It's been 40 years since there's been this much excitement about a presidential race in Bloomington. In 1968 Bobby Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy both made appearances in Bloomington.
RFK campaigning in Bloomington
This year in a span of 10 days we've had President Bill Clinton speaking at the Indiana University basketball arena, Assembly Hall, followed by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds performing a free concert in support of Barack Obama for 14,000 students at Assembly Hall, and now Barack Obama making unannounced stops at the Women's Little 500 bicycle race, and Nick's English Hut.
Indiana Daily Student story on Obama's surprise visit.
MLDB's Diary on Obama at the Woman's Little 500
After his incredible entrance before the start of the Women's Little 500 rumors spread this past Friday about an Obama stop in downtown Bloomington. Getting a call from a friend with the simple message: "Get to Nick's! Right now! You need to get a beer at Nick's! Now!" So that's where I went, wearing my Nick's shirt, video camera in hand.
Nick's English Hut is one of the top sports bars in the country. Although it is definitely a college hangout, the clientele crosses several generations. This 80-year old establishment is a must-stop for anyone passing through the college town of Bloomington, Indiana. So it's not surprising that this was the place the Obama campaign picked for an impromptu stop.
Standing outside the bar was Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, inside was Congressman Baron Hill and a few hundred others who'd heard the rumor. Former Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez led Senator Obama down the street to Nick's.
I was impressed that Senator Obama made eye contact with every single person in the bar. His smile is genuine and he seemed to be enjoying himself. I was also impressed with the seriousness the citizens of Bloomington took this opportunity, hearing comments like: " I'm a small businessman, we need your help" and "we're teachers, don't forget about education".
On the video I asked Baron Hill(who has not committed to either candidate) about the status of his Super Delegate vote. I hope the video demonstrates some of the overwhelming excitement that is consuming this Indiana town. We can't wait to see what the next three weeks will bring.