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That Time I Met Barack Obama
It was October, 2018.
I was working on a political campaign as a campaign manager. In a last ditch effort to help Democratic candidates win their races, it was announced that former President Barack Obama was coming to town. My candidate scored two VIP tickets. She asked me to go.
We arrived early at the venue. It was already packed with people trying to get in. Lines snaked around the building. We were pointed to a line that was for VIPs. It was long too.
We waited for two hours in a drizzle outside of a large high school. People around us were excited. A Vietnam veteran with his wife who was in a wheelchair was next to us. When it was time for our line to move forward, we asked people to let them in first. The crowd was happy to oblige.
We were led into the school gym, and found a place to stand at a barricade perimeter that was set up about 20 feet from the stage.
We stood there for the next two hours as the space filled up, and the parade of speakers began. About 45 minutes later, the school band filed in, and played “Get Ready” by the Temptations. Everyone was clapping along, and then Obama strode out on stage. He turned to point to the band and started to dance a bit. The crowd went crazy.