Verbosities

Remember the gimmick where a donation to the Obama campaign put you in a pool to possibly be selected for a dinner meeting with Obama? I thought it'd work best as a gimmick if it had the minimum appearance of being random, CJ was more cynical.

CJ was more correct. Feel free to say, "I told you so" in comments.

Here are Barack Obama's "Dinner for Five" guests - in order, a black woman, a hispanic male, a white woman from the South, and a white guy from out West:

Margaret Thomas-Jordan, Gonzales LA
Margaret is a working mother of two boys, age nineteen months and eleven years, and she is attending school to become a nurse. Margaret's husband was shipped to Iraq last month and he is currently serving a fifteen-month tour. Health care costs have grown especially difficult for Margaret, and she is struggling with access to health care because she does not qualify as a traditional student. She writes, "I have not always been where I am today. I encountered a lot of struggles when I was a single mother with one child on my own trying to finish college." She supports Barack in part because "he has faced some of the everyday struggles that a lot of Americans have faced. He's looking at the whole picture."


Haile Rivera, Bronx NY
Haile works as a community program specialist with the Food Bank for New York City, which includes work with food pantries, youth programs and soup kitchens. In his spare time, he founded "Hands on New York," a non-profit organization getting school-age kids involved in civics. As someone who works with poor and underprivileged people, he is chiefly concerned with unemployment and the pressing need to revitalize inner-city schools. Barack's message -- particularly his position that we need to reform No Child Left Behind -- resonates deeply with Haile. He has followed politics for a long time, but never felt that a candidate was "as fresh or as real as Obama." That's why he donated for the first time in his life to a Presidential candidate. "I believe in Barack's vision for the American people," he says.


Jennifer Lasko, Lake Worth FL
Jennifer Lasko is a firefighter and paramedic whose "political views have changed dramatically over the years." She's grown fed up with "conservatives who treat politics like a game they're trying to win, instead of worrying about whether the policies are right or wrong." Back in college, she volunteered with the College Republicans on behalf of Ronald Reagan, but now says that she "wasn't mature enough to understand the consequences of politics -- and unfortunately many others haven't grown up since then." As a Veteran, she's very concerned about the effect of the Iraq war on our military, and frustrated by a sense that some politicians defend the war "just so they don't have to admit that they were wrong." She likes Barack Obama because "he brings a non-divisive approach to politics, trying to find the right answer -- not picking an ideological answer and defending that right or wrong."


Michael Griffith, Fernley NV
Michael is a miner in western Nevada. Michael operates heavy machinery and his health care costs have tripled over recent years. This is Michael's first time participating, in politics and he feels that as his family grew, so did his concern with the direction of the country. "I used to not follow politics as much," says Michael, "but once I had a family I started to care because I realized that politics affects my children's future." Michael read Barack's latest book and was inspired by his "honesty and openness." He thinks "people who stay in Washington too long seem to get corrupted," and he wants a leader who can clean up politics and represent working people.

Powered by ScribeFire.