9.18.2012

Obamaville Sets Up in Eden Park


You know I dearly love the fact that President Obama chose to spend time in my neighborhood on Monday. He chose Eden Park, an absolutely beautiful piece of green space in Cincinnati located between the two downtown neighborhoods of Walnut Hills and Mt. Adams.

Mittens Romney sent his campaign bus with Steve Chabot and a few other supporters to slam the Prez and his policies. Trouble was, they parked at Mirror Lake, right next to the public bathrooms and nobody but the geese and three mounted patrol were there to hear it.

I liked the shot of the Romney supporters grouped behind Steve “Mr. Comb-over Chabot.” They had five or six white people surrounding a tall Black youth in the middle. They also came with a fake reporter/videographer team, making it seem like they had traveling news coverage. The fake reporter was the other dark face visibly apparent for Romney and company.

Guess Mitt will now be able to say he comes to the ghetto too, considering he parked his bus on Nassau Street where it feeds down into the park. Not really ghetto, but more Black people living in proximity than he usually attracts. Maybe some of them stuck their heads out the window to see his very small commotion. Nah, probably went to work. Black people over there must have jobs to afford their homes.

Whoa! Working middle class black people. Now that is a concept that I will bet Mitt has never considered.

Back to Obamaville, that multicultural, multi-generational, multicolored traveling village that follows the President where ever he speaks. They are willing to show up at a moment's notice and wait, walk or ride however long is necessary to see him and to hear his voice, regardless of whether or not they'd heard it before.

And in full disclosure-this was not a new speech. It was pure stump, very little new meat added to it. The old applause lines twisted into new configurations, with the old message still intact.

But it doesn't matter, the hopeful just want to be there to bask in his history. It's always hurry up and wait, with the “wait” time spent meeting new friends, finding and reconnecting with old friends or just talking with strangers for how ever long you end up standing next to them in the long, long security lines.

I was truly amazed this time watching people leave-the number of physically challenged folk who came anyway given the very difficult terrain in order to see President Obama. The Seasongood Pavilion is a naturally occurring “bowl” that you must walk or roll down into, because there are no steps, just slanted ground. Conversely it is a steep climb to get out. It's not easy for the infirm, the elderly nor the handicapped.

But that didn't stop them. Nor did it deter the physically fit. They pushed, walked slow and even carried those who couldn't, up and down that hill, so that all could see Obama. Temperament was good. Nobody complained. Nobody got mad or impatient. Everybody did what they had to do, together with their neighbors.

These feelings and williness to make it happen is why Obama is going to win November.

You heard it here. Obamaville is happy, and that's a good thing.

Vote Responsibly in November.


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