Obama makes personal condolence call to campaign worker's widow

By GottaLaff

Susan Swensen of Sparks holds a photo of her husband Dewey, who died Saturday, Oct. 18, while campaigning for Barack Obama.

(By Tim Dunn/RGJ)

Once again, Barack Obama shows what a mensch he is. I can't imagine Gramm-pa McCain doing this, or at least, doing it convincingly. From the Reno Gazette-Journal:

The widow of a Sparks man who died while campaigning door-to-door for Barack Obama last weekend received a personal phone call from the Democratic presidential nominee expressing his condolences.

Edmond Dewey Swensen, known as Dewey, was campaigning in Sparks on Oct. 18 when he suffered a massive heart attack and died, his wife Susan Swensen said Friday.

In addition to speaking to Obama, Susan Swensen said she also received flowers from him and has VIP seats for his campaign appearance in Reno today.

Flowers, a call... Obama has proved that he's not only smart and capable, but sensitive and compassionate. His warm, caring (mutual) bond with his supporters is a far cry from the erratic, confused, and more recently, hostile attitude that the McCain campaign exudes.

She said her husband, 64, had been campaigning for Obama for just four days but that it had changed him.

“It was like he had a complete purpose,” she said.

There it is. That's the effect Obama has on people. Not loud shrieks of hatred. Far from it. Barack Obama elicits positive energy and a sense of purpose to change things for the better.

When Obama called her on Monday, Susan Swensen said she didn’t answer the phone because she didn’t recognize the number, but called back and spoke to Obama directly.

He’d also left a message on her voicemail to offer his condolences and express his gratitude for Dewey Swensen’s campaign efforts.

“I’m so sorry for your loss and so grateful to you and Dewey for volunteering for the campaign,” Obama said in the message. “Obviously it’s a heartbreaking situation, but I just wanted to you to know I was thinking about you and praying for you and I hope all the great memories that I’m sure you must have tide you through these difficult times.”

In telling her story to friends and family members this week, she said people have been moved by Obama’s compassion.

“Of all these thousands of people ... he took the time to call me. Me,” she said.
Swensen, 64, grew up in Oakland, Calif., and worked for General Motors for 42 years until retiring in 2006.

When Swensen decided to canvass for Obama, it gave him a new energy and excitement, Susan Swensen said.

Bush bragged about being a "compassionate conservative" while bombing Iraq to smithereens and shredding our Constitutional rights; Grammps insists that Obama's part of some terrorist plot and has run the most negative smear campaign imaginable.

Barack Obama makes condolence calls, sends flowers, and speaks of hope and change.

H/t: One of our Anonymi