There was already a line drawing itself around the perimeter of the Electric Factory by the time I showed up Tuesday (early I thought) an hour before the 4:00 start time . To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised at the dynamics of the people in the crowd who were enjoying the sunlight and shouldering bright blue “Obama ’08” signs. I’ll admit it; I expected this to be a primarily “African American” gig – how nice it was to see that, in fact, that the rally participants were quite a diverse bunch. What does one wear to an early stage political gathering? Such was shown to be an open ended question, as this writer, who debated between jeans and dress slacks herself, observed a cheerful ensemble of sweat pants and business suits adorning the racially eclectic crowd. There were “church going” type women in their Sunday best standing right next to college-age kids wearing shirts with slogans more casually supportive: “Barack Obama is good” was my personal favorite.
The Electric Factory certainly isn’t the typical venue for such an event. I wondered how this would all pan out respectably, as I stepped over wads of gum and water bottles fanned out and crushed under the stage. It should have been more awkward, with trace Secret Service men speaking in hush tones next to the DJ King Britt playing a melodic mix of Reggae and Snoop Dogg, but actually the whole thing felt just right.
After the crowd was searched and filed in, I noticed many of its members clutching Obama’s most recent bestseller “The Audacity of Hope,” in obvious hopes of receiving his autograph. This speaks volumes for what these people had come to see: a man, just like any other man, just like them – a friendly, congenial, ‘willing to sign anyone’s Obama book’ type of guy who would change America just by being..well, American.
The event began with the national anthem, sung by 13 year old Timmy Kelly, a blind Philadelphia area boy who beamed with barely contained excitement at the tremendous reception of his performance. The tune switched to Aretha Franklin as Obama himself walked out to an enthusiastic crowd, and then to “Happy Birthday” as Obama led his audience in celebrating Timmy’s birthday. Here came anticipatory silence as Barack Obama began to speak.
He definitely looked right for the part: tall, yet slight in a graceful, elegant way, dressed in a simple navy suite with peach and blue tie, Obama paced the stage confidently yet congenially and he seemed to look each member of his audience directly in the eye. He sounded good too: friendly, inspired, hopeful. Speaking first about himself: his Kenyan-American heritage, his name, his family, Obama soon moved on to the meat of his platform: his wishes for national healthcare and a revamped education system. He criticized America’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ program which, he said, “despite its slogan leaves too many children behind.
Then, of course, followed the inevitable topic of war, and here, as Obama’s voice drew firmer and climbed higher, the audience followed right along. “Go ahead, Obama!” rejoiced the woman next to me as Obama declared that there was no military action America could take to end the political conflict in Iraq, that the world wants America to ‘lead’ and not to ‘bully’, and that we as a nation are just sixteen Senate votes shy of ending the conflict. “When George Bush steps down, the whole world is gonna breathe a sigh of relief,” Obama declared toward the end of his twenty minute speech. I was less than impressed to hear “Impeach him!” from somewhere behind me, and after the rally’s crescendo, climax, and eventual calm, I began to search for more intelligent perspectives.
When I saw a Marine Corps uniform, I knew I had my man. Matt Stehman told me he’d heard what he’d come to hear. He told me he was concerned about the country’s healthcare policy, and of course he was concerned about the war. “He’s the only candidate who has been clear and consistent about his stance on the war from the beginning,” Stehman said. It’s pretty powerful to hear a man in uniform’s thoughts on war, even more so when those sentiments are wrapped up with words like, “Our parents had Bobby Kennedy and we have him.”
I caught up with Anna Yankeler, 16, and Sarah Bleiberg, 17, from Lower Merion High school. They found Obama’s speech “really inspirational” and told me that they were touched that he referenced the tremendous number of murders in Philadelphia this year. The two girls told me that this upcoming election would be the first time the kids in their grade would have the opportunity to vote, and that the members of their class were scouting out the potential early, forming political clubs and attending events.
I was satisfied with what’d I’d heard, but as I packed up my things to leave, I couldn’t help but notice a little boy break dancing on the floor. He was obviously excited, and didn’t hesitate to tell me that he loved the speech, especially the end where everyone had ‘cheered and clapped.’ He told me he attended kindergarten, and after explaining how he’d taught himself to dance, he exclaimed, “I was in kindergarten last year too!”
There are a lot of things this country needs, almost as many problems as there are politicians to point them out. Barack Obama was surely delighted with the reception he received in Philadelphia, but I wished he could have seen the excitement on the face of one of the crowd’s littlest members. Perhaps he had, and that would have made the Philadelphia rally more than worth it.
Elizabeth Licorish
Comments directed to: elizabeth.licorish@gmail.com
Sunday best standing right next to college-age kids wearing shirts with slogans more casually supportive: “Barack Obama is good” was my personal favorite.
