Turning the Page and Looking Ahead

I don't know what I expected from today's "Turn the Page in Iraq" rally, but I return to my keyboard with a couple of blurry pictures and a few more ideas about how to move forward in New York. First, let me offer a quick overview of the event itself.

The challenge of the day in Brooklyn was not crowd overflow, but sparse attendance. I arrived about ten minutes before the scheduled start time and found a few earnest volunteers on the periphery of a largely empty plaza distributing 8.5" x 11" flyers and encouraging people to stop by the event.

Unfortunately, the fact that not many people had arrived made it hard to attract people who weren't previously aware of the event. There weren't many visual cues to let people know what was coming. There were Obama rally signs on the steps of Borough Hall, and the PA system was playing music to attract attention, but supporters arrived slowly and filled the empty space tentatively.

This did give me the opportunity to speak with an older person who had made the trip down from a retirement home in Sleepy Hollow, NY, to attend the Brooklyn rally. He had some very interesting ideas about Social Security, and I hope that he writes to me to share them in more detail. He reinforced my feeling that seniors must be made more central to this campaign. In a small crowd there are many inspiring stories and important voices. But back to the formal proceedings.

The event emcee was a member of Brooklyn for Barack, and she ably hosted a program that included a high-school student, an Iraq War veteran (pictured at right) and NYC politicians (pictured below) brave enough to endorse Barack, in spite of Hillary's local reach. Speeches began around 5:45 p.m. and continued for about 45 minutes.

Thankfully, the crowd seemed to grow as the program went on, and remarks were received enthusiastically. Speakers focused primarily on Barack's willingness to take an anti-war position at a time when it was politically unpopular. They did a good job of repeating that, although Barack didn't hold office and face a vote on the issue, he did risk his reputation and political future by choosing to be outspoken in opposition against the prevailing currents in both major parties and the mainstream media.

Generally, the focus stayed on Barack's good judgment and the issue of Iraq, but there were also calls to local action. Councilman Al Vann, who organized Jesse Jackson's 1984 primary run in New York, invoked Jesse's success in carrying New York delegates twenty years ago to inspire attendees to fight for their home state's votes today. The crowd also heard the important reminder that they must register as Democrats before October 12 if they want to put their support behind Barack when it counts.



All of these things were good. People were on hand to pass out voter registration cards (I saw at least two reach the crowd while the speaking was still going on). Members of Brooklyn for Barack were passing out free rally signs and buttons, and volunteers were circulating with clipboards for Obama and for voter registration.


Always Forward, Always Prepared!

If you'll forgive the quasi-Soviet ring of the header, I think it's the perfect introduction to my same-day impressions of what was done well and what could have contributed to even more success. I say all of this with the caveat that I was not able to contribute anything more than my presence to the on-the-ground effort today.

I learned through a conversation tonight that at least one member of Brooklyn for Barack has read this blog, and I want to emphasize that I appreciate the logistical and material challenges of organizing anything beyond the self-contained utopia of the computer screen. It's never easy, and resource and time constraints are real, but here we go anyway.

1. GIVE IT AWAY

I thought it was great that rally signs and buttons were being given away free. Selling merchandise can be a good fund-raising tool, but getting the message out should supercede the revenue incentive, at least in the New York area.

If NYC becomes image-saturated with Obama logos and slogans, it will help shape the perception of his strength nationally. Let's get more shirts and signs in the background of television morning shows (how about fighting with the tourists in the early AM for a new front in guerrilla campaigning?) and sports/news desks. Just a few more flyers and stickers left behind on subways could have a helpful afterlife. How many journalists/bloggers/editors are riding the F train back to their Brooklyn homes every day?

2. BIG SIGNS, BETTER PICTURES

Again, this is no knock on the organizing that went into today's event, but next time there should be a bigger visual presence. Everything sounded great -- the PA was perfect throughout, from speeches to music, which is no small accomplishment in event planning in a public space. Graphically, though, there was nothing that screamed BARACK EVENT HERE. Like, for example, a sign that reads BARACK EVENT HERE.

I know these things cost money, but I think it's time to think about recruiting art students. I personally work out of a studio in Clinton Hill that happens to sit right next to Pratt. There's one Brooklyn resource for finding people who know how to do things like make enormous graphical displays.

The concepts can be challenging, but the most daunting part is execution. Students -- or working/struggling artists, for that matter -- are more than familiar with what it takes to produce and build things at a minimal cost. I genuinely believe that more colorful banners, a few sandwich boards and a couple of portable booths/stands for voter registration can make a significant impact in drawing crowds and telling more interesting stories.

I'm not sure what photos will come out of today's rally, but I know that something like a twelve-foot long, three-foot high banner (portable mural, even) painted on unstretched canvas would be likely to draw a camera and a crowd. Not every sign has to be perfectly produced. A rough-hewn, hand-made look to any effort like that only reinforces the fact that this is a campaign fueled by grass-roots energy, not just packaged to look that way.

3. COME BACK TOMORROW

No, that's not the suggestion. I'm saying there's a number three. It's my favorite, actually.

It relates to the project that I mentioned consumed my time and energy last week. I'm going to unveil it tomorrow. See you then.

[Post updated with minor semantic corrections and second photo 10/3 - JN]