Relative: Obama's Grandma Has Broken Hip

Democratic Nominee Cancelled Events Later This Week To Visit Sick Grandmother In Hawaii

(CBS/AP)  Barack Obama's 85-year-old grandmother broke her hip recently and is "gravely ill," her brother said Tuesday.

Madelyn Payne Dunham, who helped to raise Obama, "has not been well for a long time. Then she fell and broke her hip fairly recently," Charles Payne said in a telephone interview from his home in Chicago. "She's unhappy with the condition that she's in, I can tell you that."

Payne, who is Obama's great-uncle, said his sister was hospitalized briefly but is back home in her Honolulu apartment, where Obama's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, cares for her. Obama plans to suspend campaigning later this week to visit his grandmother, and Payne is planning to fly there for her 86th birthday, which is Sunday.

Payne, 83, said he spoke to his sister briefly on Monday.

"We had a short and as upbeat as possible conversation," said Payne, a retired university library administrator. "She hated the hospital."

Payne did not know which hip she broke. He said she had previously had a hip replacement, but he could not recall on which side.

Payne said the two talked about family matters, but he declined to elaborate. He said they did not discuss the Illinois senator's campaign.

Payne declined to speculate on whether his sister had the strength to see her grandson through the election on Nov. 4.

"I think, of course, it's been terribly important to her," he said. "And she would like nothing better than to see that."

On Monday night, Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that Obama would take a break from the campaign trail on Thursday. Events originally planned for Madison, Wis., and Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday will be replaced by one in Indianapolis before he makes the long flight to Hawaii. On Friday, Obama's wife, Michelle, will sub for Obama at rallies in Akron and Columbus, in Ohio, said campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki. Obama was expected to resume campaigning on Saturday, at an undecided location in the West, she said.

"Senator Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has always been one of the most important people in his life, along with his mother and his grandfather," Gibbs said. "Recently his grandmother has become ill and in the last few weeks her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious. It is for that reason that Sen. Obama has decided to change his schedule on Thursday and Friday so that he can see her and spend some time with her."

Citing the family's desire for privacy, Gibbs would not discuss the nature of Dunham's illness. It seemed likely that she was close to death, as Gibbs said that "everyone understands the decision that Sen. Obama is making."

"It’s not preferable for a campaign to have their candidate off the trail even for a short period of time in the final days of a race," said CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs. "But voters will certainly understand, even appreciate, Obama’s decision and it should have little to no impact on the campaign itself."

In a campaign ad this year, Obama described his Dunham as the daughter of a Midwest oil company clerk who "taught me values straight from the Kansas heartland" - things like "accountability and self-reliance. Love of country. Working hard without making excuses. Treating your neighbor as you'd like to be treated."

She's also the "white grandmother" he referred to in a speech on race.

Earlier this year, Obama talked to CBS News anchor Katie Couric about her.

"She's been the rock of my family. She worked very hard all her life, and made a lot of sacrifices on my behalf."

Obama also recognized Dunham when he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's convention in Denver.

"She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well," he said.

Obama last visited Hawaii in August, when he spent a week on vacation after clinching the Democratic presidential nomination.

[antiobama77]

Want to know the truth as to why Obama went to HI? Looks like he had to try to cover his tracks. Check this out and spread the word! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAZAbqgpoGQ

[flreason]

Certainly Obama''s actions can be questioned...that''s true of any candidate, or even any idividual. My take on this is that he has learned to plan, and to compartmentalize his life. Planning allows him to be in the moment--to dance with Ellen--because he has taken reasonable and responsible steps that allow him to put other concerns on the back burner.

Anyone who has had an elderly relative suffer a hip fracture knows that it is often the beginning of a serious decline...often leading to death. But it is rarely speedy. It would seem that Obama looked at his schedule, made his plans for the visit taking into consideration the locations of rallies, etc., and announced far enough in advance and with sufficient reason that the supporters who would have liked to attend the rallies would not have their plans thwarted at the last moment and be angry as well as disappointed. As Obama pointed out to Smith, the visit is important, not because his grandmother''s death is imminent, but because he misjudged in his mother''s case and would rather err on the side of caution than relive his regrets about not being at his mother''s side at her death.

