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Barack’s Contrived Hawaii Trip

By Larry Johnson on October 23, 2008 at 12:09 PM in Bamboozling, Current Affairs, Media Bias, Michelle Obama, Typical white person

Talk about bamboozling the public, the Obama campaign has trotted out the ultimate PR propaganda designed to persuade America that Barack Obama is a regular guy who cares about his grandmother. Oh, did I mention she is white and from Kansas? I mean, who doesn’t love their granny? Dorthy and Toto were from Kansas. You just don’t get more American than that. Let’s just remind everyone that Barack is a man grieving for his mama grandma.

The storyline being fed to (and swallowed by) most of the public is that Granny Dunham, Obama’s defacto mama, has taken a turn for the worse and is humming Bob Dylan’s, “Knock, Knock, Knocking at Heaven’s Door.” Demonstrating that politics are secondary when it comes to family, Barack will dash off to Hawaii today and sit by her side. Sort of a pre-shiv’ah ritual bereavement. He does not care whether this puts his campaign at risk. He’s above politics. It is Grandma for gods sake!!

If you have finished hurling into your air sickness bag, here’s what is really going on.

Remember Barack’s August vacation? Yeah, he cared so much about Granny that he saw her only for an hour and did not take Michelle and the girls to visit the woman who he credits with helping raise him. Pretty odd behavior.

This trip is part of a scripted campaign event. It is a sign that the Obama team are so confident their boy has the election in the bag, that they are stepping up efforts to solidify Barack’s image as a regular, mainstream Joe. Hence the visit to Granny in a time of need. Now Grandma Dunham is an elderly woman and is coming off of a broken hip. From the sound of it she is a feisty old gal and no more in peril of keeling over than any other 86 year old woman. Check out this CBS story, which is based on a interview with Barack’s great uncle and his granny’s brother:

Payne, who is Obama’s great-uncle, said his sister was hospitalized briefly but is back home in her Honolulu apartment, where Obama’s sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, cares for her. Obama plans to suspend campaigning later this week to visit his grandmother, and Payne is planning to fly there for her 86th birthday, which is Sunday.

Payne, 83, said he spoke to his sister briefly on Monday.

“We had a short and as upbeat as possible conversation,” said Payne, a retired university library administrator. “She hated the hospital.”

She’s got the normal problems of an aging body but, with plans for the birthday party, it does not sound like a wake is imminent. Let’s face it, if Granny Dunham was departing this mortal coil (and let’s face it, she is an old lady and will die at some point) wouldn’t the whole family go? Shouldn’t Barack’s daughters get a chance to say good bye to Great Grandma Dunham.

Here’s Dylan, get well Granny Dunham.