|
Staff Contributors
Guest Contributors
|
||||
Stadium BarackObama takes the stage in Seattle to rally support for Saturday's state caucusesPosted by Katy Balatero (Guest Contributor) at 5:52 PM on 08 Feb 2008Barack Obama's speech in Seattle today made this 26-year-old feel positively old. I and a few other Gristers hopped a bus over to the rally in Key Arena and were greeted by a stadium overflowing with supporters, many of them high school and college students. I overheard an usher say "I dont see this kind of support for [Seattle's basketball team] the Sonics anymore." (The venue holds 18,000 people: by speech time it was over capacity, with people crowded on the floor, spilling into the aisles, and climbing up the walls into off-limits box seats; several thousand had been turned away at the door.)
The Obama rally at Key Arena, Seattle, Wash.
Photo: Ashley Braun
Obama waves to a packed crowd.
Photo: Ashley Braun An impatient, excited crowd waited as Mayor Greg Nickels, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), and Gov. Christine Gregoire stepped onstage to speak before Obama's appearance. The biggest cheers came when Gov. Gregoire, a Washington superdelegate, reannounced her endorsement of Obama from earlier this morning. Obama entered, received a rock-star-worthy standing ovation, and then spent about 50 minutes speaking about health care, poverty, the war in Iraq, and yes, the environment. ("We are at a defining moment in our history ... our planet is in peril ... we cannot wait to bring an end to global warming.") He mentioned climate change and energy about eight times throughout the speech, spending a minute or two discussing green jobs, energy efficiency, greenhouse-gas-emissions reduction, and alternative energy. There was nothing there that would be new to Gristmillers. Obama was, as expected, an inspiring speaker -- and the crowd ate it up. But he was preaching to a friendly audience, and he knew it. It'll be interesting to see how the caucuses play out tomorrow. ![]() Photo: Ashley Braun
You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.
|
sign in
Search Gristmill
Using Gristmill
Recent Comments
|
|||