Fired up! Fired up!

Ready to go! Ready to go!

The chant started by President Barack Obama during his health care reform rally yesterday echoed across campus long after his speech was over. As students and spectators poured out of Comcast Center, shouts of the mantra carried through the crowd. Attendees posed it to one another as a question:

“Fired up?”

“Ready to go.”

The thousands who attended the rally were ready to go despite the president’s late arrival and waiting in line since the early-morning hours. Although several groups protested outside, the masses inside the arena were largely enthusiastic. Supporters cheered and did the wave as they waited for the president’s speech; a positive vibe that continued even as they walked out the door.

Obama started off by greeting the audience of Terp fans and revving up students before he dove into the health care issue.

“It is good to be back at the University of Maryland,” Obama said. “I want to start by wishing The Fridge and the Terps good luck on the game this weekend.  Maybe I’ll even rub Testudo’s nose before I leave.”

Obama appealed to students during the speech as well, explaining how health care reform would affect them after graduation. He argued that young adults should be able to stay on their parents’ health insurance until they are 26 years old and that insurance companies should not be allowed to reject anyone based on pre-existing conditions.

“This is a big step for us,” senior classics major Ashish George said. “It’s part of our future. We are going to be in the real world soon, and these decisions will make or break us.”

Not everyone, however, was singing (or chanting) Obama’s praises. Groups protesting Obama’s health care plan gathered outside the arena before the event, holding signs, yelling and handing out fliers. One man rose to his feet during the speech and called Obama a “baby killer,” before he was booed by the crowd and escorted out by police.

Some students came to hear about the health care proposal, but others just wanted to catch a glimpse of the commander in chief.

Senior cell biology major Rieta Ngay was especially interested in the future of health care, because she is getting her degree in a health field. She could not get in the last time Obama came to the campus in February 2008, so this time she missed class to be a part of it.

“This is what we have to deal with after we graduate in May,” Ngay said. “I want to see a concrete plan, not a fuzzy one. Right now it’s, you kind of know, but you don’t know. And hopefully [Obama] will be able to deliver that today.”

Some students began lining up at 5 a.m. for the speech, hoping to get prime seating in the arena to see Obama close up.

Freshman computer engineering major Brian Phan got in line around 8:30 a.m. Phan said he waited an hour and skipped two classes to attend.

“It’s Obama! I wanted to learn about his health care plan,” Phan said. “And how often is it that the president comes to speak at your school?”

Around the campus, the mood was more subdued and lacked the campaign frenzy of Obama’s last visit. Although there was more security than last year, the line moved much more quickly, and few students complained about a long wait.

Senior kinesiology major Francesca Musaga saw Obama last year and noticed there was a different mood this time.

“I feel like there were more people here last time,” Musaga said. “It seems a little more calm this time around. Last time was more tense because he hadn’t won yet, and people were more passionate.”

Around the campus, other students went about life as usual. Many did not want to wake up early, and others wanted to avoid the crowded parking lots and long lines.

“I commute and I didn’t want to wake up so early,” senior English major Mandi Schmitt said.

Others didn’t want to miss class or disagreed with Obama’s message.

“I am a Republican and I don’t like his policies,” junior government and politics and history major Devon Snodgrass said. “I don’t condone missing class for the president, nor do I think he should condone it either.”

But for the most part, love was everywhere during the president’s rally and the response was positive.

One audience member even screamed, “We love you Obama!”

Obama has his response to adoring fans down on this point.

“I love you back,” he quickly replied.

tousignant@umdbk.com