Anyhow, when I found my way over there by about 115pm, having parked the scooter in a secret free, accessible, and unhassled area and found the press table, I had already missed a chunk of the Decemberists, seen here in fairly blurry fashion on a stage immediately to the west of the main podium, as you looked due north. It created a small L at the north end, where the early birds got to stand for hours. 
Meloy was definitely having fun, urging the photography media assembled on the riser to join in the singlaong, and then shaming the crowd, telling them "You can do better than the media!!" Before I could get offended, I was asked to leave the riser, set up for photog media only (iPhones don't count).  But by hanging out over near the steps of the stage, I was able to briefly get Colin's attention and thank him for endorsing and switching parties just to vote for Steve. He looked a little wary/confused at first, since I was wearing both a press badge and a Novick shirt, and I think I caught him going over to fetch his family, but he was amiable enough and graciously accepted thanks.
Nice shot of the Hawthorne Bridge here, and in the very very back of the background you can see an Obama organizer trying to rally the crowd before he got there. Interesting aside--as took this shot, waiting for the speakers to go on, I noticed Merkley spokesman Matt Canter chatting with a reporter. He was wearing a Merkley t-shirt, and I was wearing my Novick shirt and dark sunglasses. He looked over at me--I was looking over at HIM with a wry grin--scowled, and turned back to his conversation. He looked, er, a touch preoccupied. 
A shot from the opposite angle, looking back out over the crowd and towards the Riverplace complex. The press area was under a large and shady tree, which made the foreground of this photo come out awfully dark, and it looks kind of hazy as well. But this is a nice perspective on how the faces in front melt into a mass of humanity the further back you get. Or maybe it WAS hazy; the City was using the opportunity to test out their disaster respone protocols, and there were defiinitely a few heat emergencies in the crowd off and on. About 2:40, the travelling press arrived, gearheads first (cameras and lighting, etc) then the scribes. Here's a shot of the rumpled assemblage trying to get some copy out... 
I love this picture. The bus in the background is the one the family arrived on, and as he got off the bus very nearly the first thing he did was go over to the officers standing security and shake their hands. I had to blow it up and crop it to get a good shot of him; this was taken from about 50-60 ft away. Then he ambled towards the VIP tent and I knew we were close.
 Same view as before, but the tiny figures on the podium are Obama and his family. That would explain the cheering and hand waving, wouldn't it? And I'll close with two other shots that aren't mine, but that really show off the sea of faces that were out to greet Obama on this glorious day... 
As for the speech itself, it was mostly his regular stump speech, with some Oregon touches added in. Obama called it "the most spectacular setting for a rally that we've had during the campaign," and hey, he's right isn't he? We stun. :) Shortcuts-- "Senator Clinton and I have had a tough contest; she's run a tough campaign." "Trying to calibrate and calculate just won't do it. Not polls, but principles--we focus on how to win, but not why we should." "We need to reclaim government for the people. Make it transparent--show the lobbyists in their Gucci shoes, trying to be happening on C-SPAN." *offered a $1000 per family per year COLA tax break *tossed in a line about "mass transit and bicycle lanes" "We all must rise up together, or we will fall together." |
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