A Bit of DC in Austin

Last night I attended the Texas Democratic Party Debate Watching Party at the Hyatt on Town Lake. After three hours of seeing the candidates on the big screen, they finally made their way to the ballroom for a few brief remarks to the crowd of 1,200. Before entering the ballroom, everyone had to go through TSA screening similar to the airport security checks.

Hillary spoke first and then made her way across the pipe and drape barriers to keep the crowd off the stage. I wasn't too confident I'd be able to shake anyone's hand. About 45 minutes later, Barack Obama entered the room to a medley of U2's "City of Blinding Lights" and Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." He flashed the Hook 'em Horns sign and talked about the uniquely independent spirit of Austin that he'd like to bottle and take across the rest of the country.

As he was wrapping up the speech, I decided to make my move toward the front of the barrier. At this point, I was about 10 rows deep. I threw out all common courtesy and probably inappropriately clamored my way up to the front just as Obama was making his way to the line. My right hand shook his left hand. Score! I know I'm probably obsessing on this entire story, but it is what it is. Check out the video of his entrance:



Mark and I are scheduled to attend the "Stand for Change" rally tonight in downtown Austin. We'll have Mark and Suzanne's nice camera so I'm hoping for better pictures to post tomorrow.