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Subscribe to RSSAmid the embarrassing "birther" discussion of whether or not President Obama was born in the United States -- fact: he was born in Hawaii -- comes the upcoming New York Times magazine piece on Obama's late mother, Stanley Ann Dunham.
An excerpt:
To describe Dunham as a white woman from Kansas turns out to be about as illuminating as describing her son as a politician who likes golf. Intentionally or not, the label obscures an extraordinary story — of a girl with a boy’s name who grew up in the years before the women’s movement, the pill and the antiwar movement; who married an African at a time when nearly two dozen states still had laws against interracial marriage; who, at 24, moved to Jakarta with her son in the waning days of an anticommunist bloodbath in which hundreds of thousands of Indonesians were slaughtered; who lived more than half her adult life in a place barely known to most Americans, in the country with the largest Muslim population in the world; who spent years working in villages where a lone Western woman was a rarity; who immersed herself in the study of blacksmithing, a craft long practiced exclusively by men; who, as a working and mostly single mother, brought up two biracial children; who believed her son in particular had the potential to be great; who raised him to be, as he has put it jokingly, a combination of Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and Harry Belafonte; and then died at 52, never knowing who or what he would become.
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I am sure that it's a fascinating article, but how is it political news?
It's political news because right now the candidate making the most noise in opposition to the current President is running solely on the "Birther" non-issue.
When I saw a recent clip of President Obama's beautiful, smart sister confirming he was born in the US, I felt such shame for the Republican Party, that they cast aspersions on this family, basically, just because their mother was brilliant, independent and unconventional. The Bushes and Romneys of this world think women should stick to the role of helpmate to their executive husbands, and not pursue anything more intellectually strenuous than bridge.
Amy, you pulling out the feminist card, by bashing the spouses of Bush and Romney?
How mean spirited is that?
And why do alleged feminists allow, and participate in, vicious sexist attacks against Sarah Palin?
Bob-1887910
I wouldn't insinuate Palin's kids were born in Russia just because I don't like their mother.
Republicans paint President Obama as "other" just because his mother married an African and an Indonesian man. It's the old "one drop" rule; used to be, if you had "one drop" of a race other than Caucasion you were not entitled to all the benefits of an American citizen.
See: widespread attacks by Huckabee, Trump, et al on President Obama's parentage.
Amy,
She dumped Lolo when he became less radical and shipped little Barry back to Hawaii at the age of 10 to be raised by Mom and Dad.
So she is brillant, independent and unconventional. Great mother too?
Bob - a "true" feminist believes everyone should be treated equally.
As a (woman, feminist, mother, daughter, American, progressive) I cannot support SP because of what she displays. She is not very bright and shows no intellectual curiosity. She does not understand how our government runs.....the role of each arm. She shows no passion...let alone interest.... in any specific cause(s).
Most importantly, I think she shows a regressive ideology that I certainly cannot support. And to be fair, I see that in most (R)'s.
Oh, and trivializing the decision of the President's mother to move him to Hawaii is pretty mean spirited. She made a huge sacrifice FOR him. I was a single parent in 1976....not by choice....it was a really really hard job. If my parents had been in a position to step in I would have jumped at the opportunity FOR my children. Yes, indeed, she was a GREAT mother.
Amy, I also read that Barack Obama's Mother traveled around on her motorcycle helping provide Indonesian women with a little money to start up businesses, like sewing and small products to make a living for their families.
I think her ethnography has been re-printed. Ms. Dunham valued and respected the lives of others in extraordinary ways. If her son's Health Care Reform law had been in place twenty years ago, who knows, she might have had a very different access to cancer treatment and even survived cancer itself.
vermont girl - seems that there is an economist who thinks that obama isn't as progressive as ryan. Scary thought there.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-18/obama-might-trade-parties-with-paul-ryan-commentary-by-laurence-kotlikoff.html
Vermont,
Dumping your kid, a kid whose father dumped him and his mother, on your parents to raise is "indeed a Great mother!" She sacrificed? or did she sacrifice her kid for her own agenda?
Wow!
Spoken like a true "it takes a village" progressive.
Anyway who cares ....... it doesn't change the fact that Obama is still an incompetent community organizer way over his head.
I'd be happy if MSNBC would focus on how effective a leader President Obama is, and whether he's up to the challenges he faces...and the responsibilties he accepted on Inauguration Day.
That said...I'm with President Obama's mom.
He's a great guy.
Sorry, "bob", but not everybody was born and raised in the Cleaver household like you.
I was going to give Big and little bob numbers a pass; but in this VERY thread they contradict themselves and I am just not going to 'pass' anymore.
