Written by Marcia Hamilton | 03 October 2011

When I found out at the last minute that three OFA volunteers would have a chance to see the President speak in Seattle at the Paramount theater, I didn't miss a beat to suggest Jane Roush and Larry and Laurel King....and then I found out there were ten more tickets and even families could come (so I invited Denny and Elizabeth)! I called and emailed and invited the bunch of us who do canvasses, phone-banking, and other OFA-ish sorts of things. We got a great group together. But there were some real disappointments! At the top of the list of those who couldn't make it were Jane, Adrienne, Linda, Andi, Guyla, Elizabeth, Mary Walton, Jeff Gislason and Jill Sheehan. It took the rest of the week to organize the final list!

A large contingent could and did get to it and we were quite excited. The day before, I ended up going to the theater to pick up a pile tickets to distribute to our folks and some for those invited from Kitsap, Pierce, Clark Thurston counties. Each person's name had been certified and double-checked and each ticket picked up was verified and checked on two different lists at the box office as I stood there. These tickets were like gold!

Our crew from Mason and Kitsap met on the ferry in the cafeteria. We were in a festive mood, all dressed up. The Obama fans, sporting our Obama buttons and little American flags (thanks Larry) shared the cafeteria with SEAHAWK fans, sporting their wild SEAHAWK attire. As both groups slurped coffee and talked about chances, opponents and victory down the line, OFA volunteers arrived. I handed out tickets and checked them off our list. WHEW, only ten more to meet in line at the theater.

Once in line (which ultimately stretched down Pine Street more blocks than I could see—the theater seats over 2800 ), with a silly blue silk rose stuck in my hair as the clue to who I was, I waited and texted and received calls from the folks still on their way. And except for saying that I was on PIKE street instead of PINE street, which of course caused them a bit of confusion and delay, all went well. Priscilla was everywhere, solving problems, putting stars on priority tickets (ours!) and troubleshooting.

Finally, after only a little more than an hour of waiting, the line began to move. There had been sunshine on our shoulders, and then the clouds rolled in. Of course, it began to POUR just as we were about to reach the shelter of the theater's canopy. Denny used his jacket to shield three of us and Sheri found a delightful man from Vashon who shared his umbrella. We didn't mind. We were going to see the President of the United States, in person!

Upstairs at last, Jeremy directed us to some very very good seats in the middle of the first balcony. What a lovely theater. I looked around but could not pick out everyone from our team in the sea of faces. We had lost Libby, Brian, Mark, Michael and all the Thurston folks. JFK went to get coffee. Downstairs folks who had paid 1000 bucks for lunch sat at round tables. We could see our Representatives —Jay Inslee, Norm Dicks. Finally Amy (the new OFA Northwest Regional Director) came on stage and got the ball rolling with a presentation about OFA as an organization and activities planned for the campaign. I think it was she who asked everyone to find and sign the 2012 I'M IN! card on their seat. (We're calling it the Supporter card, because IM IN sounds too much like, you guessed it...that Tim Eyman guy!)

Amy then introduced the Governor who received a standing ovation. She spoke about how she had been one of the first to endorse Barack Obama for President and how the Federal and State governments had worked hand-in-hand on recovery. She then went into detail about how Washington State had benefited from the economic stimulus. She gave some statistics: 70,00 jobs were created or saved; $2.7 billion were invested in clean energy though the Recovery Act; 3; 158,563 people in Washington continued on unemployment; 70,000 loans were issued to small business through the SBA; 3,000,000 residents with pre-existing conditions could apply for coverage under ACA (and one of them, my Elizabeth, was given coverage); and $523,337,845 had been invested in higher education. The list went on! She described the agony of the State budget-cutting process and said how the stimulus money had given Washington State time to prepare for the cuts to come. The audience was stirred by her speech and clapped whole heartedly when she mentioned Jay Inslee as her successor!

Then the very very good Robert Cray band came on and played four bluesy songs. And then we waited—and waited and waited for the President. We knew he was in the building. In fact we knew he was back stage because all of the people who had paid for the fundraiser lunch were lined up to pass back stage and get a photo with him. (Katherine actually suggested that there be a video or slide show in readiness to show during hiatuses like that and I passed the idea on to Dustin who thought it was a great idea!) People were chatting and enjoying the atmosphere. Most of the audience was patient, although hungry, as the food for sale had run out early. We were very well behaved, given that we were starving!

Two men then came out. Had I been a basketball fan I would have recognized them. Denny did immediately. They were two Hall of Famers, Lenny Wilkens and Bill Russell, who Denny said was one of the greatest players of all time. They talked about their continued support and the need for ours. They introduced the President as one of the guys on their team! And as he came up to the podium, he was dwarfed by Russell. The metaphor of the day was basketball. We were a team and we were going to win. The audience stood and yelled, "Yes we can, Yes we can! Yes, we can!"

The president motioned for us to sit down. We wouldn't comply. Finally, we did. He began to speak—in his shirt sleeves, in full campaign mode—to us, his team. He thanked Bill and Lenny and talked about his deep admiration for them and spoke about basketball, the meaning of a team. He briefly summarized what we had accomplished nationally, and noted the obstructive posture of that other party—to the detriment of the country. He focused on the Jobs Bill and what it could do to help our country and State. He reiterated again and again that we were Americans, and that as Americans we care about each other. He added that we are not Republicans and Democrats without jobs, we are Americans without jobs. When he brought up the Buffett millionaire tax plan, the audience stood, whistled and roared with approval. Without even returning to the tax levels of the early nineties, rich individuals and corporations can pay for the new jobs. He asked for our help to win. He asked us to join the team and get to work. We applauded wildly as he left the stage.

PS. We need folks to register voters, make calls. Volunteer to reelect the President! Call me at 360-275-6701 or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Come to our next OFA meeting at the Grove Street Brewery on October 12 at 5:00 and check out www.mybarackobama.com

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