Barack Obama Courts Young Texas Voters

San Marcos, Texas, February 27 - It's not every day that a democratic vote in Texas matters much. But with the democratic primary race at a fever pitch, Texas voters are finding themselves in a rare position of power. All the hype has brought a flurry of political activity to central Texas, and as a young voter originally from a state whose primaries are even less influential than those in Texas (Oregon), I've been on the lookout for opportunities to be courted by both democratic candidates. To my delight, Barack Obama saw fit to make a campaign stop in San Marcos, the home of Texas State University, just up the road from my house.

The senator appeared in front of a crowd of over 10,000 in Sewell Park just after 9:15 pm. I arrived outside the park around 7:30 (the doors to the fenced-off area reportedly opened at 7:00), where a line four people wide sprawled back a block and around the corner. I really had nothing better to do that night and had already made the 20-minute drive to San Marcos, so I decided to wait to see if I could get in. At first, I was filled with patriotism looking at all the people who had come out on a chilly Texas evening to take part in their country's political process. I was inspired by the hoards of Texas State undergraduates I saw who were likely gearing up to vote for the first time in a presidential election. Even more moving were the parents who had brought their young children to the rally. Vendors strolled up and down the line selling Obama t-shirts and buttons. The mood was festive.

After waiting in the unmoving line for about 15 minutes though, my rose-colored glasses began to fog up as I overheard yet another story from the girls in front of me about their bar escapades of the night before. The only political talk I was privy to was mention of a segment of E! that addressed Hillary Clinton's dramatic makeover between her time as first lady of Arkansas and the present. As I struggled to breathe through the smoke-filled air (not just cigarette smoke, mind you), I considered going back home and watching the rally highlights on the local news. But not long after I began down the road of disenchantment, the line started moving.

At around 8:45, it disappeared and people were making a dash toward the park. Apparently the fences had been taken down and a free-for-all ensued. Once I passed the well-behaved Ron Paul supporters and another, seemingly causeless opposition group, I managed to find a spot on a gassy knoll toward the back from which I could see a stage about 100 yards off (if I squinted). The audience was packed in tight close to the stage and spread out a little by the time it reached where I was standing. The sounds of a Bob Marley cover band and jubilant young adults combined with the acrid smell of cheap cigars, stale beer, and clove cigarettes to make me feel like I was at a music festival and not a political rally. Not exactly what I had expected, but not unfamiliar or terribly uncomfortable, either. The smoky smell did start to wear on me, though, and I told myself that if Barack didn't show up by 9:15 as promised, I was definitely going home.

Fortunately, the senator was right on time - or close enough to it for me to still have been there when he came on stage. I had with me a small video camera and I ended up watching Obama speak on its tiny screen because then I could at least make out his facial expressions (or at least see that he had a face with which he could express things). He talked for about 40 minutes, strolling back and forth and sometimes in circles around the small stage, covering everything from healthcare to tuition cuts, and the crowd cheered heartily at all the right moments (and even at some moments Obama's speech writers probably couldn't have predicted).

A bit out of character for him, Obama did drop one disheartening bombshell on his listeners, reminding them that while George W. Bush would be out of office a year from now, he would, unfortunately, be back in Texas. Obama made no corny calls for "Yes we can!" chants and kept any patronizing tone out of his voice, which was nice considering we were a crowd of mostly 20- to 30-somethings uninterested in sing-a-longs or being talked down to. The rally ended shortly after 10, though Obama stayed on the stage and greeted supporters around him. I fought my way back to my car and then out to the highway, glad that at least one of the democratic candidates had seen fit to spend an evening with young, idealistic (if not completely sober) voters in a smallish college town in central Texas.