# Obama temporarily leaving the campaign trail **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 21, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834 "2008-10-21T01:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/21 "2008-10-21T04:17:40Z")
McCain and Palin wouldn’t stoop that low to attack Obama. Of course, that does not mean others will not do so, with or without any hidden assent by McCain and/or Palin. Yes, this election is that bad. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/22 "2008-10-21T04:19:57Z")
She means the world to him, and there’s no other option but for him to go. Most of us would do the same. He has plenty of good avatars in place, from Michelle to Biden to the Clintons. Of course, you don’t even wanna know what the scumbags over on FR are saying. What rotted, festering souls they must have. I don’t think it will make much of a difference, campaignwise – although I must admit the small hope that it will remind people that he’s a normal, loving, thoughtful man; not someone to be feared, the way the thugs on the right have been portraying him. This must be devastating to Obama. I dearly hope she lives to see her grandson achieve their dreams. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/23 "2008-10-21T04:22:14Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > I can’t see anyone being enough of a dick to criticize him suspending his campaign Who said he was suspending his campaign? He’s leaving the campaign for a couple of days, his campaign will continue. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/24 "2008-10-21T04:25:37Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > McCain and Palin wouldn’t stoop that low to attack Obama. > > Of course, that does not mean others will not do so, with or without any hidden assent by McCain and/or Palin. > > Yes, this election is that bad. Just out of curiosity, I looked at the comments on the [Foxnews.com](http://Foxnews.com) article about this. Yeah, that was pretty interesting. Apparently, this is all a ruse and Obama is really heading to Hawaii in order to do something related to his birth certificate (not really sure what, exactly). They did generously offer that he may stop in and see his grandma for a few minutes, but the main thrust of the trip is to either beat up the “investigators” who are trying to dig up something about him not being a citizen, or he’s going to in some way hide evidence of his lack of birth certificate. There were a few comments over there with a dissenting view, but the majority seemed to be along those lines. I personally don’t see how this is going to hurt him. He’s doing his campaign stops on Thursday morning and he’ll be out of the loop from Thursday afternoon until Friday night, back on the trail Saturday. Not _that_ long and what was he going to do - not go? I can’t see that playing very well. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/25 "2008-10-21T22:53:48Z")
An outsider wants to battle the Hawaii State bureaucracy? ROFLMAOSHIHLH 😃 And you want it \*before \*the election? ROFLMAOSHIHLH:D LBABC (Loses Bladder And Bowel Control) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/26 "2008-10-21T23:06:11Z")
If she dies, I hope the media will behave and not try to film the funeral as she is not/never was a public figure and the same is true of all but one of her relatives and friends. (Wasn’t it Nixon who had to walk through photographers coming back from his mother’s interment?) For the OP, at this stage in the game I just honestly can’t imagine there are _that_ many people who haven’t decided on one candidate or the other. This isn’t so much a choice between fish and chicken as between livers and drumsticks- _nobody_ likes them both the same and some can’t stand one or the other. Aside: On the subject of some (very uninformed) people possibly being shocked that Obama’s grandmother is white, I have to admit that I was shocked by how much Obama resembles his (white) maternal grandfather. I’d seen [this pic](http://www.classicalvalues.com/ObamaGrad.jpg)before- no great similarities due to age I suppose- but [the young Stanley Dunham](http://www.edemocrats.org/obama-photos/28648146.jpg)bore a striking resemblance to his grandson. ---
**Author:** ![moonstarssun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@moonstarssun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonstarssun)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/27 "2008-10-22T01:26:02Z")
He was going to be in Madison on Thursday afternoon, so I’m disappointed that he won’t be able to be here, obviously. But I can’t see it having any effect, negative or positive, on the race as a whole. How sad for the whole family to have this happen now, of all times. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/28 "2008-10-22T02:08:41Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Aside: On the subject of some (very uninformed) people possibly being shocked that Obama’s grandmother is white, I have to admit that I was shocked by how much Obama resembles his (white) maternal grandfather. I’d seen [this pic](http://www.classicalvalues.com/ObamaGrad.jpg)before- no great similarities due to age I suppose- but [the young Stanley Dunham](http://www.edemocrats.org/obama-photos/28648146.jpg)bore a striking resemblance to his grandson. I saw that same picture earlier today and came to the same conclusion. I’d seen lots of pictures of his grandmother as a young woman (and she was quite beautiful), but none of his grandfather as a young man. I recognized who he was at a glance because of how amazingly similar they look. He has a bit of a thicker jaw, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/29 "2008-10-22T03:08:13Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Aside: On the subject of some (very uninformed) people possibly being shocked that Obama’s grandmother is white, I have to admit that I was shocked by how much Obama resembles his (white) maternal grandfather. I’d seen [this pic](http://www.classicalvalues.com/ObamaGrad.jpg)before- no great similarities due to age I suppose- but [the young Stanley Dunham](http://www.edemocrats.org/obama-photos/28648146.jpg)bore a striking resemblance to his grandson. Wow. I hadn’t seen that picture of his grandfather before. You can definitely see the resemblence. Their eyes and eyebrows are virtually identical, and their facial structures are very similar. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/30 "2008-10-22T03:35:19Z")
