July 25, 2023

"... Campbell had not been wearing a lifejacket."

From "Obamas’ chef drowns in paddleboarding accident near their home" (London Times)("The search for [Tafari] Campbell... began on Sunday after reports emerged from another paddleboarder that an individual who had been struggling on the surface went under and did not reappear.... [D]ivers had recovered the body about 100ft from the shore in 8ft of water").

From the comments over there: "We have just had a family fight because I insisted on kitting out and buying my granddaughter a life jacket for when she goes on her paddle board. I also managed to persuade her to wear it. She is talented and can swim, but at almost ten years old I felt it was reckless to let her believe she didn't need one. For me this is the story. And if this young man had not been associated with celebrities, no one would have known about it...."

38 comments:

wendybar said...

What a quinky-dink!!

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/flashback-former-bush-clinton-white-house-chef-drowned/

PB said...

His chef.

At some point you've made enough money, and having your own chef is a sign you're past that point.

Dave Begley said...

He didn’t know how to swim. Everyone should learn to swim.

Heartless Aztec said...

In 1965 at age 10-12 years old we were surfing bigs waves during hurricane swells. Life jackets were forbidden by peer group pressure. We were unattached to our surfboards as the leash (as we know it today) hadn't yet been invented. You wiped out you swam in. You would have been hooted off the beach and shamed at Jr High School - for life - if you had showed for a surf session encumbered with a lifejacket.
I can remember numerous times swimming in through giant waves after wiping out and crawling onto the sand thanking sweet Jesus I was still alive only to paddle back out after resting a short while. Our parents in the inattentive way of all parent in 1965 had zero clue that we were risking our lives. Repeatedly. At no point were lifejackets ever an option that would have been chosen or allowed to be forced upon us.

Cheryl said...

He wasn’t a young man. He was a 40-something married father of two. He had recently been learning to swim. He wasn’t alone. I have questions.

Biotrekker said...

It is my observation that, ON AVERAGE - Bblaque(!) people tend not to be good swimmers, or good at any water-related sports. The chef was Bblaque(!). Of course, anyone can flounder in the ocean, which is not like a calm swimming pool.

gspencer said...

Democrats using drowning this time? Chef musta seen or heard something he shouldn't have seen or heard.

Breezy said...

Sad story. Why was the witness not able to help him?
RIP

RideSpaceMountain said...

Big Mike has struck again. Word on the street is he doesn't need tools to crack lobster shells. His prodigiously strong hands can crush shellfish all by themselves, just imagine what they can do traitorous throats, or those unfortunate souls unfortunate enough to learn his secret.

Tim said...

The Corps of Engineers puts signs up at the Corps lakes around here (we have three within 40 minutes of us). I do not recall the exact numbers, but the total is around 500 drownings since the dams were created. I believe 2 were wearing life jackets. So it does make sense. On the other hand, 500 drownings in 75 years over three lakes and millions of visitors are pretty good odds as well. So I am ambivalent about it.

Humperdink said...

Tough being a White House chef.

“ Campbell's death has parallels with that of Walter Scheib, an executive chef at the White House for 11 years under Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Scheib drowned in June 2015 while hiking in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Taos, in New Mexico.”

Newsweek.

rwnutjob said...

So Obama contracted out the Clinton Crime family to make his "problem" go away.
Dead men tell no tales.

Michael said...

Should you fall off the paddle board swim to it and se it as a surfboard to kick it safety. They float. If you do not know how to swim and hop on a paddle board you are a fool.

Narayanan said...

does not paddle board also serve as flotation devices?
this man should have paid attention to the lady with mike on plane!

Narayanan said...

will they release autopsy results etc.!!!???

Birches said...

Why would you go paddle boarding if you couldn't swim?

And I don't think I could look I could live with myself if I saw someone go under and just reported it instead of going over there and trying to help. I guess if I were older I'd know I was not going to help...

Big Mike said...

Big Mike has struck again.

Excuuuuuse me! What is this about? Did you ride Space Mountain a few too many times without a helmet?

I’m looking for an apology.

Andrew said...

Conversation on the paddleboat:

Cook: "Thanks for coming out here with me. I don't think we have privacy anywhere else."
Passenger: "Of course. You sounded very concerned. What's going on?"
Cook: "I overheard a phone conversation. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I was just doing my job. But... I know it's not my business. I don't really care about politics at all. But this was different."
Passenger: "It was Barry on the phone?"
Cook: "Yes. I've never heard him so agitated."
Passenger: "And who was he talking to?"
Cook: "I'm not certain, but I think it was Hillary."
Passenger: "When was this?"
Cook: "Two nights ago. 9 pm. I actually heard him shout, 'I'm not intimidated! I know where the bodies are buried! Literally!'"
Passenger: "Wow."
Cook: "I know. And then -"
Passenger: "Have you told anyone else about this?"
Cook: "No. I thought I should come to you first. I'm not sure what to do here. And you've always given me good advice."
Passenger: "Yes. We've always been good friends."

wendybar said...

And the Obamas were ON Martha's Vineyard at the time!! Imagine if this happened to TRUMPS chef, and HE was home?? The left would be going even more ballistic than they do every day!!!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12335335/Wife-Obama-sous-chef-Tafari-Campbell-forever-heartbroken-Marthas-Vineyard-paddle-boarding-death.html

Iman said...

