Eisenhower’s kin touts Obama in Sarasota

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Democrats in Sarasota had a surprise guest at their fundraising dinner tonight.

Susan Eisenhower, the granddaughter of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, surprised the crowd by making a surprise stop in Sarasota to talk about why she is supporting Barack Obama.

Eisenhower, a Republican, was one of the key speakers on the night Obama delivered his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

On Sunday in Sarasota, Eisenhower said Obama must be an exceptional individual to bring Republicans like herself, Colin Powell and Chris Buckley, the son of William F. Buckley, to support him.

She said Obama is going “to bring this nation together in a way that has never been brought together before.”

Eisenhower spoke just minutes before civil rights legend John Lewis took the microphone.

“Whenever I find out that John Lewis is going to be somewhere I screech on the break,” said said.

Eisenhower said she and Lewis had a “moving experience” a year ago when they met in Little Rock, Ark., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of when Eisenhower sent federal troops to Arkansas to ensure the admission of black students into Central High School.

“I’m very proud of that moment,” Eisenhower said of her grandfather.

John McCains 'Wise Man' Speaks

Congressman John Lewis speaks the truth to John McCain, Sarah Palin, the Republican Party, and the citizens of the United States

John Lewis, Rep. (D-Ga.)

As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign. What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.

During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.

As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all. They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy. We can do better. The American people deserve better.