This weekend panned out quite differently than I had expected. I didn't even make it to the Toboggan Nationals. Turns out I didn't miss much, an injury on the first day cut the competition short.
Instead, the weekend took a political slant. With the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a dead heat, both came to Maine on Saturday to rally support for Sunday's caucus.
I drove with a carload of four to see Barack speak at the Bangor Auditorium. When we got there, the line was stretched from the auditorium doors, down to the main drag, around Paul Bunyon (whose corroded crotch made it look like he'd wet himself), up another street, up a hill, and kept going, and going. We walked for twenty minutes before the end of the line was in sight.
Near the end of the line we bumped into my Aunt Helen and Uncle Andrew so we joined them. Both are Hillary supporters but had come to see Obama speak, seeing as he was in town, and they live around the block. They had attempted to see Clinton earlier in Orono, but had been turned away. Their son Devon and another one of my cousins Logan were both volunteering for the Obama rally so we kept getting the scoop of how full the auditorium was getting from the inside, as the line moved slowly outside.
We were within sight of the door when we were told that the auditorium was at capacity, but that Barack would speak briefly to the people outside. I was a little disappointed that we hadn't made it in, but not entirely crushed. All of a sudden I heard people by the door yell, "We'll take 300 more people!"
If you know me, you know I don't run. But upon hearing the call for, "300 hundred more," you better believe I ran towards that door .
My mom and our entire crew made it in! After going through the metal detector we were were lead down onto the floor in front of the stage where Obama was to speak. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. It. Was. Awesome.
Four years ago I saw Howard Dean and John Edwards speak at the College of Charleston but it was nothing like this. The house was packed to the brim, all the way up to the very tip top of the auditorium. It was thrilling to be a part of. Thrilling to get in, and thrilling to be standing shoulder to shoulder with 6,000 people who came from near and far to see Barack Obama speak.
Obama didn't deliver a mind blowing speech, but he covered what needed to be covered to get my vote. Sure, he didn't say anything new, he said what he's been saying, with a few Maine tie-ins (did ya know that one of his secret service dudes is the son of past Maine Governor, Joe Brennan?!). But seeing Brack Obama in person, feeling his charisma, being a part a captive audience, and feeling that energy with thousands of other hopeful Americans, that was something new.
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Oh right, the caucus. My mom and my sister and I went to Camden's caucus this afternoon. It was my first. 560 people showed up. 446 of us caucused for Obama, 105 for Hillary, and 9 people were undecided.
Of the 21 delegate slots, Hillary was appointed 4 and Obama 17. My mom's name was pulled out of a hat to be one of the delegates for Obama.
OBAMA 08!
