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ratbastid · 03-26-2008, 02:55 PM

I saw Obama in person today. It was quite an experience. He's pretty good on the screen, but he's DAMN good in person.

We got there right at the time they said they were opening the doors, 11:00 am, and there was already a line LITERALLY half a mile long. It went across the atrium of the auditorium, across the front of the major sports arena next door, and down the next street. We walked back up the line to get to the end of it.. and it just kept GOING. It was amazing. I was pretty damn proud of my home town to see that kind of turnout. There was some consternation, half a mile back the line, about everyone with a ticket getting in, but by the time we got seated there were probably 200 or 300 seats left.
The auditorium, which seats about 2500, was packed, and there were several hundred people in an overflow area watching on closed-circuit TV.

It was a "town hall meeting"-style event. He started with some remarks ("I'm not going to make a long speech... and you KNOW I can make a long speech...") and then took questions. His speech was largely about health care and the economy. He touched on Iraq and, since this is a college town, his education policy. It wasn't anything that people who've been following his campaign don't already know, but it was interesting to hear it all in one piece rather than as a series of sound bytes.

What was remarkable about this speech was the way he handled his opponents. He attacked McCain directly for his economy speech yesterday--the one where he basically said that the government shouldn't be in the business of bailing out companies or homeowners. But when it came to Clinton, he was VERY respectful. He complimented her on her intelligence and competency, and pointed to differences in their policy. A MARKEDLY different tone than the one Hillary strikes when talking about him, and a big part of why I'm interested in him as our president.

Then he took questions, which I felt were largely fairly uninteresting, or which asked things he'd already answered in his speech. A couple of exceptions: a student at a small private baptist college, who says he gets a lot of grief for his vocal support of Obama, asked him to expand on the impact of his faith on his leadership and positions. Obama replied that he is a christian--by which he means that he believes that Christ died for his sins, and that through His grace, he can reach everlasting life. He went on to say that his belief in Christianity means that he is to respect people of every faith, including people of no faith. He said his late mother was not a religious person, but was one of the best, kindest people he's ever known, and he's sure she's in heaven. He said that all people, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, nonbeliever, whatever, are God's children. Standing ovation.

Another man asked about Obama's energy policy--particularly where he stands on alternatives to gas-burning automobiles as our nation's primary mode of transport. Obama replied that a big part of his energy policy includes working with US automakers to build environmentally friendly and sustainable vehicles. He likened it to the Apollo Program or the Manhattan Project. He said it's crucial for our economy AND our foreign policy that we break our dependence on oil, and Detroit is the place to do that.

He concluded by thanking us for our support, and urging us to get everybody we know registered to vote ("your mom, your dad.... your cousin Pookie... get Ray-Ray registered, you know..."). He said, and I paraphrase, "I'm not a perfect man, and I won't be a perfect president. But with the American people at my back, there's nothing we can't accomplish together. I promise to always tell you the truth. I promise to always tell you what I think. I promise to listen to you when we disagree--and we will disagree. I promise to take your voice and your story and your fight to Washington, and I promise that together we'll bring the change we want to see." Standing ovation.

From my balcony seat, I then watched him step down off the stage and shake hands with the LARGE crush of people on the main floor. I watch the man LITERALLY kiss a baby, for pete's sake!

Pretty incredible afternoon.

03-26-2008, 02:55 PM	#80 (permalink)
ratbastid Darth Papa Location: Yonder	I saw Obama in person today. It was quite an experience. He's pretty good on the screen, but he's DAMN good in person. We got there right at the time they said they were opening the doors, 11:00 am, and there was already a line LITERALLY half a mile long. It went across the atrium of the auditorium, across the front of the major sports arena next door, and down the next street. We walked back up the line to get to the end of it.. and it just kept GOING. It was amazing. I was pretty damn proud of my home town to see that kind of turnout. There was some consternation, half a mile back the line, about everyone with a ticket getting in, but by the time we got seated there were probably 200 or 300 seats left. The auditorium, which seats about 2500, was packed, and there were several hundred people in an overflow area watching on closed-circuit TV. It was a "town hall meeting"-style event. He started with some remarks ("I'm not going to make a long speech... and you KNOW I can make a long speech...") and then took questions. His speech was largely about health care and the economy. He touched on Iraq and, since this is a college town, his education policy. It wasn't anything that people who've been following his campaign don't already know, but it was interesting to hear it all in one piece rather than as a series of sound bytes. What was remarkable about this speech was the way he handled his opponents. He attacked McCain directly for his economy speech yesterday--the one where he basically said that the government shouldn't be in the business of bailing out companies or homeowners. But when it came to Clinton, he was VERY respectful. He complimented her on her intelligence and competency, and pointed to differences in their policy. A MARKEDLY different tone than the one Hillary strikes when talking about him, and a big part of why I'm interested in him as our president. Then he took questions, which I felt were largely fairly uninteresting, or which asked things he'd already answered in his speech. A couple of exceptions: a student at a small private baptist college, who says he gets a lot of grief for his vocal support of Obama, asked him to expand on the impact of his faith on his leadership and positions. Obama replied that he is a christian--by which he means that he believes that Christ died for his sins, and that through His grace, he can reach everlasting life. He went on to say that his belief in Christianity means that he is to respect people of every faith, including people of no faith. He said his late mother was not a religious person, but was one of the best, kindest people he's ever known, and he's sure she's in heaven. He said that all people, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, nonbeliever, whatever, are God's children. Standing ovation. Another man asked about Obama's energy policy--particularly where he stands on alternatives to gas-burning automobiles as our nation's primary mode of transport. Obama replied that a big part of his energy policy includes working with US automakers to build environmentally friendly and sustainable vehicles. He likened it to the Apollo Program or the Manhattan Project. He said it's crucial for our economy AND our foreign policy that we break our dependence on oil, and Detroit is the place to do that. He concluded by thanking us for our support, and urging us to get everybody we know registered to vote ("your mom, your dad.... your cousin Pookie... get Ray-Ray registered, you know..."). He said, and I paraphrase, "I'm not a perfect man, and I won't be a perfect president. But with the American people at my back, there's nothing we can't accomplish together. I promise to always tell you the truth. I promise to always tell you what I think. I promise to listen to you when we disagree--and we will disagree. I promise to take your voice and your story and your fight to Washington, and I promise that together we'll bring the change we want to see." Standing ovation. From my balcony seat, I then watched him step down off the stage and shake hands with the LARGE crush of people on the main floor. I watch the man LITERALLY kiss a baby, for pete's sake! Pretty incredible afternoon.