# A nice, warm, gooey Barack Obama glurge story **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 6, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632 "2008-10-06T04:22:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/61 "2008-10-06T15:37:40Z")
It would be prudent to carry money if you had any money to carry. But if you’re broke, then it’s kind of a moot point. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/62 "2008-10-06T15:37:44Z")
It probably would be, but who knows? Maybe she couldn’t get one because she had bad credit. Maybe she just plain didn’t like credit cards. I know the main reason I won’t get one is that my parents racked up a small fortune in debt on theirs, and I didn’t want to go down that road. Perhaps she had a similar experience. ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/63 "2008-10-06T15:43:57Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Well, you would think that an international couple in their 30’s would have a freakin’ _credit card for emergencies._ Wouldn’t you? Meh. I’ve packed up my stuff and moved to another country twice, now - and one of the things you really want to achieve is a clean break. Because dealing with a bank or a credit card company across 6-8 timezones is really freakin’ annoying. Particularly if you’re not planning on using their services once you’re settled, and without sounding unduly prejudiced, US banks tend to have an incredibly provincial attitude when it comes to dealing with international money transfers etc. I can absolutely see closing credit card accounts and paying off the balance on my list of things to do before getting on the plane. You try to have a very small footprint the day you step on that plane. As to why she didn’t carry enough emergency cash - beats me. That was stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/64 "2008-10-06T15:46:40Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Note that I’m not questioning that it can be done. But just changing mine when I moved this summer was a lot more trouble than the vacation stop on my newspaper. If you’ve stared down the mountain of paperwork involved in settling in another country, getting an absentee ballot from the local consulate is child’s play in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/65 "2008-10-06T15:49:50Z")
How is it even relevant to the veracity of the story whether or not the reason she had no means of payment on her was because she was [ul] [li]stupid as a bag of rocks[_]dangerously negligent[_]ditzy, or[\*]all of the above[/li][/ul]? 😕 Unless anyone is maintaining this woman is, in fact, lying about the whole setup – it hardly matters **why** she was in this mess. I agree the KS address and the fact that Mr. Obama was in fact flying from Miami on that date remain to be explained/verified – but \*\*this \*\*whole side discussion seems completely beside the point, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/66 "2008-10-06T15:56:54Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Ok, ok - not everybody has a credit card. > > Do you go overseas very often? Don’t you think it might be **prudent** to carry some money if you were going overseas? > > That’s my entire point. Not everyone is prudent. > [@Noone Special](#): > > …but this whole side discussion seems completely beside the point, IMHO. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/67 "2008-10-06T16:12:12Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > That was a nice story, but I would appreciate a confirmation from a Norwegian Doper (where’s our own American in Norway, **flodnak** at?) that the paper is legit and not a Scandinavian version of a supermarket tabloid. Just adding to what some others have already said. VG _is_ a tabloid-format newspaper, and not above sensationalism if it helps to sell papers. Also, its website is an abomination before the gods. However, it doesn’t just make stuff up. If it printed a story saying this woman claims Barack Obama loaned her some money at an airport, then the woman told them Barack Obama loaned her some money at an airport. As to why she didn’t have a credit card or a checkbook, well, before I moved to Norway I cancelled my only credit card and closed out my US bank account - it would be too much trouble and cost too much in extra fees to use either from my new home. Things might be different now, but I moved in 1990 and banking systems in different countries didn’t like to talk to one another back then if they didn’t have to. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/68 "2008-10-06T16:17:40Z")
At least she had the decency to pay him back. A few times I have felt gracious enough to loan a complete stranger money in a pinch, with promises of payment, etc. Only once did I see any money. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/69 "2008-10-06T17:08:03Z")
The incident took place in November - maybe Obama was in Florida to play golf at his country club? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/70 "2008-10-06T17:15:57Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Those of us who heart Obama will [love this story](http://leishacamden.blogspot.com/2008/10/not-that-it-matters.html). > > Even if you don’t like the Obama love, it’s still a cool story. I only heart my wife, sisters, nieces, & possibly father. Tis a nice tale, though. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/71 "2008-10-06T17:17:48Z")
> [@Spiny\_Norman](#): > > Meh. I’ve packed up my stuff and moved to another country twice, now - and one of the things you really want to achieve is a clean break. Because dealing with a bank or a credit card company across 6-8 timezones is really freakin’ annoying. Particularly if you’re not planning on using their services once you’re settled, and without sounding unduly prejudiced, US banks tend to have an incredibly provincial attitude when it comes to dealing with international money transfers etc. I can absolutely see closing credit card accounts and paying off the balance on my list of things to do before getting on the plane. You try to have a very small footprint the day you step on that plane. > > As to why she didn’t carry enough emergency cash - beats me. That was stupid. This makes sense to me. I still don’t get why she didn’t have at least SOME cash on her (if not enough to pay for the suitcases). What if her ride didn’t appear at the Oslo airport? What if she needed to get a taxi or train instead? What if her flight was delayed or canceled and she needed to get a meal or a bed for the night? I can buy that she didn’t have enough cash to pay for the surcharge. I can’t believe she went across the world with NO money. But again, people’s memories are faulty and this newspaper likes sensationalism. So, did they decide to heighten the drama by having her have no cash at all or did she forget that she actually had $20 on her, but it wasn’t enough to cover? Anyway, I tend to believe the story just because it seems like such an odd thing to lie about. So, kudos to Obama. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/72 "2008-10-06T18:24:55Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I only heart my wife, sisters, nieces, & possibly father. > > Tis a nice tale, though. But .. but … what about … _us?_ _big eyes, quivering lower lip_ ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/73 "2008-10-06T22:14:08Z")
