Oh, for the days of Billy Carter

A reader writes:

I read that Obama has I think five half-brothers in Africa. One is penniless living in a shack; Obama met him once but hasn’t given him a dime. What a shadow cast over our highest office.

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Mike Berman writes:

Half-brothers around every corner, putting even Bubba to shame:

Half brother in shack in Africa

Half-brother in British council house (state subsidized housing)

Half brother in China

Paul K. writes:

Barack’s half-brother George Hussein Onyango Obama was recently found living in a six-by-nine foot shack in Huruma, a shantytown on the outskirts of Nairobi. As I read about him, it occurred to me that he could teach Barack a thing or two.

“I live here on less than a dollar a month,” he told his interviewer. This in contrast to the candidate and his wife, who could barely scrape by on nearly half a million a year!

“I live like a recluse, no one knows I exist,” said George. The article goes on, “Embarrassed by his penury, he said that he does not does not mention his famous half-brother in conversation.”

Humility. Never before associated with the Obama name.

George said, “Huruma is a tough place, last January during the elections there was rioting and six people were hacked to death. The police don’t even arrest you they just shoot you. I have seen two of my friends killed. I have scars from defending myself with my fists. I am good with my fists.”

Evidently George is no coward, unlike his brother, who was ashamed of his grandmother for expressing fear of an aggressive black panhandler but did nothing to defend her.

Of course, it goes without saying that it would be intolerant to regard the Democrtic candidate’s family background as somehow inconsistent with the norm in this country.

(Note: We have something of a tradition of embarrassing presidential brothers. The current occupant of the White House is exceptional in that he was the embarrassing brother.)

Posted by Lawrence Auster at August 26, 2008 09:52 AM | Send