Barack Obama: The Women Who Made Me

[babylonsister]

This is a 'guest blog' from Glamour mag.

http://www.glamour.com/news/blogs/glamocracy


Barack Obama: The Women Who Made Me

I wouldn’t be running for president today without the women in my life. I was raised by my grandmother Madelyn Dunham, who loved my mother and me so completely that she rejected the bigotry that might have torn other families apart and embraced my parents’ marriage. And she taught me a lesson that I’ve kept throughout my life, one that’s at the heart of my campaign—the idea that what unites us is stronger than what might divide us.

My mother, Ann Dunham, was the kindest, most generous spirit I have ever known, and what is best in me, I owe to her. She died of ovarian cancer in the prime of her life, and I’ll never forget what she was most worried about in those final months. She was between jobs when she was diagnosed and she wasn’t sure whether insurance would cover her treatment. So I know what it’s like to see a loved one suffer because of a broken health care system. And I’m running for president so we can finally make universal health care a reality in this country.

My wife, Michelle, radiates beauty, strength and integrity, and continues to make me a better person every day of our lives. Michelle has done an extraordinary job balancing her role as a mother with her responsibilities at work. But I know it’s not easy, and I also know that many other working moms are having an even harder time. That’s wrong. Women shouldn’t have to choose between their children and their careers in the United States of America. That’s why as president, I’ll make sure that employers provide their workers with seven paid sick days a year, and I’ll encourage all 50 states to offer paid leave.

Michelle and I have worked hard not to let this campaign disrupt the lives of our two young daughters, Sasha and Malia. But the other day, for the first time, I had to miss one of Sasha’s dance recitals. And I was really broken up about it. Being away from them is the hardest part of running for president. But I also know that the reason I’m running is so that our generation can leave theirs a world that’s a little cleaner, safer and more hopeful to grow up in. It’s a vision inspired by the women in my life, and one that I want to carry out not just as a president, but a father.
—Barack Obama

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. This strikes me cold. One reason I was attracted to HRC was to see

a woman get credit in her own right.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

3. You're kidding, right? nt

[Fredda Weinberg]

8. I've settled one sex discrimination suit ... could have filed half a dozen

Taught the boy I married everything technical he knows ... he's always had an easier time finding work and establishing his career.

Am I kidding? No, and I take umbrage at your challenge.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

18. Ha ha. You go girl

or 'lady' if you prefer.

[Cha]

22. Yeah, the umbaraged one..really

goes.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

34. If Sen. Clinton did the same for her husband that you did for yours

Then all those people who are supporting her because they want Bill are mistaken.

[Fredda Weinberg]

37. I'm so sorry for your prejudice, 'cause I'm the better engineer

And HRC appears to be similiarly situated. As she's noted, this is an opportunity women didn't have just a few years ago ... and her experience is so relevant it resonates. We want HRC and that's why we made her our senator ... twice.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

41. I'm sure you are. Maybe Sen. Clinton is the better stateswoman

I'm just saying you should tell all those people who are voting for her because they want Bill back.

[baldguy]

4. Next, you'll be asking who on his campaign staff wrote it.

:eyes:

[cali]

9. really? how so? in what way is it cold? n;/t

[Fredda Weinberg]

10. Why isn't he promoting Michelle's

political aspirations, as Bill is doing now for his spouse?

[cali]

13. because he's the one that's running, not her? Just a thought.

And just as Hillary promoted Bill's aspirations when he was running. Sorry, that's about as silly as it gets, and it has nothing to do with your assertion that the piece he penned is "cold".

[Fredda Weinberg]

16. And what makes him more qualified than his spouse?

I'm more sensitive to paternalistic claptrap. Sorry you can't see it ... but the next time a "gentleman" opens a door for you, remember what you surrender.

[cali]

19. Pathetic. Plain out and out pathetic- speaking of claptrap..

What makes him more qualified? He's been a U.S. Senator for 3 years and was a State Senator for 8 years. That's what makes him more qualified than her. Say, what was it that made Bill more qualified than Hillary in 1992? How dare he! He should have been supporting her, the paternalistic creep! Can you spell hypocrisy? Because you certainly know how to practice it.

[Fredda Weinberg]

24. When you can't argue facts ... attack ... but if you bother to check

you'll see that Michelle Obama, like HRC, has broad experience of her own

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama

Now, it may not bother you that a man crows about the women who sacrificed for his sake, but I'd say you bought the kool-aid. It takes some guts to break out of gender stereotypes and you may not have the balls.

See how personal invectives distract from the underlying message? Live and learn, cali.

