3 Cheers for Grandma: holding down the Obama Fort

[DemsUnited]

Meet Michelle Obama's mother at Grandma

CHICAGO - She is the linchpin of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and yet she does not raise money, plot strategy, lead conference calls, or carry a BlackBerry, which, in her day, was an unassuming fruit that grew on bushes.

Marian Robinson does, though, carry an exalted title in this race: mother-in-law. And from that perch, she makes the whole thing run.

A steely 70-year-old matriarch with a raspy voice and seen-it-all laugh, Robinson manages the family while Obama and his wife, Michelle, venture to the far reaches of the campaign trail. Amid the daily chaos of the marathon primary campaign, it often falls to Michelle's mother to keep the Obamas' two daughters - Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6 - grounded, not to mention fed, bathed, and in bed by 8:30 p.m.

<snip>

[globalvillage]

1. Wow. Grandma's younger than the Repub nominee.

LOL. GO grandma!

[BeyondGeography]

2. She sounds so sweet...many thanks for posting

[sniffa]

3. Grandma Obama to be subject of DU flamewar

The rules about eating healthily she finds especially limiting.

"That's not my thing," Robinson said. "Well, see, I grew up when you had good food, right? I can't change that at this late day and time."

Like fried chicken, for instance. Her secrets: using crumbled Ritz crackers in the batter, bathing the chicken pieces in ice water before frying ("that makes it crispier"), adding salt liberally, and using "lots of oil."

"If you're going to have fried chicken," she said, "have fried chicken."

[VolcanoJen]

13. Oh, yum

I'm getting hungry!!! Damn, that sounds delicious, even though I gave up fried foods years ago. :-(

[Cha]

18. Me too..but we can still

remember, eh? :9

[JVS]

20. No corn-flakes?

[Life Long Dem]

4. And this is the same gramdmother who Clinton threw under the bus?

How low can Hillary and crew get? What a sad little bunch.

[LiberalAndProud]

5. .

First, no grandmothers have been harmed in the campaign. I'm pretty sure Barack's grandmother would agree if you asked her. This is Michelle's mother, Barack's mother-in-law.

[roguevalley]

19. how uninformed you are, life long dem. how totally uninformed. This

is michelle's mother. as for his grandmother, why in HELL do you get the idea he didn't discuss this with his grandma and get her okay? What is the matter with you?

[Catherina]

28. No, those were the other grandmothers. The one in Kenya & the White one n/t

[sniffa]

6. Update: Grandma Obama soon to be part of another flame war

Most days, Robinson becomes a chauffeur after school, shuttling her granddaughters to piano lessons, gymnastics, dance practice, soccer, and tennis. She prepares dinner (with certain nutritional requirements, of course), supervises their homework, and limits their TV watching to an hour. (Another rule of their mother's.)

"She has them so, I don't know, like little soldiers," Robinson said.

[sonias]

7. Marian Robinson is a woman that Americans can all love

She provides support and love that expands several generations. This is what families do for their families. Unconditional love and support.

A big hug for Grandma. :grouphug:

I nominate her to be this country's First Grandma!


Sonia

[Blue Diadem]

8. She sounds like a very nice lady.

That's great that the girls have her in their lives.

[Frustratedlady]

9. How fortunate they are to have "Grandma" around...

She sounds like a wonderful woman and Grandma. I can relate to her comment about not remembering being so strict when my children were growing up and wanting to spoil the grandkids a little. We take that as our right! :loveya:

[jcla]

10. Just as many grands' do she is picking up the gauntlet

and keeping the children safe and loved. Good for her and all grandparents uncles and aunts who do this. It takes a village... and there are times when the safest place for the beloved next generation is with the ones that helped raise the parents! Kudos to all these good folks!

[UALRBSofL]

11. I thought Obama threw grandma under the bus?

Who knew?

[enfield collector]

15. that was his white racist grandma.

[roguevalley]

21. HEY!!! GRANDMAS ARE OFF LIMITS!!!!! ON BOTH SIDES! GROW

A CONSCIENCE AND LEAVE THEM ALL ALONE!!!!!

[PBS Poll-435]

25. They are not off-limits

When Barack uses his "white grandmother" to justify his level of tollerance for racist speech, then Grandma should probably be fair game.

[roguevalley]

22. UARBSofL, It is bad enough that you have a slam in your sig line

about Obama, but that you trumpet your love of Reagan by putting his picture there rather undermines your cred. I would suggest before you toss out a comment that you actually read about your point first of all. This is MICHELLE'S Mom, not Barack's grandma. By the by, where the HELL did you get the idea he didn't clear this with his grandparents first? Oh yeah, you aren't encumbered with facts. Obviously.

[PBS Poll-435]

24. Nah

That was his Grandma. This is Michelles. And she will be thrown under the bus HARD about 10 days after she says something really offensive or is proven to have said something really offensive.

[wndycty]

26. Heart warming human interest story. . .what do Clinto supporters do?

Come on in and piss on it.

[tabasco]

12. Nice looking lady.

I can see where Michelle gets her good looks.

How nice it will be to have a real family in the White House again.

Not a dysfunctional clan of werewolves like the Bushes.

[Faygo Kid]

14. Sounds like a terrific person. Gotta love those grandmothers.

Mine is long gone, but I have great memories of my brother and I spending our summers with her at the cottage, swimming and building forts in the woods with friends who stayed for the summer at their own places with their grandmothers, too. Idyllic.

Grandma could cook up a storm, too. We didn't like to get her mad, though, as she wasn't shy about laying down the law. Mom was easygoing, but you hopped to it when Grandma said hop. Great lady.

Michelle and Barack are very fortunate to have Marian around.

[Scurrilous]

16. K & R

:thumbsup:

[NOLALady]

17. Yea but,

Did she vote for LBJ?

[wndycty]

23. This one choked me up

:kick:

[Ysabel]

27. i liked that...

she seems really nice...

- thanks from another grandma... :)

-------------------

p.s. k and r...

[Catherina]

29. I hope American appreciates Obama's family's class n/t

[Diane R]

30. I saw Michelle speak...she sure looks and sounds just like her mom! Grandma is cherished in that fam