Your Turn: Rock 'n Roll

I’m on the move today, but — heading into tomorrow’s perhaps conclusive day — I wanted to give a taste of the build around Obama.

Obviously, we’ve got excitement and scale, both off-the-charts.  Up top, I first thought: The Beatles.  Below, despite the old-time, country fair feel of the bunting, the rock star feel is there again.  And then, with no place for the eye to land if you’re only scanning the sea of faces, it’s easy to wind up at the edge and simply extrapolate the entire 75,000 in your mind’s eye.

No one has been more skeptical than I have about the celebrity factor in politics.  (And, in this case, idolatry might be the more accurate construct.)  As the pendulum turns and gains speed, however, away from the last eight year of punishment, what we see exemplified is Obama as the focal point, conduit and recipient of great relief and (at least the stirrings of) a tremendous emotional release.

BHO’s event on the waterfront (Oregonian – Flickr)

Barack Obama visits Oregon (Oregonian – Flickr)

(updated: 1:02 EST. h/t: Chris)

(image 1: Rob Finch. image 2: Michael Lloyd. Oregonian Flickr photo stream)