Unity Meeting for Bay Area Delegates

A well attended meeting took place last night at the Hotel Sofitel on the San Francisco Peninsula sponsored by Green 960, the Air America Progressive Radio affiliate in San Francisco. This wonderful event was the brainchild of Susan Pfeifer, Obama CD12 delegate, whose contact with Green 960 Program Director John Scott paid major dividends. Moderated by Green 960 local host Angie Coiro and national talk show host Thom Hartmann, the atmosphere of conciliation and unification was the tone of the evening. Adding to the feeling of togetherness was the fact that the room was donated with a great spirit of democracy by the hotel.

Two local stars, Obama delegate Jeff Nibert of Pleasanton and Clinton delegate Rebecca Prozan of San Francisco, spoke eloquently in support of their chosen candidate, although both, at the behest of Thom Hartmann, began the program by switching roles and speaking in support of the other candidate. The crowd was quite responsive as Nibert and Prozan each did a wonderful job demonstrating that as Democrats, our ultimate goal is to reclaim the White House, and that we are supremely blessed to have two terrific candidates, one of whom will be the next president of the United States.

The audience, which I would say was at least 250 people, was a mixture of all age groups, from children all the way up to vintage. From the applause and reception of the two delegates as they were introduced, it seemed that the crowd was dominated by Obama supporters, and to my observation, Obama supporters seemed to more openly display buttons, t-shirts and earrings, while Clinton supporters seemed to be a bit more subdued.

Although the obvious benefactor of the evening was the Democratic Party, the event would not have taken place without Green 960, the Air America affiliate which has made a strong showing over the past couple of years. Its presence and stature has been on the rise since it appeared on the radio scene several years ago, and it provides a strong voice for the progressive community in the Bay Area, which had been sorely lacking. The fact that the radio station would take the suggestion of Delegate Pfeifer and run with this project speaks to what kind of role they wish to play in our community.

As I stood in the back of the ballroom for the duration of the evening, I was struck with one thought. I noticed that the crowd trended older, and this not having been my first Green 960 event, I appreciated the diverse nature of the audience of Air America. There were quite a few people that I would fit into the activist category, men and women who were perhaps considered hippies or even out of the mainstream in the ‘60s who have been waiting for this moment in history, suffering through the Reagan years, maybe distracted by raising children and making a living in the ‘80s, and getting refocused during the last eight years.

These people are passionate, engaged and have the enthusiasm that we’d all love to see young people catch. They have been newly fired up with the promise of change and the concept of hope that Barack Obama and this race overall have brought back to this country and which speaks so loudly to each of them.

The overall feeling in the room last night was very positive, and one was left with the feeling that our party is in good hands. I saw a number of people walk in with signs, particularly a couple of Clinton “count the vote” signs or something similar, but those signs ended up either sitting on the floor or leaning up against the wall in the back of the room. This was not a rally for one particular candidate, and the tone that was set last night by our wonderful hosts made certain that we all walked out of there knowing that we’re going to be okay, that Obama will most likely be our nominee, and if somehow Hillary Clinton were to procure the Democratic nomination, we would still fight to accomplish our objective, to defeat John McCain and the Republicans in the fall.