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Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Barack Obama at Key Arena on Friday

posted by on February 6 at 18:17 PM

Obama has now officially added a “Stand for Change” rally to his scheduled stop in Seattle on Friday:

Friday, February 8, 2008

STAND FOR CHANGE RALLY

Key Arena

Doors open: 11:00am

This event is free and open to the public. However, an RSVP is strongly encouraged. To RSVP please visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/seattle

UPDATE :: Audio of Obama’s Key Arena speech.

RSS icon Comments

1

i have a doctors appointment. damnit

Posted by Bellevue Ave | February 6, 2008 6:22 PM
2

While standing for change be sure not to lock your knees - you'll pass out.

Posted by umvue | February 6, 2008 6:37 PM
3

I am so there. Suspect he'll open up a hope-filled can of enthrallment, and I'd like to know how it feels.

Posted by tomasyalba | February 6, 2008 6:37 PM
4

Er, didn't mean to imply I want to feel his can once he opens it. Dysmetaphoria, sorry.

Posted by tomasyalba | February 6, 2008 6:45 PM
5

Is there RSVP there just so the Obama people can get idea of the amount of interest?

Posted by stinkbug | February 6, 2008 6:46 PM
6

Er, I guess the answer to my question is Yes. "** THIS IS NOT A TICKET. SPACE IS AVAILABLE ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS***" Also, after you RSVP you can easily send the info to others so I guess they want people going that too.

Posted by stinkbug | February 6, 2008 6:48 PM
7

Uh oh ... Is he bringing the Kool-Aid?

Posted by Mahtli69 | February 6, 2008 7:08 PM
8

Damn, i have a job.

Posted by Andy Niable | February 6, 2008 7:08 PM
9

This would be an opportune time for me to break into all the young peoples' cars, pawn their stereos, and give the money to Hillary's campaign.

Posted by Big Sven | February 6, 2008 7:21 PM
10

Obviously for all the "young people" who don't have jobs.

Posted by Babaloo | February 6, 2008 7:23 PM
11

That's a big hall for 11 am on a Friday. Downtown lunch crowd could cut out early, I suppose.

Posted by Fnarf | February 6, 2008 7:29 PM
12

Jobs are lame. Go get your history lesson.

Posted by Cale | February 6, 2008 7:30 PM
13

Maybe they'll get a good band like The Presidents this time

Posted by Frank | February 6, 2008 7:38 PM
14

I know the Obama stadium event is free but is the Clinton pier event free? Reading this MSN article about Clinton staffers going without pay, I have to wonder.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23037431/

Posted by Bub | February 6, 2008 7:38 PM
15

@4 - That was absolutely the funniest thing I've read all week. Obama is a handsome man, sure it wasn't a Freudian slip?

Oh, and I'll be there.

Posted by joey | February 6, 2008 7:40 PM
16

I've already skipped classes to see Obama speak, I think I'll be skipping Obama to go to classes this time. Damn school.

Posted by Jessica | February 6, 2008 7:46 PM
17

I'm voting for a president for the first time in Washington and I'm a bit confused. Finding info on caucuses isn't the easiest task. And if it's the caucus that counts, why did I get a ballot in the mail?

Posted by gold7 | February 6, 2008 7:47 PM
18

@"Obviously for all the "young people" who don't have jobs."

I work at the Science Center near there. You'd be surprised how many families and people with days off go to Seattle Center on any given day of the week. Too bad there wasn't more notice, or field tripping school kids possibly would have shown up begging to go to the arena instead of watching educational films at the science center. :-p

Posted by ObamaCheerleader | February 6, 2008 7:54 PM
19

@"Obviously for all the "young people" who don't have jobs."

I work at the Science Center near there. You'd be surprised how many families and people with days off go to Seattle Center on any given day of the week. Too bad there wasn't more notice, or field tripping school kids possibly would have shown up begging to go to the arena instead of watching educational films at the science center. :-p

Posted by ObamaCheerleader | February 6, 2008 7:54 PM
20

gold7, on the democrat side, the primary vote means nothing. you want to attend the caucus. this article and their Q and A page might help answer your questions. And the Stranger has their caucus info page too, although it leaves out some details.

Posted by stinkbug | February 6, 2008 7:55 PM
21

Gotcha. Thanks for the info. I can't wait to vote.

Posted by gold7 | February 6, 2008 7:58 PM
22

You get a ballot in the mail because of a state law. The Democratic Party doesn't like the law, so they're going to ignore the primary results entirely. Only the caucuses count for anything.

