The crowd curled and wove like a river heading towards the sea. Thousands, came, and took their place in line, all in hopes of seeing Bill Clinton in person. The fire marshal estimated that 6000 people attended the St. Louis, Kirkwood area rally on Monday night.
As I stood amongst the dedicated fans, I was inspired by the orderliness and camaraderie exhibited by women, men and even the children. There were infants being held by parents, toddlers carrying crayons, preteens dancing, and teenagers mingling in groups calling friends and family about the length of the line. My mother and I arrived before the doors opened, and we walked an hour and 15 minutes before getting inside the overflow gymnasium.
We found a place on the bleacher seats, and people kept coming. People started sitting on the floor until it was nearly covered. A disappointing aspect was that there was no television screen inside the overflow gym. The speakers were set off to the side, and when the speaking commenced it was garbled and hard to understand. So, Mom and I headed outside in front of the auditorium where Clinton actually was. A small group of die-hards was spread about the very prominent, clear-voiced outdoor speakers. We tried to peek inside and saw a little of Clinton's head, but it was okay. Clinton's speech made up for the fact that we missed seeing him in the flesh.
Clinton brought up the overriding issues America is grappling with like health care, the financial crisis, energy, and improving our relationships with other countries. Clinton said that Barack Obama had all ready made his first good presidential decision when he choose Joe Biden as his VP. He said we also have to help Barack get things moving once he's in the White House by standing behind the senators and representatives that believe and support Obama's ideas on issues like health care, the economy and jobs. He said without that support, Obama will have a hard time stepping into the future he's envisioning.
Clinton praised Obama for waiting to make an initial statement regarding the financial crisis. According to Clinton, Obama wanted to make sure he understood exactly what had happened and what would be the best course of action for America before he made a statement. So Obama met with his financial advisors for two days, then called Clinton and asked what he would do, not for political or popularity gains, but what he would do to help the country move forward in the best possible way. Clinton's admiration for those steps was clear in his voice. Clinton remarked that the country needs someone who can think through issues and that Barack Obama was that kind of man.
As a cooling breeze began to blow and people tugged on coats and gloves, the heat from the rally swept across the steps my mother and I were sitting on. Cheers, applause and appreciation erupted as Clinton said his goodnights and the upbeat music began to play. With bass tones reverberating in the night, we headed for our car. We felt happy and excited and chatted about all that we had heard. History was made again. This time in a little town called Kirkwood, Missouri.
