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Barack Obama rally in Cincinnati

UPDATE:
Added some much better pictures from a person with a camera next to my sister who was standing closer to the podium.

The original photos below were taken with my iPhone.
BarackObama1.jpgBarack Obama spoke today at Ault Park in Cincinnati.  It couldn’t have been a nicer day to be in the park and with the huge crowd, it had a festival atmosphere.  There were vendors hawking buttons, t-shirts, and posters.  There were many volunteers directing the throng of people through security and making sure that our tickets were filled out properly.

Unfortunately, because of security, they didn’t allow cameras with detachable lenses, so I had to walk a mile back to my car to drop of my camera.  I’m a little disappointed because I would have been able to take some great pictures with my zoom lens.  Instead, I only have these pictures taken with my iPhone.  I took the photo above after Obama’s speech when people started leaving and before they realized that Obama was shaking hands in the crowd.  This was as close as I got before it got a little too chaotic for me.  You can sort of see the top of Obama’s head (in the red circle).

I was about 50 feet away from the podium during the actual speech.  I had gotten to Ault Park around 12:30, but didn’t make it through security until about 1:00.  Already there were lots of people standing and staking out spots.

I felt like I was in a pretty good spot.  I could see the podium pretty easily, but I felt a little bad for the vertically challenged around me. Every time someone moved in front of them, they had to adjust their positions to try to find another gap to see the podium.  I did my part my slouching and not moving so others could see from behind me.
BarackObama2.jpgIt was estimated attendance was around 15,000.  I was struck by how diverse the crowd was.  It was a crowd that was white, black, young, and old.  I even saw a lot of high schoolers who were probably too young to vote but were excited to see Obama speak in person.  With all the problems in the economy today, these are going to be the same problems were handing to these kids tomorrow.
BarackObama6.jpg
The speech was a pretty standard Obama stump speech.  I’ve heard Obama speak many times, so this was pretty much what I expected.  Still, when Obama talks about hope and working together for a better future, it’s amazingly powerful and I feel motivated to do my part to make the world better.
BarackObama3.jpgWhen I heard that the speech was going to be in Ault Park, I thought they would have had Obama speaking from the steps of the pavilion, instead they chose to build a stage in the grassy area below.
BarackObama4.jpgMayor Mallory, Congressional Candidate Steve Driehaus, and Governor Ted Strickland all spoke before Obama.
BarackObama5.jpgLeaving Ault Park after the event was a bit of a challenge.  I’ve never seen so many people there!

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