To find out where your caucus is, go to http://41dems.org/gmap/caucus.html (which sadly appears to be down right now) and find your house. You'll need to know your precinct number as well as your district number -- it's on your voter registration card if you have one. It looks like xx-yyyy; mine is 36-1344. 1344. If you're not registered, you can register at the caucuses, but get there early -- noon, say.

The Washington Democrats caucus finder at http://www.wa-democrats.org/caucusfinder only works if you're registered, or if you already know your precinct number. If you don't know anything, call their hotline at 206-583-4345 and they'll sort you out.

Posted by Fnarf | February 6, 2008 8:06 PM
23

This just points out how exclusionary the caucus system is. The only caucus finder that's worth a damn is down, and there IS NO OTHER GOOD PRECINCT FINDER if you're not already registered to vote, which means if you want to just show up at the caucuses and register there, you have to be psychic to know which one to go to. My district, the 36th, has a PDF map, but the map DOESN'T HAVE STREETS ON IT, so there's no way to tell which of the tiny little squares you live in, unless you live right in the middle of a really big one.

Posted by Fnarf | February 6, 2008 8:15 PM
24

Fnarf--if you have internet access i assume you have a phone?

206-583-4345

Call them and ask. All you need to do is give them your address.

Posted by Andy Niable | February 6, 2008 8:34 PM
25

I assume Obama also wants RSVP to get your e mail and remind you to go caucus.

Posted by unPC | February 6, 2008 8:35 PM
26

Yes, Andy, that's the same number I included in my post.

And not everyone who has internet has, or wants/is able to use, a phone. I hate the goddamn things myself.

Posted by Fnarf | February 6, 2008 8:39 PM
27

Why does my candidate hate people with day jobs?

Posted by tsm | February 6, 2008 8:42 PM
28

What a shame they don't make just drive up to your door, chauffeur you to the caucus site, shine your shoes, and serve you Meals on Wheels, Fnarf.

Posted by Andy Niable | February 6, 2008 8:42 PM
29

@25 You also get emails telling you things like "Hillary & Bill Clinton just gave their campaign $5 MILLION. Since the polls closed Feb 5 our supporters have given $5,882,627."

Posted by Mike of Renton | February 6, 2008 8:44 PM
30

and none of that $5,882,627 is coming from Jack Abrhamov or the WalMart board of directors or lobbyists or Political Action Committees or...

Posted by Andy Niable | February 6, 2008 8:48 PM
31

fnarf @23 - an unregistered voter could find his leg district at http://www.kcdems.net/about/OrgInfo.aspx

and you used to be able to see all of the precinct #'s in the leg district and hunt and peck till you found a map that included your address (again, if you weren't registered - if you're registered, you can use https://www.metrokc.gov/elections/pollingplace/voterlookup.aspx to find your precinct number.)

Something's changed since the last time I used this kcdems site - now no matter what precinct # you choose, you get a generic map of Seattle (not the very specific map with all of the street names in the precinct labelled).

At least if an unreg voter knew his LD, he could call to find out about precincts.

Posted by mks | February 6, 2008 9:03 PM
32

though I completely agree about having to use the phone - esp at 9 pm or any time outside the rigid business hours that most places offer.

Posted by mks | February 6, 2008 9:05 PM
33

For those who are interested, since the voting ended yesterday, Obama has now raised over $6 million dollars. You can watch the numbers grow at the following:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/contribute_c/sincefeb5_email/graphic


It's amazing, especially considering what is evidently becoming a very cash strapped campaign that he's running against.

Posted by Ed | February 6, 2008 9:08 PM
34

another tack to finding your precinct if you're unregistered:

http://www.metrokc.gov/elections/gis/city.asp

fnarf, you're right - it shouldn't be anywhere close to being this difficult.

Posted by mks | February 6, 2008 9:16 PM
35

So if the doors open at 11, when does he speak? And when would it end? I have to work...

Posted by obamatron | February 6, 2008 9:17 PM
36

For those on the east side (of the state): "Michelle Obama will speak at 4 p.m. at the Fox Theater, according to Spokane County Democrats, while Barack Obama campaigns in Seattle."

Posted by stinkbug | February 6, 2008 9:37 PM
37

@35
This is not going to be a time-defined event.

It's likely that everyone going in will have to go through metal detectors and get screened. Don't bring metal.

