Report from Barack Obama's Pittsburgh Rally

I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Barack Obama rally in Pittsburgh on Monday. A local organizer connected me to Sally Matts, so we could commute together to Pittsburgh.

We took the 28X into town and got up to the Mellon Arena a little after 1. A long line had already formed:

Beginning:



Towards the end:



In the middle:



The line extended for several blocks (up past St. Benedict the Moor church for the folks familiar with the area).

We waited around while the staff got the volunteers organized. That took a while. They wanted most of us to encourage the attendees to sign up to help Get Out the Vote over the weekend...but ran out of clipboards before Sally and I got them.

I've worked all kinds of events, and one thing that was really clear from this one is that there was inadequate signage. I walked around a little, and suggested to Sally that we invent a job for ourselves. We decided to escort handicapped attendees up to the handicapped entrance, which was on the far side of the Mellon Arena from the main street entrance. We talked to a staffer who agreed that was a good idea.

So we stood about midway up the hill to the Arena, where the entrance road and the parking lot meet. When we saw someone who seemed to be having trouble, we brought them up to the handicapped entrance.

This was tricky (of course). The sidewalk was blocked off in places, so we'd direct people in wheelchairs to the adjacent road. There were surprisingly few cuts through the curb for wheelchairs. The one closest to the handicapped entrance had a car parked in front if it illegally. Luckily, there was still enough space around the car that people in mobies could get back up onto the sidewalk.

And then, someone who was either with the fire department or the TSA (not sure which) parked in front of the illegally parked car in such a way that we could no longer get handicapped attendees up the ramp and back onto the sidewalk. I went to him and said, "Um, excuse me, sir? Could you push ahead a little so we could get people back on the sidewalk?"

He growled at me a little, and went off in search of the person who was parking illegally. Luckily, he found the person pretty fast, the person drove away, and the cops stuck a sawhorse in front of the ramp so no one could park in the way.

Sally got cold and went inside. I begged her to save me a seat and she did.

I managed to stay outside until about 4:30, when I got too cold and had to go in. The speeches were due to start at 5, but I figured Obama would be running late. I found another volunteer and got him to help bring handicapped attendees up to the special entrance.

I hit the bathroom, bought some "dinner" (hot dog and popcorn) and found Sally. She'd saved great seats not too far from the podium and off the floor in the staff area. The Arena seats 17,000 for hockey games. While there was a floor over the ice, there floor wasn't completely filled up by people (the press area was spacious and not filled). Not every fixed seat in the arena was filled either. I'd estimate there were between 14,000 and 15,000 in the arena, a good crowd given it was a weekday, the weather was cold, and we'd only heard about this on Friday.

The TV camera area was towards our right:



The floor and the podium were towards our left, just to the left of all those supporters who were standing:



The rally was due to start at 5. The weird thing was that the rally started at about 4:45. Rallies almost never start early. Governor Ed Rendell, Senator Bob Casey and local Congressional Representative Mike Doyle gave short speeches. Then there was nearly a half hour of recorded music (and I don't think the writers/performers have asked Obama not to use it, unlike some other campaigns I could mention).

Just before 5:30, Steeler president Dan Rooney came out to introduce Barack Obama. When Obama came onstage, the cheers were deafening. Rooney handed him a Steelers' jersey:



Sally Matts foreground, Barack Obama background



I've heard Obama speak on TV a number of times. While he's often a little stiff, he speaks very intelligently, unlike your average politician. He sounds like he's thinking about what he's saying and not just repeating sound bites or blurting out something wildly inappropriate. It was definitely worthwhile to hear him speak in person. Yeah, there were bits and pieces of his standard stump speech and his Democratic National Convention speech, but he seems to adapt it slightly for his audience.





