I can't believe it has been only a month since Barack Obama officially proclaimed his candidacy for president on February 10th. That's the day I went to his website and signed up for the Sacramento for Obama Group. Since then we had our first organizing meeting on February 22 where 55 of us introduced ourselves, formed committees and broke up into our respective committees to make plans for our future actions.
I'm on the Communications Committee for our group. We had a day-long meeting at Richard and Suzanne-Marie's house the following weekend in Placerville and determined who our targeted audience was going to be for our communications effort and how best to reach them.
Our campaign website was up and running and we produced our first Update newsletter which was emailed to 137 members on March 6th. Our first local gathering of Obama supporters at the Blue Cue in Sacramento on March 10th had more than 200 people in attendance, along with media from 3 local news stations.
Our second Update newsletter was produced as a special edition for the upcoming Rally with Obama in Oakland on the 17th. That one was emailed to 234 members on March 14th.
Our Sacramento group had our own t-shirts made but they didn't have any in my size so I ordered one, cut out the logo then sewed it onto one of my own red shirts. It turned out great and I was quite proud of my handiwork.
I was so excited the night before that I could not sleep. I finally got up at 3 am to read email hoping that would make me sleepy. After a 3 hour nap, I was up again at 7am preparing to head down to Natomas to meet up with the rest of our caravan. The first shift of 35 volunteers from our Sacramento group left Natomas earlier at 8am. Our group of 15 people departed at 10:30. We were sure glad we did!
I rode with Richard and Suzanne-Marie and Jason. The 6 vehicles had headlights on and Obama signs in our windows. Driving along the 90 mile route to Oakland, other cars were honking and waving at us as we drove down. I wondered to myself if they thought the Senator was in the car with us.
On the way down, Richard told us stories from when he was a teen growing up in Boston and how, on this day 49 years ago he had shaken the hand of another presidential candidate. He'd been walking down the street when he saw a young politician and his pretty wife in a convertible and reached over to shake the young Kennedy's hand. Richard was very excited that he might have the opportunity to shake another president's hand again on the same day, 49 years later. Hearing Richard talk is like listening to a more liberal version of my conservative dad. They share similar accents and magnetic storytelling abilities. And I just adore his wife, Suzanne-Marie. We've many similar interests and hobbies. Meeting them is just one of the many benefits of working to get Obama elected.
The place was already packed with volunteers from all around the Bay Area when we arrived. We were there early enough to get inside, chat with some of the national staff and find good spots for the rally. The gates opened around 2:30 and the crowd suddenly swelled. Waves of people kept coming. They were lined up several times around the surrounding blocks of Oakland City Hall. All told, estimates are that there were 12,000 people there.
Our little group was standing right on the wall of the ampetheater waiting for our opportunity to hold up our huge banner saying "Sacramento for Obama" when the Senator acknowledged us as one of the model grassroots groups in the country. We went crazy waving and cheering when we got our 3 seconds of fame.
And then after a very long day of standing around in our spot, the Senator started his oratory and the crowd pressed closer to get a glimpse of him. I now know what people feel like at those international soccer games and rock concerts where they are packed in like crushed sardines. In spite of that, I felt euphoric after Obama's speech. I was very happy to hear him voice some of the same things I've said to myself. Much of it was the same stump speech I've heard him give several times now, but each one is just a little different, with a little more of the current issues of the day and recognition of issues in the local area of the venue. He is such a great speaker that you really don't mind hearing it again. It still sounds fresh and still gives you goosebumps as you jump to your feet clapping and cheering.
We finally got back to Sacramento around 9 pm after a very long day on our feet. The weather was great! It was already warm when we left Sacramento and briefly turned to typical morning overcast coolness in Oakland. Just an hour before the Senator was due to speak, the sun broke through and out came the sun screen.
I was shocked to see the aerial shots of the size of the crowd. Where we were, we could only see the ampetheater and the first few rows of people behind us. I knew the place was packed, but did not know it extended out around the block.
The impressive thing to me is that Oakland is known for its high crime rate, yet there was not a visible police presence nor any trouble in the crowd. I saw an occasional uniformed officer on the outskirts. The volunteers and campaign staff did a commendable job of crowd control. It felt good to be back in the Bay Area, especially downtown Oakland where I worked for 18 years before moving to Sacramento. Lots of changes since I was last there. Oakland is finally recovering from the earthquake damage it suffered in 1989.
Today, my body is recovering from the swollen feet, stiff back, slightly sunburned face and neck and exhaustion, but it was well worth it!
You can read much more about the day's events on the front page of our website at www.sacramentoforobama.com
And we only have 18 more months to go to get Obama elected!
Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich
