Joan Ganz Cooney | 07/10/2008 1:05 pm

Barack Obama: Former Babysitter and 'Sesame Street' Watcher

Last night, I went to a fund-raising dinner for Obama and Hillary. The two stars of the evening went around the room, greeting each person. I’ve known Hillary for many years and she greeted me warmly as she did everyone. Obama I had not met before, and when I was brought over to meet him, I knew he would have been told who I was. I would have bet a million dollars that the first words out of his mouth would be: "My children watch Sesame Street." How wrong I was. He said: "I used to watch Sesame Street when I was babysitting my sister." How cool is that?

Read more about: Barack Obama, Election, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Sesame Street

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Josie, your avatar reminds me of my misspent youth when I used to roll my naturally curly hair on empty juice cans, plus a generous dab of Dippity Do in an effort to make my hair straight and sleek. A glorious success right up until the moment I walked out the front door. Now, as Mildrid Natwick said In “Barefoot in the Park”, “I just want to be clean.” Hope you are having a comfortable weekend. Peace and grace

By beth willis on 07/12/2008 12:15 pm

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Never change it!!!

By Jeannot Kensinger on 07/12/2008 5:05 pm

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AN ARTICLE I READ IN ECONOMISTS YESTERDAY WAS INTERESTING BUT I DISAGREED. THE AUTHOR SAID USUALLY THE CANDIDATES WENT EXTREME IN PRIMARIES AND CAME BACK TO CENTER AT THE CLOSE OF ELECTIONS. HE BELIEVED THAT McCAIN WAS LIBERAL ENOUGH TO SPEAK HIS MIND BEFORE, BUT NOW WITH THE “GO AHEAD ” BY THE CONVERVATIVES, HE CHANGED INTO MORE A WARRIOR AS THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION ADOPTED, THEREFORE, IN THE AUTHOR’S OPINION, THIS WOULD MAKE OBAMA’S JOB EASIER! WELL, I DISAGREE! BECAUSE I THINK THIS COUNTRY IS A WHITE MAJORITY SOCIETY. MOST WHITE PEOPLE , AS I SAID MANY TIMES BEFORE, ARE RELUCTANT TO VOTE FOR A BLACK!( IN THIS COUNTRY, HALF BLACK IS BLACK, NOT WHITE!) BECAUSE OF THE SLAVERY ISSUE IN THE PAST! I AM A CHINESE-AMERICAN, THAT IS THE REASON WHY I CAN SEE MORE CLEARLY AS AN OUTSIDER! THE REPUBLICANS ARE NOT STUPID PEOPLE, THEY WOULD NOT PUT OUT A CARD ON THE TABLE THAT THEY WOULD SURELY LOOSE! McCAIN IS THE ONE AND ONLY MAN THE REPUBLICANS CAN HOPE TO WIN THE NEXT ELECTION!—-P.S. I DECIDED MONTHS AGO THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO VOTE THIS NOVEMBER.—-DANCEWU(DOT)NET

By GEORGE WU, A.I.A. on 07/10/2008 1:53 pm

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George- Ok Ok…but why are you yelling?

By Josie Sullivan on 07/10/2008 2:50 pm

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Hey Josie, Is it me, or is reading ALL CAPS difficult on your eyes too?

