Obama's Not Homeless, But Plenty of Other Americans Are

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-01-08 20:27:00 UTC
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The international blogosphere is fretting over the recent revelation that ex-Australian Prime Minister John Howard stayed at Washington's Blair House, thereby forcing the Obama family to take up residence elsewhere.

Here's the background:

Last month, the Obama family asked the Bush administration if they could move into Blair House, the security home near the White House, a fortnight early to get their daughters settled at their new schools, reports the Daily Telegraph.

However, they were refused saying that it was not possible because foreign dignitaries had been booked in.

Now, it has come to light that the only dignitary staying overnight on January 12 is Howard.

Fine. A little scheduling mishap. Big deal, right?

Well, apparently not. The drama began unfolding last Friday on Good Morning America, reports Ted Mathis:

News anchor Chris Cuomo worriedly insisted, "I mean, you know, he has got enough on his mind. He is worried about getting his kids situated, which is testament to the Obamas as parents."

Co-host Robin Roberts sympathetically wondered of Obama, "You know, he can't check in early?" An ABC graphic hyperbolically asked, "President-Elect Housing Crisis?"

Housing crisis?

Seriously?

I understand that this was probably just a little nuance of pop-culture. ABC producers were likely just having fun with graphics that have been getting a lot of use lately. But with unemployment up, homelessness on the rise, a record one in ten Americans on food stamps, and a foreclosure crisis in our midst, it seems wholly inappropriate to equate the Obama's minor accomodations inconvenience as a "housing crisis."

If Good Morning America wants to see a real housing crisis, they needn't look far.

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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