Amazing: Obama Helped Stranded Stranger 20 Years Ago

Sigh, some people can never get over their jealousies.

I know he's gonna come back with "I was only kidding. Didn't you see the :)"

It's true - sometimes our words tell the world more about us than we ourselves do.

Stop being ridiculous!  Turn off fox noise. :)

...A decent guy who thinks of others.

You wouldn't find anything like this on McCain, Palin, Bush, or Cheney - guaranteed.

Because isn't it the right wing's standard selfish response that "maybe she should have thought about bringning more money along beforehand.."?

Oh...wait, they're christian so they'll "pray" - it's simple, easy, brainless and costs nothing.

Keep up the negative attacks Space, it only helps Obama more. Of course that is all you have left is attacks.

I wonder where he got that money considering 20 years ago wasnt he making very little money as a  black community organizer in chicago. She should really be thankful for the white guy he probably mugged to get it, or perhaps the coke heads who were buying off him.

I pity your jealousy.

Confuscius once said:

Jealousy is one thing that you cannot take away from a man who is a failure and blames everthing but himself for it.

Jeez, polITICKS, I hope if you ever do a good deed for someone that people just accept that you were exhibiting basic kindness...

I mean, really!

Not to belittle his good deed -- but she paid him back a few days later.  I'm assuming that he trusted that she would pay him back.   It's basic kindness and trust in people. 

Not to belittle his good deed -- but she paid him back a few days later.  I'm assuming that he trusted that she would pay him back.   It's basic kindness and trust in people.

Absolutely, that's what the article said - she took his address so she could mail him the money. It wasn't charity. But, like you said, it's about basic kindness and trust in people. And compassion for others. A lot of us (including me) don't have those traits in today's world.

Actually, I don't think the fact that she paid him back makes his deed any less great. The fact that he first had the compassion to help another individual, and second trusted her to return the money (but probably felt that if she didn't he still helped someone) just goes to show that he has faith in his fellow human beings. I think few among us would have done the same thing even if we were able. Obama was a grad student at the time and $100 buys you a whole lot of Ramen noodles, so it was a risk for him to give her the money without knowing that she would, for a fact, pay him back.

Yep, not many people (and especially few poor college students) would do it.  I'm glad he did -- it's just another bit of proof that he's the real deal. 

Further proof that Obama is a genuine person.   No phony facade to cajole the voters - just a real, considerate, generous, compassionate man of integrity who truly cares about others. 

A man who walks the walk - that's the kind of man I want running my country. 

It has been said that people who make less give more of a percentage of their income because they understand stuggle and hardship...

I never doubted Obamas genuiness and love for his fellow man and it is good to see this making its way around the internet rather then the lies and smears.

Ben Grimm:

Good grief!  He offered to pay.  There was no discussion about whether she would pay him back before he offered.  She asked for his name and address and promised to pay him back after he offered!

It takes a lot of work to turn a good deed into a piece of @!$%#.  Would you also like to contend that he only did it because he knew he would be running for POTUS 20 years later?  Sheesh!

#1.1,
Obamunist

You wouldn't find anything like this on McCain, Palin, Bush, or Cheney - guaranteed.

No that I think that presidential elections should come down to a "charity-off", but McCain did adopt an orphan from Bangladesh. I'd say that demonstrates a certain amount of selflessness and compassion.

Not really true, his wife did. 

jamiewb,

I had forgotten about that.  And it was an essentially decent move on their part.

CLM-256248
i'm sure your misinterpreting Ben Grimm.
He's just saying obama wasnt rich
it's still a good deed to loan a stranger $100
Obamas world view is one of trusting people he just met and letting them earn distrust rather than the other way arround.

I hope the republicans not going jump on this and say seeeeee "He spreading the wealth around" Yu never know what they will say these days. They put a spin on every and anything.

Well done Barack, that is the American way, not many of us would have done that.

CLM-256248 -- Joules is right, I'm not picking on Obama. I trust that he was simply being the person that he has presented himself as -- just as he trusted that he'd get his much needed $100 back from a complete stranger who was leaving the country.   If you look at my posting history you'll see my clear and consistent support of his candidacy. Like a lot of people, I've been a fan since his 2004 convention speech.

But just for fun...

It takes a lot of work to turn a good deed into a piece of @!$%#.  Would you also like to contend that he only did it because he knew he would be running for POTUS 20 years later?  Sheesh!

