The Great Unveiling

Photo by Erich DeLang

SPRINGFIELD, IL - And so it came to pass that on a summer's day, a crowd thirty-five thousand strong gathered to bear witness to the unveiling of the One's One, he who had also been chosen to wield the Flame of Change.

The AccountsPolitical team arrived in Springfield about 12:30, at which time the traffic in the downtown was fairly snarled. We were able to find parking perhaps eight blocks from the event site, and a quick walk brought us to the end of the security queue. The line passed along-side literally dozens of ad hoc souvenir and tee shirt booths, where barkers hocked Obama merchandise using liberal sales techniques. These included, "buy your union-made Obama tee shirts," and "Obama bead jewelery from Guatemala puts food on Mayan Indian tables."

The air was thick and still, the heat from the blazing sun and baking pavement drawing sweat almost immediately. There had been a call for isolated thunderstorms earlier in the day, but the weather ended up cooperating as well as could be expected in Southern Illinois in August. The Fire Department had opened up numerous mains and hydrants, powering misters and spray-showers. Children played in the streams of water, which ran lazily to the drains as the firemen sat passively and watched the ambling crowd.

Obama volunteers lined the corners, maintaining order, telling people to turn their electronics on and discard their bottles and other questionable possessions. As we drew nearer the security checkpoint, there appeared on the side of the walkway piles of bottles and umbrellas that had been discarded by the crowd, stacked on curbs and windowsills of abandoned store-fronts. Upon actually reaching the checkpoint, we were given the most cursory of inspections before being allowed into the barricaded viewing area.

The entire Old Capitol as well as the four streets surrounding it had been closed off by police, and were now packed to the bursting point with excited fans. Campaign volunteers and police were trying to herd the crowd away from the podium, where the mass had become dangerously compressed, but were largely unable to keep the crowd from pressing forward to the stage. Police and Secret Service personnel lined the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the square, watching over the crowd with binoculars and automatic weapons.

The crowd was extremely diverse, much more than I would have expected at this venue. There were the usual assortment of young idealists, but also a surprisingly large contingent of senior citizens with canes and in wheelchairs, braving the heat to watch the introduction of the Democratic Ticket. The crowd was black, white, brown, all gathered up and mixed together, baking in the sun.

At 2:00 on the dot, Springfield Mayor Timothy Davlin welcomed the everyone and introduced a Gold Star father, who led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. He then introduced a reverend who gave the benediction. The reverend led the assembled mass in a VERY detailed and policy-oriented prayer. As he listed plank after plank of the Democratic Party Platform, boxes of newly minted Obama-Biden placards began traveling through the crowd. The good reverend then introduced the Junior Senator from Illinois.

Obama's entrance was marked, as always, by a raucous reaction. The hundred-degree heat did little to stifle their enthusiasm, and it was a good minute or two before Obama was able to begin his remarks. His introduction of Biden was warm and effusive, praising the six-term senator as "a statesman with sound judgement." Just before turning over the stage to Biden, Obama slipped and introduced him as "the next President," a line seized upon by the McCain campaign before the day was up.

Biden ran onstage from our side of the square, waving in all directions before embracing Obama as the crowd hoisted their placards high. After the applause died down, he spoke at length about hope for change and the direction he sees for this country. He did very well, touching upon his blue-collar background and his vast foreign policy experience. He went off-script at the end, referring to his "drop-dead gorgeous" wife, but all-in-all, he behaved himself remarkably well.

The crowd ate it up, and when he had finished, Obama rejoined him on the stage for round after round of thunderous applause. The feeling in the audience was one of great expectations. There is a lot of ground to cover between now and November 4th, but in the sun in that moment, the fresh-faced Obama and seasoned Biden looked every bit like the next President and Vice-President of the United States.