First Grandma: 'Secret weapon'

Obama to attend memorial for "Toot"

By GottaLaff

Obama for America via AP

Our hearts are with President-elect Obama and his family:

President-elect Barack Obama and his family will pay tribute Tuesday to the woman he called his "rock," the maternal grandmother who provided stability in his young life and made his rise to the American presidency possible.

The Obamas will step away from their beach vacation here to attend a private memorial service for Madelyn Dunham, who lived in a modest Hawaii apartment and died of cancer at age 86 on the eve of the presidential election. [...]

Obama called his grandmother Toot -- short for "tutu," the Hawaiian word for grandparent -- and said in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver that "she's the one who taught me about hard work."

"She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life," Obama said. "She poured everything she had into me." [...]

"Tutu taught us to be mindful and moderate, to be patient when calm was warranted and to act when action was necessary," the siblings wrote in a statement read at Dunham's November memorial. "She liked playing bridge, a good mystery novel, jigsaw puzzles and an annual cruise. She was fiercely loyal and protective of those whom she loved, and had little patience for foolishness."

R.I.P., Toot.

Grandma-In-Chief

By GottaLaff

When Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, moves to Washington, she'll help redefine the notion of the 'all-American' family.

Great piece in The Daily Beast by Patricia J. Williams. Here are some excerpts:

Marian Robinson, Michelle Obama’s 71-year-old mother, is moving to Washington to help make the transition smoother for her grandchildren, Malia and Sasha.

Her plan to accompany the Obamas represents a kind of on-the-ground cultural reality: Among African Americans and certain other ethnic groups, extended families are more common than among middle-class white families. [...]

Marian Robinson is often described as the “linchpin” of the Obama family—and she’s largely responsible for the family’s ability to devote themselves to public service. [...]

The timing seems right for an iconic American family that depends on a granny rather than a nanny. In the last few years of exhaustion and economic downturn, there has been a shift away from thinking that floors will mop themselves or that moms can really effortlessly whip up 30-minute gourmet meals after a long day at the office. [...]

[W]e have the dizzying and hilarious spectacle of Sarah Palin trying to negotiate her last spate of interviews in the kitchen, juggling questions about energy policy, double standards, and handmade potholders. What calculated imagery of tight-rope walking: There she was in a jeweled necklace and black Oscar de la Renta suit, stirring stew and serving hot dogs, expressing her intention to “call Hillary tomorrow” to express her gratitude for cracking that glass ceiling.

That image is why I resist thinking of Michelle Obama as “mom-ified,” as some have called her. She’s doing one thing at a time. She works, she shops, she mothers, but she remains sane. She relies on her mother, her brother, her co-workers, her friends to make things work. Her husband has done the same. Their dependence on a close network of others is a fact. As a result, their life seems balanced: They’re consistently calm and collected; neither makes work look irrelevant or parenting look like a dead end; and their children shine with that reflected intelligence and their own good manners.

As our culture becomes more varied and diasporic—and as our economy continues its awful downward spiral—I suspect we will engineer new or hybrid models of both work and family. Like the Obamas, we will learn how to depend on one another in cycles of sharing and independence, foregrounding certain talents at one point, and others at another. The role of primary breadwinner may go back and forth between partners over the course of a career. In a globalized world, the education of children can no longer be considered an entirely domestic affair, or derogated as lesser, or “merely” women’s work. And ultimately, the American workplace—as soon to be modeled by the incoming occupants of the White House—cannot, must not, remain so enduringly hostile to the needs of family life.

Barack Obama has kept his promise. He has already brought noticeable change to this country, right up to, and through the doors of, the White House (and he hasn't even moved in yet). His family values are real, not manufactured, cynical attempts to bamboozle voters.

He continues to dazzle, with or without the speeches. Let's enjoy the honeymoon while it lasts.

Saying good-bye to Grandma

By GottaLaff

How do we, as a country, let Barack Obama know that we wish this wasn't happening:

For the last 21 months, she has followed the odyssey of his presidential campaign like a spectator in a faraway balcony.

She underwent a corneal transplant to see him on television. She reluctantly agreed to film a political ad when he needed to urgently reassure the voters about his distinctive American roots. She told him during one of their frequent telephone conversations that it might not hurt if he smiled a bit more.

And on Friday, Senator Barack Obama spent the day saying goodbye.

All we can do is take comfort in knowing he has the opportunity to be with her.

Mr. Obama has reached the closing days of his run for the White House without ever holding a formal biographical tour. (In a candidacy built on biography, and criticized for its celebrity, his advisers believed that sticking to substance, as well as an overseas trip in July, was a wiser course.)

But suddenly a biographical tour unfolded around him, as he made the brief visit here to see the woman who was a guiding force in his life and played a supporting role in his candidacy, from the Iowa caucuses to his marquee speech on race in Philadelphia and to his general election effort to win over voters in red states.

All we can do is send him our love and sympathy (Mrs. Madelyn Dunham, In Care of: Obama for America, Honolulu Headquarters, 1050 Alamoana Blvd., Ste. D2690, Honolulu, HI 96814).

His return to Hawaii was covered live on the local news, but his arrival was subdued. He did not wave to the cameras. There was no welcoming party on the breezy airport tarmac.

All we can do is think good thoughts.

“She can’t travel,” Mr. Obama said of his grandmother during the flight to Kansas in late January. “She has a bad back. She has pretty severe osteoporosis, but she’s glued to CNN.” A smile washed over his face as he spoke about the woman he calls “Toot,” his own shorthand for grandparent, which in Hawaii is Tutu.

