Photograph and Blog entry by
Patrick Monaghan
Director of Communications
Jefferson School of Population Health
There we sat, maybe a thousand of us, gathered in a small gymnasium on the campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College, nestled into a bucolic setting just outside of Allentown, Pa. The Pledge of Allegiance had been recited; the Star Spangled Banner sung. The Presidential Seal had been secured to the podium. An air of anticipation hung in the rafters that I have perhaps felt a handful of times.
Ticket holders had waited outside well over an hour, patiently filing through security as if boarding a flight home.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States of America.” A modest roar and raucous applause from the crowd. Cameras flashing. I don’t recall hearing “Hail to the Chief,” but there he was, Barack Obama, probably the most recognizable person on the planet, walking to the stage. As he prepared to begin his remarks, he stood just a long jump shot from my seat in the bleachers.
I certainly didn’t expect to be here. Did anyone? An e-mail had been circulated earlier in the week notifying me and my colleagues at the Jefferson School of Population Health that there was an opportunity to see the President speak in our area. Six tickets – first come, first served. By the time I retrieved the message, an hour had passed. Opportunity missed, I thought.
I called anyway, and here I was, face-to-face with my first Presidential address. Regardless of your political leanings, it’s one of those events that makes you feel more connected to the Democratic Process. I’m a bit of a news junkie, and you didn’t have to be Walter Cronkite to know that this was going to make a few headlines. Welcome signs hung from businesses and schools leading to the college. Protestors at the entrance; “Don’t Tread on Me” flags; rows of news vans sprouting a small forest of satellite uplinks.
Given the setting, I had a feeling the President would focus his comments on jobs and the economy. As a JSPH staffer, I had come in hope of hearing some inside information on the health care bill. Would it come to a vote soon? Is the public option a deal breaker? What’s the story with Joe Lieberman?
As those of us vested in the health care debate understand, our nation’s fragile economy will only truly flourish when our dysfunctional health care system is mended. Health care expenses are bleeding our country dry – medical care now absorbs 18 percent of every dollar we earn.
It’s a connection that is not lost on Mr. Obama.
“What has happened is a lot of the debate in Washington has been around health care, so people think, well, I guess they must not be working on jobs,” Mr. Obama said. “No, we’ve been working on jobs the whole time. Health care is part and parcel with where we need to take our economy.”
The President began his remarks just before noon. His oratory skills are on full display in a live setting, but I was somewhat surprised by his reliance on a TelePrompTer for his formal comments. It forces him to look side-to-side (to the prompter panels) instead of straight ahead. Before concluding, he took a few questions from the audience, and it was during this unscripted segment that he seemed most at ease.
He worked the crowd on the way out, shaking hands and posing for the obligatory photo-with-a-baby. By 1 p.m. he had left the building.
We remained somewhat sequestered, momentarily suspended behind closed doors, presumably until the motorcade was out of sight. By the time we emerged from the gym, there was barely a trace he had been there.
Except for the protestors.
Ticket holders had waited outside well over an hour, patiently filing through security as if boarding a flight home.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States of America.” A modest roar and raucous applause from the crowd. Cameras flashing. I don’t recall hearing “Hail to the Chief,” but there he was, Barack Obama, probably the most recognizable person on the planet, walking to the stage. As he prepared to begin his remarks, he stood just a long jump shot from my seat in the bleachers.
I certainly didn’t expect to be here. Did anyone? An e-mail had been circulated earlier in the week notifying me and my colleagues at the Jefferson School of Population Health that there was an opportunity to see the President speak in our area. Six tickets – first come, first served. By the time I retrieved the message, an hour had passed. Opportunity missed, I thought.
I called anyway, and here I was, face-to-face with my first Presidential address. Regardless of your political leanings, it’s one of those events that makes you feel more connected to the Democratic Process. I’m a bit of a news junkie, and you didn’t have to be Walter Cronkite to know that this was going to make a few headlines. Welcome signs hung from businesses and schools leading to the college. Protestors at the entrance; “Don’t Tread on Me” flags; rows of news vans sprouting a small forest of satellite uplinks.
Given the setting, I had a feeling the President would focus his comments on jobs and the economy. As a JSPH staffer, I had come in hope of hearing some inside information on the health care bill. Would it come to a vote soon? Is the public option a deal breaker? What’s the story with Joe Lieberman?
As those of us vested in the health care debate understand, our nation’s fragile economy will only truly flourish when our dysfunctional health care system is mended. Health care expenses are bleeding our country dry – medical care now absorbs 18 percent of every dollar we earn.
It’s a connection that is not lost on Mr. Obama.
“What has happened is a lot of the debate in Washington has been around health care, so people think, well, I guess they must not be working on jobs,” Mr. Obama said. “No, we’ve been working on jobs the whole time. Health care is part and parcel with where we need to take our economy.”
The President began his remarks just before noon. His oratory skills are on full display in a live setting, but I was somewhat surprised by his reliance on a TelePrompTer for his formal comments. It forces him to look side-to-side (to the prompter panels) instead of straight ahead. Before concluding, he took a few questions from the audience, and it was during this unscripted segment that he seemed most at ease.
He worked the crowd on the way out, shaking hands and posing for the obligatory photo-with-a-baby. By 1 p.m. he had left the building.
We remained somewhat sequestered, momentarily suspended behind closed doors, presumably until the motorcade was out of sight. By the time we emerged from the gym, there was barely a trace he had been there.
Except for the protestors.