[cali]

31. I would think you were kidding, but I know better. YOU

came into this thread with a nonsensical attack which you were incapable of defending. You can't respond to why Bill ran instead of Hillary in 1992. And I hate to break it to you but Bill also talked a lot about how much his mother and Hillary sacrificed for him. You are a hypocrite. It's that simple. I've come to expect it from you.

[Fredda Weinberg]

38. Ah, you don't know how to discuss issues civilly. Let me begin

by explaining that I began by describing my own feelings, which cannot be contradicted. You fell into a debator's trap and can't get out.

I was online when Bill first ran ... defended him against baseless Mena charges, remember ... HRC wasn't mentioned for good reason. You may not remember, but I do and a quick search will prove me right. Again, there's nothing to debate or discuss. Facts are facts.

It's shameful for you to demonstrate such disregard for DU rules, but let this dialogue show others that even the most inflammatory attack can be met responsibly.

[bklyncowgirl]

14. Does Michelle have political aspirations? I thought she was happy in her legal career.

Michelle Obama would be a wonderful candidate for some office--she's a great speaker and has as much charisma as her husband, but my understanding is that she has no interest in entering politics herself.

Hillary Clinton supported Bill's aspirations for years before entering the arena herself.

Not a fair comparison.

[Fredda Weinberg]

17. I was responding to Obama's statement. He thinks it's just peachy

that all these women supported him throughout his life ... I prefer more reciprocal relationships.

[cali]

20. LOL!

I remember Bill making very similar noises about his mother, Hillary, etc. I'd go dig it up, but it's scarcely worth it.

[Fredda Weinberg]

27. Yes and when Bill turned around and began promoting HRC, I paid

attention. It's a trend to be encouraged.

[cali]

33. So how do you know that Obama won't promote Michelle

if she wants a political career? You do realize, I hope, that the Obamas are considerably younger than the Clintons. You haven't a clue as to their relationship, yet you have NO problem pontificating about it. And all from an innocuous Glamor piece he wrote about his grandmother, mother and wife. It's really quite funny, as well as being quite arrogant.

:rofl:

[Fredda Weinberg]

39. I didn't pontificate. I posted my personal reaction, which is what DU is for

Your response says everything about you.

[NYCGirl]

21. The relationships were probably completely reciprocal, but does that have a place

in an article lauding the women in his life? "And here's what I did for them..." NO.

[Fredda Weinberg]

25. Why not? Aren't we electing someone to look after us? n/t

[NYCGirl]

29. Not when Glamour Magazine asks you to write a short piece about women.

It's called having a "sense of occasion."

[Fredda Weinberg]

30. Excuse me, but I don't see that anywhere on the linked page.

Do you know something that wasn't published?

[Nederland]

32. Hell no

I'm not interested in electing someone who thinks it's their job to look after me. How insulting.

[Fredda Weinberg]

40. Insulting to expect public servants to serve? Perhaps this

dialogue is about to take a silly turn, so I'll leave you to your own demons.

[Nederland]

42. "Serve" yes, "look after" no.

Somehow the phrase "look after" reeks of paternalism to me...

[Fredda Weinberg]

43. I looked after my parents, so maybe it's just vocabulary

Those types of disagreements are easily resolved. I bid you peace.

[Lurking Dem]

52. How can anyone take

a piece from a magazine where a man states that he has done everything he has because of the influences of the women in his life who made him who he is and turn that into a diatribe about misogyny?

[Fredda Weinberg]

53. Because no one did. Misogyny ain't the issue ... call it the first son syndrome n/t

[Lurking Dem]

54. I don't understand.

Clearly I am not getting your point.

Someone who has goals and aspirations should transfer those to the females around him?

There is nothing that indicates Obama has been anything less than supportive and encouraging of anything his wife or his mother or his grandmother ever wanted to do.

So because he has political aspirations he should support Michelle in a political run?

I seriously don't get it.

[Fredda Weinberg]

55. Why do you keep reading what's not there? I responded to Obama's

despiction of the females around him. There was something about the tone that reminded me of first born sons ... did a little research and turns out the phenomenon is real.

As Obama's sister reports, he was bossy - not cruel, but demonstrating the sense of entitlement I thought we all had enough of these past seven years.

I also was interested to find Obama's mother had a PhD ... I dunno, maybe a son would be proud enough of that fact to mention it? I've seen lots of references to how proud he is of his absent father.

Something about the tone struck me wrong ... it's not a condemnation of the man, just something that got me looking deeper and I don't care for it, though I know the system as it is works for many of my sisters. It just bugs me - for good reason that is beyond debate.

