Hundreds of remarkably cheerful people stood in torrential rain for over two hours, waiting to see Hillary Clinton speak today at a packed rally in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Everyone was soaked to the skin. Where is that Big Tent when you really need it? And what about that enthusiasm lag? When I say rain, baby, I mean rain, over two inches between 12:30 and 2:30 pm, the exact window of time when we were waiting. Raincoats and umbrellas were largely symbolic after a point.
The line was so long, I worried we would be turned away, the crowd was so big, and the venue only holds btw 1,200-2,000, depending on how you configure it. As the guy behind me said, this is Obama Big. My spouse gave up and went home, and some other folks caved eventually, but the passion and determination in that crowd was remarkable. I didn’t expect it.
Such a great crowd, everyone soaked, laughing, talking, introducing ourselves. The guy behind me had just moved to St. Pete three weeks earlier, he tried to shelter me with his umbrella, but it just became ridiculous. No one was dry, it was funny. Not even people with rain outfits. The vendor tents collapsed if they didn’t continuously empty the water from their roof, like bailing a floundering boat. The runoff from big umbrellas ran down the backs of folks with small umbrellas. No one complained or was rude, everyone was friendly and patient, I mean we were already soaked.
When we finally got inside it was great, I got lucky and ended up in the inner circle. Lots of local and state pols and families, the mayor and family, the Castros, all the usual suspects.
The two local organizers spoke, they were both young, and they did a good job, I hope they both run for office. The crowd was a rainbow vision, diverse in most ways you could be diverse. There were a bunch of old timey Democrats, and a bunch of millenials and hipsters and mothers with kids and fathers with kids. Children of all ages, and babies! Babies in pouring rain! Props to the moms and dads, they were amazing.
The LGBT+ community was very much in the house. The unions were there, and as always, a good percentage, maybe a fourth? of the crowd was black. I really love the Democratic party at times like this, it really does feel like a big tent, and I feel kind of safe and accepted. My Peeps.
Our Mayor Kriseman opened, he was among the first to banTrump, banned from the city, long before his latest offenses. Castor spoke, and Bill Nelson introduced Hillary. Castor was excellent.
Hillary was fabulous, no kidding. She has really got her groove going. She did hit Trump a lot, and surgically well, really sharp jabs, I have heard most of them, but she weaved them together well, didn’t seem scripted, and had a lot of warmth. By Jove, I think she’s got it! She talked about student loans in some detail, including the plan to suspend student loans for folks that wanted to start a new business, and work with the Small Business Administration.
Clinton came to the rally from a visit to a local small brewery, Three Daughters. I love them already, and she talked about how they had praised the SBA, and how they had worked to find local suppliers for their building supplies. They are a popular local success story, so that was well received. And she ran into some folks from HIPPY at the brewhouse, so that was a happy reunion story.
She focused on jobs and job creation, especially renewable energy. I wish she had talked about two upcoming ballot iniatives on Solar. The first comes up in August, is citizen and environmental-NGO based, it is no. 4 on the ballot, Yes on Four! The other is industry and legislature/lobbyist based, and comes up in November, no. 1 on the ballot, No on One!
So, I wish someone had prepped her to talk about those, but she did discuss the potential for solar in Florida, She talked about the infrastructure needs we have in St. Pete, flooding related to climate change, and the ways we can create jobs and stimulate the economy with infrastructure projects related to climate change.
From there, she segued seamlessly to the Horror that is Rick Scott, how he has forbidden state employees from using the term climate change, etc. She talked about healthcare, what had been accomplished, what remained, very briefly on that. Also briefly, education, and how it can bolster job creation.
Her speech went fast, interrupted with applause, chanting, some friendly shouting and crosstalk. I am not going to say it was over too soon, because for me, it was just about right. Like Goldilocks, I thought it wasn’t too long, or too short, just about enough, thank you. then it was over, we all scrambled for the exits and the umbrellas we had been forced to abandon in heaps at the door. The rain had stopped, the skies had a tiny break in the clouds, and we all went home feeling resolved and engaged. Frankly, I am grateful Hillary is not just another charismatic male.