Obama's speech, which lasted about a half hour, hit all the right notes. People were still coming in, half-way through his speech. The audience was enthusiastic. There were only one or two hecklers. Everyone was welcome to this rally (no tickets, no vetting by local Democrats). The fact there were so few Republican intrusions was indicative of the fact that McCain/Palin don't have as much support in Pittsburgh as they'd like to pretend (when they were in Western Pennsylvania last week, McCain drew about 4,400 people and Palin about 2,000). The Democratic vote in and near the main cities usually exceeds the Republican vote in the rural parts of the state, and I hope this will be true this year.

It was a great rally!

My favorite sign:



After his speech, Obama went down on the floor to shake hands. Sally and I decided we'd just as soon find the bus and get home, which we did.

I took a test this morning which I saw in adelheid-p's Live Journal.

You Should Be Allowed to Vote

You got 15/15 questions correct. Generally speaking, you're very well informed. If you vote this election, you'll know exactly who (and what) you'll be voting for. You're likely to have strong opinions, and you have the facts to back them up.

Should You Be Allowed to Vote?

There's only one more thing to say: VOTE!!!!!!

Meme: So What Were You Writing About the Federal Election in 2004?

Every once in a while, I get a sense of "deja vu all over again" about the presidential election. So, I went back and read my November, 2004 blog entries (if you want to read them, remember, jump to the bottom of the file and work your way up).

Hmm, I was overconfident (briefly), but not so much that I didn't work on the campaign or vote.

The post-election analysis was interesting. Fewer people voted than Democrats counted on and the youth voting rate was no higher in 2004 than it had been in 2000. I sincerely hope both of those things will turn out differently this time.

So, here's an informal meme for you - if you wrote about the 2004 election online, link to it from your blog or LiveJournal or however you write on the Internet. What were you thinking then? What do you think now? What do you think will be different this time?

A "Pro-Jobs" Tax Ad - with Grover Norquist???

I saw one of those political ads (sponsored by "Americans for Tax Reform") that spoke darkly about "changing the tax structure will lose jobs."

The man narrating the ad was Grover Norquist.

That name was a blast from the past, where Norquist should stay. Norquist was the guy behind all those tax cuts Bush pushed back in 2001. In short, Norquist is the architect of the unprecedented deficit our government currently has.

Norquist is also the person who famously said:


My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.


So if you want to live in a third world country, by all means, support the current tax structure, or candidates who would blindly leap into more tax cuts.

It's amazing that this group can be a 501(c)3. While this group wasn't specifically mentioning any particular party or candidate, it's clear they think we're still overtaxed and are encouraging voters to vote against the tax rate increases a responsible government needs to institute. If we had a strong national infrastructure and no deficit, I might agree that Americans are overtaxed. But we have a crumbling infrastructure, inferior schools, extraordinarily uneven medical care and a massive deficit.

I don't think people making over $100,000 a year are being overtaxed. There's every evidence that they're not, thanks to nearly eight years of irresponsible Republican "leadership."

Single Issue Folks Are At It Again...

With the economy tanking, the government bailing out Wall St and many other problems, some things never change. The anti-abortion fanatics are at it again, showing large, graphic posters on Route 60 in Robinson today and calling Obama a "baby killer."

Maybe those of us who against war should print up large graphic posters of the war dead, and talk about "killer" McCain?

While I believe strongly in the right of women to chose abortion or birth control, I'm not a single-issue voter so I do not use this a litmus test. I voted for Casey, despite the fact he does not agree with my views on abortion.

This country cannot afford another Republican administration. For people to claim that they are "pro-life," it's unbelievable that they can't be bothered to understand that the Republicans have been anything but.

McCain Graduated 894th...in a class of 899...from Annapolis!

That's such an amazing statistic, I'm surprised no one has raised it before.

W. is reported to have graduated in the bottom 20th percentile from Yale.

Barack Obama graduated from Columbia and got his law degree from Harvard magna cum laude.

Let's have a smart president for a change!

Carl Sagan Predicted the Current State of America - in 1995

I was always a big fan of Carl Sagan's. The science blog The Intersection has reminded us that Carl Sagan predicted the current anti-science attitude of so many in America. If anyone in power had bothered to pay attention, we might not quite be in this state now:

Science is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking. I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time — when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.

Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan The Demon-Haunted World

Another Problem with the Republican-Proposed Bailout - Who Pays???

"Notice how the taxation ring on the right is dark and quiet, even though the government needs the better part of an extra terabuck? I guess the theory is that reckless borrowing got us into this mess and reckless borrowing can get us out."

Blogger Mike Benveniste

Yeah, that's yet another problem with the Bush bailout, if not the biggest problem with it.

Palin Supporters and Ongoing Theme of Constant Outrage Over NOTHING

I saw this headline at CNN today:

"Palin incest spoof on SNL draws fire"

but it was attached to a video and I didn't want to watch it. I finally found a printed article, to see if Palin supporters were really that stupid.

Yes, it turns out that some of them are. Perpetually outraged, because actually thinking about the ramifications of a satire is a bit beyond many of them.

I watched Saturday Night Live over the weekend, and saw the skit in question. It skewered journalists, not the Palins. The skit made the Palins look like victims of the media, and it made journalists look unbelievably stupid and vapid. The right wing should have been applauding it.

But no...

On the other hand, journalists have generally been bright enough to understand it was a satire, and haven't been so offended.

"Privatizing Gains, Socializing Losses..." Describing the US Financial Mess in Four Words

New York Times columnist Gretchen Morgenson was on NPR's "Fresh Air" today, and she succinctly summed up the problem with the bail-out Bush and buddies are pushing.

It's critical that the US not rush into fixing this problem. Our government needs to take a deep breath and ensure that as little federal money goes into this as possible and that safeguards are implemented rather than ignored.

Tell Your Senator to Vote CAUTIOUSLY on Any Massive Financial Bailout

E-mail or call your senator today to ask for caution and oversight. Senator Dodd's plan is more in the right direction than the "no strings" plan the Republicans are pushing.

One person in government cannot control that kind of money. As we've seen over the last seven years by the Republicans, absolutely power corrupts absolutely. And money is power.

What Obama Needs to do...

Offer more plans for dealing with the financial mess the Republicans got us into. There were way too many cozy deals being made for financial institutions during the Bush/Cheney administration. Frankly, many of us believe that the bailouts will cover golden parachutes for upper management and nothing for the middle class people with investments.

Hit the Republicans and Palin for ignoring supeonas. A person who claims to be a reformer cannot ignore supeonas. Politicians keep behaving like they're above the law - Obama should hit this attitude often.

I still have a great deal of respect for Obama, but he needs to be a bit more forceful. It almost seemed like he peaked with his wonderful acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention and has been surprisingly quiet since then. America can't afford for him to be quiet.

Issues Do Matter - The Science 2008 Debate

In the middle of the first set of Palin bruhahas, Obama's office released information some of us were waiting for:

Barack Obama's answers to the top 14 science questions facing America

Granted, the media and many Americans have demonstrated they aren't as interested in the issues as they ought to be. I keep waiting for James Carville to pipe up "It's the economy, stupid," or someone (anyone) to notice our massive, massive deficit.

The Science 2008 Debate has been an attempt to get the candidates focused on issues that should be important to more Americans. Thanks to the Obama campaign for taking the time to look at these important issues.

Movie Review: Bottle Shock

Bottle Shock has the look and feel of a nicely-photographed, well-cast indy movie...for about half of the movie. The other half of the movie, unfortunately, thinks it is a Hollywood movie about '70s stoner-style kids, with a hacknied plot about an uptight father trying to straighten out his college-age son, and a potentially more interesting plot about a talented winemaker trying to break out on his own that gets lost in the shuffle.

Alan Rickman's part of the movie is much better than Bill Pullman/ChrisPine's part of the movie. Rickman plays a stodgy Brit living in Paris running a wine shop. He and American ex-patriot Dennis Farina sit and discuss wine. Rickman, not being French, is given no respect by the French wine critics. He and Farina come up with an idea (this being the summer of '76) to organize a blind taste test of American and French wines in honor of the American bicentennial.