The chef would still be alive today if Barcky hadn’t sent him out hunting for seaweed to garnish the roasted dachshund.

RideSpaceMountain said...

"Did you ride Space Mountain a few too many times without a helmet?"

You mean....there's another way?

dbp said...

If you don't know how to swim, you should learn how. In the mean-time, if you go anywhere in which there is some possibility of falling into deep water, wear a life jacket.

How is this not obvious common-sense?

As an aside: In boot camp, at MCRD San Diego, we had a swim qualification day. In general, the guys from suburbia already knew how to swim and the city guys didn't--at least they didn't at the beginning of the day. They all knew how to swim at the end of the day.

Iman said...

“They all knew how to swim at the end of the day.”

It’s amusing how the will to survive can focus one’s mind.

rcocean said...

He was "learning to swim"? Really?

Why would anyone go out on a paddleboard if you couldn't swim. That be crazy.

If he could swim, his death can probably be chalked up to a heart attack or stroke.

wendybar said...

Something fishy IS going on....Did he know too much??

"He also shared statistics from his swimming sessions, documenting substantial progress over time. One post showed Campbell completing a mix of 25 yards, backstroke of 100 yards, and freestyle of 200 yards in 34 minutes. In another instance, he completed a breaststroke of 25 yards, backstroke of 100 yards, and freestyle of 175 yards in 37 minutes."

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/obamas-personal-chef-tafari-campbell-who-mysteriously-drowned/

mikee said...

Even if you don't learn to swim, learn to drown proof yourself. This is simple. Don't struggle in a panic. Bob up and down, taking breaths when up. Yell for help. Anyone can do this for a long time if they don't panic.

Readering said...

Pond=fresh water, less bouyancy.

Anna Keppa said...

Was the cook's middle name Fredo?

Jupiter said...

He was a strong swimmer, in good shape. Probably, he caught COVID, out there on Edgartown Great Pond. He should have protected himself with the safe and effective vaccine!

Ann Althouse said...

“Why would you go paddle boarding if you couldn't swim?”

He must have considered the board to be his flotation device or to believe the water was shallow enough to stand on the bottom.

MalaiseLongue said...

People: a man, a father of two, has drowned, and all you can do is push insane conspiracy theories. Shame. Can we have a little civility bullshit around here?

Gospace said...

When I went through Navy recruit training in 1973 the assumption was blacks didn’t know how to swim. It was true in my training company.

When my sons went through Army recruit training in the early 2000s the assumption was blacks didn’t know how to swim and it was true among their training cohorts.

Still true today. It wasn’t a city dweller vs others difference.
That assumption, still true today is that big city recruits don’t have a driver’s license. It- that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to drive, and they may even have the skills to enter and start a car without keys, but they’re not licensed.

The Navy swimming test in boot camp was one pool length. The ones who couldn’t eat all were quickly taught to doggie paddle. The one black black in my company who couldn’t master that? The “lifeguards “ held out the pole for him to grab- and pulled it away when he reached. Again and again. When he reached the other end of the pool he passed…

On safety gear, I’m a big fan. My eldest insisted he could roller blade safely and didn’t need the elbow and knee pads and helmet. Came back to the house later with deep scratches on the elbow pads and on the back of the helmet. We never again had to remind him to wear them.

bobby said...

I have fallen off of our paddleboards many times.

Several times, I have banged my head on the board on the way down.

They're quite hard. I now wear flotation when using one.

Jupiter said...

"He must have considered the board to be his flotation device or to believe the water was shallow enough to stand on the bottom."

Jesus Christ. Don't any of those propaganda rags you scroll through every AM have any actual facts in them? The guy was a powerful swimmer. There is video of him motoring up the pool, showing off his kick. He bench-pressed 315, which is a whole Hell of a lot more than RFK Jr. was pumping in that video. He was 45 years-old. I know, I know, "Black Guys can't swim", but this one could. He must have experienced some kind of debilitating event. Like catching COVID, for instance.

Original Mike said...

"He must have considered the board to be his flotation device "

It IS a flotation device. Anybody can "swim" 10 feet to reach their board. There's got to be more to this story.

Mikey NTH said...

Always wear a lifejacket. Paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, sailing - always wear your lifejacket.

This message brought to you by the USCG Auxiliary.

Gospace said...

Jupiter said...
"He must have considered the board to be his flotation device or to believe the water was shallow enough to stand on the bottom."

Jesus Christ. Don't any of those propaganda rags you scroll through every AM have any actual facts in them? The guy was a powerful swimmer.


Yes he was. Learned that after I posted my previous comment. Also saw other "news" articles that said he was a beginning swimmer.

And Mikey NTH said...
"Always wear a lifejacket. Paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, sailing - always wear your lifejacket." He learned how to swim- but apparently never took a course in water safety- or- took one and ignored the lessons. One important safety tip- never go out on the water by yourself.

Jupiter said...

A lifejacket isn't going to keep you from getting COVID, which causes you to lose consciousness instantaneously. You've seen all the videos, right? Some athletic young stud in the prime of life, suddenly keels over and falls on the ground. Or they just die in their sleep. The only thing that could possibly have saved this guy is if he had gotten the very, very safe and incredibly effective vaccine, and maybe five or six booster jabs. I'm really surprised he hadn't, since he worked for Obama. In fact ...