence, then he would know the answer. '
She has been sick for ages and he is STILL not there yet...
If I were her I would have someone else taste my tapioca and steamed carrot because Barry might want to take this sympathy thing all the way...
@That'sOct 24th, 2008 - 03:27:01
''yup. A dick-head answer for a dick-head.''
I read and re-read your latest masterpiece....sad & pathetic. Get well soon.
'I read and re-read your latest masterpiece'
A) You couldn't understand it and had to re-read to fully grasp its succinctness.
B) You really enjoyed it and couldn't get enough.
C) You, after A) went to B).
hate mongers - McCain/Pathetic voters!!!
b. HUSSEIN obama is really going to see his grandmother so he can silence her with a pillow when no one is looking. She is the only person who can confirm that he is a genuine al qaeda islamofascist terrorist whose goal is to destroy the United States. His grandmother sponsored him as a youngster when he received his terrorist training with his cousin osama bin laden in Afghanistan, and his other cousin Obama Hussein the Insane in Iraq. When b. HUSSEIN obama returns stateside, granny will be deceased.
uneducated Republican hate monger!
rushed there yet? He's had 3 days to rush there so I expect he'll be rushing any time now. He is a man of his word so if he says he's rushing, then he's rushing.
he's there just when he said he would be. If you had a tv or could read a newspaper, maybe you would be able to keep up!
'uneducated Republican hate monger!'
You forgot the dozen exclamation points.
One is enough. Only a GOP toady thinks a dozen adds any importance.
So much for your credibility, what a looser.
'This afternoon, a Pittsburgh police commander told KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin that Todd confessed to making up the story.
The commander added that Todd will face charges; but police have not commented on what those charges will be.'
Idiot
I believed what she said and I was wrong. I apologize for posting it. She should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
You mean like this 'uneducated Republican hate monger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
Rushing?
What a joke.
Since 'The Messiah' found out about his 'gravely ill Granny' he could have rowed himself to Hawaii faster then that.
He has known about her grave illness (and maybe she is gravely ill, that is not my point) at least 7 or 8 days now (his Great Uncle Charles Payne told the media on Oct 20 that she had broken her hip 'a few days ago' and was gravely ill - in my lexicon a few days means at least 3 days since a couple means 2 days - so she broke her hip at least on 10/17/2008 or earlier - so that is at LEAST a week before 'The Messiah' decided to perform a visitation - though his half sister did most of the caring for his beloved Grandma even though being a multi-millionaire he could have at least popped for a nurse to care for her in her last days, if she should died) and he didn't bother to go see her until Thursday evening?
It takes about 8 hours to fly to Hawaii non-stop so he could have been at her bedside At least A WEEK AGO since he has known of her illness since before Oct 20!
Also, isn't it strange that if he believes his 'beloved' Grandma won't live until election day that he didn't bring his children, her Great Grandchildren, to see her for the last time.
It obviously isn't strange that Michelle didn't go since she hates White People anyway, just ask her Rev Jeremiah Wright about how she feels about Whities.
from the Republican hate mongers!
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Guess this means we will be getting Wright back.Oct 23rd, 2008 - 20:29:21
This would be the 'racist' grandmother... The one Obama said he could never turn his back on just like he could never turn his back on Jemimah 'Damn America' wright.
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