Reply #26: I was there too and felt damn lucky!

[Lady President]

Here's my experience at the Columbus rally which was completely different.

The crowd was electric! 80,000 Kerry supports standing for hours is inspirational to me. I've been a Kerry supporter since May 2003 and I remember when I there were only a handful of supporters in the city. Kerry gave an enthusiastic and thoughtful speech. Springsteen is Springsteen-- amazing. And, the "local politicians" included American hero, John Glenn. There were a some protesters, but they couldn't hold a candle to our numbers or excitement. One of the best moments for me was when the protesters yelled, "Four more years" and 80,000 people responded by chanting, "Five more days." We instantly drowned them out.

Yes, there were delays. Obviously, with that many people it takes a couple hours to get everyone inside. This is true of any rally. There was a problem with the sound system. The campaign changed the venue a few days ago so more people could attend and sound problems resulted. It was unfortunate, but the advance staffer came on stage and explained the problem. It was worth the wait.

All in all, it was exactly as most here would image.... a great night!