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Final Thoughts: Berlin, Barack & Baroque
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
What an interesting way to end an institute! Many of us where in witness to history on Thursday when we went to see Barack Obama speak at the Tiergarden in Berlin. Three of us went through the security screening (for me it took over ninety minutes) and were close enough to see him in person. I'd say that at one point we were about 30 meters away. Five types of law enforcement were in place, and a helicopter hover for thirty minutes overhead as they confirmed that the location was secure. The crowd was entertained by two groups very popular in Germany. The opener was a Reggae band, the main act a U2 type group. Some news report in the states made it seem like Obama was speaking at a concert, but really it was the other way around. Everybody who was there was there for Obama. It was the largest gathering for a non-German in their history.
The crowds understand of Obama English was uneven; many Germans speak and understand German quite well, while others got every other fifth word. There was a smattering of tourists from all over the world and a sizable amount of college students and young people. Overall, the Berlin crowd responded rather favorably to Obama and his message.
I was interviewed by some journalist, and my colleague got her picture taken more than once. Other highlights: there was one McCain supporter in the 200,000+ crowd - carrying a dirty red and white striped umbrella with cardboard cards tethered to it that read "Mc-Cain." Young people climbed lampposts and displayed American flags and the beer was plentiful. I read an article in Hello Leipzig a couple of weeks ago that discussed Alcohol abuse among young adult in Germany. I saw a little of that at this event, but for the most part I found the event well organized, security to be tight and the German people to be well-mannered and orderly.
Didn't hurt his approval rating any. In fact, I think he is 9 points up.
blacklieder /
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