Heartin' Hillary In Hillsboro

Last night I got the call: Hillary needed me. She was coming to town (my wee hamlet, actually; about 25 minutes west of Portland) to speak. Could I please be on hand at 6:30 the next morning?

I think Y'all know my answer.

I agonized over what to wear--I have red OR white OR blue articles of clothing, but not a lot that mixes the three; I wasn't sure if I should dress to impress or to slop down the hogs. After much mulling, I opted for a classic, no-fuss look: tailored black pants, royal blue empire-waisted blouse, simple silver jewelry, my hair wound into a perfect-for-any-occasion bun. I had fantasies of, after telling organizers what my day-job was, being asked to sing the National Anthem.

Instead, about 60 of us volunteers passed out information request sheets to the waiting crowd. I decided spirit-raising was also part of my duties, so I went around leading impromptu cheers. It was cold and rainy, but the folk kept on comin'; the line twisted around the entirety of Liberty High School and through the back parking lot. One enterprising man hawked silly Hillary buttons while another gal set up a T-shirt shop. The throngs may have grown even longer, but, at 8 a.m. on the nose, all the volunteers were herded through a side-door and given the Secret Security* screening of a lifetime.

I always like to travel lightly when I know I'm about to smooshed into a tightly confined space for several hours, so I had only a black leather wallet (with wrist strap--take THAT, potential cut-purses!), but You should have seen the way they examined each receipt, card, and zippered cranny! Thankfully, I left my Gin-zu knives at home, so no problems.

I got a grrrreat seat on the aisle, 4th row up on the bleachers facing the camera brigade. Then it was time to wait. I bonded with the three other women around me: two middle-aged professionals who were almost giddy with excitement ("I've waited my whole life for this!" exclaimed one. "What are the chances that another woman with Hillary's qualifications will run in my lifetime?"), and a young Latina girl who will be a month too young to vote in November ("But that's why I'm working so hard for her now; I don't want to be powerless under other voter's mistakes anymore."). We waited so long that the (presumably official) soundtrack started repeating. I was encouraged to see how many men were there, especially young men, but my favorites were the double-row of extremely elderly women wearing t-shirts with shakily hand-printed lettering that read, "Hillary is the change the world needs NOW!" A young mother taped a sign to her newborn's back that proclaimed, "Born a Democrat!" Buttons spouted "A woman's place is in the house, the senate, and the Oval Office!" There was the unmistakable frisson of conviviality.

Suddenly, she was there. Hillary. Rodham. Clinton. There was a rush of emotion in the gym that rivaled the noise; many women around me were wiping their eyes while they continued to wave signs and scream. Hillary was introduced by 6-time elected Oregon Congresswoman Darlene Hooley and 2nd-term Governor Ted Kulongoski, who are wonderful people in their own right, but wisely kept the remarks brief and left the floor to Clinton.

What immediately struck me about Hillary was that she genuinely seemed to be listening to every thing the other speakers said--no upstaging, no fake posing, but an avid respect for everyone around her. For someone with such a chilly reputation, she exuded warmth, compassion, and integrity. Her oration skills are impressive, but even more impressive was the depth, range, and specificity of her knowledge that emerged during the Q/A. She KNEW about Oregon--issues, values, and people--and was able to telescope questions about Health Care, No Child Left Behind, the Energy Crisis, the Economy, even the looming Water Crisis.

She is the Real Deal, folks.

P.S. If You look at the photo from the rally, in the left-hand there is a sign that read, "We need U Hillary"; my face is directly behind that sign. Yup. That lady kept holding that damn sign in front of my frackin' face.

*It was fascinating to watch the Agents work--they really do scan every face in the crowd, evaluate and memorize it, then move on. The one I was watching appeared to be about my age, early 30s. When did I get old enough to be eligible for such grown-up responsibilities!!!??