By Brooklyn Gal on 07/10/2008 7:21 pm

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DO I LIKE YOUR BIG ROLLERS? USUALLY I SKIPPED YOUR COMMENTS FOR THE NEXT ONE, BECAUSE I DID NOT LIKE THE BIG ROLLERS LOOK. LOL. BUT WHY ARE YOU DOING IT? THIS IS THE FREE WORLD, WE ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE DO NOT LIKE ABOUT SOME BODY ELSE. WE ALWAYS PICKED ON OTHER PEOPLE. THAT IS WHY THE U.S. TROOPS TODAY IS STILL IN IRAQ! WHY COULDN’T PEOPLE IN THE WORLD MORE LIKE THE CHINESE PEOPLE, THEY DO NOT PUT UP A FIGHT UNTIL THEY ARE ATTACKED BY OTHER PEOPLE. BY THE WAY, IT HAS BEEN MY HABIT ALL MY LIFE PRINTING INSTEAD OF WRITING. BECAUSE OF MY PRINTING, THERE ARE MANY FAMOUS BUILDINGS BUILT! DO YOU EVER READ COMIC BOOKS, THEY PRINT ALSO, ACTUALLY I STARTED LEARNING ENGLISH BY THE PRINTING IN THE COMIC BOOKS! I STILL HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE USING CAPS OR LOWER CASE THESE DAYS.——- IF YOU CAN “PRINT” CHINESE AS WELL AS I COULD PRINT ENGLISH, YOU ARE PRETTY GOOD IN CHINESE ALREADY. BECAUSE I ONLY STARTED SPEAKING ENGLISH WHEN I WAS 19,IN 1956 WHEN I FIRST CAME TO NEW YORK TO JOIN MY FATHER WHO WENT TO PEKING UNIVERSITY AND ILLINOIS GRAD…… I DON’T OWE YOU ANYTHING, WHY DO I EXPLAIN ALL THESE TO YOU? I GUESSED I LIKE YOUR FACE, YOU LOOKED LIKE A KIND PERSON. MY DAUGHTER WHO IS A VERY SUCCESSFUL CPA, COMPLAINED ONCE BEFORE ABOUT MY CAPITAL LETTERS TOO, ONE THING SHE DID NOT REALIZED WAS THAT THE MORTGAGE PAYMENTS AND THE GROCERY (SINCE 1963) WERE PAID FOR BECAUSE I PRINTED ALL THESE YEARS! IF I OFFENDED YOU IN ANY WAY , I APPOLOGIZE, BUT PLEASE READ SOMEONE ELSE INSTEAD OF MINE NEXT TIME? OK? THANK YOU, M’S SULLIVAN. WHAT A NICE NAME! I ADORED LOUIS SULLIVAN, HE WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST ARCHITECTS IN THE WORLD.—- HAVE A GOOD DAY.—-DANCEWU(DOT)NET

By GEORGE WU, A.I.A. on 07/10/2008 10:17 pm

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Not voting isn’t anything to be proud of George.

By DeBúrca obj on 07/10/2008 4:55 pm

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JC: ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN A LITTLE OF MYSELF, TO YOU AND TO MYSELF. SINCE I DID NOT EVEN KNOW MYSELF AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. I AM A FIRST BORN SON, SUPPOSED TO BE ALL THE THINGS A FIRST BORN SUPPOSED TO BE. ——NO, I HAVE NOT BEEN! MY MOTHER, MY EX-WIFE ARE FIRST BORNS, THAT EXPLAINED WHY I COULD NOT BE WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO BE. EXCUSES! EXCUSES! BECUSE MY MOTHER DIED IN 1971, MY WIFE DIVORCED ME IN 1984, I COULD NOT GET OVER THE BITTER DIVORCE ONLY UNTIL RECENTLY! WELL THAT IS THE TIME I BEGAN, LITTLE BY LITTLE, TO FIND MYSELF-A LITTLE TOO LATE AT THE AGE OF 71 TO FIND MYSELF, BUT IT IS BETTER THAN NEVER!. THAT IS THE TIME FOR THE FIRST TIME I BECAME VERY OUTSPOKEN. I STARTED TO SPEAK MY MIND ALL THE TIME THESES DAYS. —-IF NOT, I WOULD RATHER NOT TO SPEAK AT ALL! JC, HAVE I EXPLAINED WHY I DECIDED, SEVERAL MONTHS AGO,NOT TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER? NOT VOTING DOES NOT MEAN I HAVE NO OPINIONS—- PERHAPS I HAVE TOO MUCH! ——- BUT I AM CERTAINLY PROUD OF MYSELF TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO!—-DANCEWU(DOT)NET

By GEORGE WU, A.I.A. on 07/10/2008 10:56 pm

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Duchess — can we do something about George WU?

By Lady Gator on 07/11/2008 11:24 am

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To me not voting means you have to keep your mouth shut for the next four years.

By DeBúrca obj on 07/11/2008 11:34 am

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George: Take the Caps Lock off. It is better if you use all little (lower case) letters. And George, about being first born. Aren’t most of the Chinese people first born?

By Marjorie C. on 07/11/2008 2:33 pm

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By B. Nyce on 07/12/2008 8:59 pm