On Thursday July 3rd my family and I got the opportunity to be in attendance for a speech given by Barack Obama. He had specifically invited veterans to be in attendance as he was going to address issues facing our military members and their families. Being a veteran I was invited and, by luck, my family and I were seated in the front row.
Joining me was my sister, also a veteran, and my father-in-law who served in Viet Nam and had voted Republican in every election of his lifetime but who has decided to vote for Senator Obama this year. My wife, my two sons and my parents joined me as well.
We were very excited and when Sen. Obama took the stage we were within 10 feet of his podium for a powerful speech on patriotism and military service and our nations obligation to support those who have served under our great flag.
After the speech Sen. Obama had a Question & Answer session with the audience. He took several questions from those in the veteran section and was working his way around the audience when he pointed to my row and chose to take a question from a young man -- my 11-year old son Chance.
The following is the interchange between my son and Sen. Obama:
So why did I post this? Two reasons -- As a father I'm proud as heck of my son for having the courage to stand-up and ask a question of a Presidential candidate. But, secondly, it's because after the event many people either got the exchange wrong (claiming Obama had called out Vikings fans) or questioned whether Chance had been prompted ahead of time.Obama - "I gotta call on my Bears fan right here. There's a Bears fan -- that's what I'm talking about. What are there -- Vikings fans up here?"
*crowd cheers*
Obama - "You guys need to be re-educated. Go Bears! Ok, what's your name?"
Chance - "Chance."
Obama - "Chance. Good to see you man. Whose your favorite Bear?"
Chance - "Mohamed."
Obama - "Mohamed. Moose! I think he got traded didn't he?"Chance - "Yeah."
Obama - "Yeah. That's OK. Urlacher's good too. He's still there."
Chance - "Yeah. He's still my favorite."
Obama - "We need a quarterback, though."
Chance - "Oh, yeah."
Obama - "Yeah. What's your question?"
Chance - "What are you going to do for the schools and also for the kids who aren't educated?"
Obama - "That's an excellent question. What grade are you in?"
Chance - "Sixth."
Obama - "You're going to start sixth? Well it's very nice to meet you."
Chance - "Thank you."
Obama - "What are you doing for the summer?"
Chance - "Golfing. Football. A lot of stuff."
Obama - "Golfing? Sounds good! I wish I was doing that for the summer. Golfing and football."
*crowd chuckles*
Chance - "Come golf with me!"
Obama - "Yeah? What's your handicap?"
Chance - "What?"
*crowd laughs*
Obama - "What's your brothers name?"
Chance - "Daylan."
Obama - "How old are you Daylan?"
Daylan - "Six."
Obama - "Six? Alright. That's an excellent question, Chance. Everybody give Chance a big round of applause."
I can assure you my son wasn't a part of a set-up. His mother and I didn't know he was going to ask a question until he put his hand in the air. In fact, I had my hand in the air as well and I lost out to the 'cuteness factor'.
I'm very proud of my son and even more impressed with Senator Obama. During the exchange, from my front row perch, he was less of a 'rock-star' and became just another father -- acknowledging my wife as he asked my son the questions and obviously enjoying the interchange.
Seated 2 rows behind us was a mother and father who had lost their son in Iraq. Each wore a t-shirt with their son's photo and an Obama button. Before the speech we had the opportunity to speak with the couple and their story broke my heart.
Their son was a National Guardsman and father of 3 children. He should have never have been separated from his family and he gave the ultimate sacrifice.When Senator Obama came around and shook hand and greeted those of us in the veterans section, he stopped and spoke with the mother. When she began to cry, Sen. Obama leaned into the audience and gave her a hug and said to her "We'll never forget him and I'll honor his service".
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Obama's Fargo stop half business, half pep rally
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=207094§ion=columnists&columnist=John%20Lamb
When Chance Jorgensen's sixth-grade teacher asks him what he did this summer, he'll have a great answer: He chatted with a presidential candidate.
