This week-end our son mentioned an anecdote about Barack Obama from when he campaigned in Oregon last week. My husband and I had missed hearing him speak because we were traveling home, but our daughter and her family were able to see him in Medford (and it was her 6 and 9 year old kids who most wanted to be sure they did).When our son and his family were at the farm this week-end, we all (okay not the four year old and 6 month old) sat around talking politics, I asked my son if he thought it would be okay for me to share the story in this blog. It's a small moment, nobody fainted, nothing ground shaking; but it is a more accurate piece of who Obama is than what the media loves to spin out.
Amongst the many negative stories working their way out of the wormwood (like how Obama is secretly a Muslim terrorist), I have read how the press doesn't like him as much as McCain because Obama can't shoot the breeze with them. They relate how he stands stiffly aloof unlike McCain who hosts barbecues (which I have to wonder how any reporter can pretend to be unbiased when he is being entertained by the candidate as if a friend; but then who thought our press was unbiased).
Monday my son got back to me that not only was it okay to relate what happened, but also there were some photos and a transcript. I was glad because it shows what Obama is like when nobody is writing it down to report or so he'd have had every reason to expect. (His being willing to bowl this week, when he was lousy at it and never had, is another example of a real person, who is not on a pedestal in his own mind. The press, at least Chris Matthews on Hardball, put him down for the bowling, saying stick to things he does well like basketball, but I saw it as positively illustrative of his character.)
Anyway, back to this story-- Barack Obama and his entourage of press, secret service, and aides were driving down the state from one campaign event to the next. Friday afternoon for pizza, they arranged to stop (unannounced to the general public) in Corvallis. My son didn't hear about it in time to be there himself, but the following is what one person wrote down about his meal-time encounter with a presidential candidate.
Background: Emmet and David are friends (both from Ireland), and Barack, well you know who Barack is.
Me: I liked the story, not just because it shows Obama's sense of humor but for another reason. He is running for president, important person, right? Yet when he talked to David, he was interested in who he was. He could have been expected to have responded to David's comment, that he was supporting him, with something about himself, but instead Barack was curious about David and had even remembered Emmet.
Transcript by David:
"Just to establish the historical record I wanted to document the following. I feel like I should send this to some worldwide paper like the New York Times or The Kerryman.
American Dream Pizza on Friday afternoon (March 21, 2008)
Emmet to Barack: How’re ya?
(20 or 30 Minutes later)
David to Barack: I just got my citizenship and I can’t wait to vote for you.
Barack: Where are you from?.......Ireland
David: Yeah Ireland
Barack: You have a friend here**
David: Yeah Emmet, I called him to tell him you were here.
Barack: Did you come here to study?
David: No I came here when I was 21, right after school.
Barack: So how did you pick Oregon, were you in a bar and threw a dart at the map?
David: Something like that, in fact I spun the map around to make it even more random.
Barack: Well good luck to you.
David: You too.
** means he remembered Emmet."
Curiosity is one of the traits Bush has never displayed, and, to me, it is one of his character flaws as a leader and even as a human being. Sense of humor, interest in people, curiosity are among the many character qualities that I see in Barack Obama and among the qualities that make him a good leader.
(Emmet's eyes are the ones you see in the above photo from that lunch stop. Photo and transcript used with permission.)
18 comments:
Yep, this just gives more support to why Barack is the man we need. I haven't felt such a strong alliance for a leader in a long time. Thanks for this peek into his very warm and human side Rain.
I am sure that there are a lot of occurrences of things like this but the press rarely reports such things. I guess it isn't controversial enough.
Pretty much all politicians are people people. That is why they have the job they have. They can make someone feel like they are the only person in a room full of people or they can smooze the pants off an intern. Regular folks that have met G.W. Bush say much the same thing about him that you just said about Barack. They did not get to that high level without making folks think they are genuine and compassionate. I am not saying that Barack is not as you say, just that until you have a relative meet W. you are comparing apples and oranges.
Apparently you are missing my point, ingineer. The news media is saying he's not personable, that he's aloof and superior acting. This story was about that...
As for Bush, he is so disgusting to me, so revolting for what he's done and everything I have seen where he's at and talking, that I don't think anyone could convince me he has a good quality at this point. He might be a nice guy in person. I have never said he might not. He probably appeals to right wingers as 30% of them still support him and the destruction he has wrought on this country.
The issue here though was about what the media is saying about Obama and charisma didn't relate to this comment. It was just a small encounter. And those who like the right wing and the plan of McCain being Bush the III, will find some reason to not like Obama one way or another. I didn't expect this story to convince a right winger to change their stripes.
This is a wonderful story in every way and for the reasons you pointed out Rain....I tooo lokved that he bowled though he was sucked at it...This really does show the kind of man he is...Willing to be laughed at snd even critcized for doing something that he truly was not good at...The lack of ego is a BIG thing for me....And I don't mean a lack of a Healthy Ego....I'm talking about him just going and dping it---Let the chips fall where they may....!
He's my guy!
Very good thinking Rain. I hope he wins Oregon and the nomination.