Many believe their heroine Sarah Palin dumped her own children to raise themselves while she pursued HER ambition as 1/2 term Governor. Not to mention her antics (sic, frantics) to pursue her Vice Presidential aspirations. The 'prop' children were more than a little 'sacrificed' during her ambitious run, no?
At any rate, a couple of 'em certainly missed a TON of school; but I am sure that will have no LONG term effects,...
Look how well skipping school worked out for their mother.
Yeah, get over it, BIG and little bob numbers. SP is a joke and Stanley Dunham was a thousand times the parent and human being then Klondike Barbie can ever hope to be.
Amy,
Given their mother's penchant for the free healthcare in Canada - Palin's children COULD be Canadian. Just sayin'.
How is bringing your son home to live with his grandparents in Hawaii to continue his education in the United States while continuing to earn a living dumping him? She paid the bills and helped her parents. Backbone and Amy, great job. As for Big and little bob numbers, both have very little, narrow minds.
I don't know when the NYT plans to run this article, but I think it would be nice for mother's day. No mother is perfect, but a brief overview of someone's mother gives some insight into the person. She was the one person he depended on until he was over nine years old. I think the article will help some people to understand him.
One question, if she was "white," and she's his mother, then why is he "black" ? just sayin......
Bob and Bob - put a sock in it about President Obama's mother. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves posting drivel like that. Even if you did not like their politics, bashing people's mother is OFF LIMITS.
You demean yourselves by bashing the President's mother, and I know your mothers raised your better than that.
Can we please not blame all republicans for the few outspoken idiots the media seeks out? I don't blame all democrats for the "9/11 was an inside job" crowd. Both parties have their nuts. They get the most press because they are the most interesting but they are decidedly NOT representative of the whole.
This whole birther thing is absurd. There's nothing he needs to verify because it's commonly accepted fact that his mother was a US citizen so therefore he has birthright citizenship regardless of where he was born. Can we put this question in the same category as the idiot Westboro Baptist Church members and file them in the never pay attention to them again so they go away drawer?
I am with you on this one, Suzy. We rarely agree, but this level of vitroil has GOT to stop.
If the Reuplicans don't want to be tagged by the "Birthers" then it's time for someone to step up and end Amateur Hour.
Cue the Obama-bashing in 3....2.....1.......
Steeler- the story could be about tin producition in Bolivia, and the Obama bashing would start in 3...2...1...
I guess you're both on a LONG COUNT here...hup one, hup two, hup...infinity?...
How's about you chuck the ridiculous attempts at preemption in....no, I'm not gonna do it...:)
The moonbat Obama-worship doesnt have to be cued up in here, it is continuous.
sounds like a great movie!
Thank you Ann Dunham! Thank you Mr. President for a job well done! This mid-term election has shown how screamers and yeller's can get one's attention. It's nice to see economist can see the light and we are in fact going in the right direction. In this two-week respite from legislation we'll see and hear the Republican and TEA parties rhetoric in unison. They are all singing out of the same play book. They'll lie about spending and birthing. Too bad we can't have all political advertisements justified with proven verification from three sources prior to airing. President Obama should be given the respect the office commands, but he isn't. This man has had to fight for everything since his inauguration. The bigots and prejudiced hammer him with lies and innuendos just because he won the presidency. I'll say this; President Obama is considerate and thoughtful before he acts. He is such a far cry from his predecessor and such a great thinker. We must have him president four more years!
Nicely said, Rudy Gonzales; keep it up. Look at the shallow and nasty comments from conservatives on this thread and it is obvious why their legislative leaders, their presidential hopefuls, and their talking heads say what they say.
Agreed, Rudy Gonzales. The nasty comments from SOME conservatives posting on this blog about the President's mother are uncalled for, nasty, and mean-spirited.
And for what? An 'attaboy' for being the nastiest??
America can do a LOT better than that.
There still states trying to keep President Obama off the ballot in 2012 because his father was Kenyan.
That's why this is news.
The bigots out there refuse to acknolwedge that he was born to a mother who happened to be a white US citizen from Kansas. By all accounts she was brilliant and the way she lived her life would indicate she wasn't afraid of a challenge.
What is sad is that when Barack Obama is maligned for his blackness, the unintended consequence is that it diminishes his mother's role in his life. She does not deserve that.
Well said, Sheila.
What's even more ridiculous is even if he had been born elsewhere (repeat, he was born in Hawaii), he would still be a U.S. citizen because his mother was a citizen. Just as John McCain, born in the Panama Canal, is a U.S. citizen because his parents were citizens living overseas. This drumbeat by conservatives speaks volumes about their own character and emphasizes the superb character of President Obama.
