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It has been many years since I felt the power in my gut ... the intense sensation—a vibration, actually—that propels you to your feet to shout “Amen.” I was in the cheap seats at a rally last Friday in the balcony of a large auditorium in San Francisco with upwards of 2,000 other people, but I am certain the speaker was looking straight into my eyes. I am convinced his powerful message was written purely for me, or at least people like me ... from the other side of Auburn.
Three of us met at the Domes on Fulweiler for a two-hour drive to the
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to hear presidential candidate Barack
Obama speak at an event organized by a group called “Women for Obama.”
We piled into Christa Darlington’s Subaru and made a quick stop at
Sierra College to pick up a young Obama supporter before merging back
on to I-80.
Darlington is a land-use attorney with Placer County and she is a
volunteer heading up the Obama campaign efforts in our area. At 35,
Darlington is swamped with responsibilities: two young children to
care for, a household to run and a challenging assignment with the
County, yet she is driven to get her candidate elected. In all my life
I’ve never encountered anyone who lavishes so much energy, time and
pure will to fight so passionately for a cause in which she is
completely invested.
Being a registered Democrat, much less an Obama backer, isn’t an easy
thing in this part of the world, and that’s likely why I’ve always
positioned myself as an Independent. You come under less criticism and
scrutiny when you wear that label, though most registered Republicans
see through the ruse easily ... they know a liberal when they smell one.
Darlington had never met the student we were picking up in Rocklin. We
pulled into the lot and the person waiting at the designated spot was a
young man sporting an Obama tee shirt. He was an African-American,
wearing headphones like many of the students headed for class.
As we cruised past UC Davis, I had the uncanny sense that we were
throwbacks to the 60s, freedom riders headed to a rally ... two white
women in the front seats; a black man and a white man in the back. All
of the talk was political, about the state of country, the war in Iraq
and about this senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.
Two hours gives you plenty of time to get to know someone, and my
seatmate, Chris, is an extraordinary young adult. He hails from
Chicago’s south side, and I still can’t figure out what he is doing at
Sierra College where he is a sophomore and political science major.
This summer he participated in an Obama boot camp and then spent five
weeks as an intern assisting with campaigning in New Hampshire.
A campus organizer for Obama in northern California, Chris’ goal is to
transfer to Stanford when he finishes with a double degree at Sierra
College. I’ve seldom met a more articulate, committed and driven young
person. I asked him if he ever dreamed of being president. “No,” he
replied, “but I’d like to be governor of California.” Believe it or
not, Chris is just 18 years old.
Miracle traffic enabled us to literally blow into San Francisco, and we
found a garage to park the car. Christa had packed a lunch for us—bags
of skinny cheese and peanut butter sandwiches you would expect from the
mother of a two year old—and we had our own pre-rally tailgate party.
With the station wagon lid raised, we munched on cherry tomatoes from
Christa’s garden and finished with brownies. “Next time,” I promised,
“I’m bringing my Smokey Joe.”
This is not a sales pitch for any candidate or political doctrine. All
I can say is that once Obama mounted the stage, he held the audience in
awe. He has the ability to instantly engage a group, put them at ease
with humor and then drive home his message with incredible pacing,
conviction and, at points, fury.
In news reports I’ve read following the rally, Obama delivered his
practiced stump speech. That was okay with me because I think it is
important for candidates to have a story and stick with it as long as
they are not delivering a collection of well-worn sound bytes.
Three things about Obama really appeal to me and caused me to make the trip to San Francisco.
—I appreciate the fact that he is a Washington outsider. As he pointed
out, he may not have as much experience inside the Beltway as others,
but he has significant grassroots experience in bringing people
together to accomplish change.
—I like the fact that he is a young man with big ideas. He made some
promises that I’m sure he will find hard to keep—especially creating
universal health care for all Americans by the end of his first term.
But without such massive goals, the kind of true change this country
needs will never happen.
—The guy has stones. He was one of the few speaking out against
Congress authorizing the war in Iraq (even though he was only in the
state legislature at the time), and I appreciate someone who is not
afraid to go against the grain. In the end he was right, and we need to
bring our troops home as soon as possible.
You had to love the frenzy of the audience as Obama romanced the
building. There was almost as much energy as you would expect to see at
a Mary Kay Cosmetics rally. The place just rocked.
Chris and I dozed most of the way home. When we got back to the dorms
at Sierra College, everyone got out of the car for a picture. Four
people, mostly disconnected, united briefly for a very intense day.
Yeah, I’d really like a memento of that.
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Gary Moffat is a journalist and co-owner of Carpe Vino in Old Town
Auburn. Read his other work at www.onlyinauburn.com and
www.carpevinoauburn.com .
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