Anything you do or say can come back to bless or haunt you.  And of course this is becoming more and more true as technology improves.  I believe that we're in a time where only squeaky clean individuals will be able to pass muster.  And to be that clean will either take a well defined moral code, or to be so driven by political ambition that every single action is calculated from adolescence onward.  Obama is cool and calculating, so this certainly could all be an act.  But if it is, to what end?

We who have supported Barack in this election should be proud of the character and genuineness of this man soon to be come President of the United States of America.

He is the kind of President we need at a time of great crisis.

His compassion for his fellow human beings will be greatly appreciated as we all pull ourselves out of this terrible mess. 

 Bush Cheney and McCain supported these policies in the first place and we never hear any stories of human kindness about them because they just don't get it.

I've always wondered where they got the idea for the film, "Pay It Forward"

It's been my philosophy for decades.

I am "Jeremiah the Charitable" and I approve of this type of giving

No that I think that presidential elections should come down to a "charity-off", but McCain did adopt an orphan from Bangladesh. I'd say that demonstrates a certain amount of selflessness and compassion.

Not really true, his wife did.

I don't think it really matters if it was his wife or not. But I do find it interesting that McCain recently hired for his campaign the same smear artist that was trying to play up racist tensions in the 2000 primary by claiming his daughter was McCain's "illegitimate black child".

There are so many levels of how wrong that is, and it just seems kind of cold to hire someone that attacked your child, treating her like she wasn't really part of McCain's family or as someone that the McCain's should be ashamed about because of her race.

Obama's book spends a significant amount of time explaining how the "culture wars" view of politics has been a very negative development in the US, and we need to focus more on selecting people for good management, not for cultural identity.   That is one of the things I liked most about his philosophy.  

So I find it ironic that so many of his supporters fawn over personality traits that have little to do with being a good manager.   Many also seem completely comfortable launching incredibly nasty diatribes questioning not only his opponent's policies, but his basic value as a human being.  It seems completely against everything Obama says and does.

If helping a stranger out of a bind qualifies one for President, then I and many others are qualified.   This kind of "personality worship" is giving rise to the "Obamabot" stereotype, and kind of freaks out some moderates.   I think it also detracts from Obama's message a bit, by focusing on the "emotional/cultural" aspect instead "competent management" aspect.  

 BTW, I know a lot of great managers who are complete a-holes in their personal lives.  Maybe people don't like to believe that, but it is true.  CEOs are often a bit cold, because they have to (and must) make tough choices objectively, not emotionally.  Sure, I prefer a CEO who is a nice guy too.   But if I had to choose between a nice guy and a good CEO, I would pick the latter to manage my company.  

Being a nice guy is not by itself a qualification, and it is a little scary to think that there are so many people who seem to believe that it is.

Wow.

I didn't think the Vine could take one positive article out of a heap of negative articles and turn it into petty bickering.

Lighten up.

You said it, Eyes.  How sad is it that some people can't see an honestly good act, and try to turn it into something ugly, just because they don't like the person doing it.  I'd have a lot more respect for a McCain supporter that can step forward and say, "Yeah, that was cool.  I still don't agree with him, still think McCain would be a better President, but that was cool."  Same thing with a 'vine started to wish Obama's grandmother well, folks came in just to bicker and complain about him.

Yeesh.

Although SpaceGuy and Pollitick have been collapsed and deleted by the comm., I wonder who the insensitive cretins were who actually voted them up? They have shown their TRUE colours and their total lack of common sense and humanity! Only a REAL AS$#*%@ could post those type of comments! This should prove to any one with even a speck of compassion that Barack is the person who can lead us properly over the next four(eight) years! He will fulfill the promise that Bush Sr. made all those years ago...to bring about a kinder and gentler America!

Although SpaceGuy and Pollitick have been collapsed and deleted by the comm., I wonder who the insensitive cretins were who actually voted them up?

There is a whole group of them. They go around validating each other and voting up hateful comments. These same people feign outrage when you say things they don't like. If I could take a guess, I would say it backroads, determined, lisaed, Bill Harrison, and their bunch, the RightWingers group.

I know of the whole Conservative Coalition thing, but space guy's comment was obviously just a joke, even if he believes it might be true.

And I disagree with just about everything the CC says, but I'm not going to hold it against them. Sometimes I'm even skeptical of some of the unfamiliar sources I see from Bill Harrison, but he always has sources.

