Obama's Kids

Obama Lights Up the 100 Club
by MissLaura
Sat Jan 05, 2008 at 07:44:04 AM PST
It's important to remember that the New Hampshire Democratic Party's 100 Club Dinner is an annual fundraising event. It's attended by people who have paid $100 or more to attend an NHDP fundraiser, and people who have been given tickets by campaigns and the like. In other words, dedicated Democratic activists, the vast majority of whom are committed to a candidate when they walk in.
So responses to the candidate speeches there are indicative of organization as much as of organic support. Which campaign got the most supporters to turn out? Which campaign got signs into its supporters' hands?
Last night, the dominant campaign on both organization and organic enthusiasm was Obama's.
Early in the evening, as various party officials and state politicians spoke, occasionally the room would suddenly be filled with waving Obama signs. It was like nobody else had supporters in the room. When Clinton spoke, you realized she did have supporters there, and quite a lot of them. They cheered enthusiastically and waved the signs they hadn't seen fit to take out at any earlier point.
At that point, advantage Obama campaign. Whether Clinton's supporters were instructed to hold their sign-waving for her appearance, or they just weren't that worked up, it meant that through an hour and a half of speeches, Obama's supporters were the only visible ones.
Clinton gets what I'd say was a strong initial reception. Swampland says she was booed twice during her speech, and someone I know watching C-SPAN heard it at least once. Maybe that's about where the booers were in relation to the mikes, because I didn't hear it. What I did hear was that when she said that the question was who would be the best president, Obama supporters began chanting "Obama" as they waved their signs. Their chant overpowered Clinton supporters, and round O signs clearly outnumbered rectangular Clinton ones.
But when Bill Richardson finishes speaking and the crowd knows that Obama is next on the program, the room just...changes. I was expecting the biggest response of the evening, but one measured on the same scale. This is a whole different scale.
Katharine Q. Seelye at the NYT's Caucus blog:
Spontaneous combustion! We’re here at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s big dinner and out of the masses of 3,000 people, who have been listening politely to Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson, comes a huge surge of people toward the stage for the next speaker — Barack Obama.
An announcer tries to get them back to their seats. "For safety concerns, before we can proceed, please take your seats," says a disembodied voice. A mild buzz kill. The crowd moans but doesn’t really disperse. Then Mr. Obama strides to the podium, the crowd remains packed around the stage and the room is electrified.
"O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma," they roar.
Barack Obama's campaign won the organization battle at the 100 Club. They got signs into his supporters' hands, and must have issued instructions to not save the sign-waving for his speech. So visibility through the night was theirs. But the swell and crackle of energy in the room when he spoke? That was organic, and it was overwhelming. Every time Obama started to lose me with a line I've heard one time too many this long campaign season, the crowd would bring me back in.
On the shuttle back to the parking lot, it's impossible not to notice that Obama's supporters are decades younger than those of other candidates. And I think, Obama may not be my favorite on a policy level, his speeches may often leave me cold, but he could be a transformative candidate and president._____________________________
The Obama thing is Obviously a happening a sort of political woodstock lets hope the kids sober up in time and realize that the presidency needs experience not just youthfulness and a color change.
I have not still heard anything from Obama in the form of an agenda. I know who Hillary is and Edwards too but this symbol of change by dint of his color is an enigma! Lets hope he comes out and clarifies where he stands on the issues. We already know his health plan doesn't cover all, but leaves millions out. Not surprising considering that his financial support from the medical insurance industry is larger then to any other candidate. I read that when he was writing a medical plan as a state legislator he brought in the insurance people and wrote what they wanted. It is said to be a poor bill and could have been much better without the insurance companies imput.
_______________________________________
I want a Democratic president so bad to straighten out Bush's and the republican congress's mess.
I read that it was independents who put him ahead in Iowa and it is expected they will do the same in New Hampshire and we can only hope that if he is chosen they will be there in November. I also hope that, because USA is still bascically racist , there will be enough of them to offset the losses we can expect from Democrats who do not want to see a black man in the White House except with a towel over his arm. They are out there!
_______________________________________
Newest Poll has Obama 37% Clinton 27%