I get to see Barack Obama!

[blas]

He's coming to my neck of the woods this Saturday!!!!!!!

Whatever your political stance may be, I think it's important for people to take advantage of these situations and go to events where presidential candidates will be speaking, especially the one you support the most.

I'm super excited!

[Saydrah]

<fangirl>

OHEMGEE HE IS FREAKING AMAZING I SAW HIM WHEN HE WAS IN DENVER OHEMGEE BEST PUBLIC SPEAKER I HAVE EVER SEEN EVER!!!!

</fangirl>

Be prepared for a total rock star atmosphere. People scream, stomp their feet, wolf whistle, yell "OBAMA I LOVE YOU!" the whole bit. I was surprised nobody started crowdsurfing, except that there were several very edgy bodyguards prowling the audience- which is point 2, a fun game to play if there' s a boring bit in the speech is "count the bodyguards." There are LOTS.

But the biggest thing I have to say is ARRIVE AT LEAST FOUR HOURS EARLY. Seriously. The line will form four hours or more before he is scheduled to speak. If you want the best seats in the house, camp overnight like you would to buy World Series tickets or somesuch. When I went, I only got in because I was a Precinct Captain and got preferential seating- the line was literally miles long. Over 18,000 people. There were two football fields and a gymnasium full just of overflow who couldn't get inside.

Obama, true to form, addressed the people shivering outside on the football fields first, with no podium, just a microphone. <3

[JuniorMintz]

AGH! I am so jealous!

Don't take this the wrong way anyone, but...

This thread is worthless without pics!!! :D

Seriously, if you're allowed to take any that would be awesome. It's not every day you get a chance to see something like this.

[Amethyst Hunter]

:eek::eek: Freaking AWESOME!! Oh, how I stew in the juices of envy!

[Gravekeeper]

<3 Obama.

I'm not even American and I'm rooting for the guy.

Up here in the frigid north we started paying a hell of a lot of more attention to your politics after Bush was elected and to be honest this is the first American politician I've seen that actually gives me a shred of hope and doesn't set off my "<cough> BULLSHIT <cough>" sensors.

Like Hillary, I just cannot listen to her. Every single word she says comes off as completely phony and calculated. She'll say or do whatever she has to do get a vote and it curdles my stomach the more I hear her. ><

[MadMike]

<3 Obama.

I'm not even American and I'm rooting for the guy.

Up here in the frigid north we started paying a hell of a lot of more attention to your politics after Bush was elected and to be honest this is the first American politician I've seen that actually gives me a shred of hope and doesn't set off my "<cough> BULLSHIT <cough>" sensors.

Like Hillary, I just cannot listen to her. Every single word she says comes off as completely phony and calculated. She'll say or do whatever she has to do get a vote and it curdles my stomach the more I hear her. ><

Total thread derailment in 3... 2... 1...

We have a place for political discussions, and this is not it. Take it to Fratching, please.

[Gravekeeper]

Total thread derailment in 3... 2... 1...

We have a place for political discussions, and this is not it. Take it to Fratching, please.

May as well close it now then, cus this is a minefield thread. ;p

[Rapscallion]

May as well close it now then, cus this is a minefield thread. ;p

Optimists though we may be, we keep trying to give people a chance.

Rapscallion

[draftermatt]

I wanted to see him speak when he was in Baltimore, but the doors opened at 2:45 and I had to work.

[Greenday]

I wouldn't mind having either Clinton or Obama come to my college for a speech. I'm pretty sure PA hasn't been hit up yet. Both people are very good public speakers. It'd be a pretty amazing opportunity.

[Ree]

May as well close it now then, cus this is a minefield thread. ;pA bit of an overreaction on our part, that is, if people stick to the spirit of the OP and not go off on political tangents. ;)

I think it would be great to see Obama in person, if only for the fact that, should he become the next president, it's a pretty historical moment.

[Boozy]

I know this probably makes me a dork, but I get so excited at the prospect of campaigns and elections.

I like that politicians have to speak in small town community centres and schools before they can become the most powerful person in the country. Democracy in action is awesome!

Yeah okay, I'm a complete dork. :o

[Sandman]

I agree Boozy, you see many politicians go after the big states and cities, yet if you do the match, someone could win with all the small count states.

[Rapscallion]

I suspect that the campaign coordinators have already done the calculations for things like that. I also suspect that they prefer to have their candidates surrounded by many supporters rather than a few - makes for better television.

Bigger the country, less connection between the populace and the politicians, I fear, but that's a tangent.

Rapscallion

[Melxb]

I've seen Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama and John McCain during this election time.

McCain's was VERY low-key and I felt as though everyone should be wearing white-gloves or something.

Obama's was overly-rowdy and it was very difficult to hear what he was saying at times. Plus, for some reason, it was very disorganized. The people from the campaign were being overridden by the volunteers and it was very frantic. I got very annoyed very quickly.

Clinton's appearance was extremely well-organized and everyone was very well-mannered.

Suffice it say (and I know this isn't the place so I will talk more at length at Fratching), I was very put-off by the Obama campaign stop. It was far too much idol worship, too much grandeur and too much NOT talking about the issues. I really felt insulted as a voter.

Off to Fratching I go.....

[blas]

I did not mean to cause a raucus or political debate, I just wanted everyone to know that I get to see Barack tomorrow.

I mean, if you knew where I live (a stick in the mud in the middle of bumfuck egypt Wisconsin) NO ONE important comes here. This is HUGE!

[Saydrah]

When did you see Obama? Was it early on in his campaign, or recently?