Seriously, lighten up. :)

I think he paid for Larry Sinclair's ticket too.  Look it up on YouTube.

By the way, this story is a farce.  Where's the proof?

Ire

You wouldn't find anything like this on McCain, Palin, Bush, or Cheney - guaranteed.

Because isn't it the right wing's standard selfish response that "maybe she should have thought about bringning more money along beforehand.."?

Oh...wait, they're christian so they'll "pray" - it's simple, easy, brainless and costs nothing.

Hhhmmmm, a little biased aren't you?

Let's take a look at the selfless and charitable acts McCain has done.

1. Served his country in uniform to inlcude being a prisoner of war of 5 1/2 years where he was beaten and tortured.

2. Adopted a child from a foreign country.

Donations to Charity

• In 2007, John McCain contributed $105,467 of his $405,409 income to charity, according to his tax returns, which represented 26 percent of his total income. In 2006, he donated 18 percent — $64,695 of $358,414 in income — to charitable efforts.

• According to Mr. McCain's campaign, most of his charitable contributions were made through the John and Cindy McCain Family Foundation, which supports organizations that work "for the spiritual, educational, and medical needs of the community." Supported organizations include Operation Smile, which repairs facial abnormalities in young people, and the Halo Trust, which removes land mines.

• Cindy McCain, an heir to a beer fortune who keeps most of her finances separate from her husband's, did not release her 2007 tax return or disclose how much she donated to charity on her own. But Senator McCain said she donated the same amount he did, $105,467, from their joint assets.

• Senator McCain donates royalties from his books and increases in his Senate salary to charity.

Charity Affiliations

• Charity affiliations: Serves on the board of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, in New York, which is devoted to the Intrepid aircraft carrier (on which Senator McCain was a crew member); and the honorary advisory board of the Foundation for Melanoma Research, in Philadelphia. Has served on a variety of other boards, including those of the Council on Foreign Relations, Gallaudet University, the International Republican Institute, the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom, and the Partnership for Public Service.

Spouse's Nonprofit Interests

• Cindy McCain founded and ran the American Voluntary Medical Team, which provided medical care to poor children worldwide, from 1988 to 1995. She currently serves on the boards of Grateful Nation Montana, which provides scholarships to children of Montana soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan; the Halo Trust, which removes landmines; and Operation Smile, which provides facial reconstruction surgery to children in poor countries. She is on leave from a position on the board of CARE, the international humanitarian-aid group.

http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v20/i14/mccain.htm

Just for your information, here are the numbers for Obama's charitable donations from the past 6 years.  They don't even begin to compare to McCain's.  I would say that Obama needs to put his money where his mouth is.

http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2008/03/obama-releases.html

What he did was exemplar, and I hope he continues to do it.

But what if, instead of paying out of his own pocket, he pulled a gun and said "This guy standing next to me in line:  He'll pay for her.  And if he doesn't he's just being selfish and I'll punish him for it."

Obama should stop wasting time trying to be President, and actually continue to genuinely help people like he did in this instance.  Instead he'll just be the the guy in the hypothetical situation above.

It was a good thing to do but the fact that so many are gushing over it just shows how alien the concept is for them.  People help each other all the time, it just does not get gushed over nor should it.

This is how it should be.

mahler81280 -- You might want to check all of the facts.... Cindy McCain's income in 2007 was  $4.1M, added to John's income of 400k, that's $4.5M of which $211k was donated to charity as a family (about 4.6%). Compare that to the Obamas' $4.2M of income and $240k to charity (about 5.7%).

The McCains have historically kept their contributions in the 4-5% range.   While until recently, the Obamas were still paying off school debt and prioritized their money in that direction.

What would be much more interesting is a breakdown of charitable contributions against total assets. 

Sure they help each other all the time, Space Guy...  But when was the last time somebody handed you a hundred bucks because you were in a jam?  Or when was the time YOU handed somebody that kind of money?

Doesn't matter who it was, I'd be happy to hear this story about anyone.  That it was Obama is just bonus.

Sure they help each other all the time, Space Guy...  But when was the last time somebody handed you a hundred bucks because you were in a jam?  Or when was the time YOU handed somebody that kind of money?

There is a presumption here that I haven't or that this does not happen all the time.  I was just in line at Sweet Tomato's the other night and a person in line handed a person with me at coupon for a free dinner.  No muss no fuss, but saved my friend $12 dollars.  What the person that did this did not know is the my friend's wife is undergoing massive cancer treatments and every dime counts.  (he works for me so I am already helping).

