The author with Peg and Rick Hughes

Barack Obama Rally
St Pete Times Forum, Tampa FL
Wednesday - 05.21.08

 

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***

We arrive in downtown Tampa at 7:40 am.

A sizeable line has already formed in front of the St Pete Times Forum. We head north, past several hundred feet of Obama seekers. It is an exotic blend of people – asian, black, hispanic, white, teen, retiree, people wearing suits, lots of Obama shirts, even a troop of Girl Scouts.

For the record this is my first political rally. And while I’ve attended many concerts at this very venue – I’m still unclear on what to expect. The line quickly builds behind us down to the street. It ends at the cross street, rounds two left corners and doubles back across a parking lot and eventually disappears behind the Forum.

Sitting at the south end of the parking lot are a fleet of TV trucks, most fortified with an extended antennae or satellite dish. Vendors pace up and down the line hawking Obama buttons and shirts. The first one we talk to says its illegal for the proceeds to go to the Obama campaign. The rest of them say the exact opposite.

We talk to the large group ahead of us. They left Jacksonville at 4am to be here. Everyone discusses politics in some manor. My ticket says the gates open at 10:30 and the program starts at 12:00. They open at 9:30. We are funneled into the Forum where we are given the choice of a seat or standing on the floor.

We stand on the floor, four people deep from the barricade. Luckily for me the people in front are mostly short. There are two speakers around 10:30. The second one is Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio who endorses Sen. Obama. They finish – and there we stand for two more hours.

I brought Mad Libs, which proves especially entertaining for young Christopher (pictured) who came with his mom, Connie. He spat out nouns, adjectives and types of food with eagerness and reveled in the stories that they provided.
I let him keep the Mad Libs.

Two more speakers are introduced.
Man, this shit takes forever.

Around 1pm, Rep. Kathy Castor introduces Obama saying he has the God-given ability to bring change. I’m pretty sure everyone is having the same thought.
Wrap it up Kathy.

The crowd goes wild. Everyone waves signs and yells. Two teenage girls behind me have a pitch in their screams that carries far and wide. Barack Obama walks on stage and with a brief wave steps quickly into his speech.

Gosh darn. He looks exactly like he does on TV. He’s tall and skinny. His suit is impeccable, as always, and he sports the sky blue power tie. He stands on a large riser 5 feet tall and about 15 feet wide. There is a barricaded isle surrounding the riser, continuously patrolled by Secret Service.

Funny thing about Secret Service: they all seem to look like Secret Service. Not in an ugly or demaning way. Its the whole rugged and focused thing. (Of course, the ear-piece and lapel pin are strong giveaways.) Beyond the barricade – four rows of people, to be exact – I watch the man I’ve stood 5 hours to see.

His speech is familiar to him. He rarely uses the podium he has been assigned, opting instead for the wireless mic. He crosses the stage with a slow and steady pace. He takes his time looking at the crowd. The crowd responses are sometimes overwhelming and a bit ill-timed but he takes it all in stride.

A woman from the 2nd tier shouts
"I love you, Obama!”
He pauses to say, “I love you back.”
The crowd giggles.

The man is a great speaker. He’s human to be sure … a trip on a word here, a stammer there … But he seems comfortable and confident. His words are strong and peppered with humor. He stays on point and moves easily through issues. He speaks about the economy, Iraq and Afghanistan, gas prices, energy and oil dependence, foreign policy, healthcare, veterans, social security, national security and briefly, his childhood.

His speech ends about 30 minutes later and Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" plays overhead.

The crowd is going ballistic. The two teenage girls shriek without mercy.

Sen. Obama walks around the isle shaking everyone’s outstretched hand, (using both his hands to do it), and women repeatedly hug him. I watch him leave and I fold back into the herd of people and out onto the warm streets of Tampa where Obama fever is running rampant.

I got an Obama shirt for $5.

(Not this one)

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See the Bridges for Obama rally 10.19.08