[Lurking Dem]

56. Oh.

So you're saying you read what wasn't there.

[Fredda Weinberg]

57. It's there, but some of us won't recognize it ... for reasons that are beyond debate

for them. But the tone of entitlement is certainly there - all these people sacrificing for him ... must give one a sense of mission ... feh. I remember Obama when he first announced against Nancy Skinner - had no reason to care for him then and certainly none now, after reading what he has to say for himself.

Reading what's not there? The opposite, indeed, but maybe you have to be willing to see women as actors in our own right. Maybe we have to wait another generation ... but my mind is out of the box already.

[Lurking Dem]

58. Speaking of tone....

[Fredda Weinberg]

59. Agreed. I haven't mentioned my own oldest brother, but it certainly

affects my tone. My apologies for any offense ... none intended.

[BeyondGeography]

2. I wish his mom was here to see him now

[frazzled]

5. You know, maybe this is what divides those who like his style and those who don't

I hadn't thought about this aspect of Obama: that he is the product of a matriarchal community: single mother, raised by grandmother, two daughters. It affects his way of dealing with the world (conflict resolution, etc.).

One of the things I realized after many years that attracted me to my husband was exactly this matriarchal perspective: he was raised by a single mom and a much older sister. He had no father (well, he saw his father only occasionally, until he died when my husband was 17). He doesn't have the usual macho, pissing-match personality of so many men. He is understanding, generous, honest, and open. (No, that doesn't make him a pussy who crochets--he likes football and looking at Victoria's Secret models like any guy).

Maybe this style thing that people glom onto in their candidates can be explained a lot by things like this: Edwards, with his constant refrain of son-of-a-millworker's dad (where was his mom?), versus Obama, with his woman-centered life. I don't know where this leaves Hillary--women have to prove they have more male-appealing qualities. Rarely does a male candidate have to prove he has female-appealing qualities. This is perhaps what makes Obama palatable to so many women, but pooh-poohed by the macho type of male.

[Sulawesi]

6. I am a man with a strong matriarchal influence...

No, I am not flirting with you, but I like Obama in the ways you describe...

[frazzled]

11. Well, I'd probably like you a lot, then!

No, I'm not flirting either. And I'm not dissing men or fathers (my father is an angel, and he was a huge influence in my life). It's just that I think that men who have this maternal influence are often more likely to be more of problem solvers than bullies, more listeners and thinkers than schemers or bulls-in-china shops. People need influence from both genders in their lives, but too often the maternal influence is secondary for many males.

[Sulawesi]

12. I'll dis my gender if you want!

I agree 100%

[BeyondGeography]

15. The one man in his childhood was his grandfather, with whom he was very close

and who mostly played "good cop." You've touched on something interesting. I hate to play dime-store psychologist, but fathers can be very hard on their sons. Perhaps some of that boundless optimism comes from never being belittled or pushed around by someone you look up to and who's supposed to be in your corner.

[sandnsea]

26. Obama is winning the white male vote

It's just politics. People here post shit about him because it helps their candidate, that's it, that's all.

The sad part is the number of people who won't be honest with themselves, or do the investigating, to figure out the difference between legitimate complaints and lies.

[Drunken Irishman]

28. My grandfather was like that.

His father walked out on my great grandma when she was pregnant. He was basically raised by his mother, grandma and his mother's sister. It wasn't until his 40s he realized his father was still alive. His mother had told him his entire life his dad died early, so that's what he believed. But I will tell you this, my grandpa was a big snuggly bear. He was probably the most kind person you would ever meet. Oh sure he had a temper, but he was an amazing figure for me. Which is what I needed, since I grew up with an abusive alcoholic father.

[redqueen]

35. I think gender issues are far more complex than your hypothesis requires.

Not all men from households dominated by women are less 'macho'. Not all women prefer non-macho types to macho types. I doubt one could even guesstimate at what the general trend at this point in time is...

[tammywammy]

7. recommended!

[alteredstate]

23. Nice Piece

Thanks for posting it here.

[Nimrod2005]

36. K

[Flabbergasted]

44. Go O. nt

[Colobo]

45. Gobama!

[Flabbergasted]

46. ditto

[AtomicKitten]

47. Why do I find that kinda sexy?

[tammywammy]

48. I wonder what he was whispering in her ear??

[Catherine Vincent]

49. Sweet nothings?

Love that pic!

[tammywammy]

51. If they were my parents...

I think I'd be embarrassed. :blush:

[AtomicKitten]

50. I don't know but there probably is purrrrrrring involved.