Obama Supporters and Protesters Line Palo Alto Streets

By Rachel Stober.

Scores of people lined the streets of Palo Alto Thursday and waited for a peek of President Barack Obama's motorcade.

They also hoped he was looking at them reading their signs of support or protest.

"I think people in Palo Alto and Silicon Valley have really wised up and they’re spending a lot of money on politics these days, and lobbying, and I think that they’re really trying to reach out to the Obama administration," said Palo Altan Lynn Drake. "I haven’t been this close [to a president before] so I’m really excited."

Among the groups trying to reach out to Obama was Transition Express Campaign, focused on helping Americans create low-carbon lifestyles by 2020.
 
"We are here to protest his indecision in saying no to giving the permit to TransCanada to allow the Keystone pipeline to come into our country from the tar sands in Alberta and come to the Texas refineries and then have that oil, once that really crude oil gets refined, sent to Asia," said Founder Priscilla Rich of Danville. "It’s not intended for American use, it’s intended for Asian use, specifically China. If more people knew that they would be extremely upset."

Rich and others lined the streets of Forest and Boyce Avenue and chanted, "Hey! Obama! We don’t want no pipeline drama!" and "Barack Obama, yes you can! Stop the dirty pipeline plans!"

But not everyone was there to protest. Neighbors gathered with signs of support and love for their commander-in-chief.

Around the corner on Lincoln Avenue 9-year-olds Evie and Paisley and 10-year-old Aidan held a "You rock Barack Obama" sign, which they made to welcome the president.