01-20-09 (Part 1) or Matt & Jen and The Purple Tunnel of Doom

Jen and I woke up very early on Inauguration day, Tuesday January 20, 2009. We were physically exhausted after being in the cold and coming home so late the night before, but it didn’t matter – we were excited. This was the much anticipated 01-20-09 – the last day of George W. Bush’s presidency. People had been selling various items with that date on them since at least 2005 when I first saw them. As the day went on, I kept looking at my watch, counting the hours remaining of our national nightmare. Of course, the end of the W presidency was only an item of secondary contemplation. We were excited that the presidency of Barack Obama would be beginning. We arrived at the metro station just before 6 am and the trains were crowded to a point I’ve never seen in America. We finally arrived at the stop to which we had been directed and exited the crowded station. Immediately, we saw that there were people everywhere, traveling in various directions. A carnival atmosphere prevailed. Many people were selling souvenirs, some were performing music and all around were the smiles of happy people waiting to witness history.

I had been given the opportunity to receive tickets for the inauguration from the campaign. I received two “Purple Section” standing tickets, along with directions and advice.

The doors were supposed to open at 8 or 9 depending on which was read – the email or the ticket itself. The program was to begin at 10:30 and we were told not to arrive any later than 9:30. We arrived in the vicinity of the purple gate just after 6:30am. Lines of people snaked in different directions. No one seemed to know where people were supposed to be going. Jen and took a bit of a short cut – rallying on my knowledge of the local map and we arrived near the gate. For a few minutes we thought we were in line. There were no signs, volunteers or police along the jammed street. We were just in back of dozens of others who were also standing in line, many with purple tickets in hand. Soon we heard second and third hand information that we were not in fact in the official purple line. We moved down half a block and finally saw two police officers. They kept repeating “Purple tickets – line up in the tunnel.” I asked again to verify that this was the case. “Anyone with purple tickets, go ahead,” we were told by the officers as they indicated for us to pass behind a barrier they were guarding. Jen and I proceeded into the tunnel, confident that we found the place where we were supposed to be waiting. At first the line in the tunnel seemed to be long, perhaps a hundred to two hundred people. But as we continued to walk past a bend in the tunnel, we realized that line stretched further than we could see. We walked and walked, seeing thousands of people waiting in line. We kept walking and actually arrived at the end of the line, which extended about 50 feet from the end of the other side of the tunnel. We could see people on the street level above us waiting in line as well. Some called down asking what line we were in. They were looking for the end of the blue section line. The weather was bitterly cold, about 18 degrees Fahrenheit. After an hour, the line had barely moved but it had lengthened, with thousands more people getting in line behind us. When we did get into the tunnel, the air circulation system kept a constant wind blowing, making it painfully cold. Many of the people in line had (like me) worked for the Obama campaign in some capacity. Others had made special trips to get remaining tickets from their members of congress. As we slowing inched forward in the tunnel, we saw no one of authority. There were no signs, volunteers or law enforcement officials at all.

(This is a picture by Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press from the L.A. Times)

