Obamarama
So, considering the events of the last twenty hours, I'd say I'm the most envied person in the whole world. Why? Because I literally had the best spot at the Barack Obama rally in Abington today. Leaning against the barrier directly in front of the podium. Oh, and he shook my hand. He has a very firm handshake, and he looked me directly in the eye several times during his speech. I was also on TV, and I'm probably going to be in a newspaper tomorrow.
All of this didn't come easily, however. I had to undergo hell to get there. I will document this with pictures under a cut:
4:00 AM Stayed up all night last night because we left at 4 o'clock this morning.
4:20 AM Sean drove me, Will, Libby and Lou first to Wawa to get food for the long wait:
4:30 AM We were literally the first people there. We asked the one old janitor walking around if we were in the right place, and he couldn't get away from us faster. "Um, yeah, but that doesn't start until eleven o'clock." Here's a picture of Sean's car being the only one in the parking lot besides the old janitor's car:
4:40 AM We couldn't find the entrance!
4:43 AM Where all the shit was going to go down in a mere six-and-a-half hours!
4:45 AM We finally found the entrance, and a group of twelve people snuck in line before us! We set up camp and prepared to sit in for the long haul.
4:46 AM We made fun of the wimpiness of the signs. "Hey, guys, um, Obama's coming tomorrow, so, could I borrow a piece of posterboard, and possibly a paintbrush? Is the art room open? Well, could someone open it? I need some acrylic..."
5:30 AM It was so cold that we literally had to huddle like this for warmth. Even though, I was shaking so violently that the people in front of us thought I was having a seizure.
6:15 AM The line got a little longer as the sun started to show up.
8:15 AM The secret service men (aka "The Business") showed up and examined the field for land mines and whatnot.
8:30 AM They start to set up metal detectors and we start to get excited that things are actually happening.
8:45 AM We're so excited!
9:00 AM All of a sudden, this old lady thinks it's totally reasonable to cut thousands of people in line. Literal conversation, and I so wish I was making this up: Me: "We've been here since 4:30, and I think it's extremely disrespectful that you think you can just cut in front of us like that." Her: "I've been campaigning since 1977." Me: "That's all well and good, but that doesn't change the fact that you just got here, and we've been here for four hours." Her: "I don't care." Me: "And...you're a bitch." Her: "So are you." Jared then re-cut her in line, and we took this picture:
9:15 AM We're finally allowed in, but students from the high school were allowed in at the same time as us! Luckily, they had to sit in the bleachers, but about ten of the seniors who thought they were wonderfully ghetto and badass decided to storm the barricade and try to mosh us out of the front row. Little did they know, I am an experienced mosher, and I was already fuming from being called a bitch by a 65-year-old lady, so I was not moving even if they had to pry my cold, dead hands from the barricade. We were entertained by the guy who was in charge of making sure the sun didn't reflect in Barack's eyes, whom we nicknamed "tape guy" because of his OCD with taping things down. We decided that his secret ambition is to run for president, and he practices his speeches in his head while setting up to podium.
10:00 AM The press is let on the field.
10:05 AM Aw, look at all those people who aren't standing in the front row!
10:06 AM Look how far back the crowd goes. Up onto the hill and beyond. Nuts!
10:35 AM Ed Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania, makes a speech. The high school kids complain that their feet hurt and they're cold and hungry and that all of these people were boring and where was Obama and 'at least we get to get out of class'. We scoff them and their petty ignorance, ironically partly because they kept calling everyone else ignorant (incorrectly used, of course). When they passed out signs, they made sure I didn't get one, to the point where I had one in my hand, and they ripped it out of my grasp and threw it away into the crowd. That's okay, because I got one at the end, anyway. It has grass stains, but that gives it character. Back on topic, here's Ed Rendell!:
11:00 AM He's finally here! The crowd literally goes wild!
11:01 AM Perfect shot.
11:05 AM This doesn't happen to real people.
11:15 AM Libby and I loved his little finger motions. So key to being charismatic and precise.
11:20 AM I almost cried when he started talking about unemployment and about how our parents work hard all of their lives to send their kids to college, and then that dream is taken away from them so quickly. It hit so close to home.
11:30 AM "You pay my salary. Why should I have better health care than you do?" Brilliant.
11:35 AM "And if people tell you we can't afford it, then you just remind them that we are spending $10 million a month in Iraq!" I was in love.
11:45 AM The speech over, Obama waves and makes his way down to shake our hands!
11:50 AM This is after he shook my hand, but it was hard to get a picture of the moment because I was being body-slammed into the barrier.
11:51 AM We touched his jacket sleeve!