Sadly, I think this will help him with the Ohio/Pennsylvania/etc Appellatians when they realize that he has a white grandma. Maybe it’ll quash the stupid muslim talk. ---
**Author:** ![Mustafa\_Al-Habib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mustafa\_Al-Habib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mustafa_Al-Habib)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/31 "2008-10-22T03:39:45Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Maybe it’ll quash the stupid muslim talk. I’m not so sure, most people stupid enough to believe these things in the first place probably won’t admit they were wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/32 "2008-10-22T04:53:27Z")
[Another pic of Grandpa Dunham](http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2008-06/39580853.jpg) as a much older man in which you can see a strong resemblance. The smile is the same on both men. > [@Mustafa\_Al-Habib](#): > > I’m not so sure, most people stupid enough to believe these things in the first place probably won’t admit they were wrong. Word. I’m still working on how many people that _I know_ who simultaneously believe Obama’s a Muslim **and** that he was the poppet of Jeremiah Wright, the _Christian_ minister whose church he attended for many years. They can’t both be true. _"Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said; “one can’t believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”_ ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/33 "2008-10-22T07:27:22Z")
The picture of Obama’s maternal grandparents (with his mother cropped out) linked to by **Sampiro** graces [this moving essay](http://ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/i_hope_this_is_in_good_taste.php) by a blogger at the Atlantic. I’m not excerpting it; it’s not that long, and it should be read as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/34 "2008-10-22T12:28:28Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > I can’t see anyone being enough of a dick to criticize him suspending his campaign over this Ha! You overestimate the Freepers and Redstaters (it’s impossible to UNDERestimate them)…they’ve been gleefully talking about this being a campaign stunt to make sure his WHITE grandmother gets into all the news feeds so that everyone will be reminded that he has a WHITE grandmother just before the election. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/35 "2008-10-22T12:43:45Z")
i understand from news reports that she was in hospital due to a hip fracture. and is in her apt. now. hip fractures are serious things in older people , and she has severe osteo. i also hope that she can see election day, and even hopefully his inag. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/36 "2008-10-22T13:25:30Z")
Well, \* I \* hope she can cut the ribbon at his presidential library. I don’t know why the rest of you are so eager to bury the poor woman. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/37 "2008-10-22T13:37:40Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > The picture of Obama’s maternal grandparents (with his mother cropped out) linked to by **Sampiro** graces [this moving essay](http://ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/i_hope_this_is_in_good_taste.php) by a blogger at the Atlantic. I’m not excerpting it; it’s not that long, and it should be read as a whole. Thank you. That was definitely worth reading. Obama’s doing what a normal human being would do under these circumstances. Forget that he’s a presidential candidate, or even that the White House seems almost in his grasp. Even assuming that his absence from the campaign trail for a couple of days hurts his candidacy (particularly after Biden has put his foot in his mouth yet again and given the GOP fresh ammo by saying that Obama will be “tested” in his first six months in office), which I kinda doubt, I would think less of him as a person if he didn’t rush to his beloved grandmother’s side, as all indications are that she is on her deathbed (and _of course_, may she live a long time yet!). His mother died suddenly in 1995 and he couldn’t be there at the end; I completely understand his wanting one last chance to say goodbye to his grandmother, who by all accounts played a major role in his upbringing. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/38 "2008-10-22T17:39:18Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Ha! You overestimate the Freepers and Redstaters (it’s impossible to UNDERestimate them)…they’ve been gleefully talking about this being a campaign stunt to make sure his WHITE grandmother gets into all the news feeds so that everyone will be reminded that he has a WHITE grandmother just before the election. Hell, what I’ve seen from them is that he’s REALLY trying to go down there to deal with his fake birth certificate, and the grandma’s illness is just a cover-up. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/39 "2008-10-22T18:11:38Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > To use this, the other campaign doesn’t need to refer to it. Rather, they can take this as an opportunity to increase the volume of their own message without Obama himself being able to answer it at rallies or on the news. I don’t think this would work out well if they stay on-message with how terrible he is. Can you see the news anchors showing a clip of Palin dragging Obama’s name through the mud, followed by “Meanwhile, Senator Obama remains in Hawaii by the deathbed of his grandmother”? The contrast would not be very flattering. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834/40 "2008-10-22T18:27:47Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I don’t know why the rest of you are so eager to bury the poor woman. Nobody’s eager to bury her. By her own and the family’s admission, she’s been in poor health for a while, and she just broke her hip, which can be a very serious problem for an elderly person. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-temporarily-leaving-the-campaign-trail/468834.md?page=3)