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12 october 2000

i held a sign and yelled

Wednesday turned out to be much cooler than expected.

Okay, so I went to work, came home, yakety yak yak. When I arrived home, the rumors that Al Gore was staying at the Hawthorne Inn turned out to be true. All I needed to do was look out my window to see Secret Service people swarming the area, as well as a fair share of state troopers and local police officers. It was quite a scene in my little downtown neighborhood, and exceptionally cool that the Vice President was shacked up two blocks from my place! Neato!

Wilma and I decided to take a walk and take in the sights.

So we're strolling down Spruce Street toward the hotel, and no one is stopping us! It turns out that there is a gaggle of people there, most of them holding Gore-Lieberman posters and awaiting his arrival from the airport. It was a great scene, very festive, and loud. Between the Gore fans on the sidewalk, and the constant stream of honking cars, it was fun to just be amid all of it. I took out my camera and started snapping.

I then strolled up Cherry Street, which ultimately leads to Wake Forest University, and was the route that the Gore motorcade would take to the debate. It also turns out that Democratic headquarters were just down the block, so everyone could get a poster, wave it around, and yell. The crowd remained steady, about three deep for two blocks, gearing up for more cheering and chanting with each green light and another stream of cars. Of course, there were a few Bush-Cheney voters among them, but only about five. A few people yelled a weak, "Bush!" from their trucks (you heard me --- trucks), but most everyone travelling down Cherry Street were doing so for a reason. They knew the score. They came down here to yell and honk freely.

The Bush supporters, incidentally, were gathered near the Sheraton. Which is another reason to vote for Gore --- he stayed in a locally-owned hotel. It's the small things, you know?

So we all settle in to wait for the big appearance, everyone chatting primarily about how close the race is, and how important the Registered Independent vote (like mine) is going to make or break this election. Everyone is cordial, regardless of their political persuasion. Mostly because they're just thrilled to be there. They --- we --- feel very much a part of this. We convince ourselves that our cheering for a few brief moments will spur Gore on to victory.

One of the most notable things about this whole scene is that there are many more women in attendance than men. It's also a well-diversified crowd, with plenty of adolescents in tow with their parents. Rock on, mom and dad!

Alright, so we've waited for about an hour, and finally things start to get serious. Gradually, a bunch of stressed-out people with bugs in their ears and cellphones appear out of nowhere. The cops block off the rest of downtown for the final procession. Two helicopters tighten their circles above us. Blue lights are absolutely everywhere, and stragglers are shuffled back onto the sidewalk. The procession is about to begin. Aside from the annual Christmas parade, this is as loud as downtown gets. Everything and everyone is making noise.

You talk about a posse...Al Gore and Company consisted of at least thirty vehicles. Police motorcycles, escort cars, limos (in which Mr. Gore sat with his glasses on, reviewing his notes and waving), a bunch of special vans for family members and special guests, and one ambulance bringing up the rear just in case someone got carsick or something. It was really, really cool. Everyone went nuts.

And then, as quickly as it began, the procession was over and on its way to Wake. People returned the super-sized posters to Democratic headquarters, kids were giddy over having seen him ("I swear, Mom, he was in that limo!"), and everyone felt satisfied that they had welcomed their candidate to their little corner of the world.

Yeah, it was all fun...and then we had to listen to that dratted debate. The love-fest. The good manners symposium. Tea, anyone? Pinkies up!

So, special this week, instead of doing a regular review this week, why don't you click on over there for my take on things right now. If politics isn't your bag, I promise more snacking fun next week. The Den weighs in on the issues...this week's review