As Obama arrived in North Carolina for his rally, he announced that his grandmother had died after a battle with cancer. A “bittersweet time” for the candidate, handled with elegance and sobriety.




If there is a good moment to die, Madelyn Durham picked the best one to help her grandchild. The day before the election, his grandmother’s death gave Barack Obama an opportunity to show his ability to deal with painful pitfalls. During his announcement, the Democratic candidate’s voice was calm, no word was misplaced in his speech. A tear ran down his cheek while he evocated “Toots”, but he didn’t stumble in any sentence. “She has gone home” at the age of 86, according to Obama’s own words. The young senator displayed emotion and self-control, and a great deal of gravitas, which gave him the presence of a statesman.

He described her as a “quiet hero”, unknown, making sacrifices for her family and a woman who must be honoured. In a few sentences, he portrayed her as a symbol of all those Americans who work in the shadows for the future, aiming for the same goal as he does: “All they try to do is do the right thing. The satisfaction that they get is in seeing their children or maybe their grandchildren (…) live a better life than they did. That is what America is about. That is what we are fighting for.”

The Illinois senator always reserved an important place for Madelyn Dunham in the story of his life. She was the white woman who helped raise Obama during his childhood in Hawaii. The Democratic candidate had already taken a break from his campaign last month to spend time with her when her condition worsened, and for that, he got the blessing of the media.

No one can deny the poignant sadness of Barack Obama. But he needed the talent of a great politician to turn it into advantage. And so he did.