The Obama campaign sent a touch of Hollywood to Iowa City, as Oscar's reigning Best Actor Forest Whitaker spoke on behalf of the campaign. Whitaker also attended a campus event before the barbecue. Local Obama supporters also said Whitaker did a low-key event at Iowa City's Broadway Neighborhood Center in one of the town's most underprivileged areas.
Whitaker seemed to be a little under the weather, pausing often to cough, but he patiently autographed everything in sight, including shirts.
To tell you the truth I can't tell you much of what Whitaker said. Just before his speech I was off taking pictures of the county attorney working in the kitchen when my phone rang and I was told that County Chair Brian Flaherty wanted me at the stage immediately. As soon as I got there he ordered me to stand right there and he vanished to the stage while people started taking away my camera and notepad.
So Brian then launched into a speech that rivaled Richardson's in length. To make that long story short, my objectivity was hopelessly compromised and I got named Democratic Activist of the Year. Which explains why, when I had hit Brian up for an advance heads up on the award winners so I could prep a story, he never got back to me.
Professor Redlawsk gives me a thumbs up for the award, and this is as good a place as any to link to Aletia Morgan's Facebook photos of the day.
So I missed most of Whitaker's speech because people were busy congratulating me. In any case it was noted that Whitaker won his Oscar for acting and not for editing, as he ran long. Whitaker was introduced by former legislator Jean Lloyd-Jones, the 1992 U.S. Senate nominee who just endorsed Obama last week.
No comments:
Post a Comment