Although I don’t know how they got my address (the DNC data banks are a gold mine, eh), I’m on the email list for both [redacted]’s and [redacted]’s presidential campaigns.  That’s how I learned that [redacted] was going to be campaigning in our area today, in Amherst in the early afternoon and in Worcester later today.  I’ll go see him at North High, I said to myself, and RSVPd to the invitation.  Shortly after 4, I turned onto Harrington Way from Hamilton and immediately realized, “There’s a lot of traffic on this street; I bet more people are showing up than they expected.”  I drove slowly past North High and then past the Ecotarium before turning left to try to find parking on a side street.  Finally, I found a curb-side space on Emerson, near where it intersected with Raphael.  Then I followed the crowds toward the school.

[redacted] was scheduled to begin speaking at 5 in the auditorium, but clearly, thousands of people had shown up, and we all could not fit inside.  In a [redacted]-like populist move, his advance team called to a group of us waiting in line and invited us to a spot on the soccer field where [redacted] would speak to us directly.  In a minute, there he was!

Sorry about the photo quality, but it was dark by then, and in the cold, I fumbled with my camera settings.

They had set up a small platform with a microphone, and I stood about ten feet in front of him.  He gave his quick stump speech, then to us chanting “[redacted]” he made his way into the building to speak to the larger crowd indoors.  In the few minutes available, he could not speak in depth; instead he listed some of the key issues he wants to address in his presidency:

• income inequality
• gender pay equity
• tuition-free public colleges and universities
• crumbling infrastructure
• broken health care system
• minimum wage
• immigration policies
• climate change

I was not aware of either plank in his platform, but [redacted] does advocate a $15/hr minimum wage, and he also would like to see single-payer national health insurance.  I say, Yes, yes to both!  He did not address any major foreign policy issues (though climate change and immigration could be counted among them), but that is okay with me.  Of course we live in a global society, but there are certainly pressing domestic issues that we as a nation need to work on.

[redacted] struck me as a polished speaker but sincere and compassionate, with a bold vision of an America that embraces all of us.

NOTE:  This blog post does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate, for any political office.