Obama's Grandmother Dies

slumped

Barack Obama's grandmother passed away a short time ago.

Predictions are that it won't impact on the run in to tomorrow.

RIP.

S

Mitch Connor

Sad that she won't get to see Obama possibly voted in as president.

dlofnep

RIP.

Galvasean

Tauren wrote: »

Sad that she won't get to see Obama possibly voted in as president.

Agreed.

LadyMayBelle

So sad. If she could have only lived to see it through. RIP

peanuthead

aw, thats terrible.

EDIT:
Now that I think about it, how old would she be? Is this even true, or a rumour spread by some campaigner. A bit "convenient" for want of a better word?

projectmayhem

Horrible news for Obama and his family

DavidLive

Tauren wrote: »

Sad that she won't get to see Obama possibly voted in as president.

Rest in Peace indeed. Very terrible time for it to happen to.

Hopefully (and it's easier said than done, no doubt), these tragic circumstances don't put him off his efforts to be President.

kerry4sam

I hope that she Rests In Peace - ah dear gawd! Just a few hours to possibly seeing more history in the making ... Sincerely hope both he and his family stay strong. My thoughts are with them all

Macha

May she rest in peace.

And the response from a Fox News reader:

"How convenient..."

PeakOutput

taconnol wrote: »

"How convenient..."

no way................really?

mollydolly271

just seen that on sky news ah thats sad for him

trishasaffron

I so so hope Barak wins tomorrow - its going to change the US for ever. Its really thrilling to see black voters who would never before have bothered voting or have been canvassed or encouraged to register. Hope its a landslide!!

Wishbone Ash

peanuthead wrote: »

aw, thats terrible

.....For McCain!

reckoner

Yeah just saw it there, pretty sad, although it was expected, pity it had to be before the election, wouldve been cool for her to see Obama get elected.

mike65

Is Obamas campaign being scripted and produced by the West Wing team?

Mike

cornbb

RIP. I'm glad she died in the knowledge that the man she raised is (probably) about to change the world.

I can only imagine what a rollercoaster these few days must be for Obama, let alone the last few years, this is another big twist thrown into the mix.

Manic Moran

the man she raised is (probably) about to change the world.

Not expecting much, are you?

NTM

Cadet?

Manic Moran wrote: »

Not expecting much, are you?

NTM

Come on Manic Moran, even if we forget about everything else, just by Obama being elected tomorrow (hopefully!), he will have changed the world.

cooker3

Obviously sad

Still 86 so had a good innings and seen her grandson on the verge of making world history. I imagine she went out feeling pretty proud

jhegarty

mike65 wrote: »

Is Obamas campaign being scripted and produced by the West Wing team?

Mike

I hope not for Biden's sake !!

marco_polo

taconnol wrote: »

May she rest in peace.

And the response from a Fox News reader:

"How convenient..."

Posted this on the other thread as well but here are some choice words as well.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/03/obamas-grandmother-dies-eve-election/comments/

Macha

marco_polo wrote: »

Posted this on the other thread as well but here are some choice words as well.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/03/obamas-grandmother-dies-eve-election/comments/

Some people are just sick in the head.

tribulus

Are some of those people genuinely considering this to be a political ploy?

The mind boggles.

RIP.

mumhaabu

May she rest in peace, as has been pointed out on Fox News and else where Barack Obama never actually released his birth certificate and his Birth was only registered in Hawaii, however many theories abound that he was actually born in Kenya, which if proven would rule him ineligible to run for President.

I predict McCain will storm through being the vetern he is, this guy was a POW in Vietnam and knows how to hold the fort. Deaths like this usually work for the other guy and don't effect the political outcome. Anna Lindt was murdered days before the Swedish Euro Referendum in 2003 and despite her party's intense efforts to get Sweden into the Euro her Murder actually swayed suport away from it and subsequently Sweden still uses the Krona today.

aidan_walsh

mike65 wrote: »

Is Obamas campaign being scripted and produced by the West Wing team?

Mike

There were times you would think that this entire electoral season was. Others you'd think it was Jeremy Beadle behind it...

jhegarty

mumhaabu wrote: »

which if proven would rule him ineligible to run for President.

That's not true , you don't need to be born in the us to be president , you just have to be eligible to be a US citizen from birth...

testicle

jhegarty wrote: »

That's not true , you don't need to be born in the us to be president , you just have to be eligible to be a US citizen from birth...

Not true. You need to be a natural born citizen.

testicle

mumhaabu wrote: »

May she rest in peace, as has been pointed out on Fox News and else where Barack Obama never actually released his birth certificate and his Birth was only registered in Hawaii, however many theories abound that he was actually born in Kenya, which if proven would rule him ineligible to run for President.

The State of Hawaii came out the other day, and confirmed that he was born in the State.

cornbb

testicle wrote: »

It was his grandmother, not his mother. He was raised by his mother.

He was 27 before he even met the woman.

Are you sure? It appears that she raised him for at least some of his formative years:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/03/obamas-grandmother-dies-eve-election/comments/#commentPaginationTop wrote:

The Kansas-born Dunham and her husband, Stanley, raised their grandson for several years so he could attend school in Honolulu while their daughter and her second husband lived overseas.

