I Was There as Edwards endorsed Obama

Wow! People talk about being "Fired Up and Ready to Go" at Obama rallies, but I must say I never imagined seeing what I just saw in Grand Rapids, in the heart of conservative West Michigan.

An endorsement from John Edwards.

I arrived at Van Andel Arena (named for a conservative cofounder of Amway) around 5:15. The line to get in moved quite rapidly, probably because there were plenty of metal detectors to keep people moving in at an efficient pace. I sat in the upper level of the arena, but I was closer to the stage than many people there. Besides, given who we knew was going to be there, I wasn’t complaining.

A disabled veteran led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. The crowd cheered as they saw the young man in crutches approach the podium. After that, someone from the field office had everyone get out their cell phones and text 'MI' to 62262 to stay involved with the campaign.

A little while later we saw the "Yes We Can" video by will.i.am. A little later, The Wave.

I reflected on the people there. They were diverse in race, age, and surely walk of life. I saw middle-aged white men. I saw black women. I saw kids - plenty of kids! Many of whom won’t be old enough to vote this November. Still, they were witnessing history. Sure, school was out for the day. But these kids were getting a hands-on education, just as I did when I saw Al Gore at Calder Plaza in October 2000.

Around 6:35, a worker at the Lear factory in Walker - which will be closing in a few months - spoke about his struggles to get by as the cost of living increased but his paycheck didn’t.

He had the honor of introducing the man who would be President.

At 6:38 PM, Barack Obama - one of the smartest and most beloved people in modern politics - stepped up to the podium.

He started by telling us he had a treat. And a treat it was as he introduced a young man who has dedicated his life to tackling the many issues ordinary Americans face.

Once Barack uttered the words "John Edwards," the place went nuts. We all knew what Edwards’s presence there meant. I was hopping up and down like I’ve never done at any political function in my 20 ½ years. Hell, I’m not sure I’ve ever been so excited at a sporting event!

Edwards spoke of the major themes of his campaign: Poverty, social justice, healthcare, and of course making the two Americas one. "The Democratic voters of America have made their decision," he added, "and so have I."

In his remarks, Obama made the solemn promise that Edwards would find in President Obama a fierce comrade in the fight against poverty. He then touched on what he has discussed throughout his campaign, including the many important issues we face in this country and the importance of changing the way Washington operates.

There seems to be general agreement that Senator Obama will be our Democratic nominee. He pointed out that both Edwards and, yes, Hillary all stood for a much-needed change in Washington. On more than one occasion, Obama called out McCain as someone who simply offers more of the same. Obama, speaking in a conservative region of battleground Michigan, was in full general-election mode.

At one point during the speech, we got a glimpse of what kind of human being we'll have as our President if this man is elected.

At one point, Barack saw that someone in the crowd had fainted. He interrupted his spiel for a moment to alert the EMTs that someone had fainted. He then took his bottle of water and asked people to send it back to the person who had fainted.

I'm not sure many politicians would interrupt their own speech to do that - much less give up their bottle of water.

When the speech was done, the crowd dispersed, and I made my way to the car. As I got in the car, I looked in the mirror and asked myself: "Did I really just see Edwards endorse Obama?"

Oh, yes, I did.

And I hope that you too have the privilege of being there to see and hear Barack Obama bring out your emotions and move you to action.

Feldman + Wheeler + Hightower + Goodman = Amazing Saturday!

I spent this past Saturday in Lansing for the Michigan Policy Summit, and boy am I excited! The summit included keynotes by Amy Goodman of Democracy NOW! and the legendary Jim Hightower. Also, Jeffrey Feldman and Marcy Wheeler, who have Michigan ties, were also there (check out Feldman's liveblog).

In addition, breakout sessions were held dealing with issues surrounding the environment, healthcare, and education.

I arrived part of the way through Amy Goodman's speech, so I didn't catch as much of what she said. She did talk about the role media must play in our society. "We need media that covers power, not media that covers for power," she declared.

She added that though the 'oil-igarchy' is powerful, there is a more powerful force out there: all of us, together.

After Goodman's speech, she and Hightower arrived for a press conference with a few of us Michigan bloggers.

Hightower said that he thought a single-payer system would be the best way of ensuring universal health coverage. Any such system would have to be adapted for the US (i.e. we can't just copy Canada's model detail-for-detail), but this type of plan has been known to work for everyone in other countries - doctors, patients, etc.

When asked about the role bloggers have to play in taking back our country, Goodman said that we need to be the ones who get important information out to the people. An uneducated populace will not always yearn for change.

Then came lunch and Hightower's speech, and if you haven't seen Hightower speak, today I learned why you have to - at least once. Here are just some of the many Hightower-isms I caught (not exact quotes):

"Nothing makes a former agriculture commissioner happy than seeing people shove food in their mouths."

The first job of a citizen is to keep your mouth open.

If not for agitators, we'd be... singing God Save the Queen.

Martin Luther King didn't say, "I have a position paper."

Noting that "we live in a remarkably progressive country," he cited a poll that showed overwhelming support for universal healthcare (even if it means an increase in taxes!), drug-price negotiation by the government, lessening the power of huge corporations, and stronger environmental policies.

But the best laugh of the day came when Hightower spoke the following:

Battling the bastards is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

Feldman and Wheeler didn't speak, but they did autograph their books.

More complete coverage of today's summit can be found on Michigan Liberal, Blogging for Michigan, and Michigan Messenger.

Special thanks to the Michigan Prospect for putting on this summit, and also to the many volunteers!