By A. Greene
I really didn't know what to expect. I had been to business meetings before (boring) and I've been to concerts before (exciting). I half expected this to be in between, leaning more toward the business meeting and less toward the rock concert. My experience showed that it was a great deal closer to the latter.
I went kind of on the spur of the moment. I already had the day off and nothing better to do. I had rolled out of bed at 10:00am and decided to run an errand or two, maybe grab some lunch and come home. I had no intention of going to a political rally when I woke up. When I got out, I thought about it more and more. People were talking about how Indiana hasn't mattered in a primary since 1968, an event which predates myself by 12 years. I drove by the Wigwam, mainly just to see how many people were there. They were lining up along John Street opposite the railroad tracks, starting at the 12th street intersection and heading south. I figured, what harm could come from this? I could hang around for a while, talk to some people, find out why they supported Hillary. It could be interesting. It didn't take long for the line to stretch down to the end of the parking lot and wind it's way around the parking lot. I arrived at 12:30pm. The doors were set to open at 2:15pm with the appearance scheduled to start at 3:45pm.
I spoke with some of the people around me, primarily a married couple from Frankton and a teacher from Muncie with her adult daughter. Unfortunately, our pleasantries never lead to the introduction of names, but their company was much appreciated through the long wait. The wife from Frankton was very outspoken in her support. Moments after our arrival a van was traveling northbound on John Street with what appeared to be very vocal supports of Barack Obama, Hillary's last remaining challenger. As the passengers yelled from the van, the driver slammed on the brakes as they nearly rear-ended the car in front of them. As they were stopped the passengers became silent. "I don't hear them yelling now," the wife from Frankton said. This made us all laugh.
As we stood we all wished for food, the one thing that we all apparently forgot about. At one point a Clinton campaign volunteer was walking around with a half eaten sandwich and one of the people in line inquired, "How much for the sandwich?" The volunteer looked puzzled at first, then smiled, "Do you want some?" Again we all laughed and thought that a "Sandwiched for Votes" campaign would have been a good plan for them. The only thing better than a big crowd is a big crowd that's not hungry. I myself had gotten so caught up in this that by the time I had gotten in line, I hadn't realized that I had forgotten to have either breakfast or lunch. We hoped there would be snacks of some sort in the Wigwam.
The crowd filed into the Wigwam slowly. As I entered, I noticed that Indiana House Speaker Pat Bauer had arrived. We didn't go through the same entrance door.
Once we were finally in the building we were lightly searched by the Secret Service and Homeland Security. Someone owes me dinner.
By 2:30 we were in the Wigwam and it was nearly full already. They had to have opened the doors early. I got a good spot at the top of the bleachers directly opposite of the stage that had been put up. I talked with some of the people around me and we all tried to remember the last time we saw the Wigwam this full.
Shortly before 3:45pm a Clinton volunteer took the stage and gave her story as to why she worked for Hillary. She described growing up in Georgia and not having healthcare and the troubles of dealing with common maladies that you have growing up.
After some time, hearing the occasional cheer and clapping and the inevitable "Who's that?" from the crowd. Mayor Kris Ockomon. Recently elected US Congressman Andre Carson. Former Indiana First Lady Judy O'Bannon. Former Indiana Governor Joe Kernan. Even NBC political reporter Andrea Mitchell. A few of us cracked up when a short line formed to take pictures of and with Andrea Mitchell. The mayor also participated in attempts (attempts that were eventually successful) to get a "Wave" started. 3:45pm came and went. A member of the crowd sitting next to me said "We're going to find out if she's an on-time type of gal or not. She wasn't. It was nearly 4:30pm before she took the stage.
Hillary Clinton took the stage with Mayor Kris Ockomon and Senator Evan Bayh. Ockomon introduced Bayh. Judging by the ovation given to Bayh, it occurs to me that the citizens of Anderson, if not the citizens of Indiana, would have elected Evan Bayh to the office King of Indiana, given the chance. Bayh spoke briefly about himself and Hillary and his support for her before introducing her to the loudest rock star cheer and ovation that I've ever heard.
She spoke about the economy, the war in Iraq, the economy, the need for overhauling Education, and the economy. She talked about the need to review all of our trade agreements, especially NAFTA. She talked about how the war in Iraq has adversely affected the economy before opening up the floor for questions and comments.
Two of the first three comments were that she should, if nominated, make Senator Bayh her vice presidential running mate. Her response, "That seems to be a popular comment." A lot of people talked about how the economy has affected them. One question was from a man who asked about her stance on the rights of gay and lesbian Americans. Senator Clinton relayed the story of neighbors of parents' who were gay and how they were able to assist in helping out while Senator Clinton's father was sick and how it changed her views when one of the gay men became sick and the other man was unable to visit because he had no legal relation.
Once she had taken about 15 or so questions she wrapped up and asked everyone for their support on May 6.
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