An afternoon in the sun turned into an unexpected day in the spotlight when the 11-year-old got to ask Barack Obama a question during the Democrat's Thursday visit.
The Illinois senator was answering crowd questions when he spotted Jorgensen. It would have been hard for the Chicago politician not to see the youngster and his 6-year-old brother, Daylan, both dressed in Chicago Bears hats and shirts.
Later, Chance said had he not found his Bears gear, he would've worn his White Sox wear.
Talk about dressing for success.
Though a bit star-struck, Jorgensen asked a serious question: What would Obama do about education issues?
It was a good question, though not one you'd expect from an 11-year-old.
Obama asked the more playful question, wondering aloud if he was surrounded by Minnesota Vikings fans.
He shook his head when the crowd roared in support and said the area fans "need to be re-educated."
While the event was all business for Obama, working the campaign trail to shore up support, at times it was more like a pep rally.
In a strange twist, ticket-holders were bused to Yunker Farm from the Fargodome. As groups prepared to board, they were introduced to "bus captains," there to "answer questions and make sure everyone gets there safely."
My bus captain was Andrew, who even tried to lead the passengers in cheers.
"When I say, 'Fired up,' you say, 'Ready to go!' " he exclaimed.
I later heard Capt. Andrew tell someone he was from outside Detroit. Maybe that's why he didn't know adults in this area only get fired up for the starters, not the warm-up act.
At the event, people didn't even get too fired up for U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy. What does a long-seated representative need to do to get a standing ovation in his home state? Apparently become senator, as the ovations came for Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad.
Conrad drew big applause for illustrating the differences between Obama and his Republican rival, Arizona Sen. John McCain. Maybe it wasn't necessarily trash talk, but it got the crowd pumped.
But even the dynamic duo of Conrad and Dorgan played second string to Obama. He noted, to great laughs, that it's sometimes difficult to tell the two apart.
Good stuff.
And while Obama seemed to say what the crowd wanted to hear, including a farewell warning of staying safe around fireworks, he may not want to wear his heart on his rolled-up sleeves if he returns.
By the Nov. 4 election, the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings will be locked in a Central Division showdown. If Obama returns before then asking for Minnesota and North Dakota votes, he may be the one who needs some education on talking trash in Vikings territory.
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Obama brings message of change to Fargo
http://www.in-forum.com/News/articles/207048
Eleven-year-old Chance Jorgensen of Fargo wore a Chicago bears cap and shirt with hopes of being called on for a question – and it worked, in what turned into the funniest exchange of Obama's visit.
"I gotta call on my Bears fan right here," Obama said, then turned to the crowd.
"What are there, Viking fans up here?" he asked, shaking his head when the crowd cheered back. "You guys need to be re-educated. Go Bears!"
Obama asked Chance what he was doing for the summer, and the youngster said he was golfing.
"Sounds good. I wish I was doing it for the summer," Obama deadpanned.
"Come golf with me," Chance said.
"Yeah? What's your handicap?" Obama asked.
"What?" the boy replied.
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2 comments:
I remember that conversation. I listened on the radio. Very well spoken for someone that age and definitely one of the stories you will both remember.
I was there and heard every word. I wish I had worn my Vikings hat! My 2 daughters are close to your son's age. They are 8 and 11(7 & 10 when Barack was in Fargo). Sure the thought was there that maybe your son was planted for Barack, but for those of us in the audience, it was really clear that it was genuine. I have never voted before in an election higher than college student-body president. Barack is the first and maybe the last and the only person I deem worthy of giving my vote to. Generally, if I were to vote I would lean toward conservatives or Republicans, but I have never done so. With Barack, I see a man of inspiration. It is so good to see a man with some black heritage become president so that color can not be considered such an issue. I found your site because I was looking for possible photos of me, my daughters, my niece or my mother at the historic Yunker Farm appearance by Barack Obama. I found one photo of me so far.
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