But the El Monte couple was dying to meet Obama, so they thought they’d take their chances and head on down to the club Sunday afternoon.
When they got there they saw abortion opponents with large posters bearing images of aborted babies, as well as an equal number of Obama boosters enthusiastically waving signs for their man. A smattering of other anti-war activists were there to tweak Obama on what they saw as a shifting focus on drawing down troops in Iraq.
Sandoval and Figueroa arrived at about noon and waited hours like most everyone else without a ticket. Just before Obama and his motorcade finally arrived at about 4:45 p.m. the big question was which entrance would he use. So Sandoval and Figueroa split up and monitored both entrances.
After the candidate’s bus and other cars in the motorcade passed through the gate, the two devised a plan to see Obama.
It wasn’t terribly clever. They merely walked through the front door.
But first a wardrobe change. Figueroa knew his Obama T-shirt would look too conspicuous to security, so he went back to his car and changed into a T-shirt that read “Mexico” and had the country’s colors. Sandoval fit in better with a dressy black skirt.
Again, they split up. She bought a glass of wine and headed down to one end of the hall where Obama stumped for votes.
Figueroa, meanwhile, got lucky. Some of the staff there saw him and, admiring his T-shirt, they chatted for a bit in Spanish. They made sure he got close enough to see Obama.
Then it happened. Figueroa called out to his candidate, and he acknowledged the greeting. Figueroa told him he had his books, “Dreams From My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope” with him. Would he sign them?
