Obama takes questions from 5-year-old

[babylonsister]

Obama takes questions from 5-year-old

By MIKE BAKER
Associated Press Writer



DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Here's one way to get a presidential candidate to change his mind: If you're a 5-year-old, shed a few tears.

That's how Hadassah Jones, of Durham, got Barack Obama to answer questions Thursday after the campaign initially denied such requests from reporters.

Crouching to the ground after a rally with 4,000 supporters, Obama briefly outlined for Hadassah his plan to provide health insurance for everyone and to improve schools. He also suggested to the first-grader that wealthier people should help those who are less fortunate.

"We've got to make sure that people who have more money help the people who have less money," Obama said. "If you had a whole pizza, and your friend had no pizza, would you give him a slice?"

Hadassah, a correspondent for brandnewz.com, said after the interview that Obama "had great answers. And I had a great time meeting him."

[AtomicKitten]

1. He's really giving her all his attention.

Nice.

[Olney Blue]

2. He looks Presidential.

[ccpup]

3. I agree.

It is nice. Sad to think that if it were Hillary doing this those on DU would accuse her of pandering or some such nonsense. I think EVERY candidate should spend time with a 5-year old. They're often surprising in their clarity and wisdom. Much more so than Tim Russert!

[rockymountaindem]

4. I can't believe he actually said that

"We've got to make sure that people who have more money help the people who have less money". I understand he's speaking to a child, but putting his position in terms that blunt is going to raise catcalls of "Communist!" and "Socialist!" all over the place.

And the proper answer to that pizza question is, "I'd sell it for a profit and use that money to purchase oil stocks".

[2rth2pwr]

66. What if the person with no pizza was not

your friend? what if he was vegan? lactose intolerant?

[rockymountaindem]

69. Not my concern

Gotta sell that pie for maximum free market value.

[JI7]

5. very nice,

[ClarkUSA]

6. Adorable exchange.

It's nice to see our Democratic candidates stopping to take questions from a tot and answering them in a
language kids can understand.

Somehow, I can't see Giuliani doing this.

[CoffeeCat]

8. Giuliani would scare the children...

...that man looks like a scary lawn nome.

Five-year olds may not understand what a dysfunctional, sociopathic
neocon is--but they can sense when someone is like Ursula from "The
Little Mermaid."

[ccpup]

10. oh man

even I have nightmares about ghouliani ... er, I mean Ursula

[JI7]

12. Ghoul would tell them if their parents don't vote for him

there will be another 9/11.

[ClarkUSA]

18. Oh, you're bad.

lol

I really really hope Giuliani is the GOP nominee.

Imagine the political ads liberal 527s would run!

[Colobo]

7. That's the kind of President America needs right now.

Gobama!

[illinoisprogressive]

9. Obama's parent side comes out. How sweet.

[hisownpetard]

11. The last time a man looked at me with that much attentiveness, I married him. nt

(Full disclosure: he also looked that way the day we signed our divorce papers.)

Gee - I made this post as a total compliment to Obama, but somehow it doesn't sound that way.

Edit: self-comment

[babylonsister]

15. Awwww.....

:hug:

And SHIT! I just read the inside of your post! :rofl:

I was gonna say, I don't remember a look like that, or attention at that level, so much, from anyone!
Maybe I've been married too long! :hide:

[hisownpetard]

31. Too hard to remember back that far, right? It hurts my brain!!!

That photo is great, and you know what they say:
A picture's worth a thousand votes.

hehehe

[BeyondGeography]

17. LOL!

[rucky]

40. I hope you were older than five at the time. n/t

[hisownpetard]

46. Older than 5? Of course! I'm not talking about a mountaintop in Peru...

And, actually, by the time it was over, I was older than DIRT.

[IndyOp]

13. Looks like a neat site: http://www.brandnewz.com/

Teen reporters, focus on good news - empowerment, education... Hadassah looks a bit younger than the other reporters, but she might have just scooped them with her Obama story.

http://www.brandnewz.com/

[Catherine Vincent]

14. Cute!

[mondo joe]

16. "Mr Obama, why did you give an audience to that nasty man who insulted my gay uncle?"

[babylonsister]

19. Please give it a rest; you don't like him, we 'get' it. There are plenty

of threads where you can bash him.

[mondo joe]

20. "Give it a rest" = "Get over it" = "We don't care."

No.

[babylonsister]

23. We 'care', okay? Who are you supporting is the real question. This

attempt at dissing Obama is getting tired. Yes, people were insulted. There is nothing anyone can do about that now. Agree or disagree with him, it's a done deal.

Please, by all means, do what you want. But if you despise him so much, why not find a current issue to critique him on?

And I'm not picking a fight, I quite agree Obama's decision was wrong, but this picture and sentiment was cute imo. Nothing more or less.

[FredScuttle]

26. "this attempt at dissing Obama is getting tired"?

Not half as tired as Obama abandoning the "audacity of hope" in favor of the "audacity of homophobia" in a craven attempt to win some anti-gay votes in SC.

