Live! At Universal City! The Barack Obama Show

The Obama Show came to Los Angeles tonight, albeit without Oprah and Michelle. And The Times' Cathleen Decker reports from the scene -- the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City -- that some 5,000 rapturous fans received the Democratic presidential candidate with cheers, whistles and applause.

There was show biz, of course. Ne Yo and the Goo Goo Dolls sang. And some political business to attend to. Besides paying $25 to $250 for a ticket, fans also needed to provide their phone numbers and e-mails. They were invited to go to Nevada and Iowa to volunteer door-to-door for the campaign. And you can guess those phones and e-mails will be put to further use in coming weeks.

At one point in the pre-Obama festivities, Buffy Wicks, Obama's state field director, paused the program and ordered everyone present then and there to phone four friends and pitch Obama's candidacy. Those phone numbers and e-mails were also collected.

But the crowd came for the other Big O and they got him in full preacher-cadence. "The era of Scooter Libby justice and Brownie incompetence and Karl Rove politics will finally be over next November," Obama said in a line borrowed from his weekend appearances. "We were promised a compassionate conservative and we got Katrina and wiretaps. We were promised a uniter but got a president who couldn't even lead the half of the country that voted for him."

"I don't want to spend the next four years having the same arguments with the same lack of results," he added during his 35 minutes of remarks. "I don't want to pit red America against blue America."

Then, in a not-so-oblique reference to an unnamed Democratic opponent who's refused to release her first lady documents from her husband's presidential library, Obama announced that tomorrow he would be releasing for public scrutiny his long-held kindergarten papers.

"There's some scandalous stuff in there," he admitted. "I experimented with coloring outside the lines. Pulled a girl's ponytail once. And liked it."

So much for the ponytail vote.

--Andrew Malcolm

 

Comments

[Kathy]

I was at last night's event, and just wanted to correct something in your story. We weren't asked to call four friends. We were asked to call people listed on a sheet of paper handed to us as we walked in. The papers only listed first names and phone numbers, and had boxes to check off such as Obama supporter, undecided, etc. It was quite a surprise to be asked to do this, but most people around me did it.

[aehtorod]

How could someone who was allegedly "there" get so much of it wrong? It was a wonderful, joyful event with thousands of happy people. And, if you're in LA where people love to see a show, why not give a really great show, which they did! But to imply the people were "forced" to call four friends, the names and numbers of which were then collected, is a lie. The first names and numbers of four registered Democrats were given to each person as we walked in, and we were encouraged to call them and mark off whether the line was disconnected, whether they were decided for someone else, etc. It was a really creative and intelligent harnessing of the enthusiasm and power of your grass roots. Typical of the intelligence and creativity of the Obama campaign.

This piece was obviously written by someone on Hillary's payroll!

[Matt]

hah. As I recall it, Buffy Wicks _encouraged_ everyone in attendance to participate in the state's largest phone bank. They did not call friends, but called registered democratic voters whose numbers they were given. Most of those making calls instantly became more proactively involved in changing our country than they had ever imagined being before.

[Jon]

It was an extrordinary night. For those of us in the boomer generation, I think it was the best political speech of our lifetime. The Clinton people have reason to be so fearful, because the Obama Movement is real.

[Estevan]

What a great event! The diversity of speakers and performers at the Gibson Amphitheatre embodied the essence of the Obama movement. It was amazing to enjoy this evening with so many different walks of life. Everyone in America is cynical about politics but every Obama event has such an amazingly positive vibe. No doubt this is a man that can bring people together.

Quite a bad job at reporting here, though. People were asked, not required, to leave their contact information for volunteer opportunities. Other posters have cleared up the "4 phone calls" issue. I felt that was a genius way of getting people involved and showing them that volunteering is pretty darn easy AND fun!

[Jeremy Morales]

I was there last night as well. The state field adviser asked people to call likely voters from a list that the campaign provided, not friends. I am really not sure how the Los Angeles Times has got this one wrong. The first two writers has it correct, not the Los Angeles Times.

[Nancy]

Ditto the above comments. I was there too, but apparently Cathleen Decker was not. Please get your facts straight.

[Valroide Lyons]

Hello People, the event was fantastic. Everything from the Entertainment to the Main Speaker was what you would call "Old School With A New Twist." The invitation to participate in the phonebank operation was just that an invitation. People that wanted to be involved got involved, the one that didn't just sat there. The place was filled up and everybody had a great time.

P.S. It was something that People wanted to do because, not a penny was spent on PUBLICITY.

[Gregory Townes]

OBAMA-2008! Please America! Elect this great man president! We are truly seeing something wonderful happening here!

[Mike]

Really poor reporting of the event. Especially the condescending heading, and the notion that 2/3 of the show didn't show up. Nobody there expected Michelle or Oprah - we came for Barack and I was very pleased with what he had to say.

[Jane Hirsch]

I am a Hillary supporter...and I think it is a pitiful thing the way that you all blame everything that is written or said on her. I am voting for the best democratic candidate - which is Hillary Clinton

[suesher]

Obama had me in 2004 but it was SO exciting to hear him speak in person. WAKE UP, CALIFORNIA! You will not get Bill Clinton to be Preident by voting for Hillary. In fact, I would bet that Bill will be a wonderful advisor to Obama, as many from his cabinet are now.
Obama is not just concened with his own future, but with all of our futures. And please keep in mind that he has more experience as an ELECTED offical than HRC.
Obama is the epitome of everything that is good about America, and every voter should take a closer look!

[Ray Zoila]

I paid for two $250 tickets and was delighted with show, the cocktail bar, and most importantly, the Candidate. If I wasn't convinced before, I definetely am now. He is the Man that can lead our country back to Glory. He is the man that can heal our wounds overseas. He is inteliigent, charismatic, and a true leader with a morality not matched by either of the past two Presidents.

Oh.. and by the way.. we were not asked to call our friends and give up thier email addresses. We were given a short list of registered blue voters and asked to call them on the spot from our seats. In my humble opinion, genius. Its the simple kind of thinking that makes this country great!

Rock on Obama Nation!

[John]

I did not attend this great event, however i had three memebers of my family attend and they were convinced that this is the man to lead our country to greatness that we once had, especially internationally. Others outside my family also stated the event was more than what they expected and the request to particiipate by calling others off a provided list was a excellent idea.

[akibo]

Does the LA Times really consider this reporting? Or can the so-called "reporter" Andrew Malcolm get away with turning second-hand information into a poorly written opinion piece because it's a "blog"?