[forgotuserid]

Obama was able to hide his grief VERY WELL today while dancing on the Ellen show with Michelle. If he is so concerned about seeing Grandma before something happens maybe he should simply get there rather than waiting 6 days after announcing he would go. If any other politician were DANCING and laughing it up while a loved one is ill enough to interupt a Presidential campaign the media would be wild with the story and the pictures would be everywhere. What''s wrong with this picture?

[dan6995]

All your lies and negativity will make you choke when Obama is elected President. Better to remain quiet and be regarded as fools then to open your mouth and remoce all doubt. Which is exactly what you have done. You sound like little kids.

[liberal4sure]

People google PNAC and john mccain and make sure your sitting down. After your done spread the word. This is chilling.

[wync]

Is Obama going to Hawaii to visit his Grandmother? It just so happens that a Chicago columnist, A Martin filed a lawsuit against Obama this week in Hawaiian court asking the court to have Obama produce his birth cetificate which shows he is legally eligible to be President of the US all before the election. It just seems very coincidental that he now is taking 2 days off from the campaign to go to Hawaii. Why doesn''''t Obama produce his birth certificate?


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Posted by sandycat2 at 12:51 AM : Oct 22, 2008
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McCain was born in Panama, does that mean he is not eligible for President either? Afterall, he has not produced a birth certificate either!

[t_barr]

Obama & DNC Admit All Allegations of Federal Court Lawsuit - Obama''s ''Not'' Qualified to be President

Obama Should Immediately Withdraw his Candidacy for President

For Immediate Release: 10-21-08 - Complete contact details and pdfs of this press release and motions filed by plaintiff Berg today are at the end of this article.
www.obamacrimes.com

''Philip Berg, Esquire, the Attorney who filed suit against Obama challenging Obama''s lack of ''qualifications'' to serve as POTUS, announced today that Obama and tbe DNC ''ADMITTED'', by way of failure to timely respond to Requests for Admissions, all of the numerous specific requests in the Federal lawsuit. Obama is ''NOT QUALIFIED'' to be President and therefore Obama must immediately withdraw his candidacy for President and the DNC shall substitute a qualified candidate. The case is Berg v. Obama, No. 08-cv-04083.

Berg stated that he filed Requests for Admissions on Sept 15, 2008 with a response by way of answer or objection had to be served within thirty [30] days. No response to the Requests for Admissions was served by way of response or objection. Thus, all of the Admissions directed to Obama and the DNC are deemed ''ADMITTED''. Therefore, Obama must immediately withdraw his candidacy for President.''
OBAMA - Admitted:
1. I was born in Kenya.
2. I am a Kenya ''natural born'' citizen.
3. My foreign birth was registered in the State of Hawaii.
4. My father, Barrack Hussein Obama, Sr. admitted Paternity of me.
ETC
ETC
www.obamacrimes.com

[sandycat2]

Is Obama going to Hawaii to visit his Grandmother? It just so happens that a Chicago columnist, A Martin filed a lawsuit against Obama this week in Hawaiian court asking the court to have Obama produce his birth cetificate which shows he is legally eligible to be President of the US all before the election. It just seems very coincidental that he now is taking 2 days off from the campaign to go to Hawaii. Why doesn''t Obama produce his birth certificate?

[jimesmith2]

Thanks to all those very "real" Americans with that great sense of patriotism. You are the truly the only ones that represent America. You love her just like Palin states. *** the rest of us who think differently or look differently. Skrew the rest of us who believe that bigotry and racism don''t belong in the 21st century. Skrew the new generation of progressives who want to turn their back on divisive politics and that just doesn''t respond to the message of hate espoused by McCain Palin. Skrew the rest of us who really do put country first -- and skrew the rest of us who dare to vote for change! Vote Barack Obama!!

[kansas1946]

My name is Jonathan Semor and I am fighting for Americans in Iraq. I will vote for John McCain this November. Barack Obama is not qualified to be our president. John McCain is! John McCain will help us!


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Posted by LOOK- at 09:21 PM : Oct 21, 2008
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Help you what?