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Obama Volunteer Rewarded With "VIP Seating" In Mud
I have been volunteering for the Obama campaign throughout 2008. Most of my efforts have centered on writing, hosting Republicans for Obama meetings, canvassing and registering voters. I've put in real effort, even been written up in The New York Times and other media covering Obama's candidacy.
Last weekend, a campaign staffer called and said that I could attend an upcoming Obama event in Indianapolis with "VIP" tickets. Later that night, a staffer dropped off three tickets at my house. I felt that my volunteer efforts were being rewarded with special seating, the way volunteers have been rewarded at other Obama events.
I took my son, David, and his girlfriend, Mindy, to the venue, the Indiana State Fairgrounds. When we arrived it was lightly raining. We parked far away and walked to the Pepsi Coliseum, where security took our umbrellas and placed them in a huge pile near the entrance.
The crowd was huge. People were almost running into the Coliseum as it was clear the 8,000 seats would fill up quickly. We took our time, since we had "VIP" seating! With our special orange tickets, we were directed through a special entrance. Walking through the opening, I looked for the "VIP" seats. Instead, we were directed to a large open area with barriers around it to the left of the stage. Further and further we were sent, until we were standing in a crowd in a muddy area where we could not even see the stage. Even though it was before noon, a huge commercial light was beaming from the other side of the stage, blinding us when we looked in the direction of the platform.
My VIP View
The view from the "regular" stadium seating was much better, as well as out of the rain and mud, but it was getting so full we decided not to move. Since this was my fourth time to see Senator Obama live, and David and Mindy had seen him before, we actually considered leaving. We were only drawn this time because of the expected "VIP" seating.
My next thought was that all of the people in this "VIP" area were either active volunteers or others who had sacrificed for the cause. So I started chatting away. In the 90 minutes until the event actually began, I didn't speak to a single volunteer. It seems the "VIP" tickets were given away en masse. I made the decision to buck up and try to enjoy the moment.
After the pledge, a prayer and speeches given by a campaign staffer, Indiana Gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson, Congressional candidate Andre Carson, and Senator Evan Bayh, Senator Obama finally came onto the stage. We could not look at him for more than a few seconds at a time as the light to his side was beaming into our retinas. My photos were useless. But Obama's speech was inspirational, worthy of comparison to John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. It was clear we were witnessing history, a presidential candidate at a level not seen in a generation. I forgot the mud and rain, and remembered again why I was supporting Obama for President.
Barack Obama in Front of Light
After his speech, the crowds began to leave. It was apparent that several hundred people had come into the "VIP" area behind us. They forced everyone in the mud area to exit through a single fence opening, over a couple of three-foot-wide planks that spanned a six-inch-deep puddle. It took us over 20 minutes to get out; wet, cold and wearing ruined shoes.
Was it the campaign staff or the venue staff that chose to put a crowd into an uncovered sandy area while it was raining? Who decided to limit the exit to one puddle-covered path? How much better would Obama's poll numbers be if the campaign were run better? And who took my red, white and blue umbrella from the umbrella pile?
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I feel your pain, I have been working with the campaign all year. My partner and I have spent a total of 300 hours canvassing, phone banking and registering voters/volunteers. We attended the recent Springsteen/Obama rally in Columbus, OH and spent six hours organizing the event, talking to attendees and register voters. At the beginning we were told to meet up fifteen minutes before the concert began to be ushered to a special VIP area in front of the stage and personally thanked for our efforts. When we met up we were told that they actually wanted us as far away as possible so that we could try to register more voters and sign up more volunteers as people left. What struck me as weird was that every single person admitted to the concert had already been asked (as they entered the secured area) if they were registered to vote and if they wanted to volunteer. As volunteers we managed to achieve this task of speaking with 15,000 people in an hour and a half. Not only were they asked as they entered, but we were instructed to also talk to people while inside the concert area, at concession stands etc. I love talking to people about Obama, but some people were getting very aggravated that we were not leaving them alone. It's a tough election, especially in Ohio, so I definitely understand the aggressive posture, but it would have been nice to have been thanked...
