Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Short One

Tonight was going to see Barack Obama. It was crazy. Parking garages full. We wound up parking several blocks away and hoofing it. We may have even parked illegally. We speedwalked back to the car in the dark, talking about what we had heard. We were relieved that we had not been issued a ticket or been towed.

The line was 2 1/2 blocks long, and we stood in line for about 45 minutes. Everyone around us was pleasant and interesting to talk to. A lot of different perspectives. An faculty member from Gannon University in front of us. A heavily tattooed couple behind us. Behind them a scholarly looking black man and his wife. 

For whatever reason, it made me think of the old Simon and Garfunkel song: 'they'd all come to look for America...' I suppose that was true in a way, all of us nostalgic for the days when we were not all considered evil and that we hated our country, and moreover, our president hates us.


I did have one mild heart attack. As we approached security, people began to fish out their driver's license. That had not even occurred to me. Mine was in my wallet in a locked car several blocks away. We waffled back and forth about whether I should run back to the car. 

Tim did have my veteran's ID. He uses it regularly at Lowe's for the discount. I walked up to a secret service guy who said it would be fine. Such a relief. 

A drone hovered in the air. SWAT watched from the roof. But the lines moved right along.

We were as far away from the stage as you could get, but it actually was nice. We were on comfortable high backed stools with a bar in front of us overlooking the crowd and the stage waaaaaaaay down there BUT we had a waitress come around. You could order your drinks and snacks, an amenity not available to the people in the bleacher seats. Quite a bit of service for the cheap seats.

When he took the stage, the crowd went nuts cheering. He talked for an hour and a half, about the importance of bipartisanship, about current politicians who are still upholding that core value in these times. He talked about these perilous times but reminded us that political violence is not new in our country, mentioning JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King. About women's marches, Vietnam protests and civil rights demonstrations that turned violent. 

We have been at inflection points before, and he made it clear we are at another, that people are polarized and angry.

We need to take care of others. We needed to celebrate each other and our cultures. That that is where our strength would come from, but there is no quick fix for this and these will be difficult days, not just for us but for the world. When people see other people as 'less than' it emboldens cruelty. He didn't say anything new, really, but he seemed to put it in a different context.

 It was nice to sit with 8000 other people and realize that there are others who think the same and feel the same and have the same vision for the country as we do. 

There was a heckler who interrupted twice shouting things I could not hear. She was mad as hell about something. The first tirade, Obama reminded her that he was not the president now and hadn't been for quite a few years. The second go around, the moderator spoke up to say, "Please! The people have come to hear a former president speak. After that, she stopped.

Sorry this is a pretty disjointed report. I am tired. I am so glad we went though.

Hop over to Northsider Dave's blog and leave a kind word if you would.. His beloved wife has died.

31 comments:

  1. What a balm hearing our beloved former president speak must have been in these crazy times! I wish I could have been there.

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  2. More of his ilk are needed...in every political colour

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  3. I hope you felt a bit uplifted and hopeful after the audience with such a statesman.

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  4. I am so glad you enjoyed your experience. It must have felt good to feel that you were with so many like-minded people.

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  5. Your report was fine. Glad you had a good evening.

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  6. I would have loved to hear him speak. Glad you got to, and that you shared the experience with me.

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  7. Thank you for sharing that evening with us. Just reading about it calms me.

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  8. It sounds like such a positive experience. Glad you guts got to go there.

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  9. It was quite an honor to hear a former president speak. He has a good speaking voice and is easy to listen too.

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  10. I'm so glad you shared this with us. It's so good to hear words like this. The way you described being with so many like minded people is the way I feel when I go to protests. The crazies may get more notice these days but they are not the majority of Americans. More people agree with us and want peace and fairness and kindness in our country.

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  11. People like Obama have to speak up more than ever and drown out the the hateful agenda.

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  12. Thanks for the report - it sounds like a wonderful energizing and comforting experience and we all need more of that these days.
    Ceci

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  13. Thank you for letting us know how it went. I think we envy you! I always worry so much about his security.

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  14. Obama always seems so wise, fair, competent, and likeable. Whereas the current goof, ya just wanna see him melt away and never be seen or heard again.

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  15. You lucky ducks! Sounds like an evening well-spent. Here’s something I ran across on FB that I think might resonate with a bunch of us. We are not alone! Cheers, Joan

    https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02MbjcW5fNceF36mBSdFsYmsSFgUoP7v4UT2NQV8wQC5U8TcYCVHUYPTiMRqCmHwQdl&id=671313699

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  16. Obama is my favorite president and I'm envious of you getting to hear him speak. I have seen Michelle Obama, and she was very impressive.

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  17. Courage, as Dan Rather used to say. We in the out of office party right now have to have courage, act responsibly and above all, vote!

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  18. I read about Obama's appearance in the NYT this morning, and thought, "Debby was there!" I'm so glad you were able to see him and I can only imagine how inspiring it must have been. We were so lucky to have him as president.

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  19. To be in the presence of a great man, how awesome is that! You expressed it quite well.

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  20. Very sporadic visitor to the blogs this week - so just caught up. How wonderful to see a sensible man talk about sensible things. A breath of fresh air, no doubt.

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  21. I've seen parts of his presentation on the news today. He is so calm, intelligent and focused.
    Meanwhile, I just saw Jimmy Kimmel has been cancelled from television for a true statement he made on his show last night.

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  22. So glad you got to go. I saw bits of it on twitter today, I miss that man so much.

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  23. I miss that man. Such an elegant thoughtful human being. Unlike.......

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  24. I'm so glad you got to go and shared your perspective here. And I'm glad to know Obama is speaking up about this problem in our country magnified by the man in office now. I hope Obama will continue to speak about this and energize others.

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  25. I loved just hearing about this.
    He's always been such a great speaker.
    Times are so crazy. Kimmel has now been cancelled also so rich people can make a company merge. What country are we living in?!

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  26. What an incredible night! Mrs. Shife got the opportunity to hear Barack Obama speak before he became president, and it was awesome. He certainly has a way with words. Obama’s message of bipartisanship, unity, and resilience resonates deeply, especially in these challenging times. It’s a reminder that history shows us moments like these aren’t new, and that moving forward requires empathy and coming together despite our differences. The way you describe the crowd’s shared hope and energy really brings the event to life. Thank you for sharing this heartfelt report, Debby.

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  27. And the orange president can’t even string two words together. The sooner he pops his clogs the better. You need someone like Obama to get your country back to normal.

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  28. Thanks so much for sharing this. He is indeed a complete opposite from what we have to endure now. Lucky you for seeing him in person.

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  29. Well Obama was always a fine man as was his wife, so glad you got to hear him.

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  30. Thank you, thank you for telling us about your experience, Debby. I wish we could have been there. I love Barack. He can bring peace and sensibility to this terrible time we're going through right now.

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  31. I am glad you went too. It is good to know there are others on the side of light.

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