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Obama in Seattle

posted under: Seattle, Inspiration, Life on Monday, February 11, 2008

I went to Barack Obama’s rally last Friday and it was an amazing experience. The bus to the event was overpacked and had to skip stops that were crowded with people going to the event, the Key Arena (where the Supersonics play) was over-capacity with more than 18,000 people inside and over 3,000 people unable to get in. After countless attempts to find a seat I finally found a staircase leading up to the nosebleed section with only 5 people packed in and I was able to squeeze in behind them to watch the rally.

Obama is a very inspirational speaker. I always feel that he is truthful and realistic when he speaks. He says the right things, sure, but he also seems to have the plans to back up the talk. I especially liked his proposal for education. New college students will receive a $4,000 credit towards their first year essentially rendering community college free. That alone sounds great but his way to work it out was very interesting and refreshing. Students who receive the credit will be required to volunteer in places that it counts, such as Teacher’s Assistants.

Now, I’m definitely not here to persuade anybody on anything but I wanted to share the experience. I think it’s important to know as much about a candidate as you can, even if they aren’t the one you support. Which is why I was excited and a bit nervous to attend the caucus on the following Saturday.

I went to the caucus with my friend Jeff but due to living in different precincts we were split up into separate groups. Ours wasn’t the only caucus location overflowing with attendance. It felt great to know that I live in a city that is taking this presidential election so seriously. And not only that, but that they understood that this year in Washington the caucus was the only vote that mattered in selecting a democratic candidate. The primary doesn’t count for us.

Afterward, Jeff and I went to Smith on 15th Avenue for some drinks and to meet up with some of my other friends to discuss the caucus. I believe it was the first caucus for all and I will definitely attend them from now on. I saw several people change their vote based on the civil discussion that we had regarding the candidates. Letting down your guard and having an open discussion can really make a difference.