When I heard that he was coming to Asheville, I was stoked. It was not too hard of a decision about whether I was going to go to the rally or not. The big debate was do I take both of the girls, or just the oldest. I took both of the boys to the Clinton Rally way back when...but they were young enough to be in strollers and such. They did pretty well from what I can recall. After some consultation with Jimmy, we decided that it would be best to only take Sara. We did not think Carmel would be able to stay entertained well enough. She gets bored so easily.
Despite the fact that I woke up with a horrible headache today, Sara and I headed out to the rally at about 11:30. We knew the gates would open at 12 noon and that he would be speaking at about 2. We parked at the hospital and walked over to the high school. We didn't know they were directing people to walk all the way around to the back of the school. With some help from other supporters, we cut through a parking lot and climbed up the very steep, rocky, wooded bank.
By the time we got toward the end of the line...this is what we saw. The line only got worse as the time went on. We decided that we didn't want to try the line, we opted for a spot by the fence, above the stadium.
As you can tell, there were a ton of people there. We weren't sure if we would be able to hear from where we were...and for a brief moment, we debated on whether or not to stay. Sara was hungry and slightly bored. I let her make the final decision and she was so torn between what she wanted (the experience) and what she needed (FOOD) that she was moved to tears. Eventually, she decided to stay. She made the right decision...it was so worth staying for.
While we were buying buttons to show our support, I noticed the vendors were eating donuts, I asked if we could buy a donut as well, they were so sweet...they just gave her a donut. Hunger problem solved. Our next big issue was not being able to see the stage very well. Luckily, the people we were standing near were nice and helpful. This one man even gave Sara a boost up a couple of times so she could see over the crowd. Then these two ladies asked a man in front of them if he could squat and then motioned for Sara to come closer so she could see. It was very heart warming.
The thing I was most thrilled about, aside from the speech, was the crowd. What a variety of people. All races, all classes, all different types. All there for the same goal, get a president who will speak up for us and work toward making our lives better. WOW!!!
I wish I could have gotten a better pic. I tried to crop this one but the resolution was too poor. This will just have to do.
Here is Sara, after the rally. We were waiting for Obama to leave the crowd so we could catch another glimpse of the man we are supporting. Sara just wishes she was old enough to vote.
5 comments:
I've already filled out my absentee ballot for Obama and was so excited to be able to make such an important mark in my first presidential election! I'm glad Sarah decided to stay - she will hopefully remember it for many years!
I know...... It was such a thrill to get within 10 feet of this wonderful person, Obama. He is every bit as handsome and cool in real life as he is on TV. I just keep praying that the people in this country will be smart enough to assure his election. I am going to do my part!
From www.alternet.org:
Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated at the Republican convention floor were black, the lowest number since it's been tracked the past 40 years. No black Republican has served as a governor, U.S. senator or U.S. House member in the past six years.
The lack of diversity in the Republican party is out of sync with the demographic changes in the United States. The Census Bureau reported last month that racial and ethnic minorities will make up a majority of the country's population by 2042 -- almost a decade earlier than what the bureau predicted just four years ago. Two-thirds of Americans are non-Hispanic whites, 12.4 percent are black and 14.8 percent are Hispanic, according to 2006 census numbers.
"If we don't get better at reaching out, we're in big trouble," agreed Michael Williams, a black Republican who chairs the Texas Railroad Commission. "It doesn't take much to see that this is not what America looks like. . . . We're trying, but we're not there yet."
Not by a longshot. And they're already in big trouble.
From the New York Times...
"Of all these differences, the contrast in racial and ethnic demographics is perhaps most visible to viewers of the conventions, being held this year on consecutive weeks. The Republican gathering has more white delegates than in 2004, and more men as well.
According to polls of delegates conducted by The New York Times and CBS News, 93 percent of the Republican delegates are white (compared with 85 percent in 2004 and 89 percent in 2000), while 5 percent are Hispanic and 2 percent are black. The Democratic delegate pool in Denver, according to the survey, was 65 percent white, 23 percent black and 11 percent Hispanic, roughly the same as at other recent Democratic conventions.
The poll also found that men accounted for 68 percent of Republican delegates (compared with 57 percent in 2004) and about half the Democratic delegates."
So it sounds like the Republican party is whiter and more male than ever! Now say this in your best McCain voice: "Now that's not change we can believe in, my friends."
Yay!!!!
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