I also had VIP tickets to this event and that light bothered me to no end! I think because I was there in the balcony, i.e. ADA VIP section, I laughed so hard when I was reading your post. Maybe you just had to be there to get the humor.
I believe all of the character attacks from the republicans have made us hypersensitive. I witnessed an all out attack on a fellow supporter wanting an Americans with Disabilities category added to the website during the primary. Thankfully, level heads in the campaign agreed with the man. Speaking out is not always speaking against.
For my fellow supporters, I feel you I really do, but we must read everything to the end including right wing rhetoric! Senator Obama always makes attempts to find areas of agreement before he counters (Bill O Reilly interviews). To do this he listens to the opposing argument in full before he speaks. As supporters we must approach fellow supporters, undecided, and McCain supporters the same way.
To the poster; my fellow Hoosier, keep up the great work for our country and be weary of VIP anything as Obama's support is so vast most of us will never get to meet him. By the way I am originally from Chicago's South Side with family living five blocks away from the Obamas and I don't expect to ever shake his hand! Excuse me while I dry my tears and get back to phone banking!
Your son and his girlfriend are lucky to have you as is Obama and our nation. You are the epitome of patriot. You did your service as best you could, you saw something you didn't like, spoke about it yet remain grateful to be apart of our democracy. I got a feeling reading this, a good one even as I emphasized with your dilemma. Stand firm, our ancestors had to fight and die to serve their country, sometimes in the rain and snow. Bless You.
I'm not sure why the campaign places VIP (usually volunteers) where they do, and it is usually to the side or rear of the venue. I don't care and never considered it until I read the OP here. I'm just happy to be part of this, I even got my husband to volunteer for the last Obama rally here and the tough old ex marine had tears in his eyes when we were leaving. I asked why he was crying and he said "this has been one of the best days of my life" (we had just spent 6 hours directing people into the appropriate line for the rally - sort of like herding cats).
While I feel your pain, it is almost as though you feel a sense of entitlement regarding your volunteerism for BO; your pre-occupation with VIP tickets underscores my hypothesis.
I appreciate your ending comments, that you realized you were likely witnessing history in the making and that considerations of muddy shoes and elbowing crowds were no longer issues. Some readers might not have gotten that far in your story, however and may've stopped ( as I nearly did), assuming it was a smear tactic.
Campaigns are organized by thousands of people nationwide; Obama didn't personally choose or sign off on the muddy areas and thick crowds. If people decide not to vote for him based on such superfluous circumstance, they are citizens to whom the vote means little to begin with.
I'd like to think a pair of muddy shoes wouldn't cloud my judgment for a nanosecond. I am disabled and would give a week off my life to have the experience of seeing Obama live, if only I could. It is that momentous an occasion. Cowboy up, stop whining. You witnessed history, live and in color. Good on ya.
You should feel lucky to have even got to see him. I have been a volunteer and donor. I have made phone calls, knocked on doors, blogged and given money that I didn't have to give. Do you want to know what the worst part is? I have NEVER seen Sen. Obama speak live, and I want to sooo badly. I am glued to the tv every time one of his rally's is shown.
I live in ObamaLand, which is Illinois, so he is actually my Senator. But I only recently moved to Illinois a year ago and 3 1/2 months ago, I bought a house in Iowa; the very state that legitimized his candidacy. He has come here in recent months but his events were then for "undecideds", so I am not privy to the information so I could have the option of standing in the rain or snow! I want to witness him speaking in person, and I don't ever think that will happen unless a small miracle happens for me. I hope to be able to go back to my hometown (Washington, DC) to watch him being Inaugurated as the next POTUS. I know it will be cold, damp and probably snowing, and I'd give anything to be there freezing my butt off, just to see him take the oath of office.
So feel lucky that you even had the opportunity to be there, because I've been just dying for the chance.