In California wine country, Bill Pullman is running a failing vineyard. You know it's failing because he's had to go to the bank again for another loan on the place which already has multiple loans outstanding. His son, played by Chris Pine seems to help some with the business when he isn't busy having sex, surfing or smoking dope. He's friends with one of the vineyard employees, Freddy Rodriguez (who is terrific in a part that isn't fully developed). Rodriguez plays a whiz at identifying wine types and vintages in blind tastings. He is secretly working with his father to create their own wine.

They're joined by Rachel Taylor who, sadly, has little more to do in this movie than be eye candy. Eliza Dushku, practically the only other woman in the movie, plays a ballsy bar owner.

When Rickman goes to California in search of interesting wines to test, Pullman's wines are among the ones he tries and likes. While Rickman's character is a wine snob, and is convinced of the superiority of French wines, he clearly thinks the American wines have improved beyond that 70s favorite, Gallo Hearty Burgundy.

The middle of the movie gets very muddy; still has plenty of nice photography and shots of people enjoying wine on beautiful California hillsides. But the stoner son suddenly goes off and gets money from a relative and you don't know who she is until later in the movie. The stoner son and the eye candy jump from bed to bed without giving it a second thought (sure there was some of that in the '70s but...). The movie regains its focus and its humor when the stoner son helps the British wine snob get fellow travelers to hand carry two cases of wine so the wine won't be subject the rigors and cold of the plane's cargo hold.

Finally, the wine arrives safely in France, and the famous blind wine tasting, The Battle of Paris, begins. It's no surprise now, but two American wines take top honors which stuns the French. One of those wines is from the failing vineyard, so the father's business is saved.
The implication is, however, that the wine snob's business may have gone from slow to completely dead after the competition, for helping to show that French wines aren't necessarily the best.

I really wanted to like this movie, but I was somewhat disappointed. I like clever movies that don't rely on Hollywood tropes. Part of the point of a good indy movie is that it doesn't need every silly Hollywood convention. When the movie stayed true to the story of wine lovers and their various competitions, it was a much better movie. Rickman was very good, so it's worth going to see it if you're a fan of his.

While the production values were generally pretty good, and the costumes were always spot-on, sometimes the lighting, sound and editing were off. The movie also had an annoying number of things from the '80s showing up in the '70s, like "modern" wine labels, recycle deposit
information on wine bottles and UPC codes. But, the biggest problem with this movie is that it was trying to combine the charm of an indy movie with the plot devices of a Hollywood movie. Kind of like trying to blend cabernet and riesling grapes and wondering why that blend
doesn't work.

A Near-Crime Story That's Very Funny

That sort of thing doesn't happen often enough.

I've had a very busy summer, dealing with some part-time jobs, some very busy volunteer work and something like a vacation. Things are calming way down. Now that Denvention is winding down, I don't plan to take a major role in convention work for a while. I'm not gafiating (I have two fairly simple jobs for Anticipation next year); I'm taking more of a sabbatical.

The "Would You Have Been A Nazi?" Meme

I liked the answer I got!

Many Americans comprehend the difference between disliking our government and caring about our country. In fact, since we care about America (and the Constitution), we strongly disagree with the current government.

Confluence, Pittsburgh's Science Fiction Convention, July 25-27, Joe Haldeman, Kathryn Cramer, Lord Landless

Confluence is a small, friendly science fiction convention with a terrific con suite, lots of discussion and music!

