Posted on 08/23/2013 11:35:13 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
Disappointment. Insulted. Outraged.
That's how some residents described their feelings after President Barack Obama left Auburn Friday morning without stopping by the Harriet Tubman Home.
The president, who stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn in Auburn, worked out at the Auburn YMCA before leaving the city to begin the second day of his two-day tour of upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania.
While in Auburn, Obama did not visit the Harriet Tubman Home or Seward House Museum. A large crowd gathered Friday morning outside of the Tubman Home in anticipation of a presidential visit. But it never happened.
Harriet Tubman Home executive director Karen Hill was being interviewed by local media outlets when she turned to the crowd and with tears in her eyes, thanked them for coming out and supporting the Tubman Home.
Assemblyman Gary Finch, R-Springport, brought his wife and grandson to the Tubman Home hoping to see the president. He was upset that Obama stayed in Auburn, but couldn't find time to visit the historic site.
"It was a slap in the face to the Harriet Tubman residence. It was a slap in the face to the city of Auburn," Finch said. "And I really honestly believe this president owes this institution and the city of Auburn an apology."
Like Finch and Hill, members of the Harriet Tubman Boosters Club were upset that Obama didn't make a trip to the Tubman Home.
Deidre Johnson-Stanford, one of Tubman's great-great grandnieces, said she hoped with Obama staying in Auburn that a Tubman Home visit would happen.
"Being so close you would just think that he would be here," she said. "But it's disappointing."
Johnson-Stanford's mother, Pauline Copes-Johnson, is Tubman's great grandniece. Copes-Johnson celebrated her 86th birthday Friday and was one of the first people to show up early in the morning to wait and see if the president would make an appearance.
"We were just hoping that she would get a glimpse of him," she said. "We're just hoping they will do something (in the future) that we don't know about."
Did he at least stop by Geneva and eat lunch at the Belhurst Castle? Or Seneca Falls and Susan B. Anthony’s house?
At least stop at the Rongo for a hot dog and a beer . . .
It’s fun to watch him getting flack about this. It much be a bitch to constantly have to pander to the perpetually offended.
Need that pic of that teeny weeny violin on this thread
Gives me a laugh about those obama bots waiting for their
hero in vain
I don’t remember “The Hillary” sandwich but I do remember the fried chicken place that had the Hillary Special on the menu. It consisted of 2 fat thighs and 2 small breasts or something like that. :)
I did NOT need him coming through the area today. I left home to do something and saw all the troopers swarming all over the place and didn’t connect it. So halfway to where I was going, I was turned around. The president had just passed and they hadn’t opened the road yet so I turned around figuring I would go home.
No dice.
They wouldn’t let me get back home until he had passed.
He went down I-81S and they had it blocked off from Syracuse all the down to God only knows where. You couldn’t even pass under it.
I was not happy.
IN AUBURN? That typical, economically depressed Upstate NY canal town?
LOLOLOL!!!!!!
They'd be coming in from Skaneateles, actually. That's where all the money is.
Or Ithaca, the liberal armpit of NYS.
He could have walked to Seward's home from the hotel. I lived in Auburn from 1980-83 (C.O. at the prison), am a white female, and visited both places, as well as Fort Hill Cemetery where Seward, Tubman and other notables are buried. I wish I'd have known he was staying in Auburn. I would have called the prison to see if they could reserve a cell for him.
Sure... she's the gal who traveled on the intercontinental railroad and wouldn't give up her seat on the train.
I met Pauline many years ago and shared phone calls, and letters, as well as Tubman research info with her that I'd found during my work on the 54th and 55th Mass. Infantries. Glad to hear she's still going strong.
Pandering to the po’ folks! Our panderer’n chief.
Lol. You’re so close. She’s the guy he tried to railroad outside the bath house. But discovered Tub-man was a gal instead of a guy in charge.
Speaking of Skaneateles, firefighters are at the Village Hall.
What’s up?
Obama must have passed through Skaneateles on his way from Auburn to I-81.
It was Rt 20 I wasn’t allowed on and he had just passed 5 minutes before and they STILL had it closed down and I was going in the opposite direction.
Bingo! Oh yeah, also set up the undergrund railway with out federal help so that others could too.
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