Blown Away by Beto

I must confess, I had some reservations about driving down to Kent State University (Kent, OH) to hear Beto O'Rourke speak at Risman Plaza. It would be a long trip and I'd already seen Bernie Sanders in the morning.

It was well worth the drive. Before Beto arrived on schedule at 6:30 PM, I had the opportunity to talk with students attending the event as evidenced by this photo posted at kentwired.com. Kentwired.com is the independent new website of The Kent Stater & TV2.

He addressed the group of mostly students for close to half an hour and then took another 15 minutes or so of questions! He presented his wish list -- would there were money to implement it all -- and the crowd responded with great exuberance. And when he was done, he invited anyone who wanted to line up for a photo with him. The line was long.

When it was my turn, I told him I had just finished writing a musical with 20 songs about the issues we all care about and that I would like to give him a copy. He took it, thanked me and told me he would listen to it on the way to Cleveland.

Beto is warm and friendly. He speaks with ease and is comfortable with a crowd or with people individually. I was very impressed.