Our GoH is Joe Haldeman (yes, he will bring his guitar), the P. Schulyer Miller Critic Guest is Kathryn Cramer and the special music guest is Lord Landless. Other program participants and/or filk performers include: S. C. Butler, Ken Chiacchia, Lawrence C. Connolly, Juanita Coulson, Eric Leif Davin, Lawrence Dean, Susan Dexter, Andy Eigel, Marty Coady Fabish, Stephen C. Fisher, Pete Grubbs, Gay Haldeman, David Hartwell, William H. Keith, Jr, Fruma Klass, Geoffrey Landis, Timothy E. Liebe, Paul Melko, Judi Miller, James Morrow, Kathy Morrow, Charles Oberndorf, Naomi Pardue, Tamora Pierce, Silva, Bud Sparhawk, William Tenn, Diane Turnshek, Mary Turzillo, Dave Wells and Darren Ziege. Yes, Poexry is Friday night, and, on Saturday, our local players will be performing an original satire by Jim Morrow on Saturday night.

Our hotel is the Doubletree Pittsburgh Airport. It's close enough to the airport to be a free shuttle ride away, but not so close that airport noise will keep you up all weekend. Parking is free, and you can walk to a number of local restaurants. Our hotel block closes July 3.

Conflunce also features a large (and sold out) Dealers Room, Art Show and Video Program (the theme this year is "Comics and Graphic Novels to Movies"). We also run Autographings, Readings and Literary Beers, to give you the chance to see your favorite writer in a smaller setting.

Prereg closes July 3. One day memberships will be available at the door.

Possible dpsinfo.com Service Outtage

I'm in the process of moving to a slightly different domain hosting program at Pair. As a result, my mail and Website may flake out over the next day. I expect everything to be back to normal as the nameserver updates are propagated around.

If you need to reach my domains, try http://pl524.pairlitesite.com/

Jim's mail service could also be disrupted as dpsinfo.com serves norstrilia.org's mail.

Hey, I'm Smarter than Scott McClellan!

"Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan writes in a surprisingly scathing memoir to be published next week that President Bush “veered terribly off course,” was not “open and forthright on Iraq,” and took a “permanent campaign approach” to governing at the expense of candor and competence."

Hey, I knew that and I didn't even work in Washington or for the Bush administration!

I guess Independents and Democrats understand the obvious more than Republicans do?

Senator Kennedy and Dying in Old Age

I was reading an acquaintance's LJ, and found some "oh it's part of the Kennedy Curse" whinging about the Senator Kennedy's cancer diagnosis. A number of people agreed with with original posting.

I had to disagree:



Um....

OK, I'll say it - he's 76 years old.

That means he, like his mother and father before him, lived longer than average.

He's not part of any mythic "Kennedy curse" (though you could certainly make a case for some of his older siblings and two of his nephews).

He survived a plane crash in the mid-60s (with a broken back), a car crash in 1969 (that killed his companion) and more eating, drinking, and fooling around (when he was younger apparently) than most people.

If anything, he's been the luckiest Kennedy of them all.

Think about it - we all die. He's not 26 - he's 76.

Sorry, I've generally liked Teddy and voted for him at least once, but I'm not in denial about his age or condition physical condition.

Last I looked, dying in old age wasn't a curse.

Sorry I Haven't Been Blogging Much Here

I've been busy with an interesting class (have a paper due this Thursday), following the local shooting of The Road, and, busiest of all, have been an extra in a 20-something comedy called She's Out of My League. I'll probably only have another day or two of extra shooting. As a longtime movie fan, it's been mostly a blast.

I will vote in the Pennsylvania primary on April 22. For the last year, I was planning to vote for Hillary Clinton. Now, I'm not so sure. It's not just her vote for the Iraq war, though that was one of the stupider thing she did. I just haven't liked the tone of her whole campaign over the last few months. Barack has about as much experience now as Bill Clinton did in 1992, and, somehow, that doesn't make him experienced enough to be president now?

I'd really like to see a woman in the White House. But I'd also like someone not so beholden to special interests, and someone who's an inspiring speaker (for a change!).

I'm definitely leaning more towards Barack Obama than I have been.

4/15/08: Change me to a definite Obama voter now. Clinton's campaign has gone negative in the kind of ad the Republicans used against Kerry. If she's going Republican, I'm voting for Obama.