Have you ever stood in one spot for a few hours in a crowd? This past Sunday I did, in a large ballroom with hundreds of other people in Manchester, NH, waiting for Barack Obama to appear. The word was out, tickets sold fast; come early. It was a miserable three hours of standing. A $25.00 ticket should have gotten, at the very least, a chair. It didn’t. There was food, but clearly, most people weren’t there to eat, so, by-passing the tables of cheese, crackers and wine many eagerly headed to the next room to see what the democratic party’s new star had to say.
On the faces of some it was evident that they would have accepted pain and punishment just to be part of this democratic process in action. After an hour’s wait someone thought to open a door. We all looked; what a bright idea, yes, open a door to the outside. Let us breathe freely. We did, for a few minutes, before the door was closed. Many leave. The thought occurred to me that, had our brains not turned to mush, we could have marched out in unision, backs turned to the stage. Why so complacent? There’s power in numbers. Whisperings in the crowd are heard, they say, “Barack is delayed at a big fundraiser.” This is where he was? Indeed, it was all clear, politics as usual.
Finally, the governor and the rest of the party arrive. Speeches and more speeches-nothing new said.
Was it worth it? Were there any electrifying moments? Barack Obama seems a nice, authentic, intelligent, often witty, human being. You sense a pleasant presence. Will someone please save him before . . . well, you know.
What an afternoon. We leave, exhausted.
I’m wondering, what is this “impact” that took place Sunday afternoon-the one written about in newspapers and talked about on television?