Then, typically, candidates are often late. It would be nice to know if Obama is coming here from Nebraska or Chicago; maybe he'll be on time. But ofteen the prior event runs over, the plane is late, then there's traffic on I-5....

Personally I would leave about 2-3 hours for the whole event.

Posted by unPC | February 6, 2008 10:03 PM
38

Is there a party after the caucuses to watch the returns? Like at Moe or something?

Posted by N | February 6, 2008 10:11 PM
39

No! Not Moe. Too cramped. Understaffed. Moe Bar is a cubby hole, not a place to converge en masse.

I think it's time to settle for someplace larger, albeit with less style.

Posted by elenchos | February 6, 2008 10:22 PM
40

New caucus-finder site if you're having problems with the WA Dems site:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/wacaucuscenter

Posted by Andy Niable | February 6, 2008 10:23 PM
41

Well, at least I'll get to attend THIS. I have to work all day on caucus day (And no, there's not any way I can get out of it). Thank you dems for taking my vote away from me...

Posted by BryBry | February 6, 2008 10:28 PM
42

I'm sitting with the spitfire folks who say they will be showing the returns, come on down

Posted by Meinert | February 6, 2008 10:29 PM
43

If I recall from 2004, caucus returns usually come in fairly quickly. They don't have a billion ballots to count. So you won't have to sit around forever on the edge of your barseat.

Posted by stinkbug | February 6, 2008 10:34 PM
44

@ #37

Barack is in Nebraska on Thursday, not Friday.

Posted by Ed | February 6, 2008 10:44 PM
45

@40: Unfortunately, Obama's site is claiming our caucus is on Tuesday, February 9.

Posted by annie | February 6, 2008 11:15 PM
46

Boy--won't they be surprised!

Posted by NapoleonXIV | February 6, 2008 11:38 PM
47

@40
Thanks for the link. Good thing I checked it. They moved my site from across the street to 3 miles away.

Posted by Mike of Renton | February 6, 2008 11:45 PM
48

Yes - many caucus sites have moved from 2004. Don't be surprised if yours is one of them.

Posted by Fnarf | February 7, 2008 2:47 AM
49

another precinct/caucus finder - this one doesn't require you to put in all of your contact info like obama's site, and doesn't require you to be a reg voter first.

http://wa-demchairs.org/2008/caucuslocations.php

courtesy of roger crew.

Posted by mks | February 7, 2008 7:42 AM
50

@ 41

I'm sorry you won't be able to attend the caucus, but I respectfully submit that it's not the Dems who are to blame for taking away your vote. It's the workplace. And if you work in the ER at Harborview or something else equally inflexible, I thank you on behalf of the Dems for giving up your vote in favor of service to humankind.

This country fails to pause and let the people in this government by the people vote. Sad, but oh so true.

Posted by Taopoet | February 7, 2008 7:42 AM
51

p.s. By the way, you can caucus by absentee ballot; you can even commit to being a delegate by absentee. Of course, that requires a little foresight and more initiative on the part of the voter. The deadline for this go-round has passed.

It's our individual responsibility to be informed voters. When all else fails, we can call our representatives' offices for information. They're in the phone book and on the internet.

Go Obama! I'll be caucusing for our next president with vigor!

Posted by Taopoet | February 7, 2008 7:53 AM
52

@45 @46
Obama's site may list the wrong day of the week but I got home Super Tuesday and had a message from the Obama campaign reminding me to vote in the caucus on Saturday and they even told me my caucus location. Meanwhile, not a peep from the Clinton campaign. Guess we know who is more organized and able to reach out to registered dems and members of local district orgs.

Posted by Psot | February 7, 2008 8:35 AM
53

@51
yes part of being informed would be to realize this whole caucus thing is the doing not of your representatives (federal? state? anyway) but your local Democratic Party.

And the "representative" inside the party is your precinct committee officer.

Anyone of us can join up in the party, too, and you can even be that precinct committee officer person, too, "representing" your teensy tiny "precinct" (400+- voters' worth) "to" the party. You have to file for that in the summer to get on the ballot in november, rarely would you be oposed by anyone else, or you can go get appointed to it if there is no one in that office for your precinct. go to your local democratic legislative district organization meeting for that.

ANYWAY, whether you are a member or a pco or not, you can look up the name of your precinct committee officer or the officers of your local legislative district rogatnization ("43d district democrats," "36th district democrats" etc.) and go complain to him or her about ANYTHING in the world!

that's their job, to represent you to the party.

