Contending for Ohio
Pat Stevenson
Editor-in-Chief
Usually I don’t decide whom to vote for in elections, rather, I decide whom to vote against. Perhaps this is because I’m hopelessly cynical and have no faith in anything.
Since I like to blame large, amorphous entities for the majority of my problems, I’m going to lay the responsibility for my lack of faith in American politics at, well, the feet of the American political machine. But since the two front-runners—and yes, Hillary fans, Obama is the front-runner—in this presidential election appear to be outside the realm of politics as usual in Washington, I’m actually considering voting for someone in this election.
With the Ohio primaries looming, Barack Obama and John McCain descended upon southwest Ohio this week to hold campaign rallies. I decided to attend both rallies, in an effort to get a better appreciation for the candidates, and more importantly, to get a feel for the kind of people who support them.
John McCain
Tuesday, 10:03 a.m. Walk into McCain rally. The venue, Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine, reminds me of a plantation for some reason.
10:10 a.m. Some campaign volunteer in a suit (McCain’s volunteers wear suits, Obama’s wear t-shirts), tells me and the people I’m with to follow him in a single file line. The single file line is of the utmost importance.
10:21 a.m. The group of people I’m with (all college students) was just asked to stand onstage behind the speakers. I’m deep undercover here.
10:28 a.m. It turns out that everyone in my group is an Obama supporter. So basically, McCain’s staff pulled a bunch of young people out of the crowd to show that McCain has young supporters, but most of his “young supporters” are really Obama supporters. My brain hurts.
10:40 a.m. Security is really loose at this event: no metal detectors, no bag searches and no visible Secret Service.
10:43 a.m. Since I’m bored, I’ve decided to start counting the amount of black people at the rally. So far, I’ve counted 5 out of a crowd of about 600. Interestingly, all five of them are on the stage so they’ll be on camera. Hm.
10:46 a.m. There’s a stunning amount of people wearing gaudy American flag paraphernalia in the crowd. An old guy in front of me is wearing an elephant bow tie.
10:48 a.m. The music selection here is exclusively classic rock. It fits the crowd really well.
Katie Rosenbaum
10:51 a.m. I’m guessing that this auditorium seats no more than 900 people or so. This whole thing reminds me of a high school assembly. With more old, rich white people.
10:55 a.m. Black person tally update: stage: 7, crowd: 1. It’s almost like the McCain campaign is pulling people out of the crowd and using them to create good photo ops. But that wouldn’t happen, right?
11:02 a.m. Some staffer just handed us hand-painted signs to hold. One of them reads “Go Johnny Go!”
11:13 a.m. The auditorium is now packed. There’s still music playing, but the music Obama played was deafening compared to this.
11:21 a.m. The national anthem is sung by a really nervous former Miss Ohio. Remember, Republicans like America more than Democrats.
11:24 a.m. A rather forced rendition of a “We want John” chant begins as Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters kicks off the event.
11:30 a.m. Obama gets lustily booed for the first time.
11:32 a.m. Lots of things are getting booed now. This crowd hates a lot of things.
11:33 a.m. First 9/11 reference.
11:35 a.m. Oh good god. Bill Cunningham is somehow on the stage. After Cunningham attacked a Xavier student on his radio show last year, I really dislike the man. I think Xavier should disown him as an alumnus.
11:38 a.m. First “Barack Hussein Obama” reference. This pisses me off a lot. People who refer to Obama this was are simply xenophobes. OH MY GOD HIS NAME SOUNDS DIFFERENT THAN MINE HE MUST BE A TERRORIST.
Katie Rosenbaum
11:43 a.m. Cunningham compares George Bush to Abraham Lincoln. To quote Matt Finger, “Willie ever shut up?”
11:45 a.m. Cunningham mercifully stops talking. What a scumbag.
11:46 a.m. Rob Portman, a purported Vice Presidential possibility, goes on stage to introduce McCain.
11:50 a.m. McCain walks onstage without really being introduced and catches the crowd totally by surprise.
11:54 a.m. He leads off with a series of humorous remarks. He’s remarkably self-deprecating for a politician.
11:56 a.m. The Obama supporters standing on stage are being remarkably good sports about this whole thing, clapping at the appropriate times and not scowling at the cameras.
11:58 a.m. McCain keeps addressing the crowd as “my friends.” His oratorical style is decidedly conversational and quite engaging.
12:02 p.m. First Ohio State Buckeyes reference. If he mentions, Greg Oden, I’m going to get upset.
12:03 p.m. McCain says he believes in climate change. This receives a noticeably muted round of applause from the crowd.
12:09 p.m. Apparently David Petraeus grants sight to the blind, invents superefficient biofuels and bakes cookies for his bedridden next-door neighbor.
12:15 p.m. Concludes with a Reagan quote. Standard.
Barack Obama
Monday, 11:57 a.m. arrive at UC’s Fifth Third Arena, where Obama is scheduled to speak. I’m not great at estimating crowds of people, but there appear to be 8.7 million people in line waiting for the doors to open.
12:07 p.m. this line is absolutely preposterous. I was totally unaware there were this many Democrats in Hamilton County.
