Those readers who have been with us for a while may remember our article about Barack Obama’s “Dinner With Barack.” For those of you who missed it you might want to check it out here.

In that article we said that, “the dinner also helped voters feel that they could connect with Obama,” and “Obama has convinced his supporters that he is willing to listen to what the average citizen is concerned about.”

Obama recently sent out an email with a quick description of the winners of his second “Dinner With Barack.” They look average enough at first, but something about them makes one want to do a double-take. After re-reading the descriptions, it seems like the people were chosen for specific reasons to highlight key points in Obama’s campaign, not random average citizens at all. Let’s take a closer look.

The whole descriptions are on Barack’s website, but it’s not necessary to read them all, we’ll just pick out a few key points.

Winner #1: Gabrielle Grossman of Exeter, New Hampshire
At first glance she seems like the average stay-at-home mom, but a few things set her apart.
1. She used to be a teacher. Seems harmless enough but one of Obama’s key points is his education reform. He prides himself (and with good reason) on the education reform legislation he pushed through in Illinois.
2. She volunteers for the Obama campaign. Alright seems like that should help one get into something like this, but remember this was supposed to be random and the whole idea was that anyone who donated could get in. It also makes her less likely to say anything that might hurt Obama. Here’s the kicker…
3. Her son has autism. Autism has become a real issue in the U.S. especially Illinois. Obama knows this and in his healthcare plan he even includes a part about autism. He will almost definitely use this lady to highlight that.

Winner #2: Brittany Washington of Los Angeles, California
She seems like just the average student who got lucky and won a dinner with a presidential candidate, but take another look.
1. She’s a volunteer teacher in Washington. Same as the other teacher, only more so. Even on the Obama site she says, “The windows are broken out, and there are never enough chairs or lights. It’s just ridiculous. And we expect these kids to compete with other kids who have chairs and windows.” Obama will certainly use this to highlight how he would make everything better.
2. She is an admirer of Obama. This, of course, helps keep Obama safe from those hard questions that might hurt him. Even better, Obama’s website says, “she wants to ask him how he’s able to work in politics and stay true to his beliefs.” How can Obama not use that to his advantage? And finally…
3. Her mother died at 38 from cancer because she didn’t have the right insurance to get a specialist. Two words: Healthcare Plan.

Winner #3: Michael Wilson of Cocoa Beach, Florida
This guy is a veteran from Operation Iraqi Freedom…who disagrees with why we went into Iraq. You know who else does? Obama. Right away,that set off alarms that he was chosen specifically. Even better is that he’s a registered Republican. And he thinks that Obama reflects, “what America is and what America needs.” Bipartisan support anyone? What’s not to like about this guy (for Obama)?

Winner #4: Dorothy Unruh of Lakewood, Colorado
It was hardest to see why she was chosen, but after rereading the description it became clear.
1. New demographics. Obama is covering two demographics with her: senior citizens, and people who haven’t participated in previous campaigns.
2. She used to be a Republican. She switched parties to support Obama. Obama is emphasizing how he is drawing out new people from both sides of the political spectrum.
3. She is, “fed up with the current state of our government.” Obama wants to show how he will change the government. He is in essence trying to represent change.

What do you think? Add your thoughts in our forum.

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