Barack Obama complains about cameras, then gets some perspective

Barack Obama today visited a Las Vegas couple with two main objectives in mind: 1) to spotlight the strain they're experiencing making mortgage payments as a larger national problem that he would aggressively confront; 2) to win some positive coverage in a key Western battleground state.

Also, when the Obama campaign set about conceiving the event, the ethnicity of Felicitas Rosel and Francisco Cano surely helped seal their selection as his hosts, given the difficulties he's had attracting the Latino vote in several primaries.

Still, for all the artificiality and political calculation surrounding Obama's kitchen-table chat with the two, the presidential candidate may actually have gotten a life lesson from the encounter.

As the session was coming to a close, Obama praised the Bellagio hotel and casino, where Rosel works as a maid and Cano as a porter (and where Obama campaigned back in the winter, trolling for votes in the Nevada caucuses). Then he added, “The only problem with me is when I come to Las Vegas, I’m not allowed to have fun. Everybody knows me. If I start playing blackjack, I’ll get in trouble."

Pointing to a nearby television crew, he continued, "All these cameras will follow me.”

To which Rosel, who no doubt has heard her share of woe after bad nights at the tables, replied, "You're lucky."

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[Clark]

Mr. Obama looks bored in that picture above. Does he really care about people who are just barely managing, or is it just a photo opportunity with Hispanic people to attempt to further his campaign? How does a guy who with his wife was struggling on a mere $160,000 a year income wrap his mind around the comparably meager income of the people in the picture with him?

[Moses]

Yea looks like that's all you see.

Now I believe what someone once said.

If Obama was to walk on water to save a child, the headline would be: Obama can't swim.

Obama is the best president the US will ever have. and at this time, the US needs Obama more than anything else. We need to clean the discussting mentality that loom over this country.

Obama 08
From a Blonde White Dude who is conservative

[Patricia]

I think Obama is doing just what the other candidates are allowed to do without comment and that is to convince America that he is the best man for the job. What do you think Hillary was doing in Puerto Rico and McCain was doing in West Virginia? Obama's making a personal appearance to a struggling family was compassionate and heartfelt. It was a very nice gesture and it shows him reaching out to people personally and not just in font of huge anonymous crowds. He is "Changing" the campaign trail too. We need you Obama for "Change".

[Bill Lenner]

It looks like Mr. Obama is listening, Clark.

Don't you do that at times, too?

[Clark]

Seems to me, Patricia, that the people all around the world viewing this photo on the internet is probably one of the biggest anonymous crowds Obama could possibly reach out to. Nothing personal about it. He and they were surrounded by cameramen and reporters everywhere.

Yes, Bill, I do sit as Obama is doing sometimes. Usually in those interminable staff meetings which you may have had the misfortune to experience yourself. They are boring.

And Moses, I doubt anyone who sat in Jeremiah's church for 20 years listening to hate sermons will be walking on water any time soon. The idea that hate sermons could even be described as Christian is incredible to me. Just goes to show how many people are using their Bibles for door stops and coffee table books these days.

[Ronald Loui]

One more time. When we invited Obama to speak in St. Louis in 2000, we offered him $300 and he had to drive himself for a six or eight hour commitment back and forth from Springfield, IL. That is one poor state senator. The same school paid Alberto Gonzales $30,000 to speak last year. Obama was asked to speak about how internet technology could help make government more accountable to poor people and working people who do not have lawyers and lobbyists. Gonzales was offered a platform on which to defend the Bush administration's disregard for FISA Judicial oversight.

In fact, we invited Obama because of his expertise on Constitutional Law, not because he "can give a good speech." No one had heard him speak in public when we extended the invitation. But we knew he was the brightest star at Chicago Law School.

In my opinion, he looks in the picture like he is listening. But why should we form opinions based on the photo-op anyway? The newspaper can often choose from a bunch of different photos with differing expressions. One presumably should be more media-savvy than to form opinions based on one expression in a photo from an event that might have lasted half an hour.

Does anyone really think McCain or Clinton cares more about the poor and the struggling working class?

The camera-following comment Obama made is actually interesting. There will be many people in the next generation who will have the same ideals as Obama who will seek public office. The really interesting thing about BHO, is that he got lucky and did not have to prostitute himself to a lot of Washington insiders on his way up. It is apparently hard to resist these people who offer you political help when you are young, and without a little luck, you end up with "more experienced" politicians who are beholden to their mephisophelean pasts.

Maybe the best thing the Republicans ever did was follow him around with a camera during his Senate race.
I don't want to be mean, but I bet McCain wishes he'd had people following him around with a camera when he got deeply involved in Keating5.

[Cindy]

I remember reading a forum a few years ago. Somebody mentioned Obama was in town, and another reader said she saw him in Kinko's, using the computer across from her.

It's kinda hard to believe these days, since his campaign has made soooo much money.... he really has come from nothing to something, really quickly. I suppose some people see that as a negative, he doesn't have much experience, a long history. But I see it as a positive. He's not faking it. He's been in those shoes, until very recently... and he's used his brains to move himself up. And now he wants to help others do the same.

[clark]

Seems to me if obama was aware there were photographers in the room he would have tried his best to at least look interested rather than bored. Why would a deep thinking great decision maker leave his image to the media to decide?

No, I'm not forming my opinion of BO as a result of one photo op session or one anything. He's had many, many opportunities to say something substantive. Many, many opportunities to define his idea of change, yet has not done so.

Our current president said he was going to make change during his first campaign and also failed to define his meaning of change, and as with BO, no one cared, they were just mesmerized by the idea of change. Well, we got change. Back then our economy was fairly decent and we were at peace. We are the opposite today. That's definitely change.

Further, BO says he's going to change the way Washington politics work and bring people together. Our current president said the same thing, yet today politicians in Washington couldn't be more divided. The only people Dubya has brought together would seem to be our American soldiers and our allies soldiers and the Iraqi people.

All politicians at some point join the good ol' boys club. Obama will too. If he doesn't his own party will spend hard cash to defeat him. They will not allow anyone to upset their status quo. They will sacrifice him by whatever means necessary to get rid of him if need be. No one stays in politics for long if they don't play ball. Many go into politics honest and with good intentions, but to stay, one must fit in. To reach the presidency, one must have proven him or herself trustworthy and BO may not have done that. If he actually secures the nomination, that will be proof that he has agreed.

Keep in mind that many of the delegates some people are counting as behind Obama are super delegates. They're votes are not binding until they vote at the convention. Just as some have endorsed Clinton and then changed their minds to go for BO, they could change their minds again. They could change their minds dozens of times between now and the convention, so I wouldn't get too confident with their endorsements just yet.

[Zaheer Babar]

OBAMA IS NOT LOOKING BORED IN THIS PICTURE. HE IS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POOR COUPLE AND OTHERS THAT ARE ALIKE, INCLUDING MYSELF AND MY FAMILY. THIS HONEST CONCERN AND DEEPLY INBEDED GRIEF IS REFLECTED THROUGH HIS FACIAL GESTURES. HAD HE BEEN BORED, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN SCRATCHING HIS HEAD OR LOOKING AT WALLS. THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOOKING BORED AND, CONCENTRATING ON A MATTER SUCH AS THIS, WITH TRUE SYMPATHY.

YOU MAY CALL ME ZEE.