Obama in Espanola, NM

My wife, sister-in-law, and I made the trip down to Espanola (the 'enye' is important) to see the Obama rally today. I'm pretty sure this will be as close to us as Obama will get in the general election campaign, and I was frustrated in my attempt to see him in Santa Fe during the primary campaign.

Atmospherics: Attending an Obama campaign rally is a fairly grueling ordeal. Got in line about 10 ("doors open at 10:30"), got in about 12:15. Technically, you need a ticket, but nobody cared too much. The screening was fairly thorough: cameras, plastic water bottles OK; fold-up chairs, glass were not. The site, the town's plaza, had about one gazebo, a distant rack of bleachers, and the showpiece crowd in the backdrop bleachers, on a field of well-kept grass. It was sunny, tending towards hot (80 or so), with a wind that started up during the rally, freshening but eventually bringing in grit from the dry neighborhoods nearby. The rally ended at 2:30, so it was four-plus hours in the sun, with nowhere to sit. I got a significant sunburn outlining the neckline of the shirt I wore: I am currently, literally, a redneck.

I was on a relative high point in the mosh pit, twenty-five yards away from the podium. The rally started shortly after 12:30 with these warm-up speakers: mayor of Espanola, Congressional candidate Ben Ray Lujan (he's a shoo-in), Jill Cooper Udall (the wife of our current Congressman and future Senator--Tom couldn't make it as Congress is in session), the Obama campaign field organizer for this district and the woman who heads up Women for Obama for the state. Then, about 45 minutes of music--playing some of the same songs two and three times. There was a bit of a delay, clearly.

The main event was opened by Gov. Bill Richardson, who's beard is now well-trimmed, and looks trim in a black shirt, bolo tie, and blue jeans. Bill gave a short, high-quality speech and stepped aside for our candidate.

Barack seemed in good spirits, not overly tired, smiling, white shirt with sleeves rolled up and no tie (making lapel pin question moot).

His speaking characteristics were laudable for a student of forensics: despite the presence of TelePrompter, he made great eye contact forward and across the crowd, speaking forcefully without shouting.

Context: Espanola is at the heart of a relatively-highly populated swath through the center of Northern New Mexico. The area as a whole has a high-percentage of both Hispanics and Native Americans. Santa Fe is the only real city in the region, separated by a two-day death march (on foot; 45 minutes, on the new light rail system nearing completion) from the state's only metropolis, Albuquerque.

Espanola is a relatively backward town, traditional and unassuming. Also, poor--like Taos in its low wages and lack of sizable, stable employment (but unlike Santa Fe with its government jobs). It's somehow not even the county seat of its county, Rio Arriba (for the High Rio Grande running through town)--that's a dinky hamlet called Tierra Amarilla 30 miles to the northwest.

It is the voting history, and the inconsistent turnout, of this swath here--2-to-1 or better in each of the three communities' counties for both Gore and Kerry--which have led the Obama campaign to target this region as the key area for their success in the state. While they've made an impressive effort to organize throughout the state, they've recognized that there's a huge opportunity here, if they can register more voters and get them to turn out. Thus Obama's call to roll up our sleeves and appeal to Hispanics and Native Americans "to vote your numbers".

The Meat and Potatoes:
Obama's address went entirely to economic issues, except for a passing reference to getting us out of Iraq. The news of the morning was the bizarre call from McCain for the firing of SEC Commissioner Christopher Cox (yeah, like that's going to get us through the crisis, John!) I really can't figure that one: apart from the fact the analysts caught that he technically doesn't fire the SEC Commissioner, Cox is far from the foremost scapegoat, and he is a loyal Republican--probably endorsed John McCain, even.

Obama used it well, in the best improvisation of the day: (and I quote loosely, from memory)

It's all well and good to fire him. But we have a chance in November to fire the whole on-your-own, trickle-down, look-the-other-way bunch of them.

I like the combative spirit--I hope he brings it to the debate, and that he makes the attacks necessary to show that McCain is the erratic, unsound choice in this election.

Takeaway: My highlight for the day is the call to action in pseudo-Spanish: Obamanos! (upside-down exclamation point and accent on the first 'a' missing). It's a good play on words: first, for Vamonos! (let's go!); but also, a more subtle one on the newly-coined verb "obamar"--if not coined yet, I'm doing it--meaning "toObama" or "Obamacize"--meaning to get organized from the ground up to get things done. In that sense, it would mean "Obama-cize us!"

Like Jimi Hendrix' call to get "psychedelicized".