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Has anyone been to an Obama campaign event?
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Anonymous
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If so, how early did you get there to line up, and how early would you line up if you were to attend another? I am going to the rally in Leesburg tomorrow, and the gates open at 3 p.m., so I'm wondering how early I would need to get there to get in.
Also, has anyone taken a young child to one of these events, and any tips on that, other than to bring food/drink and toys and for them to be well-rested beforehand? |
Anonymous
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If you are going bc you want to see Obama, you should cancel. He will not be there. The news is reporting that he will be heading to Hawaii tomorrow to be with his grandmother, who is very ill.
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Anonymous
| I've been to a number and taken a small child to several. But agree with PP that he won't be there. It sounds like his grandmother may be dying, and he plans to take time off to be with her and not return to the trail until Saturday. |
Anonymous
| This is the OP. As of a few minutes ago when I talked to the Leesburg campaign office, he is leaving for Hawaii after the rally tomorrow evening. Of course that could change depending on his grandmother's condition -- I understand that. I was asking a more general question about how far in advance to line up. |
Anonymous
15:24 here. Glad to know he will still be in Leesburg! I can't give you any advice about how far in advance to be there. The big thing I've learned about the small child bit, other than snacks and water (and hitting the potty beforehand), is. . . restraint. Which sounds bad, I know. But I have found it difficult to hang onto my child without a monkey buddy or backpack or him being on dad's shoulders. If you have a really active toddler, you might want to consider that. Have fun and take pictures! It's so exciting to take your child to one of these events. |
Anonymous
| I'm glad that Obama is going to be with his grandmother on her deathbed. Too bad he didn't do the same for his own mother when she lay dying of ovarian cancer. Oh, I forgot, he wasn't running for major office at the time and didn't need the sympathetic photo op. |
Anonymous
Yeah, this is pretty much the level I'm now expecting from Republicans. Have a fun 4 years! |
Anonymous
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I just hope it will be a safe four years...
I don't see any problem commenting on Obama's choice to not go to his mother's deathbed--he's a public figure with very few public accomplishments--his private actions help us to fill in the blanks of exactly "Who is Obama and what does he stand for?" |
Anonymous
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OP--I went to the rally in Fredericksburg at Mary Washington a few weeks back. The gates opened at 3pm and Obama/Biden didn't arrive until 7pm. We arrived at 2pm and got in no problem, only to discover that we had accidentally gone in through the volunteer's line and that the real line was huge. (Don't flame me--we were hustled in by a clueless volunteer.) Of the 26,000 people there, only 11,0000 even made it into the enclosure--the rest stood around outside of it and listened. I spoke with several people who had arrived as early as 7am and most of the folks around us had gotten there well before 1. I think I read that anyone who got in line later than 1:30 or so did not get in, but don't quote me on that. We were not allowed to bring in large bags or backbacks. Security was handled by folks in TSA uniforms -- you went through metal detectors and had your bags checked. Food and drinks were banned, or not, depending on who you asked. We were told nothing was allowed, but then the volunteers started handing out water bottles and letting folks in with water. There seemed to be some confusion among the volunteers and things were quite disorganized. Bathroom facilities were plentiful. You could not bring in lawn chairs and most people stood all day or sat on the ground on their jackets or with nothing. Magazines and books were ok. You were not allowed to bring umbrellas, so when it poured down rain we all got soaked, and when it poured down rain again, we all got soaked again (along with Obama and Biden). You will have to listen to the same upbeat songtrack about a million times.
As a mom, I would not bring a child under the age of 10 or so. There were many many small children there, including babies or toddlers. Some looked miserable, others were fine. The happy older ones seemed to be playing Nintendo type games and/or running around in the grassy area in the back or texting. The happy younger ones had very engaged parents and seemed to have managed to bring in snacks and water. (I think if you stuck a pack of candy or gum in your coat pocket no one would care.) The mood all day was very good and upbeat--people were very cheerful and friendly--but it was a long, long day. Obama spoke for almost half an hour. Getting out of the parking lot took forever. In short, if you (as many parents there) feel that this is a historic opportunity that you want your kids to be a part of, I'd say go for it, but be prepared for a long tough day. If your kid doesn't do well on planes, in line at the amusement park, and so forth, you may want to leave them at home and bring them back a t-shirt. |
Anonymous
| PP here. I wanted to add that as far as people's private choices being revealing of character, I would urge you to take a look at McCain's private life, which is incredibly sordid, to say the least. |
Anonymous
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OP here. Thanks for the responses (well, the on-topic ones anyway). In case he comes back to VA before the election and anyone reading this is interested in going, we got in line at about 2:15 (gates opened at 3) and got into the park, which held 10,000 -- 35,000 people total showed up and the rest stood outside the gates. Probably the only reason we got in when we arrived so close to the time the gates opened is that it was on a Wednesday (Fredericksburg was on a Saturday). We got pretty close to the stage, and the whole day one of us had to stand in line/in our spot with the stroller and the other one took our 16 month old to run around. The event began promptly at 5:30 as scheduled, actually they sent out a couple of early speakers before that (Judy Feder, who is running for Congress, and a couple of field organizers). There were concessions, but the lines were way long, and there were plenty of portajohns. There were tons of kids there, including lots of babies. We were fortunate that the weather was beautiful (if a little chilly). It was a long day, but we came prepared with snacks and milk, and let our son run around. Interestingly, by the time the speaking began, he had fallen asleep. And slept through the speeches even though we were under the speakers beside the stage and the crowd cheered incredibly loudly. The event let out before 7, and the longest part was the traffic going home.
So, it was a great experience and worth it. Had the rally been earlier in the day, I probably would have left my son in day care and just gone with my husband, since he is not old enough to really appreciate the experience, but taking him along was not that bad. It was great to be in a crowd of like-minded people and feel all that energy and enthusiasm. |
Anonymous
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OP,
if you are going to an Obama event get there at least 4-5hrs early and dont expect to see him close up! i saw him at AU in Feb with Ted Kennedy and had to wait 2 hrs before getting on campus, then some kind people let me cut line b/c i was prego but I still only was in the "overflow" section outside on a cold winter day. He came out of the main AU auditorium at the end of his speech to do a mini stump speech for the 200 or so of us who were out in the cold all afternoon. People were lined up for at least a mile or more to get into the main auditorium and thousands were turned away. it was completely worth it=he is so powerful and inspiring!!! enjoy |
Anonymous
You republicans are such bottom feeders! Karl, Karl Rove, is that you? This just isn't true. Obama and his mother had a very very close relationship by all accounts. He actually lamented about the end for his mother coming too soon before he could get to Hawaii. If he hadn't expressed remorse (you know a human emotion), YOU wouldn't even know he wasn't there. I wonder if it's being mean and nasty that makes one become a republican or if being a republican makes you become mean and nasty. A classic chicken and egg question. |
Anonymous
| Since we're making such wild generalizations here, may I offer that you Democrats are so naive!!!--based on what source do you believe Obama tried to get to his mother's bedside--his autobiography?--well how did you expect him to represent himself?? I see no honor there. People flame Sarah Palin all the time about her family choices--I believe we all have responsibilites towards our aging, failing elders--Obama should be visiting and assisting with his grandmother's care at all times(financially, if nothing else), not just when he's campaigning for a quick photo op. (Yes, this is Karl Rove BTW, how did you guess?) |
Anonymous
This PP fills me with disgust. Time for you to move to Canada for the next four years. |