Somehow I have a press pass to the Obama rally tonight at the Fort Worth Convention Center. I could liveblog it at Daily Kos but then I’d surely get troll-rated. I may get troll-rated here but at least if so I’ll deserve it. So here you go.
7:19 p.m. The Fort Worth Convention Center arena is nearly full already and we’re still 40 minutes before the program starts. That puts us at 11,000 people in attendance in a town that probably couldn’t turn out more than 10,000 to see John and George come back from the dead to play a reunion Beatles show. I love my hometown but it really is that sleepy. The Wave has started. From the press area this already seems more boisterous a crowd than the one in Dallas last week. The evening post-happy-hour start may have something to do with it.
7:31 p.m. OK. This arena is now full. They’re directing overflow to watch video feeds in the adjacent meeting rooms. Somewhere, the local Republican Party county chair is shitting his pants.
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7:45 p.m. Someone, not the Obama county campaign chair, but someone, has taken the stage. The audience helpfully punctuates his every sentence with wild cheering. I’ve lived in this town all 42 years of my life and I’ve never heard this loud in this room. People are cheering the explanation of the primacaucus “Texas Two Step” process! Only one person in a generation has the power to motivate people in this way. I think his name this time around is “George W. Bush.” Just kidding. Sorta.
7:50 p.m. National anthem. Ends with “God bless Barack Obama!” I guess the guy didn’t hear that Obama is a top secret Muslim superspy. I give a nod to Allah just to be safe, even if He and Yhwh are the same dude. Perception is 90% of reality or something. Now the “Yes, We Can” video has cranked up. The crowd chants along enthusiastically. I notice that 75% of the laptops on press row are Macs. TBogg will be so relieved!
8:10 p.m. The lull. Music plays while people wait. Nobody’s leaving, I notice. Pretty good discipline for a Fort Worth event with no beer. They should have free beer on press row. I like beer. Did I mention that we’re in a lull?
8:11 p.m. Return of The Wave. “Shining Star” now playing on the sound system. I look around for Elaine Benes but apparently she’s not here. Too bad.
8:15 p.m. Now we have Sharon, “Rock Star Precinct Captain” speaking. “We don’t win until we win.” Uh oh, here comes the star himself. The crowd goes insane. My ears hurt. I don’t mind.
8:21 p.m. Obama thanks local organizers by name. This is weird because I actually know these people personally. I have never backed a primary candidate who actually made it this deep into a nomination battle before, so this is truly new territory for me. Now he launches into the standard stump speech. “About a year ago, on the steps of the state capitol in Springfield, Illinois…” From here I expect I’ll be covering the crowd more than I do him, though I’ll try to stay alert for deviations from the script…
8:30 p.m. This is new. Obama notes how taken aback the media is by the popular groundswell, how eager they are to dismiss it. He understands that the beltway media aren’t neutral. Says he can’t take credit for it, that this comes from the people, not from him. Straight from the Howard Dean playbook and very astute of him to use it. Now on to the “we’re sending Bush back to Texas” bit with the requisite boos. “It’s up to you to figure out what to do with him.” The crowd laughs. This guy is GOOD.
8:35 p.m. A personal note. I’m on press row but my 12 year-old son is in the front row of the upper bowl. Well, this arena really has only one bowl, so I guess he’s in the front row of the upper section. From down here we can see each other clearly, and I see that he is absolutely rapt. He’ll remember this the rest of his life. I’m not the best dad in the world but tonight I think I done pretty good. With a little help from Barack Obama and 11,000 friends, at least.
8:50 p.m. Pretty much back to the script now. Well, except for the fainting spell somewhere in the crowd. Obama calls for water and an EMT. Then gets back to the stump. I’m reminded of how lost John Kerry seemed during the “don’t taze me bro” imbroglio and it occurs to me what an active and constantly aware intellect Obama possesses. This isn’t somebody merely reciting from a script. He knows exactly what he means to communicate, why, and how, and at the same time knows exactly what’s happening around him. These are the echoes of JFK.
8:55 p.m. “People wonder if I’m tough enough to stand up to the Republicans. Well… I’m from Chicago. The south side.” In John Kerry’s hands, if he were a Boston south sider, this wouldn’t have worked. And I’m not yet completely convinced it’ll work for Obama. He does have the instinct to take the fight to them, though. Lady in the audience: “Do you believe?” Obama replies, echoes to the crowd: “Do you believe?” The crowd roars, “Maybe! It depends if you mean empirical belief or some sort of mystical belief in that which is unknowable!” This is a very educated town. Not to mention organized in its verbal reactions.
9:00 p.m. “People think I’m naive — that you’re naive — because we talk about hope.” Adroitly and appropriately redirects the Clinton/GOP elitist distaste for this rhetoric at the voters themselves. They’re not so much criticizing him as they are his supporters. “I’m inspired by you! I’m infatuated by you!” This guy is really really good. I can’t wait to get this nomination settled.
9:10 p.m. It’s over. He’s glad-handing the volunteers up front now. People are taking their time getting out, hanging around for one more glimpse of this phenomenon. And that’s what he is, truly a phenomenon. I’ve been involved in politics long enough to take a jaded view of just about everything, and to some extent I still maintain one about Obama. There’s no denying, though, that his is a confluence of message, charisma and timing that one doesn’t witness more than once or twice in a lifetime. Maybe that’s not a reason by itself to support him over Hillary. Maybe it is. Either way, it’s damned good reason to get excited if and when he wins the Democratic nomination. This guy really does have what it takes to realign the electorate for a generation. FINALLY.
