Whoa Mama, I saw Obama

Whoa mama, is there a lot of hoopla that goes into these presidential speeches.

Welcome to National Politics, people.

I am so excited that after a short, yet lively, career of holding signs on the outside and doing write-ups at my college paper I actually can significantly take part in these events as an adult.

First, before anybody hears anything, I need to hand out a couple GIGANTIC thank yous to people who bent over backyards so I could do this last minute.

To the person who secured my tickets despite a very important business meeting, thank you, thank you, thank you. I knew there was a reason we officially adopted you into the “St.Pierre-Ford” Family. You are a keeper. Of course, I am also going to send out a thank you to some "fans" on the "Hillary distribution list." I was able to meet them before going to the townhall, and I felt rejuvenated. Every once and a while I do need help remembering why I do this. A group of fans is a great reminder.

Who would have known it, but I have fans?!!!

Then, thank you, of course, to my mom, who dropped her whole day changed her whole schedule so she could cater to my whim.

Thanks also to her patients too, who now all have to wait until Friday for clean teeth.

With tickets in hand, I received a whole different perspective of the crowd outside, screaming, yelling, holding their signs and sometimes fighting with other groups opposing their opinion.

Some interactions I viewed were down right scary.

I don’t know what happened to “peaceful protest,” but I certainly saw some groups you would never imagine ready to riot.

I saw one muscular, tattooed biker type man squabbling with an elderly, hippie looking woman and her husband. The woman was crouched down like she was ready to pounce, her eyes glaring little slits, and I overheard her saying, “Well, maybe if you weren’t so FAT you wouldn’t have these concerns.”

Biker boy looked like he’d been hit in the heart. What happened to peaceful, democratic resolution.

From the stereotypes of those two groups (the hippies and the bikers), I’m sure none of you imagined it would be he hippie making the biker cry.

I now know why Jon and mom had such a problem with me going to those anti-war protests at 8 months pregnant.

Speaking of that pregnancy, X desperately wanted to go see Obama. He is a huge fan, but with only two tickets, and me needing a caretaker myself, it just couldn’t happen.

Maybe sometime.

The speakers started with a local woman who, due to a significant past medical history, could no longer find insurance. She had found herself in a black hole, labeled “uninsurable” due to a “pre-existing condition.”

Obama himself came out quickly. He is certainly as sauve, charming, and presidential in person as on tv.

His stance is clear. He referenced his mother, who he watched battle breast cancer and who, during the last months of her life, was overwhelmed with medical bills.

He has a significant vested interest in reforming healthcare for the better.

He also referenced insurance companies as “the bogeyman” lurking in healthcare.

I had to laugh at this analogy.

As a child, I would watch my mother fight with the insurance company on the phone for hours for what seemed like any medical treatment at all.

I was scared of growing up and having to fit with insurance.

This fear has been passed down to my son, who now plays webkinz.

He is constantly talking about how he has to go online to “work” just in case his animals get sick.

At 6 years old, he knows the fear insurance companies strike in the heart of Americans who may fall ill.

His speech, and the questions he answered, were full of reasons why healthcare needs to be reformed.

In my opinion, being on the frontline in so many ways, this has been established.

If we continue on the path we are going and accept the status quo it will bankrupt our economy and leave no health infrastructure for our children.

A public option would be a good start, but options as to how reform will begin were few and far between.

I fully support the plan to offer american’s more health care and insurance options in a manner similar to that which congress receives in hopes that more supply will ease the rising costs due to supply and demand.

However, I believe a full reform package will need to be more comprehensive than simple allowing more option, though this is a fabulous start.

Having public options in place by October, I think, is a fabulous, obtainable goal, but I don’t think reform can stop there.

Reform must continue to streamline processes within the industry, to ease lines of communication and render care as quickly and efficiently as possible.

This cannot be hit in a couple month deadline. This will need the intervention of great ideas and technology to fix.

I wanted, so badly, to ask Pres. Obama my question regarding allowing patients with qualifications to participate in committees as formal stakeholders and to possibly discuss e-medical records and online communication as a means of reform.

He did point to the disabled section and say, “Next, we’ll take a question for a young lady in this section.”

I got all excited.

I looked around.

There weren’t any other young ladies, but I never was given the chance to ask my question.

I figure somebody took a peek at the question that was on

blackberry and directed Mr. President elsewhere.

I did get to see Katherine, my friend and grassroots coordinator for The American Cancer Society. She gave me an ACTION NOW shirt.

You all know how I love free momentos.

I also got a chance to speak to The Union Leader and The Portsmouth Herald.

You can view the Union Leaders’ article at

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Inside+the+building%2C+a+lot+of+careful+listeners&articleId=8d95a9dd-88c3-4c4c-9ba3-daa820ee52c8

You can view the Portsmouth Herald at http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090812/NEWS/908120367