Her influence on Obama's manner and the way he viewed the world was substantial, the candidate himself told millions watching him accept his party's nomination in Denver in August

testicle

Sorry, thought it was the other one that popped her clogs. Post deleted!

jhegarty

testicle wrote: »

Not true. You need to be a natural born citizen.

better call off the election so , McCain was born in panama

Sad Professor

I'm reading Obama's autobiography Dreams From My Father (which is really excellent btw) at the moment and he talks about his grandparents a lot. Along with his mother they played an almost equal role in raising him. His mother and grandfather are already dead so "Toot" (as he calls her in the book) was the last one left. It must have been pretty hard for him campaigning these last few weeks with her death hanging over him. Plus, win or lose, he'll have her funeral to go through with in a couple of days.

Biggins

Pity she passed away but at least when she did so, it was hopefully with the knowledge that he was/is in the lead in the race.

Where ever she is now, maybe she is sharing and holding hands with her daughter and smiling down at their son and grandson.

Rest in peace.

28064212

mumhaabu wrote: »

May she rest in peace, as has been pointed out on Fox News and else where Barack Obama never actually released his birth certificate and his Birth was only registered in Hawaii, however many theories abound that he was actually born in Kenya, which if proven would rule him ineligible to run for President.

More lies. Do you figure if you post it in enough places people will start believing it?

DAN_H

YAY!

Benedict XVI

RIP

trishasaffron wrote: »

I so so hope Barak wins tomorrow - its going to change the US for ever. Its really thrilling to see black voters who would never before have bothered voting or have been canvassed or encouraged to register. Hope its a landslide!!

sorry, but you are going to be disappointed, Obama will change noting , all there will be a lot of disappointed people in a few years.

What is so thrilling about seeing racism alive and well in America ?

Blacks are only registering and voting because there is a black man to vote for, racism of the highest order.

cornbb

Benedict XVI wrote: »

sorry, but you are going to be disappointed, Obama will change noting , all there will be a lot of disappointed people in a few years.

He has already achieved massive change; he has been such a hugely successful candidate has switched on millions of americans to politics for the first time and they are overwhelmingly turning the tide against the ugly neocon/Christian right-oriented politics of the last few decades. Obama will have made history just by getting this far, his victory will just galvanise it. Claiming he will "change nothing" is futile as he has already achieved massive, tactile change, and you have no evidence to suggest that he won't change a lot more during his time in office.

What is so thrilling about seeing racism alive and well in America ?

Blacks are only registering and voting because there is a black man to vote for, racism of the highest order.

What a horrible, cynical point of view you have. Has it occurred to you that blacks are only registering to vote for the first time because they finally see a candidate who might not marginalise them for the first time in american history?

Ludo

cornbb wrote: »

He has already achieved massive change; he has been such a hugely successful candidate has switched on millions of americans to politics for the first time and they are overwhelmingly turning the tide against the ugly neocon/Christian right-oriented politics of the last few decades. Obama will have made history just by getting this far, his victory will just galvanise it. Claiming he will "change nothing" is futile as he has already achieved massive, tactile change, and you have no evidence to suggest that he won't change a lot more during his time in office.

Couldn't agree more.

cornbb wrote: »

What a horrible, cynical point of view you have. Has it occurred to you that blacks are only registering to vote for the first time because they finally see a candidate who might not marginalise them for the first time in american history?

That point of view that you refer to, sums up the republicans to me. All negative, stuck in the past and scare tactics.
If they continue like this with the current generation of people getting to voting age and middle age, they haven't a hope in future. They need to rethink their tactics.

To me this election signals the end of racism. It has galvinised the black community to see one of their own accepted fully as a potential president. It sees people of all races/creeds/beliefs united behind one candidate with race not being an issue.

It is all positive (even if he doesn't win).

The VAST majority of blacks vote democratic anyway (possibly because of the attitude republicans have as shown above) so it is not like they are voting against their own interests/political leanings just to support a black guy.
Saying it is racism is silly.

Benedict XVI

cornbb wrote: »

What a horrible, cynical point of view you have. Has it occurred to you that blacks are only registering to vote for the first time because they finally see a candidate who might not marginalise them for the first time in american history?

It may be cynical but it is true.

Blacks tradiotinally vote Democrat (85%) but the turnout is usually about 55% (see link below)

Today however they will turout in huge numbers to vote for Obama.

If a white man was running with exactly the same policies as Obama then I suspect the turnout would be at the 55% mark.

Sorry folks, but blacks are racist too.

http://www.ncbcp.org/irc/ncbcphistoryvote(3).pdf

Ponster

testicle wrote: »

Not true. You need to be a natural born citizen.

Ahhh, I love people who post on the Internets about things they know little about

So... you believe that 'natural born' = born in the USA ?

cornbb

Ludo wrote: »

To me this election signals the end of racism. It has galvinised the black community to see one of their own accepted fully as a potential president. It sees people of all races/creeds/beliefs united behind one candidate with race not being an issue.