The deal will be done when he either sees the light and apologizes to Democrats for his insult or when he (inevitably) loses the nomination. Based on his continued insults this week, I'm guessing the latter.

A "current issue" to critique him on? OK, fine....why did Obama adopt RW talking points in describing Social Security as "in crisis"?

[Colobo]

28. "When he (inevitably) loses the nomination"

There goes your credibility.

[FredScuttle]

29. What credibility?

I am a (still) undecided Democrat who is now firmly opposed to Obama. I haven't made a choice yet, but I'll know that my candidate didn't hire an ex-gay clown to spew homophobic filth at one of their fundraisers....then, after a furor erupts, continue to spit in the face of Democrats everywhere.

Mr. "Audacity of Homophobia" can fuck off with his "Ex-Gay" Tour.

[Colobo]

30. You too.

[FredScuttle]

35. Thanks much

I think I'll stay.

I, unlike friend-to-ex-gays Obama, understand that courting bigotry and homophobia is antithetical to what a Democratic candidate should stand for

[JackBeck]

41. You don't have very much to say, do you?

All I've seen from you over the past few weeks is an idolization for Obama with blinders secured to the side of your head, since all you seem to be fixated on is the "prize".

"Gobama" is a cute kick to a thread, but has no weight when digging into the nuance of issues presented to anyone who may be the future President of our country. Say something of substance, instead of just bleating talking points. You may win over some of those who are undecided.

[Colobo]

60. What can I tell someone who says that he is

decidedly opposed to Obama because of the McClurkin issue?

[FredScuttle]

65. and Social Security

I don't want you to think I'm a single-issue voter.

[JackBeck]

74. Please point out where I took that stance.

My support of a primary candidate doesn't dictate what my vote will be in the GE. I'm a vocal supporter of a man that presents no opposition to full equality to LGBT issues. Nor does he see a need to troll for votes among bigots.

Your attitude over this whole issue since it broke has made it more difficult for me to support Obama in the GE. Good job.

Hopefully, you and the other cultists are not representative of the attitude that a broader cohort of Obama supporters exhibit. But if you are, I may need to ask for some friends to chant for his future.

[Colobo]

75. I'm not talking about you, Jack.

I'm talking about Fred.

[Colobo]

70. Revise your inbox, Jack.

[JackBeck]

79. That makes no sense.

But if I'm interpreting it correctly, you just proved the point of my post. Please work on adding something of substance.

[Colobo]

83. I was as honest as I could with you

in the message I sent you about how I feel about the whole situation. Thanks for taking the time to read it, and I'm sad your opinion of me is not the best.

[JackBeck]

84. ....

Just now saw something. Little bit of miscommunication going on right now. Give me a few minutes, friend, OK?

[babylonsister]

34. I do sympathize, but finding a new outlet

isn't a bad idea because the only people I see fixating on his really poor choice for entertainment is on here and other blogs. Your anger is righteous, but I think SS would be a great issue, because I don't 'get' why he went there either.
Obama isn't a homophobe imo, he just got some really bad advice. And yes, he/they probably did weigh who he'd piss off with that decision and decided to go for tonnage instead of principle.
Again, this was about the picture.

[FredScuttle]

One disastrous campaign decision after another

For me, Obama's campaign imploded in the last two weeks. Between the McClurkin debacle and this Social Security nonsense, his campaign has become a sad joke.

I am but one man, but I will do whatever I can to make sure people know that Obama calculated that he could sell out the LGBT community (and straight Democrats who support equal rights) for a few strategic votes in South Carolina. According to the polls, he didn't even accomplish that.

I don't mind being called a "hater"...when it comes to a candidate who welcomes a clownish bigot onto his stage and defends him to the end, I will hate on that until the cows come home.

[mondo joe]

33. Is Imus getting tired? Are we over him yet?

[babylonsister]

37. That's interesting, because I liked Imus, and miss him.

Now you can call me a real bigot. Have at it! I just think he made a very bad choice of words (with help from Bernie, who I never could stand) and paid for it, but take issue with people like Sharpton's criticism and his indignation.
I liked Imus a helluva lot better than Scarborough; he at least was truthful and got some good guests.

[Solon]

86. You have a funny way of showing it. n/t

[geek tragedy]

43. Will you ever stop hating Obama?

Never mind, I know the answer to that.

[FredScuttle]

45. Will Obama ever stop insulting gays and lesbians

Never mind, I know the answer to that

[mondo joe]

47. Will Obama ever stop kissing the asses of bigots?

Tell me, will he?

[calteacherguy]

49. Grow up. nt

[mondo joe]

50. You didn't answer the question. I see we both know the answer.

"Never".

[calteacherguy]

51. Grow up. nt

[mondo joe]

52. I'm grown up. I vote. I volunteer. I give money to candidates. So do a lot of other gay people.

Got a problem with that?

[calteacherguy]

54. Then you should stop acting like a peevish child. nt

[mondo joe]

55. This is how adults act in response to bigotry. Go cuddle up with your McClurkin Snuggley-Pillow

and leave the grown ups to handle this.

