Monday, July 28, 2008

Obama's Broken Promise To His African Tribe

The Evening Standard (a foreign publication) gives us the skinny on Sen. Barack Obama's true character. Amid great fanfare, Obama visited the tribe of his family in Kenya and a school named in his honor in 2006. During the visit, Obama promised assistance to the impoverished community. Two years later, family and tribe members are faced with the reality that Obama broke the promise he made to them. David Cohen writes:

The small brick house with no running water, a tin roof and roving chickens, goats and cows is owned by Sarah Obama, Barack's 86-year-old step-grandmother. Inside, the walls are decorated with a 2008 Obama election sticker, an old "Barack Obama for Senate" poster on which he has written "Mama Sarah Habai [how are you?]", a 2005 calendar that says "The Kenyan Wonder Boy in the US", and more than a dozen family photos.

But this bucolic scene in his father's village of Kogelo near the Equator in western Kenya conceals a troubling reality that, until now, has never been spoken about. Barack Obama, the Evening Standard can reveal, after we went to the village earlier this month, has failed to honour the pledges of assistance that he made to a school named in his honour when he visited here amid great fanfare two years ago.

Obama folks will no doubt quickly deny that Obama ever offered any financial assistance to the school when he promised help. But even Obama's grandmother thought that was what he meant. "When he comes down here, he will change the face of the school and, believe me, our poverty in Kogelo will be a thing of the past," Cohen quotes 86-year-old Sarah Obama as saying to the community. "Senator Obama has not honoured the promises he gave me when we met in 2006 and in his earlier letter to the school," the school's principal now says. "He has not given us even one shilling. But we still have hope."

Isn't it amazing that Sen. Obama can raise record sums of money to fund his own political campaign, but he can't raise a few paltry bucks to help out the community of his own family in Kenya? How difficult would it have been for him to call up a few of his Hollywood friends and raise a few million bucks at a private fundraiser? His visit two years ago was all about another photo op for his presidential campaign.

5 comments:

M Theory said...

You can get a lot done in Africa for little money. If he doesn't take care of his own blood, do you really think he's going to take care of Americans' interests?

By the way, Oprah has a school in South Africa, I believe. I'm sure she would have been happy to help Obama. I wonder what Oprah thinks of this broken promise. I hope her faithful write her about this.

It is interesting that we don't hear from Oprah in regard to Obama anymore, don't you think?

I wonder why she backed off. Maybe because he doesn't take care of his kin.

Douglass said...

Obama is a big supporter of the ethanol industry, which is driving up the cost and demand for food in third world countries. If Obama cared about his ancestors in Kenya or the poor Americans who think he represents them, he would ditch the ethanol lobbyists and seek ways to reduce the costs of basic needs like food and medical care.

The best way to do help out the poor in America and abroad is to reduce government spending by not bailing out failing banks and industries and not involving our military in other countries' affairs. This kind of spending has driven up the cost of living worldwide by devaluing the dollar.

7th CD guy said...

You act as if the MSM will actually do a story on this.
MSM LOVES Mr. al-Obama, He can do no wrong.
May as well do a story on boy scouts helping little old ladies cross the street. At least that shows compassion.

Jon E. Easter said...

Again, can we discuss issues and not the Larry Sinclair allegations, bogus citizenship claims, what the motivation for 200,000 people in Berlin was, etc.

Nick said...

Just words. Just speeches.