God, the US banking system is SUCH a hassle to deal with outside of the US. I wrote up this long thing about some serious problems I had dealing with my US bank from Europe and deleted it because it’s not interesting, but suffice to say, I can’t blame this woman for closing up her bank account, etc., before emigrating. It’s much better to have a local account. And as for crying at the check-in counter, I practically broke down in tears when the guy at the counter said that I couldn’t bring my cat on the plane when I was flying to Michigan because his carrier was too large. (He had travelled halfway around the world on three different airlines in an even bigger carrier the month previously, so I was absolutely not expecting this.) Travelling is a really stressful experience for some people (for me, anyway, and I don’t have any kind of phobia about flying, I just find airports to be super stressful), and I can totally see an unexpected roadblock coming up cause someone to start crying, especially in pre-cell phone days. After a few moments of total panic, I took a deep breath and asked the check in dude what my options were. I ended up changing my flight to the next morning, calling my mom and dad (who had dropped me off at the airport and were still nearby) to come back and pick me up. Then my mom and I went out and bought a new carrier the next morning and all was well. It still fucking sucked (I felt bad about asking my dad to drive me the 60 miles to the airport two days in a row when gas was $4.50/gallon), but it was awesome that I was able to contact someone so quickly in an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/74 "2008-10-06T22:28:32Z")
The blogger is openly hostile to religion, so why wouldn’t we mistrust her accuracy, her honesty, her morality in spreading a thcik layer of glurge here? I mean, did you see what she writes in the margins of her blog? > [@](#): > > TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN > I don’t respect your religion. > I don’t care if you’re offended. If this isn’t a born liar, I don’t know who is. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/75 "2008-10-06T22:40:27Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > The blogger is openly hostile to religion, so why wouldn’t we mistrust her accuracy, her honesty, her morality in spreading a thcik layer of glurge here? I mean, did you see what she writes in the margins of her blog? If this isn’t a born liar, I don’t know who is. 1. The blogger is not the source. 2. Why does the sentiment in the margin indicate that a person is dishonest? What does honesty have to do with respecting religion? ETA, am I being whooshed? ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/76 "2008-10-06T22:47:25Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > am I being whooshed? Big time. I think I’m in love. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/77 "2008-10-07T00:26:20Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > ETA, am I being whooshed? DtC: Meet PRR. The guy that took, I believe $500 to go away for 2 years. Perhaps you missed him. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/78 "2008-10-07T01:12:02Z")
Obama’s grandparents never lived in Kansas after moving to Hawaii the year that Obama’s mother graduated from high school: > **[Family of Barack Obama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madelyn_and_Stanley_Dunham)** > > The family of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, is a prominent American family active in law, education, activism and politics. Obama's immediate family circle was the first family of the United States from 2009 to 2017, and are the first such family of African-American descent. His immediate family includes his wife Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha. > Obama's wider ancestry is made up of people of Kenyan (Luo), African-American, and Old Stock American (includ... ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/79 "2008-10-07T12:04:15Z")
A great story and I have no problem believing it. Kindness happens every day and Mr. Obama seems like he is a kind man. At the very least, he has done nothing to indicate he isn’t. This is something I might have done. Mr. McCain might have done this too. This is not to say he should be elected POTUS (although maybe our president \*should \*have some kindness in him) it is just a nice story. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632/80 "2008-10-07T15:16:29Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > A great story and I have no problem believing it. Yeah, seriously, I don’t even see where the surprising part is. What, is it a newsflash that someone behaved decently at one time? Someone saw a stranger blubbering like the idiot she was in an airport and loaned her 100 bucks? I’m not an especially kind person, but if I witnessed this sort of thing, and was convinced that it was on the level, I might do the same. Does Obama have a prior record of planting glurge to make himself look like he’s a nice person, or something? Does this contradict some part of his image --I think not,. If anything he has an image (courtesy McCain) of a naive soft-hearted, soft-headed liberal who thinks nothing of giving money away to undeserving strangers, right? So he’s going to spread this kind of story, even though it never happened and could come back to bite him when it’s exposed for the lie it is? What drugs are you people on, and can I have a taste? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-nice-warm-gooey-barack-obama-glurge-story/466632.md?page=3)