Back then, when Mr. Obama was in the opening stages of his Democratic primary fight, he spoke wistfully about his grandparents, whose all-American biography had become urgently critical to establishing his own American story. He told of how his grandfather, Stanley Dunham, fought in World War II while his grandmother worked on B-29s at a Boeing plant in Wichita.

“My grandparents held on to a simple dream, that they would raise my mother in a land of boundless dreams,” Mr. Obama said. “I am standing here today because that dream was realized.”

All we can do is remember how lucky he was to have her in his life.

In only one commercial can Mrs. Dunham be heard speaking. It was taped before the Iowa caucuses, but also replayed during the Pennsylvania primary, as Mr. Obama sought validation for his appeal to older women voters. Her osteoporosis was advanced, and she hunched over so severely that it was difficult for filmmakers to capture her spirit and words of support for her grandson. Only a few seconds of tape was used in the ad.

In August, as Mr. Obama prepared to accept the Democratic nomination, he delivered a long-distance message to his grandmother in a televised speech.

“Thank you to my grandmother, who helped raise me and is sitting in Hawaii somewhere right now because she can’t travel, but who poured everything she had into me and who helped to make me the man I am today,” Mr. Obama said. “Tonight is for her.”

And November 4th will be for her, too.

Obama: Trip to Hawaii to visit gravely ill grandmother "not negotiable"

By GottaLaff

This is so, so heartbreaking:

On a whirlwind trip back to Hawaii, Senator Barack Obama spent more than an hour visiting his ailing grandmother late Thursday and is set to return to her bedside on Friday morning after arriving here on a nine-hour flight from the Midwestern battleground of the presidential campaign.

As soon as he arrived on the island of Oahu, Mr. Obama went to the Punahou Circle Apartments, where his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, lies gravely ill. She is to turn 86 on Sunday, but aides to Mr. Obama said doctors advised him not to delay his visit.

It was an unusual departure from the tug-of-war of the presidential campaign, with 11 days remaining in the race. But it was a trip that advisers said he told them was not negotiable. He missed his mother’s death here in 1995, a mistake he said he did not intend to repeat with his grandmother, who has been a stalwart in his life.

The moment Mr. Obama stepped off the plane here at 7:25 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, his motorcade drove directly to the 12-story apartment building on South Beretania Street. It was a subdued arrival, with no waving to the cameras or welcoming party on the breezy airport tarmac.

Her 10th-floor apartment is located in a residential neighborhood about a mile from Waikiki Beach where Mr. Obama lived as a teenager. When the Democratic presidential nominee arrived, a group gathered outside, including several women who held a small, hand-made sign, “Best Wishes Obamas!”

And to those who so insensitively accuse Obama of exploiting her illness:

On the trip to Hawaii, Mr. Obama stayed in the secluded front cabin of his campaign plane, reading and rarely talking with a handful of aides who came along. The knot in his red tie was loosened as he walked down the aisle of his plane to stretch his legs, but he stayed a safe distance from a small group of reporters who accompanied him. [...]

Mr. Obama has not scheduled any public appearances in Hawaii, but aides said he would still be in touch with his advisers in Chicago. During a refueling stop in Sacramento late Thursday afternoon, he walked around on the airport tarmac, making telephone calls and sending BlackBerry messages.

Our hearts go out to them. Group hug from TPC and our wonderful Commenters.

H/t: Ellen

Photos via.

Obama Says Ailing Grandmother 'Inundated' With Well-Wishes

By GottaLaff

My heart is breaking:

Barack Obama said his ailing grandmother has been "inundated" with get-well wishes from strangers since he announced that he is leaving the campaign trail for a day to spend time with her.

Obama is flying to Honolulu, Hawaii today to visit his grandmother Madelyn Dunham, 85, who is gravely ill.

"She has been inundated with phone calls and e-mails and flowers from total strangers who have read about her in my first book," Obama said in an interview airing Friday on "Good Morning America."

"And so maybe she is getting a sense of, of long-deserved recognition at -- towards the end of her life," Obama told "GMA" in his last interview before leaving his campaign for over 36 hours.

The interview airs tomorrow.

Big, loving hugs to Madelyn Dunham and the entire Obama family.

VIDEOS: The Lord Will "Take Care" Of Us + GOP insensitivity to Obama's visit to his grandma

By GottaLaff

Blogger unexpectedly went down, but we're back. I'll consolidate a couple of video posts to save time. First, a look at what we're up against (h/t: Bucky):


Next, the insensitivity and stupidity of the GOP:


Thank you, David Shuster. Um, Brad? Security issues? Plus, it's not easy to fly all the way to Hawaii in something less than a 767, or so I heard on the Thom Hartmann Show today.

BREAKING: Obama Cancels Thursday and Friday Events

By GottaLaff

And per our comments, but this was on Democratic Underground:

Going to Hawaii to be by his grandmother's side.

No link, just on Keith.

Larry King just said he'd resume campaigning on Saturday.

UPDATE:

On Thursday, Sen. Barack Obama will "travel to Hawaii to see his 86-year-old grandmother, who has fallen ill," according to Politico.

"The change of plans means Obama will scrap scheduled rallies Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa, and Madison, Wisc. He will instead head to Indianapolis, Ind., for a morning event, leave for Hawaii and return to the campaign trail Saturday."