So you can complain about having caucuses, about superdelegates, about the primary schedule -- all this will actualy be up for redesign next time--as well as oh stem cell research or your desire for a personal earmark, whatever.

Posted by unPC | February 7, 2008 9:25 AM
54

This might be worth taking a long lunch hour for.

And I used to caucus at BF Day School but this year it's Fremont Public Library, where I'm the Area Caucus Coordinator - see you there! Make sure you check the locator!

And events are normally timed so they can have reporters report on them for the news - so figure he'll speak just before or at Noon - but earlier means you can get close to the stage.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 7, 2008 10:06 AM
55

(and it's not the local Dem party that did this - it's the State Party and our districts (43rd, 36th, 32nd) and even KCDCC argued strongly AGAINST it, but the eastsiders threw their dollars around ...)

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 7, 2008 10:08 AM
56

@51: You actually *can't* caucus by absentee ballot... You *can* run for delegate without actually being present.

If you're thinking of that absentee ballot you got in the mail, that's for the primary, which doesn't count for shit.

Goddamn the amount of confusion about the caucuses in this state is mind blowing. It'd be real nice if we could make things a little less complicated by the next election, don't ya think!

Posted by Queen_of_Sleaze | February 7, 2008 10:46 AM
57

Thank you @56. Of course I can't caucus by absentee, @51! If I could have done that, I would have done it months ago. And no, I don't work at the hospital, but when you're running around town on Saturday, please be grateful for all the places that are open on the weekend.. say, for example, your local library?

I have always respected the Dems, but this was their fault, not my job's. Can you imagine the public outcry if everyone closed up on a Saturday for caucuses?

Posted by BryBry | February 7, 2008 10:56 AM
58

I can't wait! I'm driving up from Portland for the rally. I've never been to one before - what should I expect? And how early should I get there to find a good seat? (I got the no metal, no bags, advice).
THANKS! Aimee

Posted by webfoot | February 7, 2008 11:11 AM
59

I will be working at the Mecca, in the bar. If you go to the rally, hit us up before or after.

And make sure to check out our Marquee. ;-)

Posted by Technaughty | February 7, 2008 11:19 AM
60

Anybody know if "no metal" means no cameras?

Posted by BryBry | February 7, 2008 1:47 PM
61

@57 - thank god the caucus location for the 43rd district in downtown Fremont is the Fremont Public Library ... SEA 43-1350, -1351, and -1352.

Posted by Will in Seattle | February 7, 2008 2:21 PM
62

"YES WE CAN!!" find our caucus locations. Just go to :

http://www.wa-democrats.org/caucusfinder

Posted by Momentary | February 7, 2008 10:28 PM
63

BryBry,

You actually can caucus via the equivalent of an absentee ballot, called a surrogate affidavit. It's intended for people who are away on military service, are disabled, or might otherwise be disenfranchised. The deadline was 2/1.

http://www.wa-democrats.org/pdf/uploaded/16_-_2008_Precinct_Caucuses_-_Surrogate_Affidavit_Form.pdf

But seriously-- get the library to let you to take a half-hour lunch at 12:30 PM, go sign in for your candidate, and leave. If you can't do that... well, I'm sorry. :(

Posted by V | February 7, 2008 11:23 PM
64

Great to see that a bunch of you sorted out the ridiculously confusing situation with the Caucus v. the Primary. Make sure that other Obama supporters you know understand too, and encourage them to go Caucus! This is the best thing you can do to help Obama right now, along with going to your Caucus yourself, of course.

For those that don't know and don't want to search for the info above, the Caucus is THIS SATURDAY, February 9, at 1pm. A bunch of the posts above have links where you can find out where your Caucus site is. Yes, Washington is also having a Primary, and if you got a ballot in the mail, it relates to the Primary - BUT YOUR PRIMARY VOTE IS ESSENTIALLY MEANINGLESS. The State Democratic Party has decided to allocate delegates based on the Caucus results only. It's a shame they don't do a better job of communicating this, or just making the whole thing a lot simpler. The last FAQ on this page explains it:
http://www.wa-democrats.org/index.php?page=display&id=266

Posted by Dan4Obama | February 8, 2008 1:35 AM
65

Does anyone know when Obama will begin to speak?

I know doors open at 11. I only have a limited amount of time to duck out of work for lunch, so wanted to make sure I actually see the guy talk.