I am a Barack person too, although I do like McCain also, always have even when he was NOT running for president. Must be the Navy Upbringing in me. I just don't want HILLARY!! either of the other two would be ok with me. As long as the GOP does not corrupt McCain. Which they might.
I think Obama will as president win the United States better foreign relationships. And by hard work and stamina he will make changes for the good.
I was not trying to cause a fight. I guess I missed the part about the media making him out to be superior. I like him in the beginning because he was not a DC insider and he was from Hawaii. All of the anti Obama hype seemed to be BS to me. But now that more has come out about his views on things I think I would prefer not to have him as president.
Prez Obama ?? :-)
certainly that is your right, ingineer. It will be a tough fight if Obama gets the nomination (which is not yet a done deal). He believes in a lot of things that are anathema to the right and you are a right winger on issues whether you like to consider yourself one or not. I bet you never listen to MSNBC for your news. You do listen to right wing talk show whether that means Rush or not. You don't want to pay the taxes for the services you want and blame the poor because they are poor. Where he favors improving our education system (and has some darned good ideas for doing it), you probably want vouchers to gut public education. You don't like health care for everybody but then you don't have to worry about it given you have good health care. You might gripe that our infrastructure is falling apart but will never think to blame it on the war we are fighting as it's all the fault of the environmentalists. And so on.
Two days ago, I began reading Eckhart Tolle's recent book, the one for which Oprah has been doing a online workshop (which I am not watching) and wish you'd give it a try. It's called 'A New Earth.' I will be writing more about it when I finish.
Obama has some wonderful things he says. I don't get mass hysteria when I hear him lol am not tempted to faint, but I am so happy to hear a politician say these things. He was on Chris Matthews Hardball yesterday and his concepts, they are what we need.
So if you want more of Bush or if possible even worse given we have a mess already and the wrong person in there can make it much worse, well then vote for it with Bush III. I will soon be writing about McCain-- who the media is giving a walk on many things because they like him.
I vote issues and they are important. You have known for a long time what Obama's issues are, but you are now going by what you read or hear from right wingers about his issues-- and his character. Wright gave everyone who is secretly scared of voting for another nationality something to hang the excuse on so they don't sound racist to not want someone different from themselves in leadership. This will get worse if he is nominated-- just as it did about Kerry with the lies of the swift boaters.
The extreme right wingers are already saying that Obama is the most dangerous man to ever run for the presidency. He probably is to their way of thinking as his ideas are so opposite to christianists or right wingers. Even as he talks much about his own Christian faith. Christianists don't follow the same dictates as Christians. You want left wing extremism sometime, try reading Jesus's actual words.
My daughter said the thing Obama said that was most impressive to her was about education. I liked those ideas on Chris Matthews' show but also what he said about race, about our intelligence services, how he would operate as president, our military, what to do about Iraq.
Don't go to the right wingers for your information on his positions. They are opening up a hysteria of their own that scares me because one of the problems we face in this country is wackos who commit political assassinations. That's the biggest risk to Obama and I hope that everybody who cares about him at all both prays for his protection or if you don't believe in that, sends out white light protection. If you don't believe in either, at the very least, do not send on these extreme right wing hate emails that are circulating. With the kinds of things the right is saying, he needs protection even more now.
Just dropping by to say Hello! How are you?
hi sonia. I am fine. thanks for stopping by.
Here is the link for the transcript of Obama on Hardball. It is worth reading, I think.
I watched Obama on Hardball. I thought he did a fantastic job. He's incredibly bright and personable. He seems very thoughtful and even-tempered. I like how comfortable he is in his own skin. It's been a long time since we've had someone on the national stage who is as smart and positive. I'm looking forward to him being the nominee and our first African-American President.
I guess I liked Barack for what he said and how he acted. Not that he might be our first African American President. He is half white by the way. Maybe we could say he is our first mixed race president or he is our first Oreo president. How about he is our 44th president. I think that is what Dr. King would have wanted us to say.
ingineer66, How nice that someone finally mentions that Obama is one-half white. I thought it would never enter the discussion.
Rain, As to how a person smoozes, I couldn't care less. I don't care if the press feels someone is cold. I don't care if people on the campaign trail think someone is cold. What I do care about is the person's competence. Unfortunately, I cannot judge a person's competence by their smoozing or their stature with the press.
Older n Dirt
Older n dirt, they all claim they are competent. Remember when Bush claimed he was because he'd gotten an MBA and knew about running businesses. People forgot to read the fine print that all his oil business failed.
I like it that Obama is multi cultural but it's not a factor for me. I have based my preference on his running a well oiled campaign (with a few human glitches like Reverend Wright not being addressed sooner) and what I believe to be his character-- not to mention who he is running against. We get somebody and often you look at the opponents as a factor in who you favor because better him/her than her/him. It's frustrating that it would be that way. In this case, I feel very encouraged by Obama's policy positions and calm nature that seems to be capable of dealing with all these myriad of problems. But once he's in, if he gets in, then we will know for sure. They are all iffy until they are in the position and some grow into it and some collapse under it.
Great, great post, Rain!
And those are some of the reasons why I also like Obama and support him. He's very human and these days, that's not always easy.
Terri
http://www.islandwriter.net
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