Colorado's Participation in 50-state Barack Obama Event Disappointing but with Heart

DENVER, Colorado, April 19 - I went to Saturday's Barack Obama rally in my state, Colorado, as people in all 50 states were invited to do, in a show of national support for his ideas and candidacy. When Senator Obama visited Denver in preparation for the Super Tuesday primaries, the main arena and overflow area indoors were filled, and many stood outside on the lacrosse field at the University of Denver to hear him speak. From that, I expected to have to negotiate crowds at today's event. I definitely didn't find that.

When I arrived in downtown Denver, at first I couldn't find the event. I didn't remember where the Greek Amphitheater was in Civic Center Park, and there were no obvious throngs of people heading there. I arrived to see what was what at 1p.m., the posting on Obama's website later said 12:30 p.m. for "festivities begin," but I missed the fine print that the speakers were due at 2 p.m. I readjusted my expectations since the crowd when I arrived was very thin, perhaps not much more than a sunny day would normally draw to the park.

By 2 p.m. (when the nearby City and County building's clock and chimes announced three, strangely), nothing more was happening, and by 2:30, music was still playing. I had other commitments, so I left with a handful of Obama items obtained before 2, when most of the volunteer-staffed tables became empty.

I don't know when the featured speakers, such as Congressman Ed Perlmutter, spoke, or why the event was so far from the energy of Obama's visit. The band, playing reggae music and invoking the names of black martyrs in an anti-war, anti-violence effort, struggled to keep the energy going and kept reaching out for response from the largely Caucasian, attentive but somewhat passive audience.

In a nutshell, the event was not overwhelming, and the weather was fine. In Denver, a city committed to environmental issues, this weekend was devoted to Earth Day and Arbor Day related activities, so that might have divided the crowds. The volunteers were, along with the band, keeping the energy alive and it was through them that I remembered that Obama's message doesn't rely on a weekend turnout.