Occasionally, a police car, or some other emergency vehicle would come rushing though the tunnel sirens on. Hours passed and we kept very slowly creeping forward. Eventually we heard rumors that the purple gate was closed, but these were third and fourth-hand accounts and we dismissed them, figuring they were opening the gate for small numbers of people and then shutting it, admitting only a certain number at a time. The rumors continued to circulate. As we got close to the end of the tunnel, many people were trying to cut in line and they were booed at by hundreds. Most changed their minds and retreated to the end of the line. We made it out of the tunnel eventually, after 10:00am. People in the buildings above the street waved to us and displayed American flags and Obama rally signs. Many began to chant “Yes we can!”. People were happy to be out of the tunnel and moving forward. The group kept moving forward and then hit another line of people who were headed to the same gate from a perpendicular angle as we reached an intersection just in front of the gate. People were coming back from the gate and the whole intersection was a chaotic mess, with people moving in every direction. The people returning from the gate said that they had been told it was closed and that the section was full. We continued on, despite the news until we made it to the gate. There was only one lone police officer on the other side of the gate. We were going to inquire about what was going on, but he was already talking to several other people. We asked them what he has said. They told us that the gate was in fact closed but we could wait and if there were any openings, a few more people might get in. Many people, (including an older African-American man) were crying. People there were in great despair. From that location, the Capitol was visible, about 200 feet away, but from that angle, no one would be able to see any of the ceremony. There were no monitors or speakers in the area. We also knew that it would be impossible now to make it down to the National Mall to see the swearing-in ceremony. I was very upset and we started heading straight to Union Station, were we could get back on the metro and return to Tim’s house before the 2 million people-plus crowd began to disperse. Many vendors were talking as I and others retuning from the purple gate passed them. “Lots of upset people here. Don’t know why – it’s a happy day,” I heard one of them say to another vendor. This incident quickly became known as the “Purple Tunnel of Doom.” Just before we headed down to the metro station, Jen insisted that we go into the station itself. I really didn’t want to – but I am glad she insisted. Inside were two tiny TVs with barley any audio. A small crowd had gathered in front of them. We could barely see the screen, but there we were able to see Joe Biden and Barack Obama take their oaths of office. It was almost as good as seeing it in person. The excitement and happiness of the crowd was moving. “Been a long time comin’” said an African-American woman, as Obama took his oath. “Thank God” said a white man, “we have a new President.” With that shared moment in Union station, I felt much better. What really mattered was that Barack Obama was now our President and that the Bush era was over. I was happy . Besides, I thought, we can’t really be too upset, we were going to be attending an Inaugural Ball later that evening and we would see the new President then. Jen and I went down and took the Metro back. A few minutes later, we were back at Tim’s and we could hear the Inaugural address. Weary, Jen and laid down a took a nap before heading back to D.C. for the ball.

Read more about the Purple Tunnel of Doom at the L.A. Times, Politico, Huffingon Post and MSNBC.

I have joined the Facebook group "Survivors of the Purple Tunnel of Doom."

An investigation has been launched into this fiasco and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terry Gainer has been holding on-line discussions via the Facebook group and I have to say they have been very sympathetic and and trying to work out some sort of compensation - an event with President Obama etc. I have been very impressed with their attention and concern.

The Day Before the Inauguration

On Monday, January 19, 2009, the day before the inauguration, Jen and I took the Metro to D.C. and explored the newest museum of the Smithsonian, the Museum of the American Indian. It was very interesting seeing the various cultures and their traditional belief systems and stories.

(The image above was an interesting piece that has the U.S. states listed in the blue field and Native American tribe names in the stripes.) We ate at the cafeteria in the museum which features native foods. It was interesting and delicious. We didn't have time to finish seeing the whole museum and resolved to return before our trip back to San Francisco. As we left the museum, we went by the MSNBC booth which was set up on the national mall. We managed to see Chris Matthews and Jen was in the crowd as the live camera swung by us.

(In the above picture, Matthews' back is to the camera.) The sense of anticipation was palpable as the crowds milled around the mall and vendors hawked Obama-themed items of every sort including thermal underwear!

We traveled to U Street where we met up with Bobbie Sue, another Obama fellow whom I had worked with in Toledo and her husband, Scott who also had been heavily involved with the campaign. They, of course, were in Washington to see the inauguration. We ate at a nice Ethiopian restaurant. The food was good, but we agreed that the Blue Nile in Ann Arbor, Michigan is our favorite Ethiopian restaurant. It was very nice to see them and catch up.

After that, we returned to the Chinatown area to meet up with Tim and Kelly (our hosts). We ended up staying out considerably later than we had planned in the frigid weather, so we didn't get much sleep before the start the very long inauguration day. Thank goodness a local Starbucks was staying open for 24 hours due to the large crowds, so that we had a place to get somewhat warmed up and sit down.

"Obama-stock"

My wife, Jen and I flew from San Francisco to the greater Washington D.C. area on January 17^th. Our friend, Tim had graciously invited us to stay with him while attending the presidential inauguration and related festivities. While we flew east, we watched Barack Obama’s whistle-stop tour on the plane’s built-in video monitors. Our anticipation grew. We arrived in the Maryland suburbs of D.C. and were happy to see our friend. The next day, Sunday, January 18th we decided to stop by the free concert that was taking place at the Lincoln memorial. Of course, we expected some large crowds, but when we arrived, it was truly amazing to see so many people. I have read estimates that over 500,000 people were in attendance. I can believe it. Perhaps there were more. We could only get just beyond the western side of the Washington monument, between the Washington monument and the World War Two memorial. We could see the speakers and performers as dots against the stark white of the Lincoln memorial. In the intervening space, three sets of “Jumbotron” monitors allowed us to see more detail of what was taking place. The list of performers and speakers was a who’s who of entertainment notables. It was an amazking concert that ran the gamut of genres. Just look at the line-up:

