Yup, they're angry. Angry, angry, angry.
Isn't it funny how this:
doesn't capture what it's like on the floor (the view from my camcorder phone, as some great war protestors walked just to my left off camera):
Right before I started filming, several people off to my right screamed "COMMUNIST!" over and over again. Of course, it was less angry than I thought, mostly because I missed the now-famous invocation
More about my day at the McCain rally, good bad and ugly, after the jump.
Before you tar and feather me for even going to the rally, I should preface this by saying I volunteered for Obama as early as June 2007 and have already voted Obama, Biden, Loebsack, Harkin. Why did I go? Well, I had plans on Saturday that fell through, I enjoy American history, and some day, when John McCain is a footnote, I'll be able to say I saw him.
Most of all--and some of you might flame me for this--I wanted to see for myself if things really were as vicious and angry and as visceral as it seems on television.
I had conflicting motives. You see, I grew up in exurban northern Illinois. We are a very evangelical area, and--in many ways--the incubator for the ideal Rove/Gingrich voter. People move out of suburbs proper into "the country" (except, if enough people do it, it's not rural any more!) and are then shocked when the influx of new students puts a strain on the schools and property/sales taxes need to be levied.
On another front, there are sportsmen and tons of Christians. I myself grew up in the evangelical church, and you know what? There were good things and bad things. My mom is a piano teacher and relies on the large Christian homeschooling population in the area for her income, and on the whole, these are decent, hardworking people with good (if incredibly sheltered, close-minded) hearts. I leaned McCain in '00, in the first election where I could vote, and ended up voting Gore. Throughout college, I gradually turned bluer and bluer until--BAM--Obama hit me right between the eyes, during his senate primary campaign and later in his early grassroots efforts in Iowa (where I now live and vote).
My neighbor back home is a defense contractor. He's a good guy, good to my family, good to me, a good strong citizen... but he's also racist. People like this--we all know them--it's very easy to dehumanize them, but it's much more complicated than that. They are our co-workers, relatives, lovers, and woven into the fabric of our lives.
Watch my video (the second above the jump). You'll see two figures that stand out. One is the man with his daughter on his shoulders. I'll bet he doesn't care for Obama, does he? Maybe. Or maybe he's just out with his daughter. But what is he teaching her? What kind of anger is welling up inside of her?
About thirty seconds in, an old--seventy, perhaps--white-haired man solemnly walks into the left of the frame. He was slowly pacing throughout, and was dressed as if for a funeral, in a blue suit reminding me of Thomas Lynch, if you know who that is. He never clapped, and--pointedly--was not wearing the suggested "red." He looked like a guy who had seen a lot, and was seeing this, and looked concerned.
I tried to masquerade as a Republican for the morning. I wore my LL Bean barn coat and a "Field of Dreams" hat. I wore a red t-shirt but then felt ashamed and buttoned up my coat as I saw some African American SEIU protestors walking to their cars from the pre-rally protest. I said that this was history and I wanted to see it, but that I'm on the right side, and have voted Obama. We shared a handshake and a laugh.
Tickets were not hard to come by. A nice old lady, whose son is running to unseat the most awesome Congressman in the Iowa delegation, Bruce Braley, who just happens to also be a"pinko" (in downticket races, the Rethug script template is 20 years old.) I took a few yard signs afterwards and discarded them in a McDonald's parking lot. But then again, that lady seemed nice! Her boy was running for Congress. What's she gonna do? It's not even my district, and there's no chance I'd vote against such a bad-ass as Braley--if we're lucky, he'll run against Grassley--but still... I was softening, and thinking they're not all bad, as people. (Although, even my dad, a proud Reaganite, has proudly jumped ship. The remnant that survives is nothing but the true believers in whatever they're fed.)
I got in, and the former mayor of Davenport was speaking. Alot of chanting was going on--much more than at an Obama rally (I've been to three), actually, and the crowd really was fired up. The emcee--I showed up too late, missed the wildly xenophobic invocation, and the intro of whoever was speaking--made a good point: in Iowa, Bush won by one vote per precinct in 2000.
