Obama In Boston @ The Park Plaza Castle (Recap+Pics)
We arrived at the Park Plaza Castle a few minutes before 6pm when the doors where to open. We where directed to go to the end of the long ass line which literally stretched all the way down Columbus Ave, around the fire station, and to the back street that overlooks the turn pike. During the wait in line to get inside which lasted about 30 minutes, some guy with a thick Boston accent screamed out of the car "Whats going on?" to which the crowd in line responded in unison with "Obama!." As I walked past the new Da Vinci Restaurant, I made a mental note to go there some time soon to see if it is good. After a slow start, the line moved surprisingly quickly. I assumed that security would be tight because I knew Obama as a potential president was already getting the secret service treatment. Though a sign said all people who enter are subject to search, I nor anyone else near me was actually searched as we entered. This fact gave a good vibe to start the night. In this world where we are searched and need to show I.d. to get into everywhere, I welcomed the low key security at the event. As everyone entered the castle (in my case for the first time) they where greeted with the site of a vast hall, a little stage for the media, and 2 large banners (Boston for Barack and Change We Can Believe In) which you can see below. ( I thought the Red Sox style lettering on the Boston for Barack sign was a nice touch)
The room quickly got packed. While we where waiting, you would hear one of the Barack staffers shouting out his slogan "Fired Up! and Ready To Go." (This led me to the idea that someone should make a mix that splices the scream Busta does of "Fired Up" on his song by the same name and the scream of "Ready To Go" that Saffron does on the song Ready To Go by Republica. The actual music that was playing during the wait for the event to start included Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, and Angels and Airways. (not bad as these things go) Around 7:10 a chorus took the stage and sang a great rendition of the National Anthem to which many of the crowd sang along too and gave a huge cheer for at the end. (who says Liberals are not Patriotic?)
Next up where quick speeches by Boston City Councilors Ross, Flaherty, and Sam Yoon. The latter of which gave the best speech of the 3. They were followed by a women who was a recent volunteer for the Obama campaign who urged everyone to go to New Hampshire and canvas before the all important New Hampshire primary. She got the honor of introducing Obama to the crowd which was a nice touch since at most of the events I have been to like this it is usually a fellow politician or someone famous who introduces the main act.
I saw Obama about a month and a half ago on the Boston Common and he seemed a little off of his game. Tonight was the exact opposite. He strode around the stage with a confident swagger. He started off with a joke about how he wished Boston would lend some its sports magic to Chicago. Next, he talked about how he had been in Iowa earlier in the day and said "things are looking good there" (he is up by 5 in the most recent pole there) which drew a huge cheer. In terms of major policy positions, Obama and Clinton are not very different. That is why for the about 10 minutes of his speech Obama took subtle and not so subtle digs at Clinton which stuck to his talking points about why he would be better to lead and implant those policies. Here are few of the not so subtle digs at Clinton both Bill and Hillary :
"The Problems with Health Care and Energy Independence where festering even before Bush took office"
"Triangulation won't do" (that is a reference to the Clinton's use of the Triangulation philosophy which many look at as a way of waffling"
"We don't need the same petty political arguments that held us back in the 90s again"
He also frequently referenced how unlike Clinton he was against the Iraq war from the start.
In terms of actual policy, like most candidates at this stage of the race, he kept it general instead of getting too specific. His biggest applaud line was no surprise considering Boston's demographics; it had to do with trying to make college more affordable. During his speech, he told some anecdotes about his mom's battle with cancer and the problems she had with insurance during that time and his background as a community organizer. He ended the speech with a Dr. King style vocal crescendo and the second he stopped talking Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" blared from the speakers as the crowd roared with applause. In addition, Obama briefly went into the crowd to shake hands. Overall it was an impressive and confident performance. At this point he should be confident as a clear path to victory has emerged: 1 He most likely will win Iowa 2. He can win New Hampshire if a high number of independents decide to vote in the Democratic primary 3. He can win South Carolina is the state's large African American population comes out in big numbers to vote. If he gets 2 of those 3 things to happen he will have a 50/50 shot of going all the way. If he goes 3 for 3 in those early states he will be on his way to take the whole thing. Below is some pictures I took of Obama on Stage:
The room quickly got packed. While we where waiting, you would hear one of the Barack staffers shouting out his slogan "Fired Up! and Ready To Go." (This led me to the idea that someone should make a mix that splices the scream Busta does of "Fired Up" on his song by the same name and the scream of "Ready To Go" that Saffron does on the song Ready To Go by Republica. The actual music that was playing during the wait for the event to start included Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, and Angels and Airways. (not bad as these things go) Around 7:10 a chorus took the stage and sang a great rendition of the National Anthem to which many of the crowd sang along too and gave a huge cheer for at the end. (who says Liberals are not Patriotic?)
Next up where quick speeches by Boston City Councilors Ross, Flaherty, and Sam Yoon. The latter of which gave the best speech of the 3. They were followed by a women who was a recent volunteer for the Obama campaign who urged everyone to go to New Hampshire and canvas before the all important New Hampshire primary. She got the honor of introducing Obama to the crowd which was a nice touch since at most of the events I have been to like this it is usually a fellow politician or someone famous who introduces the main act.
I saw Obama about a month and a half ago on the Boston Common and he seemed a little off of his game. Tonight was the exact opposite. He strode around the stage with a confident swagger. He started off with a joke about how he wished Boston would lend some its sports magic to Chicago. Next, he talked about how he had been in Iowa earlier in the day and said "things are looking good there" (he is up by 5 in the most recent pole there) which drew a huge cheer. In terms of major policy positions, Obama and Clinton are not very different. That is why for the about 10 minutes of his speech Obama took subtle and not so subtle digs at Clinton which stuck to his talking points about why he would be better to lead and implant those policies. Here are few of the not so subtle digs at Clinton both Bill and Hillary :
"The Problems with Health Care and Energy Independence where festering even before Bush took office"
"Triangulation won't do" (that is a reference to the Clinton's use of the Triangulation philosophy which many look at as a way of waffling"
"We don't need the same petty political arguments that held us back in the 90s again"
He also frequently referenced how unlike Clinton he was against the Iraq war from the start.
In terms of actual policy, like most candidates at this stage of the race, he kept it general instead of getting too specific. His biggest applaud line was no surprise considering Boston's demographics; it had to do with trying to make college more affordable. During his speech, he told some anecdotes about his mom's battle with cancer and the problems she had with insurance during that time and his background as a community organizer. He ended the speech with a Dr. King style vocal crescendo and the second he stopped talking Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" blared from the speakers as the crowd roared with applause. In addition, Obama briefly went into the crowd to shake hands. Overall it was an impressive and confident performance. At this point he should be confident as a clear path to victory has emerged: 1 He most likely will win Iowa 2. He can win New Hampshire if a high number of independents decide to vote in the Democratic primary 3. He can win South Carolina is the state's large African American population comes out in big numbers to vote. If he gets 2 of those 3 things to happen he will have a 50/50 shot of going all the way. If he goes 3 for 3 in those early states he will be on his way to take the whole thing. Below is some pictures I took of Obama on Stage:
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