Excitement is the single most palpable feeling in the world. And it was available in abundance at the “Moving America Forward” rally at Ohio State U. featuring President Barack Obama to raise support for the Democratic Party before elections in November.

There seemed to be an endless number of speakers who were basically saying the same thing: “Democrats good. Republicans bad.” But it’s still a surreal feeling to know that Ohio is a “battleground state.” We can make a huge difference here and we have in the past.

Normally I don’t like discussing politics, but when politicians literally come to your backyard to plead for your votes, it requires a step back to evaluate the situation. Ohio is classified as a swing state, and everyone in the audience Sunday knew that, as a whole, we are one of the reasons why Obama won the presidency in 2008. Ohio has gone to the winner of the presidential election in all but two since 1892.

That’s why those good old politicians keep coming back to our lovely state for more – we are so mixed in our political views here. It’s empowering and inspirational to know that we pack that kind of punch. Now the Democrats are trying to hold on to their thrones in Ohio, and with the estimated 35,000 people that showed up at the rally on Sunday, they might have just succeeded in getting people fired up.

There’s no better motivator than anger, and the president’s message that Republicans want to take this country and state a step backward had the crowd up in arms. There was plenty of catcalling and jeering anytime a politician mentioned the other side. It wasn’t unlike being at a high school pep rally.

Michelle Obama started off her brief speech with the one thing that can win over any Buckeye – the “O-H-I-O” chant. That increased the feeling of otherworldliness that had been settling on the audience all evening. It really drives home the fact that our state is a pivotal one, and this university is the epicenter of it all.

What does that mean for me and the rest of my peers? Will students actually rise up and exercise their right to vote in November? I don’t know. As for me, I’m sitting this one out. I personally don’t think much gets done in Washington besides a lot of mud-slinging and hair-pulling. I have better things to do than worry about over-privileged men and women who want to take over the world.