Obama's Mama and A Mother's Day Thought

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Christine Bowman

Why has Barack Obama avoided seriously attacking Hillary Clinton? Why hasn't he taken the gloves off when she attacked him? Could it be in part because he sees his mom in her? Here's how one associate of Barack Obama's mother describes the late Stanley Ann Dunham:

"She was stubborn, hard core, decisive, convincing, deep-thinking, rigorous in her analysis," says [Nancy] Barry.

Sound like anyone else we know?

Another early friend of Stanley Ann's from the 1960s, Neil Abercrombie, called her "the original feminist." Abercombrie now represents Hawaii's first district in the US Congress.

Could it be as simple as that Obama admires and respects Hillary Clinton's strength? He knows strong women, and he has learned from them before. His mother, his grandmother, his wife.

Obama's own mother certainly was a walking advertisement for independence and self-reliance, not only in her own life but also because she empowered and mentored others. She earned her Ph.D. late in life, and then went on to pioneer micro-loans for the needy. As Wikipedia summarizes:

Dunham ... pursued a career in rural development championing women’s work and microcredit for the world’s poor, with Indonesia’s oldest bank, the United States Agency for International Development, the Ford Foundation, Women’s World Banking, and as a consultant in Pakistan. She mingled with leaders from organizations supporting Indonesian human rights, women's rights, and grass-roots development.

We've heard over and over that older women support Hillary Clinton's campaign in great numbers, and that NOW and Emily's List have played big roles in her campaign successes such as in New Hampshire. On the other hand, Women for Obama have bolstered Obama's campaign. Their page on the Obama campaign site includes powerful testimonials on Barack Obama's behalf.

It's undoubtedly true that many Clinton supporters share some history and values with both Hillary and Stanley Ann. They're independent, strong, smart, politically engaged. Some have impressive educations, others fought hard for any educational opportunity. The same is true of many Obama supporters.

Ellen Goodman at The Boston Globe suggests that Barack Obama's feisty mother might provide him with a political opportunity for reaching out to Clinton's feminist base:

If Ann were alive today she would be the age of Hillary Clinton's most devoted demographic. She would be among those women who have gone through enormous transitions, making and remaking the female script. Dreaming big. ...

What better way to begin reaching out, holding the 'gender conversation,' showing women he "gets it" than by sharing the dreams he inherited and the dreams he understands. The dreams from his mother. A girl named Stanley.

Sharing dreams from his mother

Could there be a better time to bring strong women together than on Mother's Day?

And if she were still with us today, wouldn't Stanley Ann Dunham proudly stump for her son?

Obama's mom: Not just a girl from Kansas -- -- chicagotribune.com

STANLEY ANN DUNHAM :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Obama Family Tree

Feminists sharply divided between Clinton, Obama (AP)

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

Bookmark/Search this post with:

buzzflash | delicious | digg | technorati