Ruminations from a Hillary Rally!

I just came from a Hillary Clinton rally and loved every minute of it. She stumped at OSU this evening and spoke for about 40 minutes. Here's how it all went down:

My friend calls me up and asks me if I'd like to go hear Hillary speak. We were both half-assed about it because she is a staunch Obama backer & I am indifferent. But I was on campus and the rally venue was not too far off so I was convinced.

Rally was supposed to start at 6pm and we got there at about 5:30pm thinking we'd have a hard time finding a spot to stand. Not so. At the entrance, we were required to write down our personal info on a card which acted like an admission ticket. Handed it to a campaign worker as we got in. They use this info to contact you to volunteer for them so since we were having none of that, we gave them faux info. Then we were handed "Hillary Clinton for President" banners.

Venue was an old indoor arena with a podium set up in the middle. People were just kinda standing around. Lots of camera crew, police with canines, and secret service. Was surprised that we weren't required to go through a metal detector. So anyway, we found a spot where we had a good view of the podium but it was abit far off. It was also along some barriers that had been put up. All the good standing spots had been taken. Clear on the other side, you could tell that's where Hillary was supposed to come in through because the barriers had been decorated.

6pm. People still just sort of trickling in. I'd say there were about 3,000 people which was a much lower turnout than I had expected. It was freezing outside so maybe this had something to do with it (doubt it). A few hype-men came in to try & rally the crowd but the crowd wasn't really responding.

6:45pm. Now we were getting restless. Music was getting old. And people all around us were bashing Obama which added to the restlessness. They kept saying that his speeches were great but they lacked substance?! But at the heart of it all, these folks were left-wing liberals. There was lots of talk about not liking how Obama wants to work with the other side (GOP) to get things done. Screw the GOP was their mantra. We didn't add our $.02 in because we were in hostile territory but how do you expect to get your policies passed without some of the GOP members? Last I checked, the Dems do not have 60 senators - enough to overcome a filibuster. So until such a time, cooperation is the way to get things done. But I digress.

7:15pm. Still no Hillary. So I started looking at the demographics of those who attended. I'd say there were a sprinkle of black people here and there, some asians, but it was mainly an older caucasian crowd. In the 40-55 year range. Considering this was an event held on a campus that has about 52,000 kids, that was pretty interesting.

7:35. The Arrival. Hillary Clinton, Governor Ted Strickland, Senator John Glenn (yes the former astronaut), and Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (was left wondering who from Ohio has endorsed Obama). Now take a wild guess on which side of the auditorium they decided to come in through? The side we were on! The side that did not have the decorated barriers! And guess what I got to do?? I GOT TO SHAKE HILLARY CLINTON'S HAND!!!! Ain't that some sh*t?? And my friend who initially was the one who wanted to come to the event wasn't able to because someone jumped in front of her. Boy was she pissed!

Speech was the usual type of stamp speech she usually gives. Crowd was very responsive. Yours truly included. Every time she said something I liked, my banner was up in the air waving from side to side. It was fantastic! She didn't mention Obama by name & didn't really talk about him except to throw a few jabs e.g. "we want specifics not rhetoric." Crowd ate it up. My friend though kept rolling her eyes. It was only when she threw the jabs that my banner didn't go up. Otherwise, my banner was flying high.

After the speech, we lined up again against the barrier hoping she'd exit the same way she came in. Not so lucky. She went around the other way. This time she slowly shook hands, took pictures with folks, and signed banners. I'd already shaken her hand so I didn't care but my friend wanted to see if she could get the chance to. Twenty minutes later & Hillary had barely moved an inch. So we started roaming around.

Long story short. Most everyone at our original position left after seeing Hillary wasn't coming back that way. So we went to stand there just to talk & watch the crowds follow her. Then lo & behold . . . Hillary completely left that side of the room & came right up to where we were - secret service and all!!! The crowds scrambled to get into position but yours truly & friend were front & center. And guess what?? She signed our banners!!! Then she asked us to please make sure we come out and vote for her on March 4th! Fabulosity itself! This banner with her autograph will be framed if she becomes the first female President of the United States. Talk about holding a piece of history in my hands!

I loved the whole experience & can't wait for Obama to come into town. I doubt though I'll get as lucky as I did with Hillary but I can't wait to try.

(I took the pictures below with my camera phone as she was signing my treasured banner!)