Comments on Text Messages from the Obama Rally at Key Arena

I just gave up. I started in line 45 min before the doors were going to open--at EMP. The line stretched all the way from Key Arena, down Mercer, 5th and to EMP.

I was a few thousand shy of getting in.

Wow. Biggest crowd I've seen since the Feb 15th protests.

Yes please keep these texts posting! I love it, thank you!

The Times talked to a Gig Harbor High kid whose schoolmate got in but he didn't. "Burton said he was 'furious beyond words. Democracy should not be limited by a stadium's capacity.'"

Erm, that's not democracy, it's a campaign stop. He'll be plenty able to get in at his caucus.

per my hubs 10 minutes ago: 14000!!!

Was in line and left. "Full to capacity" announcements over the loudspeakers. They even stopped broadcasting the speech outside to (try to) get people to move back from the doors and blocking the fire exits.

WOW OMG!!!

This place is AMAZING!!!! There has to be 30,000 people packed in here! It is hard to move around where I am, however I called a friend outside who arrived late and can't get in... He said there is 2,000 people milling around outside in various states of frustration, enthusiasm, and exasperation.

They SHOULD have held this at QWEST field! They could have easily pulled in an extra 15,000 people!

AMAZING!

I think Billary Rodham is in for a rough day on Saturday if this is any indication!

Reality Check

This is soooo exciting. I was staff on 2 presidential campaigns AFTER the nomination was secure. Bill Clinton drew about 15,000 to Westlake Mall, but that was on a sunny day in late July 92, just a few weeks before the convention.

To the people upset that they can't get in, be thankful that THIS campaign event is free. Nearly every Democratic Party event costs you money (so much for democracy). Obama is going to change this country, and it will change for the good!

There were at least 5,000 that didn't get in. I'm bummed.

Hillary and Barak are promising everyone a Pony on their birthday and a free doctor visit every month. I went to the Hillary Rally, good theater for sure, but short on substance. Of course the crowd cheered at every verbal gift she delivered. Barak will do the same. Americans are such sweet children.

The only politician that I can think of who has drawn crowds like that was Nader in 2000. He had Key Arena overflowing too.

When I saw him in Albuquerque I got (free) tickets to see him online days ahead of time, was in line TWO hours early and still couldnt get in. He made an impromptu speech outside and security was crazy tight. I almost liked the impromptu speech outside for us who couldnt get in better than anything else I'd seen him do before.

Then he shook my hand, and I havent washed it since.

@6: Key Arena only seats around 17,000 people.

I think it's ironic that the famous 'Obama Girl' did not bother to vote on Super Tuesday. Her excuse being that she was 'sick' however she was out dancing and partying at a campaign party that very evening.

This is the absolute stereotype of the young urban voter. Too damn lazy or whatever to get your ass out to fucking vote but you can spend hours online chatting about the election, veiwing funny You Tube video's about the election, going to see big campaign speeches and attending parties but you don't do the one fucking thing that you need to. Show up to fucking vote.

This is one of the reason Obama makes me nervous. He has captured the imagination of these folks but can we really trust them to actually show up at the fucking polls on election to beat McCain?

Gross.

I got in line at 10:15, the end of the line was in front of the memorial stadium. I was about 10 people short of the door when they stopped letting people in.

Hillary has a rally in an old warehouse; 5000 people show. Barack has a rally in a modernized stadium; 23000 show (17K inside, 6K outside). Zounds. There are so many meanings to this.

For the morons who think they are going to hear specifics at a rally, get a fucking clue and enroll in Poli Sci instead of whining about specificity. The rest of us just want a nominee who can win. Whatever policies that are proposed get vastly modified by Congress in the glorious process that is our divided government.

The Atlantic Magazine blog, Daily Dose, has info on a new poll that shows Obama beats McCain 48-41. McCain and Hillary tie at 46-46.

Can we help Obama win? YES WE CAN!

KIRO is saying about 17,000 people got in. It looked to me like there were about 2,000 turned away (maybe more). Looking bad for Hillary. A lot of these people looked barely old enough to vote though. This race is only going to get MORE interesting...

I skipped it for work. I saw Bob Dole speak in 1996 (no, I didn't support him), Gore speak in 2000, and Kerry speak in 2004, so I figure I'm a jinx. I'm sitting this one out for you, O.

@12 True, but with people on the floor that will add thousands.

Da Mayor is now on stage. People boo'ed him at first. They want obama.

@9 McCain sells us fear. I'll take the pony thank you.

I have to work near the stadium, and there's no fucking parking! Now I'm gonna vote for Clinton!

(I tried posting this earlier but it didn't appear.)

I'm in section 219. Please wave.

fyi, key arena capacities:
Basketball : 17,072; Hockey : 15,177;
Concert : 16,641:
Boxing : 17,459

One sucky thing is that they decided to open some extra doors when the doors opened around 10:30am. So some people towards the back of one line got in right away where others (like me) were suddenly at the end of a line even though earlier we were closer the middle. I guess I shouldn't complain though since I'm inside.

The sound system here sucks. Prepare for some complaints about that.

We've gotten a short reminder of the caucus, that local(?) Fired Up video, and that's about it. 12:50pm and still waiting for the main stuff.

------------

The Gov is now on stage.

Btw, you can listen to a feed of all of this online.

@22, you should've taken the bus to work or parked on upper queen anne or Fremont then walked/bussed to work.

@19: It's still not 30,000. Let's be reasonable.

Sigh. I guess Obama can't pull off a remotely on-time appearance either.

What the hell is that cheesy theme song he is walking in w/? Wait, is it U2? Holy hell, that is yucky. Oh well, still voting for him.

Obama is now speaking. Woo!

A friend of mine txt me and he's in Key Arena. So Obama's outside talking to the crowd that's waiting outside. He insisted on talking to those who've been waiting outside first before going inside, which I think is great. To not leave those who took the day off from work/school to see him and didn't in first before talkign to the large majority of the crowd inside.

However, I do feel sorry for those who've been waiting in the Arena since 10 a.m.

I went to the fundraiser at Bell Harbor back in December and it was a pleasure to see and hear him talk. I also "hugged the line" 20 min before he talked and got to shake his hand and tell him how much I enjoyed his autobiography as well as took a pic of myself shaking his hand with him. He looks like a demi-God in the photo while I shot myself at a bad angle.

You can watch the speech on channel 2 or view it online at www.king5.com.

Mrs Y @ 13

This is the absolute stereotype of the young urban voter. Too damn lazy or whatever to get your ass out to fucking vote but you can spend hours online chatting about the election, veiwing funny You Tube video's about the election, going to see big campaign speeches and attending parties but you don't do the one fucking thing that you need to. Show up to fucking vote.

This is one of the reason Obama makes me nervous. He has captured the imagination of these folks but can we really trust them to actually show up at the fucking polls on election to beat McCain?

Let me guess, you're a Hillary supporter, you're female, you're post-menopausal, you're in your late 40s or early 50s and you're really, really, really angry about the fact that Barack Obama guy has had the audacity to challenge Hillary Clinton who after all has "35 years of experience" and was named after Sir Edmund Hillary so that she would be inspired to greatness. Are you ECB's mom?

Watching obama toss a water bottle into the crowd (a person was fainty or somethng) was kinda hot.

Mahtli69 @10: that's the scariest thing I've ever heard.

@32 - and let's see - Chelsea was named after a Carly Simon song - or was it for a London borough? Your point?

Right on, Mrs. Y - notice how people get all gory when their ox gets gored? Awed - isn't it?