Capital University’s Field House filled with cheers and the flashing of cameras as President Barack Obama walked onto the stage at an early voting event held on Tuesday, Nov. 1. He issued Ohioans a call to action, stating the importance of citizen participation and the dangers of a Trump presidency.
Prior to the event, students shared their thoughts.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Samantha Wyant, sophomore music and mathematics double major. “We hosted the Green party earlier this year, so we’re not just hosting one party, we’re hosting more than one and really getting information out to students. It’d be nice to see more of the smaller parties.”
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein held a rally on Schaaf lawn on Sep. 2.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for students to come out and get involved in the political process and the current campaign that is going on in our country,” Gage Cottle, senior music tech major, said. “A lot of students don’t turn out to vote, we have a low voter percentage rate, and this is a great way for people to really get hip to the idea.”
The event was organized by Hillary for America in coordination with President Paul’s office and Capital’s chapter of Campus Democrats.
“Wow, I can’t believe how many different units and organizations are part of making this happen,” Paul said. “But, you know, they do this all over the country, so it’s a pretty well-oiled machine. We get a call pretty late in the game, and do we want to be part of it? Of course we want to be part of it because it is a fantastic exposure for our students.”
President Paul and Libby Baker, president of student government, greeted Obama when he arrived to campus.
“It was an amazing opportunity meeting the president,” Baker said. “I’m still in shock that I was able to do so. Even though President Paul and I only spoke to him for about two minutes, I could still tell that he’s an extremely personable individual.”
While audience members were filling the Capital Center, groups of protesters stood outside.
“We’re on an extremely liberal campus, and I saw all these people losing their minds over the lame-duck president coming to town, and I wanted to be the voice of opposition from the left,” said Nick Bochenek, senior philosophy and history double major. “There are legitimate problems with this president and he ought to be held accountable for them.”
Bochenek and a small number of others stood on Main Street holding signs and denouncing the President’s hawkish foreign policy. A separate group of protesters lined up along Mound Street.
“The main reason [I’m here] is because the liberal media in this country is in the tank for the democrats,” Roger Watson, one of the protesters, said. “My affiliation is Sean Hannity. I tell everyone, if you want to understand the conservative uproar … listen to Sean Hannity … He’s fought every liberal he can trying to make people understand what their agenda is. Trump is just a spokesman for what Hannity and the people who listen to Hannity believe.”
The president spoke of the importance of citizen participation and denounced Donald Trump for his un-presidential behavior. However, when the audience began booing a man in a Trump hat, he quipped, “Don’t boo, vote.”
After speaking for just over 40 minutes, the President waved and exited the stage, making his way through the crowd.
“This was the pinnacle of my career,” said Abby Wosinski, president of Campus Democrats, who organized student volunteers for the event. She stood along the front row with other student volunteers.
DeVante Draine, a senior who got to shake Obama’s hand, said he was “awestruck, weak in the knees and proud and honored.” He also said, “the right person came today,” and the experience was “really worth it.”
