Obama Comes To Portland

This is not a blog about health care reform---or even about politics, really.

The President Of The United States came to Portland, Maine today—and that is an event, regardless of your political affiliation.

Thanks to my association with 94.9 WHOM, I was able to wrangle a media pass—or credentials-- directly from the White House. This is the bureaucratic equivalent of the “jump the line” pass at Disney World. While everyone else waited hours in line to obtain tickets on Wednesday—in bad weather---and then again today to actually enter the Portland Expo, we privileged media types simply breezed through the separate Press entrance, strutting importantly past the throngs who had been patiently waiting in line for hours before we arrived.

The entire scene was a wonder to behold—and as someone who has put on a few events myself, I was in awe at the coordination and precision with which the event was handled.
The local Portland police, in tandem with city employees, the Secret Service, White House staff , volunteers—and God knows who else—integrated their efforts to set up the venue, as well as design and administer crowd flow and control. They also had to frisk every single person entering the building. Including media royalty like myself.

Not unlike the airport, but I didn’t have to remove my shoes or jacket. Emptied pockets and a wand passed over my body was as invasive as it got. Perhaps the “regular folks” (read “steerage”) were subjected to a cavity search—who knows?

Anyway, once inside, the press was corralled into a segregated area. Had I been armed with TV cameras, tripods or other equipment, I would have had to have dropped that junk off earlier in the day for inspection. In our area, long tables were set up with chairs, electrical outlets and audio/visual input blocks.

While the President’s visit was the talk of the town for days in advance—and a source of pride for many, it stunned me to think that this scene is played out EVERY DAY (and sometimes multiple times each day)—by a White House “advance team” that has to cope with a multitude of agencies, buildings, logistical nightmares and thousands of details that boggle the mind! All of this while keeping the POTUS safe from some crazy person or persons with an agenda of their own.

Here’s short video that someone just posted on YouTube of the President arriving today at the Portland Jetport:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vVpDw8VXkk

Luckily, the speech went well, the crowd was enthusiastic—and no incidents to report—at least none that I am aware of. Regardless of your political lean, there is universal agreement that the man is a master politician and public speaker. The atmosphere inside the Expo was nothing short of electric.

As we filed out, the street was filled with people holding signs. Some were “Welcome President Obama” signs, but there were plenty of protestors as well.
It will be fun to see Portland, Maine in the national spotlight tonight on the news programs—and while I still believe that Obama should end the “victory lap” and begin the process of healing—and moving on to other pressing issues, I’d be lying if I said it WASN’T a thrill to see our President in person today.

It was.

If you’d like my blog in your weekday box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com