So I live in Montana, which is both one of the largest states in the USA, but also has one of the lowest populations. Politicians don't really come here. They don't expect anything from Montana except that it continues to vote republican, even though we have a strong history of electing democrats and union organizing, and the right wing swing is fairly recent. Like a lot of the country, it feels like the federal government has totally written us off as a stereotype.
Last year, AOC and Bernie Sanders came to Missoula for a joint rally! It was incredible: the energy was electric. I showed up to stand in line hours early, and met people who had camped out in sleeping bags because they were so excited. It was honestly galvanizing. Even living in a blue area of a red state, we're still surrounded by MAGA. Jacked up trucks with huge Trump flags drive the highways, coal rolling bicyclists and EVs. You can't drive any highway without seeing billboards screaming their right wing allegiance. It can make it feel like we're surrounded by hostility.
Standing in line with thousands of excited left wing Montanans and filling the University bleachers and an overflow area outside brought me a sense of community and focused purpose I've been missing lately.
They came to us. They had a rally for us. They highlighted our local politicians and leftist victories, like the group of children who sued the state of Montana for violating their MT-state constitutional right to a clean environment and won.
It was truly amazing. I lost my voice I cheered so much!
Afterwards, I was close enough to the stage to join the line of people to get their hands shaken by Ocasio and Sanders. But right as they were about to get to me, some huge dude bodyslammed me out of the way. He got his hand shaken by them both. I'm small enough and it was hectic enough that no one noticed, except my group who was there with me and were watching.
god I was mad. But also, what a typical thing, right? I don't know if that dude even really registered me there, or if his brain just sort of edited out "small, female-shaped person in my way" as he went through me. My friends were madder than I was, at first. It was just...so typical. Straight, white, cis dudes, amirite? I was determined not to let it spoil my enjoyment of that electric day, or the purpose and positivity it restored in me.
Two days ago, AOC came back to Missoula. She came to campaign for a candidate, Sam Forstag. I didn't go to that one: I didn't want to stand in line for hours this time. It was really hot out, and I just got back from a trip and am nursing mild injuries from crashing on my mountain bike.
Last night, my partner and I went to a local brewery with an arcade in the basement: we do that often. Eat a taco upstairs, then go downstairs and try to beat our personal records at Ice Cold Beer and leave a gift for the basement ghost.
AOC was there. AOC was there! I galvanized myself, went over, and asked if she minded me interrupting for a moment. She didn't. She was instantly, totally, almost overwhelmingly focused on me. She had an extraordinary ability to project a sense of caring about me, personally, random person in an arcade who interrupted her and her friend perusing the row of pinball machines.
I told her about the bodyslam, the stolen handshake. She asked if she could hug me! We talked about what she had seen locally (bison), and then how cool bison are. I told her about the Blackfoot tribe released bison into East Glacier and how the herd went straight for Chief Mountain, a sacred place to the Blackfoot people. I thanked her and her friend for their time, and she hugged me again. And so did her friend! They were both so incredibly kind and welcoming.
I'm still buzzing. It weirdly feels like kismet that I didn't get to shake her and Bernie's hands at the rally last year. Like maybe that guy slammed me out of the way, and that's why I bumped into AOC at the arcade last night. I certainly had no idea she hadn't flown out immediately after the rally!
It's a good thing my partner was there and saw it happen or I honestly think I would have convinced myself I'd made it up by now. How lucky am I? What are the freaking odds???
