Admittedly, a rally and a fundraiser are two totally different events. On the one hand is the boilerplate inspirational speech for the masses; on the other, the gratitude-laced red-meat appeal to the contributors. One is much more public than the other.
That said, I love these things – I attended the Obama rally yesterday and a high-end Clinton fund-raiser this morning. I’ve given a good amount so far to both campaigns.
I just want a Democrat in the White House. My impressions of each campaign and their event followed.
Young Montana Voter's excellent diary of the Obama event is here.
The crowd was estimated at 8,000 and there are other estimates floating around. All I know is the arena was filled to the rafters. The doors opened at 8:00 (as advertised) and Senator Obama was speaking at a few minutes after 10:00 (as advertised). Each introductory speaker was enthusiastic shared a few impressions of Senator Obama.
Not one introductory speaker at the Obama rally knocked Mrs. Clinton.
You all know the Obama stump speech by now – at least I do, having watched a dozen YouTube iterations over the past weeks. The Missoula crowd was not the all-out screaming Obama-maniacs you sometimes see. It was an engaged, receptive crowd. And by Obama standards, probably even a little restrained. Again, this is compared to what you see on TV.
The senator spoke for about 40-45 minutes, without notes.
As noted here, he then went out and did a bit of schmoozing with the overflow crowd outside.
Hillary’s event, the fundraiser, was for about 400 people. Most of us were there by 8:30 or so, with the doors advertised to open at 9:00. As with these smaller things, there was a big ballroom event and a VIP event as well. We went to the VIP event.
There was one metal detector and one long snaky line. There were two Hillary workers organizing the line. VIP's had to come forward and ask what to do. At that point, you were shown to the middle of the line, where a VIP sign-in was hidden, checked in, and then told to wait in line.
In essence you went ahead of about 50-100 or your neighbors and were left there without any explanation or signage of why you just cut off all these people.
When I asked some local volunteers, who I know, what was going on, they sort of looked sheepish and said "all we can say is we’re not in charge." No kidding.
Shortly after 9:10 or so, the metal detector opened up for us to go through. VIP’s set their special sign-in cards at front tables in the ballroom and then went out to the reception. A hot room with no windows for about 40 people. After about 40 minutes Senator Clinton came in. She stood at the front, snapped a picture with you and then you were on your way back to the ballroom.
The crowd was largely older-line ‘machine’ Democrats from Missoula. Comments about Senator Obama were cloaked in euphemisms about generalities and great praise for Senator Clinton’s specifics.
Senator Clinton was gracious and friendly with each of us. She really seems so much nicer in person (granted I just had dropped a big check in her coffers) than she is portrayed.
Once the photo ops were over, back to the ballroom we went.
Again the introductory speakers. One of them, head of the Student Democrats at UM here in Missoula, made some comments about last night’s big Democratic dinner in Butte, which he attended. He said Senator Obama’s speech was good ‘he read from his script well’ was the just of it. Nasty.
He proceeded to allude to a crush he had on Mrs. Clinton and then it was on to the next speaker. It was weird.
Senator Clinton spoke less than 20 minutes. She was passionate, smart and strategic – she laid out a very convincing case for why she is not giving up the race. She also pledged a united Democratic party following Denver.
Then it was over.
Overall impressions? You all know where this is going.
Obama’s people got 8,000 seated and pumped, started on-time, were optimistic and enthusiastic. The senator spent 45 minutes with us and then proceeded out to the overflow crowd to show they were not forgotten.
Hillary’s people were understaffed, had little concern for how to organize people, started late and only gave the Senator 15 minutes with paying voters. Those who were not at the VIP reception (about 350 people) waited an hour in the ballroom and were treated to some nasty comments about Senator Obama. Then came Senator Clinton’s speech that was evenly divided between the theme of rolling up our sleeves on Day One and her strategy for winning the nomination.
Like I said, I want a Democrat in the White House. I will support either one of these candidates. I think those that would sabotage the party’s chances by voting McCain to ‘punish’ other Democratic primary voters are childish in the extreme and unprincipled, despite their very devotion to the principle that either their candidate gets picked or they vote Republican.
Imagine what it takes to get 8,000 people in and out of an event on time, all the while registering voters and keeping people excited. Imagine the discipline it takes to have all your people working together like that. I paid nothing to attend that event.
Then imagine what it takes to do the same for a controlled event of 400. Imagine barely controlled chaos and limiting paying voters to a later, disorganized event. Imagine the local volunteers, who know the community and the people, dispirited by being pushed to the edge of the process. I paid a lot of money to attend that event.
What the candidates say, well, this is an election.
How they govern, that’s what matters to me. And if these events are reflective of how they might govern, there is no doubt about it.
Hillary got my money.
But now Obama’s got my vote and my money too.