I attended Tuesday night’s fundraiser for Democratic candidate Barack Obama. The event was held at the Harrison Opera House, which has a seating capacity of 1,632. I arrived around 6pm, when the doors were scheduled to open, and the parking lot was already full. I ran into Portsmouth Delegate Ken Melvin and his lovely wife, Sylvia. We checked in and, with a little assist from Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim and his lovely wife, Beth, headed upstairs to the VIP area.
Governor and potential VP pick Tim Kaine was the host of this affair. One of the most interesting conversations I had was with the governor’s sons, 18-year-old Nat and 16-year-old Woody. I guess it’s impossible not to have politics in your blood when your father and grandfather have both been governor. The two are already showing signs of political aspirations – one as the candidate, the other as the “behind-the-scenes” guy.
Around 7pm, Michelle Obama entered the area and a line was formed for guests to get their picture with her. One of the first people in line was Senator Mame Locke. The line was quite long and while people moved through fairly quickly, it was about 7:40pm before all of the pictures were completed.
Heading downstairs, I arrived after the Bruce Hornsby concert had already started. 
Even though it was dark, I could see that the facility was almost completely full. Williamsburg native Hornsby did a wonderful job, his mastery of the piano on full display.
Kaine came out to introduce Obama. It was obvious from his introduction that he knows her well. After a few moment, Obama took the stage. Her remarks centered around the theme of narrowing the gap, between the world as it is and the world as it can be. She drew on an early experience that she had with Barack Obama, where he took her on a “date” to a meeting in a chuch basement on the Southside of Chicago. It was there that he discussed the gap. In her speech, Obama invited us to imagine the world as it can be and what we can do to move towards it. She also urged us to talk to friends and family, and to get people registered to vote.
Perhaps it was the setting, perhaps it was the crowd but this was not a campaign rally. The crowd listened respectfully and interrupted her with applause at the appropriate times, and gave her a standing ovation at the end. For the most part, there was something in her speech for everyone. As folks streamed out of the theater, I got the sense that people were both excited and determined: excited at the possibility of Obama as president and determined to do their part to help it happen.
By the way – I heard that the event raised about $400,000 for the Obama campaign.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
WOW! $400,000, that will buy a lot of tire gauges
I’m so glad rlewis is back. Winning is always more fun when you can rub it in his face.
Thanks for the post Vivian … great coverage!
We shall see Silence. I don’t recall having anything rubbed in my face to date. Obama is all talk and 0 substance. The dems have picked the wrong Pres Candidate once again!
“Obama invited us to imagine the world as it can be….”
And what is Sen. Obama’s vision of the world?
“…and what we can do to move towards it.”
And what does he want to do to move toward his vision.
I am beginning to think Obama’s supporters are going to wish they had driven a stake through Hillary’s heart when they had the chance.
I am sensing a lot of ‘buyers remorse’ as people get the measure of The Chosen One, and the prospect of Omarosa as First Lady isn’t helping.
Florida and Michigan? Superdelegates? Bill out there dropping hints?
I may actually watch the Democrat convention this year, it could be fun.
Vivian, you may just get your candidate after all.
Forget it, Don. If the supers give the nomination to Clinton, the cities will burn, and the supers know it.
Obama is very bright and is surrounding himself with the best experts on foreign policy and the economy. Don’t fret, just trust him. He is a difficult candidate to understand because his views do not fit a mold, an ideology. I trust his good judgement and think he is the ideal president for our times of transition, from partisan politics to pragmatism, from the excesses of GW to a more balanced type of administration.
“[His] views do not fit a mold, an ideology.”
Yes, they do. That ideology is called “socialism.”
You keep saying stuff like that, Mouse, but I note that it’s a Republican administration that’s been overseeing the buyout of our financial institutions and crying for the Federal Gov’t to prop up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. If there’s one socialist-in-chief in the Federal Government today, he surely didn’t get where he is by running as a Democrat….
Wow, Anon, I think it is a bit much to presume that urban blacks would riot if Obama’s star has faded enough by convention time that the party no longer thinks he can win in November. That presumes a level of impulsiveness and lack of self control that I hope is a thing of the past.
Viv,
I can’t help but remember all of the Pro-Hillary and anti-Obama feeling from this blog. To support your party, ok, but to PAY to support a candidate you so fundamentally opposed… Saddens me.
Not saying that you are doing anything wrong, but I know you have some VERY fundamental, philosophical differences that are very important to you. In the end, he is just a candidate for this campaign, but your beliefs are forever.
There’s an old saying, SW, that you should familiarize yourself with: “look before you leap” I said I attended the fundraiser; I never said I paid to attend. As is the case with many fundraiser that I attend, I did not pay for last night’s event.
Silence, you point is well taken, and certainly Pres. Bush is not the conservative he portrayed himself to be. (Gee, a politician lied to get elected. I’m sure that will never happen again.
)
However, that Pres. Bush is not a conservative in no way changes the fact that Sen. Obama is a socialist. With “No Child Left Behind,” “McCain-Feingold,” Medicare Part D,” and “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” what we get from a self-described conservative with a Republican congress, you can understand my fear of a socialist president with a socialist Congress.
…but again, with the exception of immigration reform, all of those laws you mentioned were passed through a Republican-controlled Congress. And I’m sure I don’t need to note that one of them is labelled with the name of the Republican Presidential nominee.
I actually kind of like discussing things here with you so I’m not trying to respond with ire and animosity or anything like that. It’s hard sometimes because at times you sound straight out of McCarthyism, like you’re a Socialism alarmist who think Democrats are out to betray the American way of life or something, but I’m pretty sure that’s unintentional. Still, I really can’t help but suggest to you that either mainstream Democrats aren’t as radically far to the left compared with mainstream Republicans as you seem to suggest, or the center of the political spectrum isn’t as far to the right as you think.