Obamamania: The Aftermath

With 24 hours passed since the President graced the humble UW-Madison, life has returned to normal, though his visit is still the talk of the town. Local and national coverage of the event has been largely positive, with most stories tending to focus on the youth aspect, and the needs of democrats to rally students to turn out the vote. Its all about engaging with the apathetic generation. And it seems to have worked. The biggest rally of Obama's presidency, shown across the nation, has been heralded as a return to the 2008 campaign, and pledges to vote along with donations have been rolling in to the democratic headquarters. And by all accounts, Obama loved the event, thriving on the enthusiasm of the vast crowd before him.

Worries over the cost of the event have been raised, in particular the amount of taxpayers money used to provide extra police services. However, these complaints have been countered with the fact that it is an honour to protect the President, and that they amount of coverage Madison received as a result of this event is sure to bring in increased revenue in the coming months.

Of course, the rally was a partisan event, so the complaints are mostly coming from the Republican side of things, who describe the event as a costly show, a desperate attempt by democrats to rally the troops. Hearing Obama's speech in person, I can see where they are coming from, as it was largely political, but nevertheless I was convinced of the need for change, and that progress is well on its way.



Spare a thought for those people who did not make it into the event, despite have waited for hours outside. Though the snaking line across campus appeared to be an orderly queue, once the gates open people rushed forward, and in the mass push, many people managed to sneak into the line. With all the gaps in the line, as it crossed over roads, it was inevitable that people would push in, and cut the line. Despite the shouts of loud policewomen on horseback.

One would think that a great communal event like this, people would be decent, and respect the thousands of people who had been standing around waiting for hours. But no, in a blatant disregard for politeness, people insist on cutting the line. Luckily we made it in, but I feel sorry for those people that had been waiting patiently, but were turned away. The pictures below give you an idea of the queue. After the event, we saw humanity at its most brutish, as students tried desperately to escape the arena as fast as they could, resorting to literally running up walls to try and beat the crowd. Most failed.

This was University Avenue, which you can see on the map below. And then see how far the queue stretched after that.

The red squiggle marks the route of the queue.

A huge gathering for the President. Can you spot us?

Our claim to fame comes in this next picture..... the building behind his car is on the corner of our street!



I think this is enough Obama for know, though I will upload the pictures I got from the event to Facebook tomorrow, and post a couple on here, along with link.