My favorite president had a birthday! Happy 60, Barack Obama!
And what a birthday it was!
The Obamas hosted a small bash on August 7 at their home on Martha’s Vineyard to approximately 200 of their closest friends and family (scaled back from the hopeful 500 because of the Delta variant spreading across the country).
“In a statement obtained by USA TODAY on Wednesday, spokesperson Hannah Hankins said the former president would be celebrating the milestone moment with family and close friends in place of the large outdoor party he had planned.”
“This outdoor event was planned months ago in accordance with all public health guidelines and with COVID safeguards in place. Due to the new spread of the delta variant over the past week, the President and Mrs. Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends,” the statement reads. “President Obama is appreciative of others sending their birthday wishes from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon.”
The 200 guests congregated outdoors under “sprawling white tents that took up most of the Obama’s nearly 30-acre property on the island”. The party had its own “Covid-coordinator” and guests were “required to take covid tests before the event”.
“Guests were required to adhere to all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public health protocols, including a testing regimen managed by a COVID-19 coordinator.”
“The Obamas have been strong advocates for vaccines, emphasizing “the need and the urgency of our communities getting vaccinated” in a video with Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley in April and getting vaccinated themselves one month earlier.”
The guest list included such A-list legends and celebrities as: John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union, Actor Don Cheadle, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Stephen Colbert, Oprah Winfrey, and John Kerry.
And of course in true Obama style the couple were perfectly dressed! Barack “chose a gray leafy button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, coupled with white pants and cream loafers. The former first lady wore a green, brown and blue patterned floor-length halter gown”.
And in thinking of others, donations to programs that support young people were encouraged in lieu of gifts.
“In lieu of gifts, the Obamas encouraged guests to donate to programs that work to support young people, such as My Brother’s Keeper, which helps young men of color; the Girls Opportunity Alliance, which empowers adolescent girls around the world; and the Obama Foundation’s Global Leadership programs, which aim to equip the next generation of emerging leaders.”
Needless to say the Republicans criticized the Obamas for throwing a maskless party in the middle of a pandemic as if Donald Trump throwing his rallies to thousands spreading the virus was A-Okay.
“Republicans railed against former President Obama and the Democratic Party’s “blatant hypocrisy” on COVID-19 after hundreds of people partied without masks at his extravagant birthday bash on Martha’s Vineyard over the weekend.”
You know what I have to say to the Republicans about that? Hmmm….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqolSvoWNck
I will end this article with my wish to Barack Obama. Happy Birthday!! I’m glad I get to share a decade with you! May your year be sweet! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjF1bG5LUcs
Author: Sherri Margolin (Dark Matters)