11:52 AM Right after Will shook his hand. He, unfortunately, was in the third row, and he had a baby dropped on his head.
Conclusion: BEST. FUCKING. DAY. EVER.
All of this didn't come easily, however. I had to undergo hell to get there. I will document this with pictures under a cut:
4:00 AM Stayed up all night last night because we left at 4 o'clock this morning.
4:20 AM Sean drove me, Will, Libby and Lou first to Wawa to get food for the long wait:
4:30 AM We were literally the first people there. We asked the one old janitor walking around if we were in the right place, and he couldn't get away from us faster. "Um, yeah, but that doesn't start until eleven o'clock." Here's a picture of Sean's car being the only one in the parking lot besides the old janitor's car:
4:40 AM We couldn't find the entrance!
4:43 AM Where all the shit was going to go down in a mere six-and-a-half hours!
4:45 AM We finally found the entrance, and a group of twelve people snuck in line before us! We set up camp and prepared to sit in for the long haul.
4:46 AM We made fun of the wimpiness of the signs. "Hey, guys, um, Obama's coming tomorrow, so, could I borrow a piece of posterboard, and possibly a paintbrush? Is the art room open? Well, could someone open it? I need some acrylic..."
5:30 AM It was so cold that we literally had to huddle like this for warmth. Even though, I was shaking so violently that the people in front of us thought I was having a seizure.
6:15 AM The line got a little longer as the sun started to show up.
8:15 AM The secret service men (aka "The Business") showed up and examined the field for land mines and whatnot.
8:30 AM They start to set up metal detectors and we start to get excited that things are actually happening.
8:45 AM We're so excited!
9:00 AM All of a sudden, this old lady thinks it's totally reasonable to cut thousands of people in line. Literal conversation, and I so wish I was making this up: Me: "We've been here since 4:30, and I think it's extremely disrespectful that you think you can just cut in front of us like that." Her: "I've been campaigning since 1977." Me: "That's all well and good, but that doesn't change the fact that you just got here, and we've been here for four hours." Her: "I don't care." Me: "And...you're a bitch." Her: "So are you." Jared then re-cut her in line, and we took this picture:
9:15 AM We're finally allowed in, but students from the high school were allowed in at the same time as us! Luckily, they had to sit in the bleachers, but about ten of the seniors who thought they were wonderfully ghetto and badass decided to storm the barricade and try to mosh us out of the front row. Little did they know, I am an experienced mosher, and I was already fuming from being called a bitch by a 65-year-old lady, so I was not moving even if they had to pry my cold, dead hands from the barricade. We were entertained by the guy who was in charge of making sure the sun didn't reflect in Barack's eyes, whom we nicknamed "tape guy" because of his OCD with taping things down. We decided that his secret ambition is to run for president, and he practices his speeches in his head while setting up to podium.
10:00 AM The press is let on the field.
10:05 AM Aw, look at all those people who aren't standing in the front row!
10:06 AM Look how far back the crowd goes. Up onto the hill and beyond. Nuts!
10:35 AM Ed Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania, makes a speech. The high school kids complain that their feet hurt and they're cold and hungry and that all of these people were boring and where was Obama and 'at least we get to get out of class'. We scoff them and their petty ignorance, ironically partly because they kept calling everyone else ignorant (incorrectly used, of course). When they passed out signs, they made sure I didn't get one, to the point where I had one in my hand, and they ripped it out of my grasp and threw it away into the crowd. That's okay, because I got one at the end, anyway. It has grass stains, but that gives it character. Back on topic, here's Ed Rendell!:
11:00 AM He's finally here! The crowd literally goes wild!
11:01 AM Perfect shot.
11:05 AM This doesn't happen to real people.
11:15 AM Libby and I loved his little finger motions. So key to being charismatic and precise.
11:20 AM I almost cried when he started talking about unemployment and about how our parents work hard all of their lives to send their kids to college, and then that dream is taken away from them so quickly. It hit so close to home.
11:30 AM "You pay my salary. Why should I have better health care than you do?" Brilliant.
11:35 AM "And if people tell you we can't afford it, then you just remind them that we are spending $10 million a month in Iraq!" I was in love.
11:45 AM The speech over, Obama waves and makes his way down to shake our hands!
11:50 AM This is after he shook my hand, but it was hard to get a picture of the moment because I was being body-slammed into the barrier.
11:51 AM We touched his jacket sleeve!
11:52 AM Right after Will shook his hand. He, unfortunately, was in the third row, and he had a baby dropped on his head.
Conclusion: BEST. FUCKING. DAY. EVER.