Obama Pays Tribute to His Grandmother After She Dies

[Duppers]

Source: New York Times

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Madelyn Dunham, who watched from afar as her only grandson rapidly ascended the ranks of American politics to the brink of the presidency, did not live to see whether he was elected.

Mrs. Dunham, 86, Senator Barack Obama’s grandmother, died late Sunday in Hawaii after battling cancer, which Mr. Obama announced upon arriving here on Monday for a campaign stop on the eve of Election Day.

“She has gone home,” said Mr. Obama, his voice tinged with emotion as he briefly spoke of her death at a campaign rally here. “She died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side, so there’s great joy instead of tears.”

Mr. Obama learned of his grandmother’s death at 8 a.m. on Monday, aides said, but appeared at a morning rally in Florida without making an announcement. A written statement was issued around 4:30 p.m., in the name of Mr. Obama and his sister, before he spoke at an evening rally in Charlotte. The delay was intended to allow his sister, who was six hours behind in Hawaii, time to take care of a few details before the death became public.

Mrs. Dunham was the final remaining immediate family member who helped raise Mr. Obama during his teenage years in Hawaii. He called her Toot, his shorthand for “tutu,” a Hawaiian term for grandparent.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/us/politics/04grandmo...

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See more photos here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Or read the whole thread:
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Botany's post was most touching:

"Madelyn you got him 99% of the way .... we got the other 1%."

[Duppers]

1. a kick, hoping folks will check out the moving pics of Obama

My heart goes out to him.

[tomreedtoon]

2. Obama's face, wet with tears, brought tears to my own.

I didn't see this picture here. I saw it on ABC World News Now. I started tearing up the second I saw him.

I would not be surprised if he didn't pay tribute to her in his inaugural address. And I think it may be the first time in history that a Presidential inauguration paid tribute to a recently deceased relative.

And...this is the first time that I can even dare to think that Obama WILL have an inaugural address.

[Duppers]

4. it had the same effect on me

thanks for sharing.

[grace0418]

10. Watching the video REALLY broke my heart, as he initially tried to be discreet about

wiping away his tears. Eventually he had to pull out his handkerchief, and I just lost it.

[hlthe2b]

3. My own emotions are so raw....

those pics had me tearing in a second.... RIP Toot.

Be at peace, Barack. She will know......and she will have a front row seat, always.

[Duppers]

5. same here

[watrwefitinfor]

6. Correction regarding the prepared text -

He said, "...as well as tears" not "instead of". Just saw the footage from Charlotte.

Wat

[Duppers]

7. thanks for that correction. The NYT reporter got it wrong.

"As well as tears" makes much more sense.

[Duppers]

8. another good pic of Barack's mother, grandfather, & grandmother (Toot)

Posted by Shoelace



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[av8rdave]

9. RIP Toot...what a great job she did!

[Virginia Dare]

11. Thank you for giving the world a great man, Mrs. Dunham...RIP...n/t

[tblue37]

12. Compare the sincerity of Obama's praise of America's

"quiet heroes" like his grandmother to McCain's harping on that Joe the Plumber fraud. Here is what Obama said:

She was somebody who was a very humble person, a very plainspoken person. She is one of those quiet heroes we have all across America, who are not famous, their names are not in the newspapers, but each and every day they work hard. They look after their families. They sacrifice for their children, and their grandchildren. They aren't seeking the limelight. All they try to do is do the right thing. And in this crowd, there are a lot of quiet heroes like that, people like that, mothers and fathers and grandparents who have worked hard and sacrificed all their lives and the satisfaction that they get is in seeing their children or maybe their grandchildren or their great-grandchildren live a better life than they did. That is what America is about. That is what we are fighting for.

McCain, of course, offered up a load of BS about how Joe the Plumber is his hero, his role model (!), and how his supporters are "all Joe thePlumber." What a crock.