Rally Ruminations

[InvisibleTouch]

So I finally dug up a password again so I can post, rather than simply reading until the sun comes up... :) Went to the Kerry rally in Columbus Ohio today, waited four hours for events to get started, and remembered why I loathe the OSU campus ... but in the end it was worth it. After the usual procession of local officials running for election and re-election, plus a hero or two from earlier eras (John Glen), we were treated to a mini-concert by Bruce Springsteen - and then finally, John Kerry appeared. He was great - very relaxed and confident, adding bits of humor here and there ("Isn't it time we had a President who can do more than one thing at a time?" ... "When Bush heard I was going to be in Columbus with the Boss, he thought it was Dick Cheney!") - and he wasn't fazed or thrown off his stride at all by the obnoxious Bush supporters who were cluttering up the perimeter. Maybe if they had shut up and listened now and again, they would have learned something. Incidentally, Kerry tossed a zinger in their direction too; said "We don't require loyalty oaths for people to attend our rallies." Heh. :)

My one beef - I was soooo far away from the stage that I could barely make out who was talking up there. And I was as close as I could possibly get in my section, which was the "white tickets/internet tickets" area. I could post one of the pictures I took, but you guys wouldn't see anything recognizable either. So who are these special people who get the "blue tickets" and get to be in the closer area, maybe even get to shake the candidate's hand at the end of the rally (which I was kinda hoping for, but no chance in Hades from where I was). How does one get these privileged "blue tickets"? And, who are the elites that get to be up on stage with Kerry? (grumble mutter...)

Okay, I'm not really that annoyed, just curious. At every political rally I've been to, I've always been stuck in the "white section," and wonder how one breaks out of that. In any case, it was a great event, Kerry was superb, very presidential ... already laying the groundwork for what he'll do after he wins. My favorite part was the emphasis on alternative sources of energy. Go Kerry!