For those of you who cannot view the pics, I have reposted the diary here, and used Flickr instead of Photobucket for the images. Hopefully this has resolved the problem.
Stopping by briefly to share a little bit of non-debate related goodness. We just got home from the Obama rally at Abington High School in Montgomery County, PA. The weather was beautiful, the crowd was enthusiastic, and Obama was on fire!!!
Join me for quick synopsis and a few pictures below the fold.
It’s been an action-packed, Barack-filled week here in Montgomery County, PA. It all started out with our Obama Fundraiser & Voter Registration Drive last Sunday and culminated with Senator Obama’s rally in Abington, PA today. This diary will be short, sweet, and to the point. Pennsylvania’s voter registration deadline for the election is Monday, and I’ve got calls to make, doors to knock, and people to register!
We arrived at Abington High around 8:30am.
There was already a long line at that time; the doors didn’t open for another 45 minutes.
By 9:30, we were in the stadium. The football field was quickly filling up with supporters.
Around 10:30, the field was full and the stands were getting crowded.
By 11:15, we could barely move...the candidates would begin shortly.
Joe Hoeffel, Montgomery County Commissioner & former Representative of the U.S. House, gets the show started. (Coincidentally, he was the first speaker at our fundraise Sunday) Hoeffel was hilarious as usual; getting plenty of laughs when he stated that the one thing he learned from last nights debate was that he’ll never vote for a candidate that winks at him.
Senator Bob Casey Jr. takes the stage after Hoeffel.
Governor Ed Rendell gets the crowd pumped and ready for Obama!
The moment we’d all been waiting for...Senator Obama takes the podium!
Barack: Talking tough about the economic crisis.
Senator Obama talks extensively about the healthcare crisis and highlights how hypocritical it is for lawmakers **cough, McCain, cough** to oppose universal healthcare when they receive taxpayer funded healthcare themselves.
My son, who has vowed to never wash his hand again now that he’s shaken hands with Obama, plays hooky in exchange for a civics lesson.
I’d like to end this diary on a personal note. The following picture is of my Pop-Pop. He was born in raised in the segregated south, and served in a segregated Army. Pop is a veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam, in which he lost a leg and suffered near-fatal injuries. In the past few years, Pop has suffered heart attacks and a stroke, fell down a flight of steps and broke his neck, and has lost his remaining slivers of eyesight. Life has become quite difficult for Pop-Pop, and following the campaign of Barack Obama provides him with much needed hope and joy.
Today, we took Pop-pop to Senator Obama’s rally. We wheeled him to the front of the section designated for handicapped individuals, and he patiently waited for two hours in his wheelchair to hear Barack Obama speak. After his speech, Senator Obama came down the steps and walked over to Pop-pop. He gestured towards the Purple Heart and Silver Stars that were pinned to his cap, and thanked Pop for his service and for taking the time to come to the event. I could see the tears welling up in Pop’s eyes as Barack spoke. Obama spent a few moments with my Pop-Pop, shook his hand, hugged him, and then moved along to greet other supporters.
As we made our way towards the parking lot, tears continuously slid down Pop-Pop’s face. He was very emotional. He could barely speak. "I just touched the next President of the United States" was all he could say; he repeated that phrase over and over again. The entire encounter between the two of them lasted no more than thirty seconds, but to a man who’s lived through segregation and racism, being able to meet the first viable African American candidate for POTUS was the experience of a lifetime. The joy that Pop felt meant more to my family and I than words can explain.
Thank You Barack Obama, Thank You.
Wow, I run to campaign headquarters to drop off some voter registration forms and when I get back, I'm on the Rec List!
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and comment. I have to call Pop-Pop and tell him about all of the well-wishes.