[calteacherguy]

56. Obama is not a bigot. nt

[mondo joe]

58. No, he just invites bigots to speak and gives them an audience. LOL.

Grow up.

[calteacherguy]

61. It's what adults do. They engage with those whose values are not their own

We win by the power of our values and ideals, not by shutting people out.

McClurkin may be a bigot, but if so he's a bigot against his own confused and misguided self. Obama did the right thing by trying to bring more folks into his pro-gay campaign.

[mondo joe]

64. Grow up. Spending a half hour blasting bigoted lies to a bigoted audience isn't "engaging"

those with different values. It's affirming those values.

Stick with Obama all you like. He kissed the votes and $ of most gays goodbye.

[calteacherguy]

71. We disagree. nt

[mondo joe]

76. Just figured that out, huh? Now put me on ignore if my existence upsets you so much.

Go on now.

[JackBeck]

87. So when do you expect Obama to invite the Aryan Nation and the KKK to speak at an event?

Shouldn't a big tent party invite all the views in order to court their vote?

[calteacherguy]

48. Grow up. nt

[FredScuttle]

21. How sweet

Hope that girl doesn't grow up to be a lesbian or Obama will sic Uncle Donnie on her with some conversion therapy.

[goodgd_yall]

24. Oh, you're so bad

:loveya:

[FredScuttle]

36. I'm just as Jeebus made me

straight, but not narrow.

[goodgd_yall]

88. I've been reading your posts

Your support of the LGBT community is much appreciated.

[calteacherguy]

57. Grow up. nt

[FredScuttle]

63. Are you the automated Obamaphobe on duty tonight?

n/t

[Sparkly]

22. Cute cute cute picture!

And it's good to get down on kids' levels like that, physically, when speaking to them. :thumbsup:

[ruggerson]

25. She's in a cute little feminine skirt, praise Jesus

if she was in jeans and looked like a tomboy, she might have been forcibly dragged to the nearest gospel concert.

[FredScuttle]

27. Thank Jeebus she didn't express admiration for Rosie or Ellen

or else Rev. McClosetCase would have ran out of the campaign bus and attempted to pray teh Gay right out of her. Praise Jesus!

[ruggerson]

32. She's not clutching a copy of "King and King" is she?

[FredScuttle]

38. Even worse

it's the Gay Penguin book

[ruggerson]

42. They look adorable

but someone put a little valium in their kelp, I think.

[FredScuttle]

44. I think they just came from a backstage meeting with Uncle Donnie

"laying of the hands" and whatnot.

[ruggerson]

53. Yes, they have that wise, rightwing evangelical stare

n/t

[goodgd_yall]

89. LMAO!

[133724]

39. Do we have another Helen Thomas in the making????

[ClarkUSA]

59. To all interested parties: there is a DU rule against hijacking/disrupting threads.

"Stay on topic. Do not jump into an unrelated discussion and introduce a barely-relevant tangent."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules_detailed.html

There are plenty of GDP threads that address the McClurkin issue. Why not continue the discussion there?

P.S. I have no dog in this fight. I just think DU rules are there for good reason.

[FredScuttle]

62. OK, how about this

What a lovely picture of Senator Obama and a 5 year old girl. What a beautiful sentiment expressed that our children are a blessing and we should cherish them and listen to them, as they are the stewards for our nation's future.

Unless Obama institutes his crazy Social Security "rescue" plan and this poor little girl will have jack shit when she gets older.

(oops....couldn't resist. But hey....at least no "fruity" undertone, right? Because that is why you posted that rule, right?)

[ClarkUSA]

73. Do not be uncivil.

More DU rules to live by:

"The administrators of Democratic Underground are working to provide a place where progressives can share ideas
and debate in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Despite our best efforts, some of our members often stray from
this ideal and cheapen the quality of discourse for everyone else. Unfortunately, it is simply impossible to write a
comprehensive set of rules forbidding every type of antisocial behavior. The fact that the rules do not forbid a
certain type of post does not automatically make an uncivil post appropriate, nor does it imply that the administrators
approve of disrespectful behavior. Every member of this community has a responsibility to participate in a respectful
manner, and to help foster an atmosphere of thoughtful discussion. In this regard, we strongly advise that our members
exercise a little common decency..."

[ruggerson]

67. Would you like me to read to you from the little gay penguin book?

It's really quite relaxing. :)

[2rth2pwr]

68. What if the guy with no pizza

is gay? would you still give him a slice?

[ruggerson]

72. lol

touche.

[FredScuttle]

77. LOL

I mean, that's a fair question, is it not?

[mondo joe]

78. "I would give him something that is LIKE pizza, but isn't pizza, because pizza is a

wonderful thing that must be reserved for heterosexuals. Gay people can have bread with tomato sauce and cheese."

[ruggerson]

80. "civil toasted dough"

not pizza.

[mondo joe]

81. Holy shit, I wish I'd said that.

[Duncan Grant]

85. LMAO!

I can't thank you enough for that! :rofl:

In solidarity... :thumbsup:

[FredScuttle]

82. "Hadassah, a correspondent for brandnewz.com..."???

This poor little girl is working already?