12:13 p.m. It occurs to me that I should try and find a media entrance, rather than wait with the commoners. Commoners suck.
12:15 p.m. Meet Vogue’s political correspondent (Vogue has a political correspondent?). He doesn’t know where the media entrance is. Some people let us cut them in line after we inform them that we are reporters. Commoners are sheep.
12:22 p.m. Notice that there are three metal detectors set up to scan a crowd of over 12,000 people. Also notice that the people in charge of the metal detectors are from the Transportation Security Administration, the people in charge of airport security. My god, it’s the perfect storm of inefficiency.
12:32 p.m. Get through security, ask a volunteer where press room is. Manage to find it, and get press pass, which allows me to feel really important.
12:36 p.m. People are filing in at a glacial pace. Old school R&B is being piped in. Those few who have made it through security seem quietly excited about being here.
12:55 p.m. A surprising amount of non-college students are here today to support Obama. Slate magazine calls people like this “Baracktogenarians.” I’m sort of obsessed with Obama puns. I need a Baracktologist to save me from the Barackteria that afflicts me.
12:58 p.m. And Christina Aguilera’s “Stronger” just started playing. I’d like to see Obama change that. ZING.
1:26 p.m. It occurs to me that I haven’t eaten anything substantial in 42 hours or so. I attempt to go to the concession stand to buy a hot dog, but the Secret Service won’t let me. Apparently tubular pork is the new trend in assassinations.
1:28 p.m. The amount of reporters here is astounding. The press area takes up half of the arena floor, and it’s reasonably full.
1:36 p.m. I manage to coerce a nervous looking Obama intern to purchase me a hotdog. My dream is to one day have unpaid interns work for me.
Katie Rosenbaum
1:47 p.m. The music is getting progressively more energetic. An hour ago it was The Fray, now it’s the Foo Fighters.
1:58 p.m. For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, this event reminds me of when I went to the Bassmasters a few years ago. I think it’s because there’s a crowded sporting arena with loud music playing and a ton of excited people who are extremely focused on getting on the JumboTron. There were definitely more reasonably wealthy white douchebags pretending to be masculine by wearing camouflage hats at the Bassmasters though.
2:02 p.m. No sign of the big man yet. A campaign staffer tells me Obama “is like the Rolling Stones. He comes out whenever he feels like it.”
2:04 p.m. Some insignificant politician comes out on the stage and says “Hello Bearcats!” A part of me dies.
2:11 p.m. They’re playing a gospel song that everyone seems to know the words to except for me. I clearly lack soul.
2:17 p.m. Now they’re playing the Postal Service. For the white college kids I guess.
2:22 p.m. A staffer asks me where I’m from and I tell her the Xavier Newswire. She says they tried to have this rally at Cintas and were turned down by the school. I have no idea if this is true. I’m just here to propagate unsubstantiated rumors I hear from low-level campaign staffers. I’ll take my Pulitzer now, please.
Pat Stevenson
2:27 p.m. We see a 5 year old boy walking around with a press pass. The same kind of press pass I have. My associate Katie Rosenbaum, who attended the event with me today, insists on being photographed with this young Walter Cronkite. My ego is severely damaged.
2:36 p.m. Mayor Mark Mallory gets on stage to introduce Obama, and receives a huge cheer. Presumably because he has no baseball with him.
2:38 p.m. Marky is comparing himself to Obama. Sigh.
2:39 p.m. Apparently Marky is the only democratic superdelegate in Southwestern Ohio. And he just pledged his vote to Obama. The crowd roars in delight. While the crowd is whipped into a frenzy, Marky introduces Obama, and absolutely blows the roof off the place. I’ve been to a lot of concerts and sporting events in my life, but I’ve never seen 12,000 people this excited. It’s surreal.
2:43 p.m. The amount of flashbulbs popping in this arena right now reminds me of the kickoff of the Super Bowl.
2:48 p.m. First MLK quote: “the Fierce Urgency of Now”
2:50 p.m. Obama’s speechwriters have clearly taken a few lit theory classes at some point in their lives. The way he keeps repeating “we cannot wait” is enrapturing.
2:54 p.m. Takes a few shots at Bush, and the crowd absolutely eats it up.
2:57 p.m. He’s really hammering home the idea that average Americans are getting screwed. I guess this is the Ohio campaign strategy.
3:02 p.m. First “Yes, we can” chant.
3:06 p.m. With how much he’s pandering to blue collar workers in this speech, I’m surprised Obama isn’t wearing an auto mechanic shirt.
3:11 p.m. He keeps repeating the “If you’re ready for change…” line. It really just works somehow.
3:20 p.m. The classic “John McCain is a real American hero. But…” line.
3:24 p.m. Talks about why hope is good for awhile. Standard issue Obama stuff I guess.
3:26 p.m. A person in the crowd passes out. Some people seem to think that Barack Obama’s speeches are so intensely good, they make people faint. I think it’s probably just because it’s hot in here and people have been standing around for 5 hours.
3:30 p.m. Wraps up speech, waves to the crowd a bit and heads offstage to shake some hands.
Kathryn Rosenbaum
Editor-in-Chief
Rachel Peters
Ann Tassone
Darren LaCour
Senior News Editors
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