Obama breaks bread with $25 Bronx donor
BY HELEN KENNEDY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Friday, June 22nd 2007, 4:00 AM
Haile Rivera was invited to dinner with Barack Obama.
A Bronx community activist who once volunteered for Hillary Clinton was one of four small donors chosen to have dinner with Sen. Barack Obama next month. Haile Rivera, who works at a food bank and started a youth mentoring program called Hands On New York, will have dinner with the Democratic candidate and three other small donors handpicked from last week's contributors.
"I gave him $25. It's all I could afford. Now I'm trying not to jump up in excitement," Rivera said.
<>"He's very charismatic, and when he starts talking about the issues, it's not like a typical politician when you feel like you already know what they are going to say," Rivera said.
"I do like Hillary, but not for President. She hasn't been very clear on the Iraq war. And when she comes to the Bronx, it's just for parades. Latinos love the Clintons, but we're not ignorant that you only wave a Dominican flag for political convenience."
Rivera said he would talk to Obama about the war, college tuition and the failings of the No Child Left Behind law.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/06/22/2007-06-22_obama_breaks_bread_with_25_bronx_donor.html