As for me personally?  Very very recently, thank you very much.

I have been helped as well, many times in my life.  For each one of us, when we do something like this it helps us all and I advocate it and also to not make a big deal of it because it is something that we all should do.

Again, that so many gush about this here is more of an indication of a lack of understanding of this principle than anything else.

There is the man and his virtues. Men do what is called a good action, as some piece of courage or charity, much as they would pay a fine in expiation of daily non-appearance on parade. Their works are done as an apology or extenuation of their living in the world, — as invalids and the insane pay a high board. Their virtues are penances.

The stammering rationalization, as it comes from our right leaning compatriots, is the justification of the invalid...of the insane.

Obama's act was a singular instance of kindness - let it be what it is. 

Ben Grimm

until recently, the Obamas were still paying off school debt and prioritized their money in that direction.

That doesn't pass the "smell test".  I think it is a cop out.  I don't believe it for one second.

They made close to or over 4 million dollars just in their income and book sales alone from 2000 to 2006 (that's not even counting how much they made in 2007 or 2008) and your telling me they just NOW paid of the supposed $100,000 they had in student loans that were left over from almost 20 years ago?

http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/obama_harvard_/2008/09/23/133199.html

Glad to hear it, Space Guy.  There was no presumption, there, on my part, it was an honest question.  And you're right, it IS something we should all do.  Not everyone does.  I'm a big advocate of the "pay it forward" theory.  I expect some of us are gushing because it's nice to see it pay off so publicly like this, because as often as not, we don't hear about what comes of our own deeds.

space guy,

Your reasoning in 1.41 is why I disagree with the criticisms of Joe Biden's charitable contributions, according to his tax returns. I think it's unfair.

I would like to respond to Lazarillo. Obama supporters here are Not saying that this act of kindness is what qualifies him to be President!! And it's absurd of you to try and over-simplify what we're saying about a genuine act of human kindness. Obama himself said that he is not running to be president based on his personality (I can't speak for Palin however). And most voters are smart enough to vote for someone based on their stances on the issues and not personality. Especially in this election where more and more people know what the issues are and where the candidates stand.

You also seem to misunderstand what Obama said in his book about choosing leaders based on managerial skills and not on cultural identity. Well, what I gathered he was saying is that we should abandon the old culture of division between demos and repubs in which leaders are constantly chosen who will further divide based on that washington culture. You however, seem to confuse culture with emotions and personality when they are not the same!

What Obama did was a beautiful deed. And it shows that he has a kind heart. While that in and of itself does not qualify him to be president, it does give us a glimpse into the man running for the office, and YES character is important!! (No one wants a thief or a drunkard in office after all) We want someone who is genuine and cares about others. Not someone who doesn't get it when others are losing their homes because he has several houses or someone who only looks out for the richest of the rich. (And P.s The Repubs are the ones who ATTACK others based on personality. Just look at all that nonsense about Ayers, while the Obama Campaign kept quiet about Liddy and the AIP and the way Obama told reporters to leave Palin's family alone etc..)

Finally, it is true that many Obama supporters are crazy about him and yes part of that is because he is genuinely a good, well-educated and respectable family-man. (And after 8 yrs of Bush, he's like a breath of fresh air) But most of the enthusiasm has to do with their hope that things will actually change for the better. Enthusiasm is not a bad think as you would have us believe, and just because repubs aren't as excited about McSame, doesn't mean that Obama supporters are brainwashed robots. c'mon I thought you were against personal attacks!

That doesn't pass the "smell test".  I think it is a cop out.  I don't believe it for one second.

Ok... but even if they had the wherewithall to give more to charity during those years where it amounted to less than 1% of their gross income, does it matter?  Could all of the community service and pro-bono legal work be, in their minds, justified as doing their part?   After Obama became a US Senator, they were contributing at the average rate for their income level, but they were also much busier and a tradeoff of donating money vs time is more appropriate.

Your reasoning in 1.41 is why I disagree with the criticisms of Joe Biden's charitable contributions, according to his tax returns. I think it's unfair.

Oh the river of Joe Biden's flaws is so deep and so wide that this one is merely a ripple.

That's completely, totally, and in all other ways, irrelevant. That could be said of all candidates, and all people, at any given time. We're talking specifically about charitable donations. You can't have it both ways, now.