It’s countdown plus 6 hours for the Hillary Clinton rally in downtown Oakland and already 14th street is blocked off by police barricades. Big staging companies are hefting huge platforms to erect the elevated stage. Five or six spotlight-trucks are already in standby mode. Bleachers are assembled. Secret Service have secured the area.
A battalion of young co-eds, clad in brown t’s with green “Hillary’ logos (her autumn line, assumedly), are assembled, awaiting marching orders. A young, dark suited George Stephanopolus clone, oozing arrogance and authority, clutches his clipboard and calls out to a young man setting up his display of “Obama Love” caps on the other side of the divide.
“Hey, you’re in the wrong place. Your event is down there. Two blocks.”
The grand opening of Barack Obama’s first West Coast headquarters marks the first time a major presidential candidate has set up shop in the City of Oakland, where Obama last March drew an unprecedented early campaign crowd of 12,000.
But today on the last day of September, it is Ground Zero for the Clinton campaign.
Further up 14th, with less than three hours to go before 1 pm kickoff, The Balloon Lady truck is busy pumping out product outside Obama headquarters. Afternoon events include local political supports, including San Francisco DA Kamala Harris and performances by hip-hoppers Blackalicious and R&B star D’wayne Wiggins.
The pint-sized lobby of the historical building is near overflow with scores of humongous red, white and blue bouquets. Upstairs in the third story offices, volunteers stream in, grab an assignment, and head back down in the elevator carrying tables, chairs, boxes of Obama gear. A small crew assembles some rope, masking tape, scissors and a slew of Obama signs and leaves to cordon off the street in front of the building. Someone sweeps the floor, clears away clutter.
By 11:15, everybody’s outside, pitching in to unload the stage from a delivery truck. By 12, it’s up and ready and a tad further down the street, the kid’s jump house rises from the pavement.
From up above, someone shouts out for help as a huge Obama ’08 banner is lowered and hung level from the 3rd floor windows. A small cheer.
Operating procedures are clear: if you’ve done an Obama event before, you’re the expert. Mentor the newcomers. And by opening time, everything’s syncopated and copacetic; store stocked, information tables manned and equipped, loudspeakers checked, balloon bouquets positioned.
Standing behind the merchandise table, UCB student Christina Milton chats with Natalie Rojos, California Coordinator of Students for Barack Obama.
“Everyone is so pumped up and so involved”says Rojos, “I worked for the Kerry campaign, and students were really excited then. But it was more about ‘Anybody but Bush.’ Now it’s about Barack. People are inspired by him. They’re talking real politics, they’re really engaged.”
Rojos, a student at University of Santa Cruz, tucks the latest campaign tee under her arm (white bearing a large impression of Obama) and says she’s already student leaders are already working not only on country-wide campus registration rallies but also on ensuring there are enough voting machines available on election day.
“We don’t want a repeat of ‘04, when students had to wait on line for 2 or 3 hours,” she says.
Milton is one of two UCB students selling Obama swag. Veterans of three events each, they know to push their products by telling potential customers all purchases are 100% donations to the campaign. It’s a major incentive today, the last day of the 3rd quarter.
An older woman and her sister almost purchased cheaper shirts from a rouge vendor but wanted to make sure their money went directly to the campaign.
“Barack isn’t accepting any money from lobbyists so it’s up to us. I’m not yet maxed out on my contribution so I’m shopping,” she says. She purchases shirts for herself and her two grandchildren, a couple of bumper stickers and a handful of Obama signs to distribute in her neighborhood.
By 2pm, the Obama celebration is 500 strong, the usual diverse group, a veritable melting pot of staunch supporters, the curious, and a smattering of Hillary folks arriving early for her mega-event.
Two blocks away, the streets are eerily empty and subdued. Secret Service men stand on perimeter rooftops, gazing out over the city through high powered binoculars.
Now even the sidewalks are off limits and from the fortififed rooftops a sentry trains his binoculars straight on a woman approaching in an Obama ‘08 cap and teeshirt carrying a large “Go Barack Go” sign.
“I’m parked down there,” she says to one of the Hillary co-eds behind the barricade.
“Nobody’s allowed in here.”
The Obama lady doesn’t budge. And for just a moment there’s a slight hesitation, the coed looks as if she’s thinking about saving the Obama lady the inconvenience of walking two blocks out of her way.
“It’s not up to us,” another girl says. “We’re just following orders.”
