Oh-ba-ma Fires It Up (NYT blog)

[killbotfactory]

MILFORD, N.H. — 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.

(snip)

But Mr. Obama gets right to it. In four days, he says, “you can do what Iowa did last night.” He doesn’t just talk about “change,” he talks about New Hampshire’s ability to “fundamentally transform this country.” His speech is interrupted repeatedly by chants of “O-ba-ma!

(snip)

One tiny anecdote will tell you how this went over here. We were seated next to supporters of Mrs. Clinton. They applauded throughout Mr. Obama’s speech. Said one: “He almost changed my mind.”

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/oh-bam-a-fires-it-up/