Of course, McCain is delusional if he thinks he's going to rescue Iowa with this kind of deficit. The Democratic Caucus in January had the buzz of national history; the republican caucus was a joke, with 9-11 and McSame boycotting. My friends, Huckabee and Romney are only so exciting. So, the '00 and '04 samples are way out of date: an ass-kicking is coming to McCain. McCain's going to get beaten so badly here that some votes might spill over into neighboring NE-02. (My theory is that Lynn Hagel was softening the ground for a Chuck Hagel endorsement later this weekLynn Hagel. Totally unsourced theory.)
The rally ran rather on schedule. McCain's bus drove into the modest arena, and he walked out, and the place erupted. While polls teach us that Palin turned off the base, she excited the fringe. The fringe is ready to lick envelopes with "Kool-Aid" adhesive. We can't let our guard down.
And I was thinking, all this chanting, all this fire, and McCain was quite muted! He stumbled over his lines, especially the one about not taking lessons in honesty from a Chicago politician, but the crowd went nuts. Because the crowd, my friends, is nuts. There is an anger in this country, and John McCain's riding the wave, trying to turn economic anger into racial anger. And I thought the real "tell" came in the first two minutes, when McCain used the word "angry" about ten times. He didn't understand the anger, but he sure as heck pimped it.
All in all, there was one positive policy proposal that McCain shared that I think Obama might be able to get behind: suspending necessary IRA maturations until the market stabilizes.
But mostly, I kind of want to take a shower after doing this. I wondered what I'd really do. I thought about concern-trolling and screaming the N-word, screaming "Terrorist!" or something like this. But that's not right. As it was, I did nothing, and felt like some sort of anthropologist.
And you know what? In the time it took me to get to Davenport, see the rally, and get back, I could have spent my free day up in Minnesota canvassing for the good guys.
Or, instead of badly filming the protestors, I should have stood proudly with them. Will you forgive me? Maybe this diary is an act of penance.
UPDATE: my "tweets" from the event, from the end to the beginning, with my screenname redacted:
Cuntry first... I came for a hatefest, got a preening old man. seemed lost. Took 3 signs tie up resources 11:41 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
The most advertising for plantariums EVER i bet this nets positive for Adler 11:34 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
total Dr. Evil scarequotes.totally looks like dr evil too 11:28 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Hatchet AND scalpel. decent line, delivered boredly 11:26 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
War protestors making big stir. YES! 11:21 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Ira suspension plan seems like a good idea, actually. obama should get on board 11:19 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Angry said nine times in a row 11:16 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Patriotism patriotism patriotism patriotism....11:14 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Right now plays. please pay royalties 11:12 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Driving the effin bus in here 11:11 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Its the angels in the outfield music 11:08 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
More chanting than an obama rally less than riefenstahl films 11:07 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
The "dallas" soundtrack is playing and it feels like the 80s11:04 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Here he comes... More on schedule than kerry obama rallies I saw 11:04 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
No hatespeech yet. Pretty positive 11:01 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Still the fervor of battleground state: "two more votes per precinct" who r they kidding? 10:59 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Actually crowded. Dport mayor speaking 10:55 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Got ticket 10:52 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Parking ample. That's a big "tell" 10:47 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
Dressed repub in red and head-to-toe LL Bean 10:37 AM October 11, 2008 from txt
UPDATE #2: From the comments, ILeanLeft:
SHH! Don't say a word, but I went to a Palin rally...
here in STL, had VIP tix to see her at the new SLU arena after the debate. (Don't ask - business related)
Talk about UGH!!! The crowd there was hungry for red meat and cheered any garbage she said while booing through Biden's pieces. It was sad really, how low we've sunken in what we expect of our National leaders. I tried to blend in, but being one of just 5 or so AA's (maybe 800-1000 in attendance, maybe?) in the building made that quite hard.
Since we were standing room only on the floor around the stage, I felt like a lab-rat as we were being stared at quite a bit, my husband and I. And it wasn't like folks were welcoming either. it was more like, "Are you spying for Obama? What are you doing here?" Whatever the case, it was a far cry from the warmth and welcome of an OBAMA FOR CHANGE event!!! These folks were very cliquish and since I was not in the "clique," I was not welcomed.
I left before the end as I knew the MSM was going to light up the place and I REFUSED to be a poster child for that campaign.
I could try to understand that base, but it would hurt my head and so I refuse.
I showered twice - REALLY! I hated being there and was angry with my husband for days for dragging me to a "networking" event. Like you, I was embarrassed but privately appreciated being able to say I saw the train wreck for myself.