Hint: When you're standing in the mud, pull your shoes off and enjoy it. I wish I could have been there---rain, mud and all. Count yourself blessed and continue to fight for a wonderful cause. I do.
Tens of thousands of us are volunteering and most of us are learning as we go. About three million of us have made serious sacrifices by donating $10 or $20 dollars at a time during hard economic times---my donations have been squeezed out of grocery money. I get tired making phone calls. One of my friends has knocked on 2,000 doors in the past month and made 2,500 phone calls. We aren't all doing this to get prizes or recognition or because it's comfortable. We aren't even doing it for Barack Obama, though we admire him. We're doing it because our country is in peril and we love it. There were two paths through a lonely wood . . . . . the path our country chooses at this moment will make all the difference. Will we leave a better America for those who follow or will we let our beautiful country sink into greed and hate? Please, let's all keep our eye on the prize. Barack Obama can't personally guarantee the comfort of millions of people who come to his events. I'm thinking of the Obama/Biden rally in Fredricksburg, Virgina on Sept 28. 26,000 people came out and stood in a cold rain with Obama where no one had shelter and yet no one left; People filled with energy and commitment. Thanks for your help. I know that we're all getting tired. We can rest on November 5th. If we do our job right, it will be the rest
Yes, Thank you for your service to Obama, and to mostly me and my country.
Obama will be a brilliant, clear-headed and truly compassionate leader; the times we are in require that.
again thank you for your service. we all do a small part in what has been one of the most powerful campaigns with impeccable results so far. we all must sacrafice in order to get the desired result - obama as president
i am sure many can find something to complain about - but a spirit of unity - we are all in this together will not let them - instead of finding fault with your seating arrangement and lowering someones morale and getting others to agree; it would be suffice to say your were uncomfortable, but none-the-less your were there to support your candidate! that's country first! how about it?
Sounds good.
I know it sucks that you were stuck on the side and in the mud but I'm smiling knowing that there is group of Republicans for Obama in Indiana. I am praying we turn blue this November. I'm up North in Democratic Voter Fraud County praying everything turns out OK.
Mud happens
Especially when it rains
Hey Chuck, let me tell you my little story: last Wednesday my wife and I went to the Joe Biden event in Fort Myers, FL. Since Lee County (yep, with that infamous sheriff Mike Scott) is so republican, they choose to have the rally in a smaller arena, whereas Sarah P. had her rally just days before in the bigger venue. Still, we had to park our cars in the back of the large arena where we were bussed to the smaller venue. A lot more people then expected showed up and they had 9 buses to get thousands to and from the event. We parked our car at 3:00 pm, Joe spoke at 6:45, the rally was over by 7:30. We got back to our car at 9:15 and finally arrived at home at 10:30. We waited in the blazing Florida sun to get a seat in the bus, to get into the arena and again waiting for the bus to take us back to the parking lot.
But you know what? We left with the feeling that we had contributed to making American History. We experienced an upbeat, lively and optimistic crowd and in this republican county, we saw that many people think like we do. We talked with Repubs that attended the event because they as well are fed up with the last 8 years. We convinced Independents.
And coming Saturday we are volunteering here at the next community event. Just like you. Thank You!
Volunteering should not have the expectation of getting any special anything in return--volunteering is just that, you give of your time for free, not expecting anything tangible in return.. Usually, the reward is knowing you made a difference in whatever cause you are volunteering for. The biggest reward all of us who are volunteering for Obama can get is to have him win the election and to be able to call him President Obama. At least that is what I am shooting for! In my opinion, the people who should be treated as VIP's at his rallies should be ideally those people who aren't yet there--those who are still on the fence over Obama, those who still need to see what we see, hear what we hear, and hope what we hope. Those are the people who should be front and center in Obama's rallies. By the way, usually the ones who are involved in deciding what entrances and exits to use, etc. are public safety personnel and not necessarily the campaign staff.
Please refer to my many responses to similar comments. Thank you.
great post...yes, no one said this would be easy...i volunteer myself, some days are good, some are bad, but always worth it....
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