Adventures in Politics

Tanner and I went to the McCain town hall meeting in the thriving metropolis of downtown Grand Rapids on Wednesday night.  Alas, we did not get to go in, even though we had tickets, because the field house at Grand Rapids Community College filled up and they stopped letting people in around 6:00 p.m.  Or maybe even sooner, don't know because we weren't there when they stopped letting people in.  The event was to start at 7:00, or so I was told, but in reality I think it started sooner.  My mom and Kellen both told me that they read in the paper that people started lining up to go in at 10:00 a.m.

At about 6:15 p.m. we parked at a friend's house a few blocks away.  I wasn't too worried about getting in because I was told that as long as we had tickets we would get in.  I didn't want to get tangled up in the traffic that the event was sure to generate.  We walked towards the field house.  About a block away things started to look a bit like a ghost town, except for one policeman with his cruiser blocking the road that led into the area.  We walked  up a hill, not sure where to go because we had never been in the field house before.  The first thing we found was protesters.  They were across the street from the field house.  We found entrances for VIP's and the handicapped but couldn't find a way in for us "regular folk".  We asked around where people were selling buttons and the like and that is when we were told that no more people could get in.  One of the protesters across the street had a musical instrument, a trumpet or something.  I don't know what it was because I didn't see it.  Tanner heard it and he yells over at the protesters "Hey, buddy, you need to get that thing tuned!!"  I was mortified!  I informed Tanner that yelling at the protesters was NOT something we were going to do.  They were yelling and chanting but we were going to ignore them.  

That crisis averted I wondered what to do.  I bought a couple of "new and improved" buttons to wear. New and improved means they are bigger and they have pics of McCain and Palin on them.  Then we sort of headed back and ended up hanging out at one of the entrances with several secret service guys and gals and a few others.  The secret service people just looked like regular security people with white short-sleeved shirts, dark pants, badges, guns, etc.  They told us that they get a phone call about an event for McCain, Obama or the President.  They get to decide whether they want to work it or not.  

I met a really nice young girl, a student at MI State, and her mom.  We chatted and she showed me close up pics she got on her camera of McCain and Palin that she took at another event in which she was able to get in.  We could hear the clapping and cheering going on inside but we couldn't see much through the open door, just some people in the bleachers. A lady kept trying to get in. (She was drunk I was told later.)  The secret service people told her that she better leave or she was going to get herself in trouble.  She had a friend with her and the friend got her to leave.  Later a couple of young black guys with "McCain Bush more of the same" posters came and I told them that they weren't going to get in, that I had tickets and I couldn't even get in, but the turkeys went up to the secret service people and tried to get in anyway.  Their posters alone should have told me their elevators don't go all the way to the top floor.  The secret service people closed ranks, blocking the door, and told them in no uncertain terms they were not going in.  They tried one more time a few minutes later, then they left.

A few people came out but the secret security people said we could not go in because once McCain and Palin entered the building was under lockdown. There were so many people in there.  No way did that crowd meet the fire code for that building.

A nice secret service lady went inside and took a few photos for me.

The event ended and people started coming out.  I stopped at a table to look at t-shirts and when I went to leave I couldn't find Tanner.  For some reason I had it in my head that he must have gone on without me, I think because I thought he was right behind me when I stopped at the table.  I called his cell phone, no answer.  (He didn't have it with him.)  I panicked a bit and walked down the hill to go back to the car. I wasn't walking on the sidewalk and a policeman said, "Mam, can you get up on the sidewalk?".  I told him I was sorry, that I was a bit freaked out because I had lost my son.  He was so nice.  He told me to come over to him and he let his partner take over with controlling the crowd.  I described Tanner and he put out an call to all of the officers in the area describing Tanner.  I told him that Tanner has high functioning autism and he knew what it was!  In fact, he told me that his son who is a senior in college just got diagnosed with Asperger's.  He gave me his personal cell phone number to call and let him know if I found Tanner.  He said that he would just want to know.  

A mother's instinct is a wonderful thing!  I debated whether to go to the car in case Tanner had gone on, or whether to go back to the t-shirt table.  In a matter of a few seconds I decided to go back to the table.  Tanner was there by the entrance where we stood during the town meeting. This called for a celebration!  I bought a t-shirt.

Tomorrow morning . . . .  my first door-to-door campaigning experience.

By the way, not to lose heart about not getting to see McCain and Palin.  Scuttlebutt is that they will come back to Grand Rapids before the elections.  I am going to try to get a VIP seat this time!  I just hope they don't come back while I am off to Utah taking Tanner to school.

Which reminds me about a whole 'nother blog I will be doing soon.  I am taking Tanner to Provo a week from tomorrow.  He will be attending Scenic View Academy, a residency program for men with learning disabilities, for the next four years.  My first one to leave the nest. . . . it sneaked up on me . . . .