A Republican at a Barack Obama Rally
Dallas, Texas
Reunion Arena
02/20/2008
by Paul Ridenour
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My friends' 18 year-old asked me to take her to see Obama. Her parents let her skip school and they both had to work. It would be a great experience for her since she is interested in political science.
We waited in line from 8 AM to
about 10:45.
The people were very friendly. We were both excited about being there.
This is history.
I was also excited about attending because I am not a big fan of Hillary, I mean Mrs. Bill Clinton. I
was thinking maybe I'd vote for him in the primary.
Two girls had "free hugs" signs and they were hugging everyone.
One white kid had a T-shirt with a picture of Obama and Mrs. Bill Clinton and it
read "Bros before Ho's."
I thought the security would be very high but it wasn't. They told us to take
everything out of our pockets and turn on all electronics right before we walked
into the arena. I had my pager, cell
phone, and keys in my hand plus a large Nikon camera. We walked in and no
one checked us. There were no metal detectors. I did not put anything into a
bucket. No purses were checked. Just maybe a cop or two standing several feet
away. No one took a wand to us. I was shocked. The 18 year-old was also
scared because she knows people get shot at this kind of thing. I could have
had a Glock 9m on my side under a large shirt and could have walked right in.
We sat on the 15th row to Obama's left.
The Rev. Freddie Haynes prayed and I was very offended. He prayed to
God and Jesus Christ that all would have healthcare,
end poverty for all time, better education, and this will only get done though
Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. It was a total liberal and
political prayer and I had never heard one like that. The prayer ended with "Barack
Obama in Jesus' name, yes we can." At this rally, you won't hear a
prayer for the "unborn."
The people here seemed to see Obama as the continuation of I Have A Dream, a rock star, a messiah. One girl next to me said "I don't expect Obama to address black issues his first year in office."
They had t-shirts that read "We are the change
that we seek," "An American
President," and "Barack the Vote."
I didn't like it when Obama bashed Bush, Libby, Rove, Cheney, etc. It was an anti-Bush and anti-war crowd.
There was another Republican president in our history that was hated more than any other president and about 620,000 died because of him. His name was Abraham Lincoln and he is loved today.
Everything Barack said was the same old liberal Democrat "tax the rich" (which is everyone who has a job) and give to the poor. How original! And this is "change?"
I told people around me that I was a Republican who did not care for Mrs. Bill Clinton and they all laughed. No one treated me as if I were evil. They were just all happy to be there. When the crowd was asked if this was their first political rally, almost everyone raised their hand. Mrs. Bill Clinton may be toast!
They had a couple of Latino
speakers because they know they need their vote.
They talked about the Texas Two-Step. Step one - vote early and today. Step two
- caucus on election night. They said "Not only do you get to vote for Obama
once, you get to vote for him twice."
The only celebs that spoke were Ron Kirk and Emmit Smith. Ron Kirk said
"Win one and we are done." I think he was referring to Mrs. Bill Clinton.
Obama wins Texas, and you can stick a fork in her, she's done!
There were a lot of empty seats. I took pictures of them. Much of the 2nd and
3rd balconies had tons of empty seats. No one sat behind Obama. There was no way
that 17,000 people were there. It was more like 12 to 15,000. If they really
did turn 1,000 away, it was not because of no room. They did not put people
behind him because of "security." That was what was reported in the press.
Guess what? There was no security. I read later that the
Secret Service said to quit screening folks to speed up the line.
One of the funniest moments of the day was when they asked us to stand for the singing of our national anthem by Rick James. Everyone in the audience including myself was like "Rick James? Rick James is dead!" A younger tall guy came out to sing and he was fantastic.
The 18 year-old was surprised that what was said in the media afterwards was not
what she saw with her own eyes.
Obama may win Texas but I think Mrs. Bill Clinton will still pull it out if the
older vote and Latinos comes out for her.
I bet this guy is not a Republican
He had his picture taken a lot
This may be an anti-Mrs. Bill Clinton vote
The honorable and controversial Dallas City Councilman Al Lipscomb [in red]
They told us via their webpage not to bring signs yet this suited guy handed out what looked like signs made by
an average supporter. Signs that read "Texas Matters," "Yes We Can,"
"Texas for Obama," "Dallas for Obama," and "Students for Obama." Again,
this was done for the cameras and politics.
BET
Comedian and local Dallas DJ Ricky Smiley [cap and glasses]
Rev. Freddie Haynes prays about "the haters trying to stop this movement"
I have a question Reverend - What about those haters who hate Bush like you?
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/02/obama-rally-tod.html
I think this is Danny from the Partridge Family, except the real Danny is a
Republican
They know they need the Hispanic vote and young vote - it's all politics
She's explaining the Texas Two-Step
Ex-Mayor of Dallas Ron Kirk [He was good for Dallas]
Dallas Cowboys retired running back Emmit Smith [He was good for the Cowboys]
This was less than half the floor space because there were lots of cameras and
reporters behind them
The media machine
Reporters - look at the empty seats
"No Drama with Obama" - this might be about Mrs. Bill Clinton and her recent
emotional breakdowns (or Bill's anger)
The Messiah
Come unto me all ye who are heavy laden, and I will give you healthcare by
taxing the rich
Tons of empty seats all over the arena in half the sections
See the girl yelling on the front row? She is representing "Muslims for
Barack Hussein Obama."