Of course, then President-elect Biden and then President-elect Obama spoke and the crowd roared with thunderous applause. It was great to see them again. But the most impressive part of the whole experience was the attitude of the people. Everyone was so happy, and so friendly. Thousands of people sang along together and cheered. We experienced a feeling of community and shared historical import in a way that I have never known. It was truly amazing. Some have taken to calling this event “Obama-stock”. I have to say that the name is appropriate and will be remembered in its own right, not simply as a prelude to the inauguration.

Click here for an account from the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza.

Here are a few of the pictures I took at "Obama-stock":

The Campaign

Many people have asked me to write about my experiences with the Obama campaign, so here I will attempt to briefly outline my experiences.

As I have written earlier, I returned to Toledo, Ohio where I volunteered as an Obama Organizing Fellow. I worked long hours and was away from my wife, Jen, for a month. We laid the groundwork for the campaign, recruiting other volunteers and opening an office. I met some wonderful people and forged some great friendships along the way. The difficulty of our task, the long hours we worked, and the like-minded sense of purpose that we shared brought many of us close together. At the end of July, I was offered the paid staff position of Field Organizer in Ohio. While I was happy to be offered the position, I was not sure if I would be able to keep with the long hours and most of all even longer time away from Jen. As those of you who are close to us know, Jen and I do everything together, so such a long time apart would be unthinkable but for the fact that the dire situation our county found itself and for our complete confidence in Barack Obama to address the nation’s ills. So we agreed to continue our sacrifice and do our small part to secure our nation and the world’s better future. After a brief four days back in San Francisco, I returned to Ohio to begin work as a Field Organizer. I was told I would be assigned to Cleveland, but at the last minute, I was sent to Newark, Ohio in Licking County. I was familiar with Newark, having visited back when I was growing up two counties away in Cambridge, Ohio. I began working with another group of dedicated Obama supporters, many of whom had also quit their jobs to help Barack Obama win election in the critically important state. The work was similar to what I had done as a fellow. I was tasked with recruiting, training, and managing volunteers, who would build teams, make phone calls, canvass door-to-door and convince people to vote for Barack Obama. This work was much more difficult in an area that was more conservative and demoralized than Toledo, where the excitement for the election was quite palpable. Slowly but surely, we built neighborhood teams, opened our own office (see the pictures with me in front), and reached in an organized effort the likes of which Licking County had never seen. I was very lucky to have supporters house me, and the use of another’s car for the duration of the campaign. It certainly helped a great deal and I am truly grateful for their contribution.

A typical day for me began at 9:00 am, with meetings and a conference call. The rest of the morning was spent preparing for the volunteers’ arrivals, and it went by very quickly – sometimes we forgot to eat. Early afternoon was often a mix of meetings, returning phone calls, training new volunteers and assisting other volunteers. Late afternoon until 9 pm was our “sacred call time” and we spent the whole time (or very close to it) on the phones, finding new volunteers and rescheduling others. At the end of this, we had a few minutes to scramble to get our call numbers and results together to report first to our region which consisted of Licking, Delaware and Knox counties, and then to a regional conference call which consisted of ¼ of the state. Later, we would also have a statewide call. After all of this, we had to enter data. Luckily, I had some great volunteers, and one in particular who did a massive amount of data entry which probably saved us a couple of hours a night, so we could get home by 11:30 pm or so each night. Although, as we got closer to the election, I was not getting home until after 2:00 am. It was very rough – and working last few days of the campaign was the hardest thing I have ever done. Jen came out to spend the last few days of the election with me in Ohio and even helped canvass on election day. I was so glad to have Jen at my side while we watched the election results and we shared tears of joy as Ohio was announced for Barack Obama. It had been worth all the struggle and sacrifice.

I was happy that I was able to see Obama and Biden once with Jen (she visited for a few days in August).

In addition, during state-wide training for the campaign staff in Ohio, Obama did show up to encourage us. I also was able to see the future Vice President when Joe Biden came to visit Newark.

It was amazing to have been a part of this historic campaign and now I look forward to doing my part to help this incoming administration rebuild America.