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Obama Rally In Portland
I just happened to be in Portland this weekend on business, and saw the
rally. I'm so surprised this hasn't received more coverage nationally..
It was one of the most amazing events I've ever seen. I was staying at
the Marriot on the
waterfront, and I had no idea there was going to be a rally. I heard
the Decemberists playing outside, so I went out on the balcony to see
what was going on. It was an unbelievable scene. The Willamette River,
in
front of the park, was filled with boats, the park was jam-packed with
people, and
there was a line of pedestrians that I was told stretched for 20 blocks
in every direction. Sharpshooters on the bridges and rooftops, and
helicopters flying overhead, and Mount Hood as the backdrop to the
mayhem. It was like nothing I've ever seen in my life. There was so
much energy in the air. I
missed Obama when he was in Minneapolis (where I live), so it was great
to finally have the opportunity to see him. This has to go down as one
of the greatest campaign
rallies of all time. I feel enormously lucky to have witnessed it. Just
thought I'd share the moment.
Comments (25)
Hreb, have you found any aerial shots? I found this video and thought it looked amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVJlxmu_cZw
The story has already been picked up by FOX, USNews, MSNBC, and Times Magazine's The Page, according to a real quick google.
May 19, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks a million for that video link--that's the scene alright. I doubt there would have been any shots from the air. There were snipers on the rooftops and helicopters overhead, and I'm sure they would have shooed any private planes away. The rally was right under the Hawthorne bridge, and there were probably people taking photos from there, so I'm sure some will show up on Flickr (you weren't supposed to stop up there, but there was no way the cops could control the crowd).
I took a few shots with my phone, but they're really crappy. The white hotel at the end of the video is where I was staying. Look real close--I'm on the fourteenth floor, going totally nuts.
May 19, 2008 8:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
As I mentioned earlier, from my point of view, a snowy Mount Hood was the backdrop. It was truly spectacular. I can't imagine what Obama was thinking when he stepped onto the stage (or his little girls, who were all dressed up and standing off to the side of the stage, watching their Dad). The day was just perfect: blue sky, 85 degrees or so (really hot for Portland), and this amazing crowd.
CNN just now had a little bit about it, where they tried to make it sound like one of the main reasons everyone was there was the Decemberists. I was there--don't believe CNN. The Decemberists got a polite response. People were definitely there for Obama.
May 19, 2008 9:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Shout out to you, man. What an impressive event! Envy you. Wish I could have see it live.
May 20, 2008 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Jed's got terrific videolinks too from the local tv
KGW, including one of the entire speech
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/05/barack-obamas-r.html
May 19, 2008 11:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
A few photos--if you're an Obama fan, you've gotta see these::
http://www.bloggersforchange.com/?p=2203
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donaldmillerwords/2505945095/sizes/o/
(I'm in the hotel behind the tree--the sharpshooters were right next to me)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomturnbull/2502919369/sizes/o/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flandersstportland/2505587636/sizes/l/
(This one was taken from about 2/3 of the way back in the crowd. The stage is so far away you can barely see it.)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theoregonian/2503240369/sizes/o/
(This one looks like it was taken from the Hawthorne Bridge. If you look close, you can see me cheering and clapping like an idiot from the balcony of my hotel room.)
May 19, 2008 8:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know why, but the flickr photo with the boats and kayaks is the one that gets me. Can you say "a sea of faces"?
May 19, 2008 8:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you for pasting these. I used to live in Portland and love it. These made me feel quite choked up.
May 19, 2008 10:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I used to live there too--on 23rd and Johnson, right across the street from Music Millenium (which, shockingly, is now closed. The place is completely gutted).
I had the same reaction. For some reason, the thing that really got to me was seeing Michelle and his kids up there on stage with him. They're such a great family. I got a little choked up too.
May 20, 2008 12:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
You beat me to it. I was just about to post that the NY Times photos were awesome and that a High Res poster should be made. So glad you were able to experience it in person.
Love the catbunny or is it buncat. TPM should hold an avatar contest.
May 19, 2008 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is it my imagination, or does that crowd look like a great bit PURPLE mass??
May 19, 2008 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
D'oh!! Typed too fast. I meant "great BIG purple mass".
May 19, 2008 9:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, jeez. Are you telling me the Decemberists were warming up the crowd for Obama? The Decemberists??
Okay, now I'm getting nervous. This is too good to be true. I'm probably in a coma hooked up to a heart-lung machine somewhere.
May 19, 2008 10:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just to check on the coma theory: While the Decemberists were playing, did Katee Sackhoff and Nancy Pelosi come out on stage and tango? Because if they did, I'm definitely in a coma, and you're a figment of my imagination.
May 19, 2008 11:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Decemberists!!!?
Oh my!
Wish I could have been there. I'll have to go look for videos now.
May 20, 2008 9:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's one, July July and Engine driver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvCtyVf8P9U&feature=related
:D
May 20, 2008 9:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a video that captures the energy of the event pretty well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI7h4n2aT1Y
The stage is the tiny little black rectangle in the center of the screen. The Hawthorne bridge is in the background. And if there was ever any doubt about whether white people would vote for Obama, please note that everyone is clapping on the 1 and the 3. *:o)
For a little perspective--here's a really wide shot:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/HawthorneBridge-Pano.jpg
The entire park south of the bridge was packed, the streets were packed, the river in front of the park was filled with boats of every kind, and there were people lined up all the way across the bridge. The hotel where I was staying, the Marriott, is right near the center of the park. I was on the 14th floor, so I got a great birdseye view of the whole thing. I really lucked out.
May 20, 2008 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
WOW! How wonderful to have had a glimpse of the excitement. Thank you!
May 20, 2008 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's awesome. Congrats!
May 20, 2008 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
wow!! Congrats. I'm jealous!
fab links and picts.
May 20, 2008 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey bunnycat ?(Um, just a sec, my cats are laughing hysterically)
Just curious, did the Decemberists end their set with "Sons and Daughters?"
That woulda been awesome. I know this thread is over, but I listened to the Decemberists all day today in the car and at work. I love ipods.
:)
Thanks for the video. You're coolness factor has gone up by a factor of 10. Just....
Thanks.
:D
May 20, 2008 7:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
I saw Colin Meloy play with his first band, Tarkio, in a tiny bike repair shop back when they were heroes of Montanan indie music. I'm cool too, right? Right??!
May 20, 2008 7:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
To tell you the truth, I'm not totally sure what they ended with. I was so focused on watching the scene playing out below me that I'm afraid I wasn't paying enough attention to the band. My coolness factor just went way down, right? :)
May 20, 2008 7:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Frankly, as an old fart, I'm really not fit to judge, am I? I mean, I went out to see Peter Case last week. How old farty is that? You're both very cool. I suppose I think Senator Obama's coolness factor has increased by a factor of 25, and that's the important thing....
Right?
:)
May 21, 2008 8:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
I was there and it was amazing! We walked around downtown for a while trying to find a way in and found nothing but blocks and blocks of lines. The energy was indeed moving and the crowd very decent -- everyone left in an orderly manner and there was barely a mess. I don't like crowds but this one was great. Makes me prouder then ever to be both an Oregonian and a Democrat.
May 20, 2008 7:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
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