Guest Blog: Albuquerque Women for Obama Rollout/Voter Registration Rally

(Note: To hear audio of Michelle's entire speech today, check out this post at Peter St. Cyr's blog, What's the Word. And there's no waiting.)

This is a guest blog by our friend Rachel N. Rodriguez of Albuquerque who attended today's rally with Michelle Obama at the UNM SUB Ballroom:

61 days until the election - we need to work hard, and women can get the job done.

That's the message Michelle Obama brought to the energized crowd today at the Women for Obama Rally, held at UNM. Of her own reaction to the short time between now and the election, Michelle said she thinks, "Yeah!" and then "Is that it?!"

This rally kicked off the 30/30 push of the Obama campaign in New Mexico to register 30,000 people in just 30 days. The call to action - to not just encourage a vote for Obama, but to first get voters registered - came not only from Michelle but from a long string of people who spoke before her, among them Chris Van Holland, Congressman from Maryland; Mrs. Richardson, wife of NM Governor Bill Richardson; Martin Heinrich, candidate for Congress; Patsy Madrid, former NM Attorney General; and Diane Denish, NM Lt. Governor.

As I waited in line outside the Student Union Building before being let into the ballroom, much of the talk among the mostly female crowd was about McCain's running mate Sarah Palin and her speech last night. Strong and smart reactions were flying, including shock at Palin's severe cuts in the Alaskan budget for special education. One woman said she wanted to come to hear Michelle Obama to get "that speech" out of her head. I even heard a woman promise to move out of the country if McCain is elected - an idea my husband and I have been throwing around as well. For now, I'm going to do all I can to help make sure Obama is in the White House come 2009...I signed up to volunteer for the Obama campaign and register folks to vote.

Once we got inside the hall, the crowd filled one-third of the room a few minutes after the doors opened. Shortly afterward, hand-made signs were passed forward, reading, "Mujeres para Obama," "Students 4 Obama," "Lobos for Obama," "Kids for Obama," and "Chicana Mama for Obama." The energy grew as the hall filled and the advertised 4 pm start time neared. To keep us occupied, a lucky Obama staffer chose a medley of energetic, if somewhat cheesy, patriotic rock ballads (including Neil Diamond's "Coming to America" and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA") with a rap song thrown in the mix for good measure. The crowd grew antsy and alternated between chanting "O-ba-ma" and clapping. Finally, some time after 4 pm, the show began.

Some of my fave words spoken by the opening acts to Michelle Obama:

• Obama understands what is important to women. - Mrs. Richardson

• Michelle Obama has influenced millions of people across the country. - Chris Van Holland

• This is the politics of hope versus the politics of fear. - Martin Heinrich

• Hope + Action = Change - Martin Heinrich

• Sarah Palin = the brunette Ann Coulter - Patsy Madrid
  

Finally, to the crowd's huge delight, Michelle Obama took the stage. Ever poised and "real," she thanked all those who spoke before her, including a young woman, Juanita, who gave Michelle the hand-made bracelets off her wrist when Michelle complimented her on them - upon which Michelle jokingly told Juanita she liked her shoes! Michelle also thanked Hillary Clinton for her speech at the DNC and said that because of Hillary Clinton, her husband is a better candidate.

Never making any direct attacks or put-downs of her husband's opponent, Michelle noted that Barack chose Biden as his running mate because he wants a "real partner" and noted that the Bidens are a "decent family." Of the DNC, Michelle asked the crowd, "Did you see the Convention?" remarking that it was an amazing experience to be in that place with 80,000 people who "looked like America."

Michelle also addressed the issues head-on. She assured the crowd that she knows the struggle of women in the US who are doing it all (and trying to look good, too)! She noted that American women are just asking for government to understand that real struggles exist in our lives. She promised that with Barack as president, we won't just have talk about family values, but we'll actually have policies that value families. Admitting that the campaining is tough, she expressed appreciation for all the Americans, especially the women, who pray for her, think about her, and even "get mad" for her. She reminded us that in 61 days, Barack could be president - and that there is so much at stake.

Finally, Michelle Obama reinforced the fact that New Mexico is an important state - and promised that the campaign will be back here, including Barack and Biden themselves. She stepped down from the podium dancing a bit to Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." Michelle Obama rocks!

Rachel N. Rodriguez
rachelnrodriguez@yahoo.com

Photos by Rachel N. Rodriguez

This is a guest blog by Rachel N. Rodriguez. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand side of the page.

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