I just finished reading the entire article linked to above, and it left me wanting to know even more about this remarkable woman. I remember when I was first reading "Dreams From My Father" a few years ago, and thinking what a great thing it would be to have a President who had come from such a multi-cultural family background and life experiences in this ever-changing world - what an advantage it would be for him to have actually lived this life and have such an understanding of other cultures when dealing with other countries. Wow, I naively thought - how could anyone NOT see this as a plus? Looking back, I guess I vastly over-estimated the capacity of many of my fellow Americans to embrace that same possibility instead of fearing it. Nevertheless, when I look at the already growing diversity of our population and realize that the generations after mine will be far more multi-cultural than even Stanley Ann Dunham could ever have envisioned, I can't help but still feel optimistic about our future.
And speaking of his mother's vision, one of my favorite parts of the article was this: "As she told him, with a dry humor that seems downright Kansan, “If nothing else, I gave you an interesting life.”
Thanks you, Stanley Ann Dunham, for that gift - you'd be very proud of your son today. Thanks also to Janny Scott of the New York Times for all the hours of research that went into this story - if only people would take the time to read this instead of getting their "facts" about the President from the Internet rumors and outright lies and the ugly forwarded e-mails they're so quick to believe and to continue to circulate. And thanks, Mark Murray, for some great lunchtime reading!
Excellent thoughts, JoAnne, PA. I often find myself wondering why so many (mostly conservatives) are unwilling or unable to embrace his amazing story and be proud of it instead of mocking it. President Obama's story is a modern version of Abraham Lincoln's story with a multi-cultural backdrop.
Thank you, Mark Murray, for posting this terrific article about President Obama's amazing mother, Stanley Ann Dunham.
Stanley Ann Dunham and others like her are what makes America "exceptional". Putting politics aside, anyone, right or left, who took the time to read about this remarkable woman would find her dedication to helping those with less, despite having little herself, inspiring. Her determination to ensure both her children were the best they could be, and pushing them to study, work hard and succeed speaks volumes. "Dreams from my Father" is a wonderful story, an autobiography that takes us through the "growing up" and early adult life of our President, written after he graduated from Harvard Law School and before he entered politics.
Criticize President Obama's policies, his process, his handling of crises, his liberalism. What I find disturbing is that too many conservatives criticize his character, his intelligence as "elite", they attack him personally, they question his place of birth, they question how he got into Harvard, they question his grades, they question his "Americanism"--all of which is cowardly, shallow, narrow minded and, yes, prejudiced. What respect I had left for the GOP left and I'm not sure it will return.
I read a terrific op ed last year, "What if we have a great President and no one noticed?" Throughout all the nonsense, all the nitpicking, the nonstop criticizing and second guessing, President Obama has calmly, quietly, and effectively led this country out of a Great Recession and through one crisis after another.
"To describe Dunham as a white woman from Kansas turns out to be about as illuminating as describing her son as a politician who likes golf. Intentionally or not, the label obscures an extraordinary story ...."
The Liberals can't praise Obama himself right now . His poll #'s are in the dump for good reason. So the libs figure they'll praise Obama's mother. It's laughable. Most of what they write is fantasy. No one knows what her motives were for dumping her son on her parents . She is gone now so it can't be proven. A perfect situation the Libs can take advantage of.
And here we yet have ANOTHER person who will denigrade the memory of the President's mother because they don't like the President's politics.
I am sure, LEONA, YOUR mother is proud of your post.
Carry on.
The President is an American Citizen. This is fact! It is good to read about the life of our President, and know how he became the individual he is today. It is very interesting to, know how our President grew up, and how he was very close to his mother. This is a good thing! A President must be Presidential at all times, and nothing less is acceptable. It is important to remember that our President is an individual who, tries very hard to, do a very difficult job. I would not want his job! No way!! It takes a great moral will, and an intellectual capacity to handle the complexities of the world. This President came into office with a GOP/RNC created economic crises, and is doing the best he can. To show the human side of a President is very critical, and for a minute we, can see our President in a different light. For a citizen to resent this is just mentally ill, and just hateful.
I wish you boot lickers would just stop kissing obama's wetback butt already. It's a proven fact the man was born in kenya. Why in the world wont he release his history????
Oh for goodness sakes James - did you post that just to get a rise out of someone. If so, well done since I rose to the occasion. However, if you believe the drivel you posted, then you sir should not be allowed to vote for lack of reasoning skills and your use of racially insensitive terms regarding a different ethnicity. This is what is wrong with some on the right - the lack of tolerance. Obviously sir, the President is a better man than you will ever be. If you have children, I hope you do not teach them this kind of drivel. America does not need it. I firmly believe most folks do not have such narrow minds as yours; unfortunately for us, those who do think like you are the loudest and therefore get the most attention.
PRESIDENT OBAMA 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!