I had the privilege of being part of John McCain's visit to Seattle. Most of the time, talking in class or at work in Seattle, it sucks to be conservative, but when John McCain comes to town, it pays to be a Republican. I got an up close and personal look at his entire trip, from a round table discussion with an environmental panel and the press in North Bend, to events later on that evening. He was at the Cedar River Watershed discussing his ideas to help take care of the environment and how the United States can lead with the issue of climate change through market based solutions and American innovation.

Security was tight, as he now has secret service protection, and the King County Sheriff's swat team was there in full force to secure the site before he got there.

Around the watershed, McCain toured the area where we in Seattle get the majority of our drinking water. It rained for most of the day, but what else can you expect in the Seattle area? Reporters and photographers braved the elements in their rain-gear to get images of the Senators visit. Pictures from this stop appear currently on McCain's website as part of his environmental plan. Here is a pic of his motorcade moving from one part of the watershed area to another:

McCain spent the evening raising money for his campaign and the RNC. The event was held in downtown Bellevue, where there was a private dinner and a private reception for major donors. The events were full of prominent GOP individuals from the state and local government. At the reception, McCain spoke about the issues that he cares about, including national security, the environment, the economy and many others. He concluded with questions from the audience. A mother of a US Marine who died in Iraq spoke about her resolution to see her son's death not have been in vain, and gave heartfelt, powerful encouragement to Senator McCain to see the mission through, and not let the progress that we have recently seen go to waste.

It was very moving, and made most people there start to tear up. Senator McCain was also touched by her story and concluded the reception by thanking the woman for her support and to ask for the bracelet that she wears in rememberence of her son, with his name inscribed, so that he could have it with him to symbolize the sacrifice that so many Americans have made, and to continue to fight to return from Iraq with honor. It was a very powerful moment that I will remember for a long time.

The next morning, he was taken to the airport where we got to thank him for stopping by and encouraged him to keep up the fight. I think that the more people get to learn about John McCain and his differences from the current president and his differences from the Democratic nominee, then we will see more support grow for him. Young people care about much different issues than those who are older. College students don't own houses, and pay property taxes, or own business, and worry about business taxes. They care about pop culture, and friends, and issues like human rights and the environment. Take the University of Washington for example: you walk around looking for a trash can, and you find that there are more recycling containers than ones for garbage these days.

Taking care of the planet is something that students are very passionate about. Most of the UW students have NO IDEA that John McCain is in their boat, and would be surprised to learn that. Independent college aged students who have not settled on a party would be much more likely to support him based on this rather than his position on a tax or economic issue that they are not old enough for them to be affected. Obama does not get his support based on substance, but based on people's perspectives, and sadly there is a big gap there. McCain can continue to build his support by trips like this, putting out new ideas and substance to back his ideas up.

Overall his trip was a great success and was very exciting to witness. The members of Senator McCain's staff that I spoke with said that the best way to get involved with politics, on both the local and national level, is to volunteer. When a campaign sees a hard working individual, they are going to want to keep them, and then they get hired before they can go work for someone else. If you are interested in getting involved this big election year, the KCGOP has many opportunities at their office, and at the campaign offices of local and statewide candidates that would use your help. To find out more call (425) 990-0404, or email me at peter@movered.org.