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My wife Elspeth, stepdaughter Leila, and I went to the Democratic Presidential Candidate Forum held at OSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma yesterday. Elspeth wrote a report as soon as we got back home to Tulsa, which she posted to the comments sections of the Daily Koz and BlogforAmerica. I post it here verbatim, with a few notes of my own, italicized, in paratheses:
It was a pretty cool day for Oklahoma in August, only mid 90's, so the crowd that gathered outside to meet Dean arriving was pretty patient. The good Doctor was late arriving to the small Stillwater airport and showed up for a quick unmiked digest of his stump speech in front of the Oklahoma Deanies and the local news outfits. There was one national crew in evidence, but with a producer, no on air talent.
We wandered over into the long line to get into the venue while a parade of rushees in their rush party dresses paraded past. The football team was working out in the adjacent practice field. Life was going on as normal, and I wanted to shake all of them and tell them something important was going on inside.
An aside here: getting tickets for the forum was a little difficult. I sent a number of emails, and it took a phone call to get it right. What I found out from a member of the organizing committee was that the venue had to be changed three times. It started out in a 500 seat auditorium and by the time all the ticket requests had been accepted....they moved up to the basketball arena. Word was they expected 3,500 to 4,000 people. Final count announced at the end of the event was 5,600 people.
We rattled around a bit in the arena, but the crowd was impressive for all that-- people were lined up the length of the football stadium (immediately adjacent) to get in at 5:00 so things got started a little late.
There was a standard bit of pre-taping theatre, with the state party chair introducing the Governor (of Oklahoma, Brad Henry), and the Govennor introducing his wife. Frankly, I think Brad Henry probably pinches himself every day that he was able to beat Steve Largent. Which goes to show what Democrats in Oklahoma can do when riled. It just waits to be seen if Bush riles them as much as cock fighting. Sharpton wasn't there. Word from the organizers: no money. Cancelled last night after six via phone message.
The two local anchors (one from Oklahoma City and the other from Tulsa) dropped things and had mike problems as taping commenced, which lent the whole affair a slight taste of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney trying to put on a show in the barn. If you get a chance to watch on C-Span, you'll also get to see a number of bad haircuts walk behind the candidates because of the way the dias and background were set up. The anchor types got their act together after a bit, and brought out Kucinich. He was wonderful. The two lobbed softball questions which he volleyed back with the sincerity of a true believer. The polite Oklahoma audience clapped in all the right places, with slightly more emphasis than they usually put into clapping for their kids' recitals. Then the first weird moment: hostess Terry Hood comes from left field and asks Kucinich if he gets into the White House will he serve good Oklahoma Beef. Kucinich, momentarily dazed, says yes...pauses a moment, calls up a dazzling smile and says Yes, he'll serve Oklahoma Beef in the White House, but we won't have a beef with him as president. I'm thinking the guy deserves a drink after that one. The crowd gives him a standing ovation as he leaves. Like I said, we're polite.
Carol Mosley-Braun comes out. She has a 500-megawatt smile. In 30 seconds I'm captivated. I want to invite her to dinner. She's mastered the most authentic off-the-cuff delivery I think I've ever seen. She's having a ball. They ask a question that prompts her lovely double entendre on Bush and intelligence. The crowd laps it up. They think she's make a slip. It's that slightly abashed look, with just the tip of her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth. We love it. We love her. She's just pulled off a standard stump line and we're entranced. Two points for the good ambassador. She gets a standing O.
Lieberman comes out. I imagine the candidates in the back high-fiving each other, things are going so well. The questions have been pretty easy, the crowd is receptive. Lieberman's loose, smiling, in his element. We have some standard stuff and he winds up for the big line..."cannot tell a just war when they see it..." He's waiting for the applause. And he gets some, but there is an undercurrent that starts low and rises. Oh, my, it's hissing. These good democrats, the very ones he has to convince or kiss the nomination goodbye, they are booing and hissing. I'll give the man his due, he took it well, but mind you...his campaign staff is busy telling each other that only the liberals took a day off to drive an hour or two to be in bumfu...uh...Stillwater, Oklahoma to see some fool debate. That's not how the rest of them feel, no sir. All I have to say to the staff is Brad Henry...cock fighting. Who knows what will set off an Oklahoma Democrat?
I have notes of what everyone else said. My daughter took them. She is going to write up a report for school. Here comes the big confession: I could hardly tell them apart. There were mill workers sons, and people who talk like we do (honey, a twang is NOT a drawl), we all want healthcare, Wrangler plant closing. Yada Yada Yada. They all got a standing O. You see, we are polite.
And then there was Dean, sandwiched somewhere between Yada (Gephardt) and Yada Yada (Edwards). The good Doctor comes out, and by this time the guy anchor is pretty worked up. He stopped lobbing softballs a while ago and has been hammering away on Gay Marriage and Strong Defense... He's all in the mood to play bait the liberal with Dean. Dean, who has heard of, if not heard, the Lieberman smack down, isn't blinking. His shoulders aren't tight. He's on. He's spitting back standard stump lines with a little English, zing, right over the plate. How can I be objective? I already thought he was great. Standing O. And afterwards everyone wonders, why DIDN'T they ask him about gay marriage?
With the forum over, we slipped quietly out the back entrance. Went a couple of blocks away to the local watering hole, Eskimo Joe's, for the Dean thing (The party was SRO. We got there a bit before the crowd arrived, and were lucky to get seats). Run into a party activist I know through email. We congratulate one another about how good Dean was. (You all should understand, it's just so personal) So he says to me...you know what the difference is? I say, no, what? He says he's been an activist for 20 years, and look around the room (which is packed by the way), he doesn't recognize anybody.
And I think to myself...Standing O.
(For what it’s worth, I did get to shake Dean’s hand in front of Eskimo Joe’s, as his handlers were trying to herd him into a van and whisk him away. I did not get the standard three finger limp-wristed politician’s handshake; he shook my hand briefly but hard. Dean was putting energy into that handshake, not taking it out. I could still fell the impress of his hand as I walked to the car. If Dean does that every time he shakes hands, he has got to have some thick calluses on his palm.) |