Posted by Simon | February 8, 2008 7:33 AM
66

i'm thinking he will not show up to speak until after 12n. thats just my guess. im leaving work at 1015 and assuming i will be back by 215. we shall see.

Posted by jessica | February 8, 2008 7:53 AM
67

Does anyone know a site where we might be able to watch a live broadcast over the internet?? I work out in Redmond and can't get over in time, and I'm sure most people are in a similar situation.

Posted by Chelsea | February 8, 2008 8:34 AM
68

Man, I'm banking on that 12n thing. really with they could fill in some details on this.

Posted by crk on bellevue ave | February 8, 2008 10:01 AM
69

If anybody is wondering... the seattle center website says doors open at 11am, starts at noon:
http://www.seattlecenter.com/events/event_detail.asp?CA_CALNUM=301595

Posted by crk on bellevue ave | February 8, 2008 10:02 AM
70

Oh, please Andy Niable. I am sure Obama didn't get any of his 32 million from anyone like say Exelon... or Tony Rezko... or....

Posted by Bec | February 8, 2008 11:29 AM
71
Posted by Tracy | February 8, 2008 11:33 AM
72

many folks in a bar want 2 know what channel we can see the speech on.. anyone?

Posted by kp | February 8, 2008 12:11 PM
73

King 5 website suggests live coverage at 12:30

Posted by mm | February 8, 2008 12:28 PM
75

Coverage on NW Cable News right now. Gregoire is speaking.

Apparently Obama spoke to all the people stuck outside. (Now I wish I hadn't gotten off my bus heading down there when I heard the doors had closed!)

Posted by am | February 8, 2008 1:00 PM
76

Also, CNN has a live feed. He's not yet on, but soon!

Posted by AEL | February 8, 2008 1:08 PM
77

He rocked it and it WAS super crowded. We were in line by 9:30 and barely got in to the nosebleeds. There were people filling up the aisles and climbing over the walls into the mezzanine. I had to leave early and there were easily another thousand people outside and in the food courts nearby. His speech was very inspiring and didn't sound at all trite or repetitive. He doesn't come off arrogant like Clinton. Cocky, yes, arrogant, no. I don't get where Clinton is saying he's not into healthcare... She's goin' down!

caucus!

Posted by ln | February 8, 2008 4:09 PM
78

It would help Obama a great deal to not only win WA, but do really well. I hope we can give him over 60%. WA is one of his last big prizes, where he can pick up a lot of delegates. Caucus for Obama, and drag everyone you know to caucus for him.

This site has tons of info you can use to win over your Clintonian friends:

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com

Check out the "Barack Obama 101" "Candidate Comparisons" and "Why Obama, Not Clinton?" sections, especially.

Posted by am | February 8, 2008 4:29 PM
79

[b]watch [/b]
[url=http://tinyurl.com/226qhm]related video[/url]

Posted by titidoqqs | February 8, 2008 7:56 PM
80

V @ 63, thank you for understanding what I meant by "absentee," BryBry and UNpc, I'm so sorry to have offended you.

My hope for the future of this country includes -- and is dependent upon -- us working together, not implying that others are not good enough or smart enough or appreciative enough.

And to clarify, by "if all else fails, call your reps," I meant that if you really feel that the system is closed off to you, and you really feel that the information is impossible to find, we have democratically elected representatives at the state and federal level who are interested in empowering the public. If all else fails and you have no idea where to find what you're looking for, you can call a rep's office and ask for help. I guarantee they'll point you in the right direction -- if they don't, it might be a good time to consider voting for more compassionate reps.

I'm thrilled to hear the Obama event was so overwhelmingly attended! Folks, it's a movement!

Posted by Taopoet | February 9, 2008 9:51 AM
81

@63 & @80. Thanks for the efforts, guys, but I'm not eligible for a surrogate, because I'm just at work (not fighting in a war or physically disabled!!!), and yes, I've already asked about it.
I meant no offense, and I will certainly write all my reps about how I felt left out this whole time, but I just wanted to quickly set the record straight. I'm not eligible for anything of the "absentee" ilk, but again, I appreciate you guys looking this stuff up and passing it on.
Also, I work 45 minutes from my caucus site, but again, a good suggestion I would pass on to all my comrades at work today. Take a long lunch if you can!! All you have to do is drop in, sign up, and head out. The other stuff is for convincing those who haven't made up their minds.
Good luck, all! And may the best man win! (Kidding, kidding...)

Posted by BryBry | February 9, 2008 10:02 AM

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