Barack Obama's grandmother dies on election eve

[Flaming_Arrow]

Wiping away tears, Democrat Barack Obama lauded his late grandmother today as one of America's "quiet heroes'' and delivered an impassioned vow to work for all such heroes if elected to the White House.

- Grandmother's cancer battle
- 'She is going home': Obama
- Candidate's final visit

Addressing thousands of supporters at his second-to-last campaign rally here, the presidential contender turned emotional as he paid tribute to the woman who helped raise him, following her death today at the age of 86.

Hours before tomorrow's election showdown with Republican John McCain, Obama said Madelyn Dunham had passed away in her sleep after a long battle with cancer at her Hawaii home, with his half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng by her side.

His voice thick with grief, the Illinois senator thanked McCain for an "incredibly gracious'' statement of condolence and said this was a "bitter-sweet time for me''.

"She is going home,'' he said. "So there is great joy as well as tears.''

Obama recapped his grandmother's life from her birth in 1922 and her marriage to his grandfather, their struggles through the Great Depression and with their daughter - his mother - through World War II.

"She was somebody who was a very humble person and a very plain-spoken person,'' he said.

"She was one of those quiet heroes that we have all across America. They're not famous. Their names aren't in the newspapers,'' Obama said.

"But each and every day they work hard. They look after their families. They sacrifice for their children and their grandchildren. They aren't seeking the limelight. All they try to do is just do the right thing.

"And in this crowd there are a lot of quiet heroes like that, mothers and fathers, grandparents who have worked hard and sacrificed all their lives,'' drawing satisfaction from the hope of a better life for their own offspring.

"That's what America is about,'' Obama exclaimed, his voice rising to a shout as the crowd responded with a roar.

"That's what we're fighting for. And North Carolina, in just one more day, we have the opportunity to honour all those quiet heroes all across America and all across North Carolina,'' he said.

"We can bring change to America to make sure that their work and their sacrifice is honoured. That's what we're fighting for.''

AFP

http://www.theage.com.au/world/us-election-2008/barack-obamas-grandmother-dies-on-election-eve-20081104-5h7q.html

[Collin Li]

I'm going to be politically incorrect right from the bat and say this is going to massively help out his election campaign with the sympathy vote.

I see a landslide victory, not that I wasn't already expecting it.

[Flaming_Arrow]

I'm going to be politically incorrect right from the bat and say this is going to massively help out his election campaign with the sympathy vote.

I see a landslide victory, not that I wasn't already expecting it.

ye

[kurrymuncher]

Does the popularity vote even matter?  I remember someone telling me that in the last US election, Al gore had 500 000 votes more than george bush, yet Bush still won the election.  I dont know how the US system works

[Collin Li]

Does the popularity vote even matter?  I remember someone telling me that in the last US election, Al gore had 500 000 votes more than george bush, yet Bush still won the election.  I dont know how the US system works

It's because of the electoral college system. It makes sense to some degree, but it's a bit weird, and allows for this disparity. It's a bit complicated so I'll use a simple analogy:

It's like if heaps of people in my electorate, Batman, votes for Labor (70% of the vote), then that's only one seat for Labor, despite all these extra votes going in for them which don't really "count" in a sense. Meanwhile, Liberal might be winning most their seats with barely above 50%, so Labor might still get more votes overall, but because of the way the electorates are split up, Labor might get less seats.

[hard]

obama has this on a leash. His won the majority of the votes from the african-american community, white community, the elderly and now his reaching to the youth. McCain has little hope of winning and all he has behind him are those confined white communities.

go obama! prove the nation wrong.

[ell]

how convenient

[Matt The Rat]

Conspiracy Theory: He killed her for the sympathy votes

[bridgethuss]

thats so sad, but yeah it will help obama no doubt. man hes so cool. my dad reckons hell get shot or something if he gets president, i hope thats not the case... i want him to win, but not to get killed..

[TrueLight]

lol obama get shot.. please hes not gonna get shot , now if ron paul was president there would be a chance that he would =(......

[hard]

RON PAUL WAS THE BEST THERE IS. however i still don't understand WHY HE DROPPED OUT!

[Flaming_Arrow]

Ron Paul is a muztek

[Collin Li]

RON PAUL WAS THE BEST THERE IS. however i still don't understand WHY HE DROPPED OUT!

He's on the ballot in like 5 or so odd states. One is a battleground state (Montana) and he's got a share of the vote, in polls, equal to about as much Obama is beating McCain by. It'd be funny as if he spoils McCain.

[bubble sunglasses]

 
  I'd be happy if I lived till Obama's age before my Granny died

[brendan]

From Intrade.com, the implied probability of obama winning is 91.7% http://www.intrade.com/

Though there are two effects that
1) bias the price of obama winning upwards: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2008/11/tax-hedging.html
2) bias the price of obama winning downwards: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122531904458481925.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Whether or not they cancel out, I don't know.