NO THANKS TO YOU MRS. ROBINSON: MARILYN PENN
http://politicalmavens.com/
Am I the only one who was taken aback at our president’s gaffe? There were Michelle, Malia and Michelle’s mother Marian Robinson seated together wiping their tears as Barack Obama proceeded to laud the women in his life at his farewell speech. First came his wife to whom he offered a beautiful tribute to her performance as First Lady, as mother to their children and as best friend to him. Then came Malia who, along with her absent younger sister Sascha, also was treated to superlative praise for growing up so perfectly in a difficult, hothouse environment. And then the camera briefly panned to Mrs. Robinson, First Grandmother of the United States (FGOTUS), the 79 year old mother-in-law of our president and the woman who relocated to the White House in order to facilitate the first couple’s ability to raise their young children while still performing the myriad duties their jobs entail. Awkward moment as the camera quickly moved away and no presidential gratitude was expressed at that public finale.
The president then went on to thank many more people who assisted in his eight year reign, from cabinet level down to the interns. Marian Robinson’s name still was never uttered. As a grandmother myself, I offer these famous lyrics to this gracious, unselfish , dedicated mother-in-law whose efforts are reflected in her graceful, intelligent and poised teen-aged granddaughters – no greater proof is needed.
And here’s to you Mrs. Robinson,
Jesus loves you more than you will know, wo wo wo
God bless you please Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray, hey hey hey
hey hey hey
We’d like to know a little bit about you for our files
We’d like to help you learn to help yourself
Look around you, all you see are sympathetic eyes
Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home
Coo coo ca-choo, Mrs Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know, wo wo wo
God bless you please Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray, hey hey hey
hey hey hey
Of interest, Paul Simon originally wrote this song for Eleanor Roosevelt, a woman who was an activist for women’s rights and black rights. It seems entirely fitting that they be applied to a senior citizen who not only helped to raise her granddaughters locally but had the energy and will to accompany them on their international travels. Too bad that no one thought to have Obama sing these stanzas to her, urging the audience to join in He missed an opportunity that would have given proper credit to this woman’s extraordinary loving service – it would have been a memorable addition to his family’s place in American history.
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