Obama visits N.C. State
Well, any doubt I had about enthusiasm for Obama was answered today when Obama spoke in N.C. State’s Reynolds Coliseum. Actually, those doubts were allayed yesterday when I saw thousands of people waiting to get tickets for today’s speech.
I drove to N.C. State’s McKimmon Center around 9:30 and soon ran into my friend Alan Porter and his daughter, Audrey. We rode the shuttle to campus and waited in line together. Audrey was a wonderful companion, talking with me the whole time. I know she and my daughter Hallie would hit it off.
When we got closer to the coliseum, a staffer in a yellow shirt asked Alan to show him the shirt under his shirt. He then asked me to do the same (I was wearing a suit). The guy wasn’t an officer of any variety, so it wasn’t a security thing. I think he was looking for anyone who might be sneaking in anti-Obama shirts. I was a little annoyed that he singled out Alan and me but didn’t seem to check others.
I smiled when the two uniformed Secret Service agents who screened us at the gate bantered playfully with Audrey about Harry Potter. They were clearly enjoying their job and were polite and funny.
We filed into Reynolds and headed upstairs, only to stop in the hallway and be directed to the next walkway as the seats in front of us were already full. Our seats were right across from the center court scoreboard (on the opposite side of the band) and two rows up.
Half of Reynolds was curtained off when we arrived, but not long after we were seated the curtain was raised and the seats around the back were also filled. As some said, it was like a pep rally.
Obama got lots of love from the crowd, the extent of which I found a little unexpected. It was hard to know if was for Obama himself or simply because he was the first sitting President since Reagan to speak on campus. Plenty of Tweets went around from Wolfpack fans, noting that Obama chose to come to N.C. State over those other Triangle schools.
Obama gave a good speech, too. He spoke in words that connected with his audience. He answered one bellowed “I love you, Barack!” from the crowd with a deft “I love you, too.” Didn’t even miss a beat.
I saw some fire in him today, too, which was reassuring. He seems to have been retreating recently on many important fronts (clean energy, EPA protections) and many of my friends have expressed their desire for him to stop caving in and not to be such a wuss. I’m hoping he takes that advice because there are many very serious issues we’re facing now that desperately need leadership.
It was swelteringly hot in Reynolds. When all 9,300 of the crowd were seated and cheering (and texting on their phones) it became even hotter. My suit jacket was soon off and others’ were as well. When the speech ended, I headed out of the arena for what I hoped was fresh air. Instead, I ran into a wall of people in the hallway, not going anywhere fast. The doors to the nearest outside stairwell were being guarded by police, shuffling everyone back through the front doors.
After getting outside, I realized I needed to catch the shuttle back to my car so I walked over to the long line of people who were queuing up. After 30 minutes of watching the line get longer and no shuttles arriving, I took it upon myself to find out what the delay was. I knocked on the window of the shuttle waiting at the start of the block and was told the deputy sheriff had to release them. I then spoke to the deputy who told me it would happen soon but he didn’t know anything else. It didn’t seem to matter to him that a long line of people were waiting in the hot sun and only wanted to leave the area as quickly as they could. I then learned that the President was still in the building, which explained why things weren’t moving as quickly as they could’ve (or should’ve).
On my way back to the line, I ran into my friend Sig Hutchinson and his wife, Nancy. After a friendly chat (and seeing that the shuttles weren’t going to arrive anytime soon), we opted to walk the greenway (what else?) back to our cars. I greatly enjoyed the conversation on the way and was delighted to accept their invitation to join them for lunch at Amedeo’s. We had more conversation over tasty (if slowly-served) food.
I got home just in time to pick the kids up from school and have been pretty tired ever since. It was a lot of effort for a short speech but worth it to get a good glimpse of Obama’s chances for reelection.