Putting words in Obama's mouth - Edith Childs (the "fired up, ready to go" woman)

[jefferson_dem]

Barack Obama lets Edith Childs have her say during a rally in a high school gym in Aiken, S.C. Famous for her hats and chants in her hometown, Childs is now noted for inspiring an oft-repeated anecdote by Obama on the campaign trail.

Putting words in Obama's mouth

GREENWOOD, S.C. -- It's not unusual to hear average folks being mentioned by presidential hopefuls on the hustings. But few have found themselves quite so celebrated as Edith Childs, the star of one of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's favorite campaign anecdotes.

Childs, a county councilwoman, is famous for her hats and cheerleader-style chants at political gatherings. She learned how to rally a crowd years ago when she was active with the NAACP.

Back in June, she unwittingly provided Obama his now-signature slogan: "Fired up! . . . Ready to go!" When Obama recounts the story, it becomes a lighthearted morality tale about how one voice can change a room (and by extension, the world).

The candidate and the councilwoman's paths crossed for the first time when Obama visited Childs' hometown of Greenwood, population 29,000, as a favor to a local politician whose endorsement he was pursuing.

Though most candidates have ignored Greenwood, Obama pledged to visit after meeting Anne Parks, an influential African American state representative, last spring in the state capital, Columbia. In a moment of exuberance ("maybe I'd had a glass of wine," Obama usually says), he asked Parks what it would take to get her endorsement. She didn't hesitate: "Come to Greenwood."

He did, and the visit did not start happily. He'd arrived in South Carolina past midnight, exhausted from weeks of campaigning, and was none too happy when his alarm rang at 6 a.m. After a 90-minute drive, he arrived in Greenwood, where he encountered a small crowd, as he tells the story,"and they're kind of miserable too," he says. "But that's OK. I got a job to do."

Suddenly, "a little woman, about 5-3, 65 years old, in a big church hat, with big glasses, she's smiling right at me. She says, 'Fired up!' I jumped, but everyone acted like this was normal. They all said, 'Fired up!' We hear the same voice saying, 'Ready to go!' And the people, they all say, 'Ready to go!' "

Soon, though, his confusion gave way to enthusiasm. "After about a minute or two, I'm feeling kind of fired up," Obama says. "I'm feeling like I'm ready to go."

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-chantlady13dec13,1,5202957.story?coll=la-headlines-nation