Opinion: Obama look-alike turns heads in Denver

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

A Barack Obama look-alike making the rounds at the Democratic National Convention briefly fooled press and spectators alike.

Gerardo Puisseaux lives in Miami and works for the online Spanish-language news channel America TeVe (www.americateve.com). He was a construction worker until a few months ago, when he was recruited for a comedic reality TV show because of his resemblance to Obama. Puisseaux’s routine: He shows up, and the cameras capture how people react.

He had a press pass into the Pepsi Center. Despite his height (too short), he looked enough like the presumptive Democratic nominee to cause a stir.

As reporters congregated around him, passing delegates asked: “Is that Obama?” — and a second later: “Is that Obama’s brother?”

After explaining why he supports Obama for president, he repeated it in Spanish at the request of a Spanish news channel.

The issues most important to Puisseaux were “war, immigrants, economy and the Obama presidency!”
Of his resemblance to Obama, Puisseaux said: “I enjoy it -- it’s an honor to me.” He willingly posed for pictures with delegates and responded to reporters’ questions, adding an apology — “Sorry for my English.”

--Kate Kraft