Just curious as when I saw him I was AMAZED that they controlled the huge crowd so well! It was rowdy, it felt like a concert, but it was controlled.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Only Presidential candidate whom I've seen in person is Al Gore, when he made a brief stop in my city.

[Knightmare]

I got to see Dan Quayle when he came to my little home town in northern Michigan.
Talk about Secret Service all over the place. I didn't want to sneeze in the wrong direction. But it was cool, even though I didn't vote Republican.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Speaking of Secret Service--somebody asked for pictures. It may not be a good idea to try to take photos during the Obama appearance if he's got Secret Service protection, which I would assume he does.

When I went to see Al Gore in 2000, I later heard from a co-worker who was also at the event that she pulled a camera out of her purse and looked up to see a Secret Service agent some distance away pointing his gun at her, like he thought she was going for a gun or something.

The Secret Service does not fuck around.

[Melxb]

When did you see Obama? Was it early on in his campaign, or recently?

Just curious as when I saw him I was AMAZED that they controlled the huge crowd so well! It was rowdy, it felt like a concert, but it was controlled.


Saw him in LA in late Janurary. It was a zoo and no one could tell anyone anything. It was really cool that everyone was so hyped up to see, but at the same time, there was a palpable disorganization to the whole thing. I went by myself to check him out and it was a zoo. Seriously. No one was waiting quietly or in any sort of line. I was trying to just see where I should stand and wait, but even that was unknown. It was just very, very disorganized.

[Saydrah]

I saw him early February- so not much difference there. Maybe just a difference of who was organizing the event. The volunteers here in Denver were highly professional and were talking on walkie talkies amongst each other communicating very well and working together with his staff that he brought along.

We had no problem with taking pictures- I don't think they mind at all.

[gbm85]

z0mg d00d th1s 0n3 3v3nt w4s h3ct1c s0 1 t0t4lly w0n't v0t3 4 h1m!!!

[Melxb]

z0mg d00d th1s 0n3 3v3nt w4s h3ct1c s0 1 t0t4lly w0n't v0t3 4 h1m!!!

Um.....what???

[marasbaras]

I happen to like it when we Americans get charismatic leaders (in my memory ... JFK, Bill Clinton, even Reagan before he start sliding because of Alzheimer's). It's really cool to see people, like the OP, so pumped up about a candidate and wanting to go see them speak.

Regarding a disorganized event ... I liken that to the Vina Morales (Filipina singer) concert that I took my wife to for Valentine's and her birthday. The chairs sucked (small plastic lawn chairs), the dancers were mediocre, you could see the roof of the venue was leaking onto the stage ... and yet, the band was great and Vina was fantastic.

So, I'm jealous. I'm told that Edwards was a great speaker and that Obama is very cool to see. I'm just about 10,000 miles too far away. :(

Um.....what???

I speek Leet, I'll translate for you.

z0mg d00d th1s 0n3 3v3nt w4s h3ct1c s0 1 t0t4lly w0n't v0t3 4 h1m!!!

Gosh, pal, one event was so hectic, so I'm not going to vote for him.

[ArenaBoy]

Just curious as when I saw him I was AMAZED that they controlled the huge crowd so well! It was rowdy, it felt like a concert, but it was controlled.

He didn't put on a construction hat and then promise to take care of pollution by sending it to space in trash bags did he? :p

Cookies and reference yada yada yada......

[Gravekeeper]

I speek Leet, I'll translate for you.
Gosh, pal, one event was so hectic, so I'm not going to vote for him.

Ah, thank you. However, I still don't know what the point of posting that was to begin with....

[Mr. Rager!]

Ah, thank you. However, I still don't know what the point of posting that was to begin with....

I think gbm was poking fun at the people who go in loving Obama, but choose not to vote for him because his rallies can be somewhat of a ruckus.

So... take a joke, mmk?? :D

Have fun, Blas. Anytime you get to see a politician who has a shot at the presidency, it's a cool thing. No matter who you're supporting.

[Antisocial_Worker]

Sigh... I remember the one and only time I got to meet a presidential candidate. Dennis Kucinich. His campaign staff stayed at the hotel where I worked in 2004.

I rather wish I could forget the experience because I ended up having to change the sheets of a campaign staffer who had her period in the bed.

Fun times.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

Obama Ba-ROCKS my world! I hope he gets elected! If he's in the race, I'll surely vote for him!

[GolfCart34]

Barack Obama spoke at my college graduation this past May. Lots of people were worried that he would make his speech political and use it as a campaign trail stop. Surprisingly he was not political at all in his speech and just spoke of the positive aspects of getting a college education.

[crazylegs]

For some reason this type of thing never happens in my town, its such a solid seat political leaders don't bother attending. Bit of a shame really.

[Bella_Vixen]

Barack Obama spoke at my college graduation this past May. Lots of people were worried that he would make his speech political and use it as a campaign trail stop. Surprisingly he was not political at all in his speech and just spoke of the positive aspects of getting a college education.

COMPLETELY off topic, but...what is the point of giving a speech about getting a college education...at a COLLEGE GRADUATION ceremony?

[Rapscallion]

Well, he's got an audience who would be guaranteed to be interested in whathe had to say...

Rapscallion

[Saydrah]

Because graduation isn't a time to worry about the future, at least not immediately. It's a time to pat yourself on the back for making it through four years or more of college. The most likely future use of quotes from that speech would be in materials provided to new students, like a flyer in a new student packet with a quote like, "Getting a college education is the most important thing you can do in your life!" to inspire new students to work hard.