Road Trip

I was finally granted my promised time off from work Thursday & Friday last week, so Josh and I went to see John Edwards in Portsmouth, Ohio on Thursday, September 16. Since there was still no word on Louisville, up to the motherland (for me) we went.

Disclosure: I was born in Troy, Ohio, spent a few years in Tipp City, Ohio, and moved to grand Mt. Sterling, KY when I was nearly six. So, I am indeed a damn yankee, if y'all consider Kentucky the South.

Back to the trip. The free tickets I printed from the Kerry/Edwards site said gates opened at 11:30 a.m. We arrived just before then and was greeted to a line wrapped around a city block to get into the gate. We made it through the minimal security (a child was even checking purses) and ended up around the middle-back of the crowd.

This was my first political rally, and it was a lot of fun. There were many local and regional politicians revving up the crowd for the first hour, and large, posterboard-sized signs stating "A Stronger America Begins At Home" were passed around, of one I got. Music was played between speeches and a lot of happy, chatty Democrats crowded together in the middle of town waiting anxiously for the main event. I could see the lights from the bus first and eventually saw John Edwards himself waving to the crowd. My view was horrid at the beginning, but then some people wanted out of the crowd, and once people had to shift, I had a great view until the end. He spoke about unemployment, health care, and how Bush's plans just don't work. He was quite the eloquent speaker with his Southern drawl and down home stories that really helped him relate to the Portsmouth crowd. I'm really happy I got to see him on the campaign trail. I even came away with a cool Kerry/Edwards button.

We came home with a side trip to my alma mater, Morehead State University. They've done some great renovations on campus, including a grand update to the student center, ADUC, and have removed part of the main road through campus to make way for a nice courtyard in front of ADUC. I noticed a lot of the buildings had some renovations too, including some quite noticeable ones on Combs Building, where I spent the majority of my time. I'm glad to see MSU in such great shape. Its a wonderful school, and U.S. News & World Report thinks so too.