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Why do people hate you? Barack Obama stumped by 10-year-old's unsettling question
Paul Thompson in Miami16 Oct 2009
Barack Obama was almost lost for words after a 10-year-old boy innocently asked him: "Why do people hate you?"
The President was caught off-guard and was forced to admit that his popularity is not what is was, conceding that "everybody's getting mad all the time".
The exchange came as Mr Obama attended a town hall meeting in storm-ravaged New Orleans.
His visit, the first since he became president, followed criticism from Republicans who said he wasn't spending enough time in the city.
Others complained that the Obama administration had not done enough to help in the recovery of the city where more than 1,800 people died when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.
But the President was to face his biggest challenge when Terence Scott asked the final question at the University of New Orleans.
The boy said: "Why do people hate you? They are supposed to love you - and God is love."
Mr Obama tried to reassure the schoolboy things were not as bad as they seem.
"First of all, I did get elected President, so not everybody hates me now," he said.
But he conceded that "if you're watching TV lately, it seems like everybody's just getting mad all the time. You've got to take it with a grain of salt. Some of it is just what's called politics."
And then struggling for words to explain the situation, he added: "Once one party wins then the other party kind of gets ... feels like it needs to poke you a little bit to keep you on your toes."
Before giving the boy a reassuring hug, Mr Obama told him: "I'm a pretty tough guy."
Earlier, the President had told residents that a rebuilding programme will continue.
"Katrina may have swept through this city, but it did not destroy this community," he said, to cheers.
Reader views (1)
Hmmm, cynic that I am - and an admitted arch opponent of this man's politics - that 'question' sounds just a little bit staged to me. He has used the same thing in the past (cute little 6-7 year old girl, child of one of his entourage as I recall, asking a politically astute question that dove-tailed quite nicely into the theme of his campaign speech).
Can't get away from the fact that this man is an excellent public speaker - and as such is very good at working the moment. Acting 'stunned' while in reality pausing for effect is anything but beyond such a speaker's abilities. While admitting that I am ultimately hearing what I expect to hear, that doesn't necessarily mean that I am wrong (much like the old adage about paranoids, for those looking for something to denounce what I've just said). The kid hamming it up doesn't exactly help dispel the impression either.
Simply put, once I see a manipulative, agenda driven con-artist for what he is, I tend not to believe anything he says.
- Rogan, Irving, 19/10/2009 05:49
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