Democrats–Sensitive to the Needs of the Poor? I don’t think so.

Barack Obama–Does he really “know what ‘this’ feels like”?

Barack Obama had a recent campaign stop at Iowa and after he asked the crowd whether anyone had any questions, a sobbing woman, Geri Punteney, stood up and said (source):

PUNTENEY: Hi, Obama.

OBAMA: Hi.

PUNTENEY: My name is Geri Punteney. I have a brother who is dying of cancer. [Starts crying.]

OBAMA: Oh, take your time.

PUNTENEY: Sorry.

OBAMA: No, no, no. I know what this feels like.

PUNTENEY: And for him to be able to keep his insurance, he has to work. He has lymphoma and leukemia, and they’re both in stage three.

I heard this story on NPR one morning and I have to admit that there was no way you could not feel for what this woman was going through. What does Obama say back to Punteney?

OBAMA: Tell your brother that we’re thinking of him. Maybe I’ll write him a note before — before you leave today.

The NPR National Correspondent, David Green, interviewed Punteney to ask her if he had actually written the note:

GREEN: So, he said he was going to write a note to your brother?

PUNTENEY: He didn’t have time, I guess. You know, I mean, I understand, you know, ’cause he was being bombarded by so many people. But just knowing that, you know, he knows, that means more than a note.

Steve Inskeep, the host of NPR’s Morning Edition, asks David Green:

INSKEEP: Note or no note, David Green, did she feel that she got what she came for when she went to that presidential campaign event?

GREEN: She says that she got exactly what she came for, that she just wanted to be noticed.

Whether this woman got what she wanted or not, couldn’t Obama have said to the crowd: “I am asking everybody gathered here today to donate what they can to help Geri’s brother out,” or “I will donate a portion of the campaign money raised in Iowa to help you and your brother.” I mean, I don’t know what the rules are for campaign funds and how they can be used, but talk about winning points with the people of Iowa if that’s all you care about if he would have done that. It didn’t cross his mind. Just a note and he doesn’t even write it! And these are the people that are supposedly “socially aware” who look out for the concerns of the middle class and the poor? And every quarter we have to sit there and hear who among all the candidates has raised the most money (millions!)? My brother is dying and he has to work to keep his insurance and you tell me that you “know what it feels like”? I don’t think you know, Mr. Obama. Keep your millions to yourself. Thank you, but no thank you.

Hillary Clinton–Truly concerned about single working mothers?

Read here how Hillary Clinton in one of her campaign stops chatted with a waitress in Iowa as well who was a single mother–the main target of her campaign–and Hillary did not even leave a tip after she left.

(NPR’s Disclaimer: After this story aired at NPR, the Clinton campaign wanted to clarify that the campaign had indeed left a $100 tip)

But, as the waitress in the midst of the controversy claims,

“Why would I lie about not getting a tip?” she told NPR. She also maintained that her co-workers at the restaurant had not received tips.

The controversy about the tip is far from over.  Apparently the tip was left “somewhere” and it probably wasn’t divided up among the workers.  Read it and decide for yourself.  If the Clinton campaign is lying about the $100 tip, well, that is just “classy”.