Exposing Central PA's Liberal Underbelly

James Carville once said about Pennsylvania: it has Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle. (Interestingly enough, on my first day of work here, the head of my department said that to me as if it were his own clever quip, and I only learned the other day that it was Carville's). I can see the Ragin' Cajun's point...central PA is very rural geographically, and its social and political characteristics more often align with red states than blue ones. The State College area, while still more conservative than any other area in which I have ever lived, is an exception to this rule. Its sizeable educated, university-affiliated, internationally-minded, corduroy- and elbow patch-wearing, folk singer-listening, war-protesting, long-haired former-hippie population is sizeable, and only occasionally does it get drowned out by hellfire-and-brimstone-preaching, Bush-loving conservatives.

This past weekend was a great one for us liberals! It started when the mayor conducted a commitment ceremony for four gay and lesbian couples--the first ceremony of its kind in State College and one of very few to have been held in Pennsylvania. The event was open to the public and I attended with a friend of mine. We didn't know any of the couples but we wanted to support our gay and lesbian friends in town and the cause of gay marriage in general. Now, I cry at weddings. It's just what I do. If you had seen me on the couch in Amsterdam, sniffling away at the televised wedding of two former contestants on Belgium's Temptation Island - two people I knew nothing about, from a show I had never watched...in a language I barely understood! - you wouldn't be surprised to see me with my Kleenex at this ceremony. But it was more than the music, the expression of love and good feeling throughout the room...Rachel and I agreed that we both got choked up at the idea of the whole occasion, and the overwhelming show of support in this little town for this liberal cause. (Well, that and the emotional grooms and brides sharing their vows with trembling voices).

Sunday was a big day in town. As Pennsylvania gears up for its historic role in this year's Democratic candidate race, we were lucky enough to host two important speakers within three days of each other: Bill Clinton on Thursday and Barack Obama on Sunday. I missed the Clinton speech...I hosted a work event that evening and by the time it was over the line was over a half-mile long in a miserable drizzle, so I skipped it. But Sunday was a beautiful day, perfect for a political rally. I went with Rachel and her partner Matt -- we are working on popularizing the term "partner" for committed heterosexual couples, let's make it a movement! -- but weren't keen on waiting for four hours in the chilly March morning. We arrived fairly late, but somehow managed to get in ahead of our friends who had been waiting for several hours! The audience was estimated at 22,000 people, and it was an energetic and enthusiastic crowd.

I've been really pleased with the Democratic race this year because I feel confident in both of the leading candidates. While I am more of a Hillary supporter, I'm not a diehard fan. I may not be on the fence, but I would say I am standing very near it. After Sunday's rally, though, I'm practically leaning on it. Obama was a powerful, entertaining, intelligent and inspiring speaker, and the idealist in me agrees with just about every single thing he says. What's more, I enjoy listening to him speak, and the thought that we could elect a president whose voice wouldn't inspire a gag reflex the way GWB's does is very appealing.

I'm not looking to turn this into a political commentary, and I really don't want to start any arguments. I just want to take this weekend as a reminder that there are lots of people in this town who think the way I do and have the same values and goals for our country. It was a good feeling.

Unfortunately, Obama was standing right between my section of the crowd and the only set of spotlights, so I couldn't watch him very closely without being blinded. See if you can play Where's Waldo with this photo...