Maxine T. Hill flew from Arizona and Emma Myles drove from nearby Southport, N.C. They patiently waited all week to see the president speak tonight. But now they’re waiting outside a large overflow ballroom in the NASCAR Hall of Fame where hundreds will sit tonight to watch the president speak.
And with five hours to go, nobody has told them anything.
“Youve got to have an e-mail, youve got to have a confirmation number, then this that and the other, just to get into a ballroom and watch TV,” Myles said. “I mean, its not like they have to have tight security because hes going to be in there.”
As the women vented, young, well-dressed campaign staffers — young women in J. Crew dresses and flats and guys with days-old stubble — peek from inside the ballroom, where hundreds of American flags are on a table waiting to be distributed to the crowd.
As the aides come and go with chairs and flags, Myles has more practical concerns: “Are they going to feed us?”
The ladies planned to sit in the Bank of America Stadium tonight Hills seat was in Section 535. Now she feels that all her hard work for the president is being poorly rewarded.
“We give our time, we give our money,” Hill said. “My delegate has been trying to call me all day, because she was going to try to get me a seat in the arena. She wasnt able to do anything. So why are we serving if they in fact cannot provide us an opportunity?”
But does the snub lessen Hills support for Obama?
”No, because the bigger picture is what he stands for,” she said. ”But it doesnt mean that I don’t have a sense of responsibility to communicate my frustration. Its a two-way street.”
