“The Democratic voters have made their choice. And so have I!” John Edwards bellowed at the podium inside Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Van Andel arena.
The declaration was met with eruptive cheers among the nearly 12,000 supporters in the stands—and sent a separate, personal bolt of electricity through this reporter’s spine.
Everything was a bit ahead of schedule for today’s Obama rally in Grand Rapids, which was impressive considering the event was only announced to the public two days ago. Quickly, word made its way around the city that the doors to the Van Andel would open at 5 pm, though Obama himself wouldn’t speak until 7. But those who arrived before 5 were pleasantly surprised to find security letting in the sweeping lines of enthusiastic, rain-weathered attendees around 4:45. Songs that would be repeated several times over the next two hours blared on speakers outside the arena: Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” and “Sir Duke”; India.Arie’s “There’s Hope”; and Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” were among them.
Six or so wan-looking coeds stood snootily off to the side of the electric throng, holding rather unimpressive handwritten signs with such clever slams as, “The Audacity of Hype” and “My Pastor Isn’t a Racist.” They were largely ignored. (To give you an idea of the town’s “dedication” to other candidates, here’s a bit more on the opposition. Post-rally, the beleaguered sextet whittled down to about four die-hards, while across the street from the arena, two not-so-menacing skinheads stood shoulder to shoulder in swastika jackets, presumably just making their presence known. Wandering around them were about seven people with “Hillary for President” signs with lame, cutout block letters on white posterboard.)
After a routine security check at the door (I was wanded after the metal detector beeped on me but was, of course, declared unarmed and allowed to enter without further hesitation), I followed the growing line up two flights of stairs to a raised section of the stadium. I’d prepared for an interminable wait once inside, but seating went smoothly and pleasant chatter seemed to ripple through the good-natured gatherers in easy, time-passing rhythms.
Then, around 6 pm, a war vet in fatigues and on crutches led us all in the pledge of allegiance—something I hadn’t recited since around ninth grade. It’s amazing how instinctively the words come back to you…. Then, a young field worker for the Obama campaign came up to hype the crowd and urge everyone to join the Obama text message campaign for Michigan, which I did, by dialing “Obama” numerically on my cell. Before the rally was over, I received five messages. I may want to rethink my commitment to the text message stump.
The field worker told us to sit back and enjoy the music. I glanced at the digital clock in the stands; there were still about 55 minutes before Obama was expected. As she left the stage, Will.i.am’s delightful “Yes, We Can” celeb-soaked video cued on an overhead monitor. Mercifully, that only played once the whole night.
About a half-hour later, around 6:35, a young dude who clearly wasn’t a public speaker stepped to the podium and began talking haltingly about how his factory/plant job had laid off hundreds of employees and was still slated to let 30-50 more go in the upcoming months, before ultimately shutting its doors for good in November. He explained that the jobs were being outsourced to other countries and, slowly, he and the other employees were becoming obsolete. He griped about gas prices in Michigan being at $4.00/gallon for regular, which garnered a raucous encouragement from the crowd and he paused to absorb the cheers before talking about the increased in ground beef prices per pound. He didn’t stay on the microphone long, but he did manage to strike a chord with me.
As a Michigan native, born in Lansing (though raised hundreds of miles away in Baltimore, MD), who returned to the state as a resident for the first time since age four in August 2007, I’ve noticed how profound and pronounced the economic strain is here, compared to the level of recession being experienced in Baltimore and New York (the last two cities where I lived). Michigan’s middle-class seems to be rapidly eroding, as the automotive industry sloughs away its factories and workers and the ridiculously wealthy native sons in cities like Grand Rapids somehow manage to maintain and even increase their wealth in the face of a steadily rising unemployment rate.
In short, this state (and this city in particular) is a hotbed for the middle-class issues that’ve become the linchpin of this campaign. Despite Grand Rapids’ staunch conservatism, the problems of the past decade in terms of factory closures and housing foreclosures have led many to seek out an alternative to over-taxation and belt-tightening to the point of asphyxiation.
For the duration of that factory worker’s speech, I worried over the imminent loss of his job, acutely aware of how difficult it will be for him to find another one in this city. And while I was quietly clucking over his woes, I barely noticed that his whole understated diatribe had led into a monotone introduction of Barack Obama. Monotone intro or not, the crowd leapt to its feet and threw its arms in the air as Obama grinned and strutted to the fore, with U2’s “Beautiful Day” propelling him.
He wasted no time, quipping that he hadn’t gotten the chance to campaign here in the primaries and to make up for it, he wanted to bring us something special. By then, most of knew what was coming. In this age of cell phones and PDAs, it’s difficult to surprise a packed stadium crowd when news has already hit the airwaves and ‘net, and amid the repeat spins of inoffensive inspirational music, the rumor that John Edwards was going to be here to publicly endorse Obama had made its way through the house.
Sure enough, out he came! The crowd cheered even louder for Edwards than it had for Obama a moment before, likely shocked that the rumor had, in fact, been true; and Edwards launched into an expertly crafted speech before people completely quieted down. He paid lip service to Hillary Clinton, emphatically stating that she was an important person in politics not because of her husband, but because of her own accomplishments and complimenting her tenacity in the face of the turning electoral tide.
He spent quite a bit of time on his complimentary musings on Clinton, before cutting to the quick:
“The Democratic voters have made their choice. And so have I! I endorse Barack Obama as the next President of the United States!”
It was a remarkable moment, everyone turning to one another, half-shocked and wholly elated, patting each other’s backs and holding their heads as though their minds had just been blown.
Edwards spoke about the importance of uniting the country, closing class divides, providing equal educational opportunities, shielding any employees who were being bullied for wanting to start unions, and ending the “moral shame” of 30-someodd-million U.S. citizens living in extreme poverty. He talked about making the country a safe haven for returning troops, rather than a place where red tape and joblessness barred them from their post-military goals.
When Obama returned to the stage, he spoke of a poverty-ending initiative Edwards had introduced recently, one that he vowed to push when elected President. He credited Edwards with exposing the issue of poverty as an important campaign platform, when everyone else was focusing on other concerns. Then, he spoke reminiscently of the GI Bill and promised to provide transitional work programs for the lengthily unemployed. He bashed the current administration for not protecting the citizens from predatory mortgage lenders and stressed that everyone “willing to work” should be able to and that no one who does work should go hungry.
It was all very old-school Democratic.
The Edwards-Obama partnership was pitch perfect. Each touched on very sensitive issues for Michigan voters, with particular attention to unemployment, gas prices, college funding, and the mortgage crisis.
Like most political rallies, this one wasn’t weighed down by specifics. It was fueled by “I feel your pain” touchstones, rousing music, and good old fashioned hype. In spite of its clear success in firing up the folks in attendance, winning the state of Michigan will likely be an uphill battle for Obama. He certainly cemented support from the 12,000 amassed this evening… and with Edwards on his trail, stumping for jobs, unions, and hunger-ending initiatives, he’ll continue piquing the interest of the 7.6 percent of the Michigan population who are without work—Republican, conservative, and Christian Reform affiliations, notwithstanding.
If nothing else, the night’s 65-70% Caucasian turnout served as a symbolic “No hard feelings about that elitism snafu!” from the hard-working, White demographic Clinton keeps insisting she’s got all sewn up….