I don't think this will be an end to racism completely but it is still a huge deal. Imagine the pictures of little black children running down the corridors of the White House? I'm a young guy, and even I didn't think I'd see it in my lifetime. This will maybe become the last chapter in the American civil rights movement.

We are witnessing a historical event, the end of an era and the start of a new one. I'm not claiming Obama is the messiah or that he will solve all of the world's ills, he is just a figurehead for the massive shift that is happening in the US. The american people have realised that they do not like the ugly direction their country has been taking: blatant torture sanctioned at the highest level, marginalisation of minorities, breaking down of the Church/State barrier, widening the rich/poor gap, a very dangerous hung-ho foreign policy, and an overall extremist ideology. The anti-Americanism that has built up in the rest of the world will reverse overnight, just wait for the surveys Today will be a very good day for the USA and the world as they pull back from the brink, and I'm sorry that Benedict XVI and others can't recognise it and enjoy it.

Ludo

Ponster wrote: »

Ahhh, I love people who post on the Internets about things they know little about

So... you believe that 'natural born' = born in the USA ?

Technically Testicle is dead right. To quote the constitution:

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.

"Natural born citizen" is the exact phrase Testicle used. He never claimed that meant anything in particular. He simply stated the facts correctly. So why the attack?

Ludo

cornbb wrote: »

I don't think this will be an end to racism completely but it is still a huge deal. Imagine the pictures of little black children running down the corridors of the White House? I'm a young guy, and even I didn't think I'd see it in my lifetime. This will maybe become the last chapter in the American civil rights movement.

I agree cornbb....not the end of racism completely obviously but a huge step towards it hopefully. Wasn't sure how to say it right so just said the end of it for simplicity...eloquent like Obama I ain't

testicle

jhegarty wrote: »

better call off the election so , McCain was born in panama

He was born in the Panama Canal Zone after 1904.

http://law.justia.com/us/codes/title8/8usc1403.html

cornbb

Benedict XVI wrote: »

It may be cynical but it is true.

Blacks tradiotinally vote Democrat (85%) but the turnout is usually about 55% (see link below)

Today however they will turout in huge numbers to vote for Obama.

If a white man was running with exactly the same policies as Obama then I suspect the turnout would be at the 55% mark.

Sorry folks, but blacks are racist too.

http://www.ncbcp.org/irc/ncbcphistoryvote(3).pdf

I'm sure no-one will dispute that some Blacks are racist but "Blacks are racist" is a racist statement itself, as you are making a generalisation based on someone's race.

Yes, I'm sure millions of extra blacks will turn out to vote for Obama, but you haven't actually suggested any real evidence as to why they will do so. What are you attempting to point out in that pdf? You are just making a bitter assumption with nothing to back it up.

Ponster

Ludo wrote: »

Technically Testicle is dead right. To quote the constitution:



"Natural born citizen" is the exact phrase Testicle used. He never claimed that meant anything in particular. He simply stated the facts correctly. So why the attack?

You call that "an attack?"



At this stage I just feel sorry for people like him who continue to drag up what they believe to be facts.

> He never claimed that meant anything in particular.

Incorrect. testicle claims that you can't be born out of the USA and still run for president. He believes that "Natural born citizen" means born in the USA.

Benedict XVI

cornbb wrote: »

I'm sure no-one will dispute that some Blacks are racist but "Blacks are racist" is a racist statement itself, as you are making a generalisation based on someone's race.

Yes, I'm sure millions of extra blacks will turn out to vote for Obama, but you haven't actually suggested any real evidence as to why they will do so. What are you attempting to point out in that pdf? You are just making a bitter assumption with nothing to back it up.

the .pdf shows the historical turnout of black voters, I expect the number today to be greater than before.

Of course I am not saying all black are racist, I am saying some blacks are racist, the problem is people seem to think whites are the only ones that can be racist,

If I were to say it's thrilling to see all these white people registering that have never registered before I would be considered a racist

Ludo

Ponster wrote: »

Incorrect. testicle claims that you can't be born out of the USA and still run for president. He believes that "Natural born citizen" means born in the USA.

I must have missed where he said that. I shall read back to find it and apologise when I find it.

cornbb

Benedict XVI wrote: »

the .pdf shows the historical turnout of black voters, I expect the number today to be greater than before.

Of course I am not saying all black are racist, I am saying some blacks are racist, the problem is people seem to think whites are the only ones that can be racist,

If I were to say it's thrilling to see all these white people registering that have never registered before I would be considered a racist

So do you really think its racist to register to vote specifically so you can vote for a candidate you really believe in for the first time? You still haven't produced any evidence to suggest that people are registering to vote for Obama just because he is black. Its much more reasonable to suggest that they are much more likely to vote for him because of his policies, or because of his background in community organisation (fighting for the "little guy" or for minorities who have been overlooked til now).

Mitch Connor

jhegarty wrote: »

That's not true , you don't need to be born in the us to be president , you just have to be eligible to be a US citizen from birth...

testicle wrote: »

Not true. You need to be a natural born citizen.

Ludo wrote: »

I must have missed where he said that. I shall read back to find it and apologise when I find it.

posts above.