Literary Obama

Barack Obama with Edith Childs

A little off topic, but a few weeks ago I had the honor of meeting Mrs. Edith Childs, City Councilwoman from Greenwood, South Carolina. Childs is better known to the rest of the country as the “little woman” in the church hat whose spontaneous call, “FIRED UP? READY TO GO!” became an Obama campaign slogan and one of his funniest anecdotes on the stump. She recounted her version of the story with so much pride and appreciation, sharing humorous tidbits about the time Obama called her cell phone (while she was out shopping) to ask for permission to use “Fired Up” in the campaign, or how much she enjoyed her trip to New York when CBS News flew her in for an interview.

What a relief it is to be reminded that South Carolina is known for much more than ill-mannered politicians, clandestine trips to Argentina, and other Daily Show fare.

Memorable moments such as the Greenwood story are featured in the new HBO Documentary, “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama,” which will premiere on Tuesday, November 3 – one year after President Obama’s historic election victory. The trailer is below. Enjoy!