Pressing the flesh

I saw Obama live for the first time today!

He's in Vegas in advance of the January 19th caucuses here in Nevada. Earlier in the day he accepted the endorsement of the local Culinary Workers Union (Nevada's largest) and then had a town hall meeting at Del Sol High School.

I knew about the huge crowds he drew in New Hampshire, but I figured Nevadans were following the presidential race less fervently.

Was I ever wrong.

I showed up at 5pm when the doors were supposed to open. The line snaked through the high school parking lot and ran nearly a block along the street. It took me 20 minutes to find a parking place, and once I got in line it moved at a snail's pace.

An Obama volunteer informed us that the delay was due to the unexpectedly large crowd and the Secret Service security check. (The best estimates I heard were that there around 3500-4000 people at the event.)

After waiting for a couple of hours, I noticed the police closing off the intersection near us, and I surmised that Obama was about to arrive. Indeed, his motorcade came by five minutes later, and he waved as he passed. Those of us so far back in line were elated, thinking we had just gotten some small consolation prize for not getting inside.

Eventually we were informed that the gymnasium was full but we w0uld be allowed into an overflow area outside. There were loudspeakers but no video screens, so I was a little disappointed but not about to leave.

Then we heard an announcement over the speakers being made to the crowd inside: Obama would be a little bit longer because he wanted to greet those who weren't able to get inside.

Suddenly we were all alert, wondering if he was going to swing by the last people in line outside. But no, there he was on a platform not 20 feet from where I was standing. He spoke to us for ten minutes; as he finished, the crowd burst into cheers of "Obama! Obama!"

I then started to head to the other end of the area so that I could hear him speak better once he was inside the gym, but a woman pushed by me speaking into her cell phone, "I shook his hand!"

I turned around and there he was... and so I, too, pushed forward and shook his hand. And I have to admit feeling a little choked up as I did so.

Clearly there are no losers at an Obama event; even at the back of the line we got his attention.

I was able to see him through a window as he spoke for 15-20 minutes to those inside the gym, and then as he shifted into the town hall Q&A portion of the evening, a staffer led a few of us inside.

I listened for 35-40 minutes as he answered a wide range of questions from the audience. I had a question ready if I was called on: What keeps you up at night? Alas, I'll have to ask it at another event in the coming week (and I'm going to go to every event I can!).

I was very impressed with how he answered each question: intelligently, pragmatically, empathetically. He talked about how issues don't live in isolation but are almost always connected to other things, and that you had to understand those linkages when choosing solutions to the problems we faced.

Obama also emphasized the importance of listening to other people's perspectives. For example, in answering a question about illegal immigration, he said that we have to understand the perspective of the American worker who is seeing companies move jobs overseas, who is facing a declining standard of living as wages fail to keep up with inflation, and who sees illegal immigrants taking jobs in America.

But he also said you have to look at the perspective of some employers, like farmers and agricultural companies, who sometimes have difficulty finding workers to pick their crops for minimum wage.

And he also encouraged us to think about the plight of those illegal immigrants who are here, working hard, and trying to do the best that they can for their family. He made the point that if the minimum wage was $100/hour in Canada, there would be a whole lot of Americans crossing the border to work up there, even if they had to do it illegally.

Another answer about health care impressed me. He said he respected the efforts the Clintons made in 1993 to reform health care, but pointed out that they did much of the work behind closed doors. That secrecy allowed insurance and pharmaceutical companies to frame the debate in the press and in Congress, so the Clinton bill was dead on arrival.

He said the way he'll reform health care is to bring everyone to the table: himself, doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, patient advocates, key members of Congress, some governors, and insurance and pharmaceutical companies. He just wouldn't let the latter two buy every seat at the table. And he'd have the meetings broadcast on CSPAN so that the public could watch and determine if their interests were being served... or those of insurers and drug companies.

I listened to Obama carefully throughout the Q&A session for a couple of reasons. First, I want to be reassured myself that the substance is there, that this man who can speak so sweetly also knows what he is doing. And on that account I am satisfied. He understands nuance. He promises to say what he believes, even if it isn't always what people want to hear. And he knows that what is going to make a difference in Washington is getting people to become active citizens. "There's no magic formula," he said. What will make a difference is "all of you putting pressure on those in Washington" to get the stuff done that matters to Americans.

And secondly, I listened so that I can understand his positions better and be able to better articulate where he stands when I'm canvassing or phone banking.

Because this election matters. Because this is a defining moment for us as a nation. And because we can do better.