Unprecedented crowd of 25,000 receive Obama in New York
By Amin George Forji
  Dem. Presidential hopeful, and Illinois Senator, Barack Obama on Thursday, 27th September 2007, at a rally at Hillary Clinton’s backyard, in Washington Square Park , New York set a new feat as the biggest crowd puller in the history of American politics. Estimates showed that over 25,000 attended the free rally.
The presidential hopeful himself wasted no time to point out the diversity in the multitude and  the mammoth crowd itself as evidence that his stump message of hope and change was resonating and further that the whole country was hungry for radical change, and not just a change in political parties, and a continuation of the old ways of doing politics.
“You’ve got young people and old people,” he said. “You’ve got poor folk and not-so-poor folk. You’ve got blacks, whites, Asians, Native Americans. You’ve got gay and straight. You’ve got people with disabilities. You’ve got Democrats and independents, and, yes, you’ve even got some Republicans.” He remarked.
“….We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We want something new. We want some change,” Obama added.
“It is good to be back in New York. Some of you know, I used to live in New York City. I used to hang out in Washington Square Park. I know a little something about Greenwich Village.â€
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Almost every phrase from the candidate was accompanied by applause. One NY resident, 50 years old Matha Liz, who prior to the event had been contemplating between Clinton, Edwards and Obama, said after the rally that she was fired up by Obama, and will be voting for him during the primaries.
“He is fresh, inspiring, and committed to clean Washington…†Matha echoed, buying an Obama t-shirt, which read, “I love NYâ€.
Most significant is the fact that the rally was taking place in New York, the backyard of the presumably front-runner, Hillary Clinton, whose highest crowd in the state since the campaign began is just 2,500.
Her campaign will have to be very worried about the eventual media coverage that may ensue from the event, and potentially overturn polls, which have put her on a lead so far.
The enthusiasm around Obama continues to be enormous throughout the country. But will it be translated into votes at the forthcoming priaries? That is of course the hope of the Obama campaign. The fact of the matter is that he has built the strongest grassroot movement in this race, amongst all the candidates running, and it may be to early for anyone to draw any conclusion yet on who will be the eventual nominees, for the reuplicans and the democrats.
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8 users commented in " Unprecedented crowd of 25,000 receive Obama in New York "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackYou would have to see the Obama campaign’s web site. the people on there are of all ages and races and backgrounds. All are very very committed. You wouldn’t believe the unreported movement going on. it’s a massive grassroots movement.
And while the media says it is all young people who do not vote, the youth are committed to voting. Not only that but, there are huge amounts of people who are sporadic voters and non primary voters of all ages who are voting in this primary.
Many have laughed about the memo that came out saying there is a huge amt of people not being counted by the polls. It is true. You would not believe all the people who are not activists, who don’t really vote much who are out there volunteering and becoming activists for just one man.
the committment and the excitement is very much not being reported by the media. but, this is by design, isn’t it?
Yes, you actually have to be there in person or attend some Obama events to believe it. Im a native NYer grad of NYU and watched live stream of this event; the fact that MSM is not reporting on 24,000 showing up in Washington Square on a weeknight is mind boggling!
I have been to 3 Obama events, his Oakland rally (10 or 15 thousand as I recall), a small fundraiser for Sen. Boxer in which he was prescheduled prior to his announcement, and most recently a speach in SF at Women for Obama (3,000 with virtually no publicity)…. and I have never seen anything like the commitment,excitement and sheer hope Obama elicits from supporters. Truly electrifying.
But Hillary has the media all sewed up already. It will take a miracle, but for the first time in my life I am actually thinking it is possible. America is in the midst of an unreported sea change, much akin to what Hawkins reports about globally in his latest book Blessed Unrest.
I was at Obama’s March L.A. rally and the recent public rally at Santa Barbara City College before he went to Oprah’s private fundraiser. Both rallies were super inspiring and attended by very diverse crowds… unforgettable events and unprecedented in presidential campaign history in this country.
The ‘Clinton Machine’ does seem to have the MSM all sewed up, but I think, like Deborah, that there’s a sea change going on in this country that has tremendous momentum.
I support Obama because I like his worldview, the fact that he’s lived outside the U.S., grew up in multicultural Hawaii, his wisdom and courage to tell the American people what they need to hear vs. what they want to hear. Who else went to Detroit and spoke of the need to increase CAFE fuel standards and was met with hostility for doing so, right in the belly of the beast. Who else went to the NEA and talked of the concept of incentive pay for teachers, which to many educators is almost traitorous. He did it, anyway. He does not pander.
Something else, very important comes to mind. Obama spoke out vigorously against the war in 2002 when it could have jeopardized his run for U.S. Senate and looked unpatriotic to many. He did it, anyway. And when it came time for the Senate to vote on the war, Hillary DID NOT even read the 90 page NIE (National Intelligence Estimate), even though she had 10 days to read it.
She voted for the war without reading this critical report, which was a gross DERELICTION OF DUTY before sending other people’s kids into war to be killed or maimed. That did it for me… the simple fact that she relied on advisors’ comments and briefings and not reading a report, which, had she done so, would have seen many caveats there, as per former Senator Bob Graham of Florida. He read it and did not vote for the war.
Hillary engages in triangulating and also, if being first lady in the governor’s mansion for 8 years and another 8 years in the White House qualifies for ‘experience’ to be president, then why not have Laura Bush run for the 2008 race on the Republican side? You see how preposterous that sounds? That’s the magic of the Clinton Machine’s spinning with reality and manipulating perceptions par excellence. Hopefully, the Iowans won’t buy it.
I am so thrilled to hear that Obama drew such a great crowd. There are many people working actively on his campaign, who have never been involved in politics, but are so inspired by the hope of change and the end to the ways of Washington that we’re willing to go out on a limb and spend our time and money on this campaign. I am one who has never done anything like this before, or ever contributed to a politician more than checking the $1 box on my tax return, but I am hopeful now, and my cynicism of politics has diminished because of what I see happening that the press won’t report on. I can’t diss Hillary or any of the candidates, but I truly believe Barack Obama is the best candidate. We need a leader who can bring people together and empower us to work actively for change, while respecting our differences, but finding the common ground to move forward. I’ve never seen anything like this before.
Greetings from Holland. Many foreigners too are hoping for an Obama victory. Because an American president is also a world leader of course. Obama is the man we need.
Yup….I’m one of the foreigners whose rooting for Obama…Greetings from Singapore. Hi 🙂
Obama is just truly inspiring and awesome…I wasn’t born when Bobby and John Kennedy were alive (being only 25) and hearing their old speeches in youtube and then looking at Obama and listening to his speeches..WOW. They share so much in common, their vision hope and optimism and their ideals for a better and just future. Obama defines the hope for the future, he is like the leader of tomorrow,…one can even say a messiah of hope in such troubling times (no religious connotations implied)
I just wish I could contribute to his campaign somehow, but foreigners aren’t allowed to donate. So I bought his book ‘Dreams from my father’ and another thin photograph special, a very brief biography called ‘Hopes and Dreams’.
So anyway.. Good luck and GO OBAMA 08
I am a lawyer from Canada, and I am actively following the Election, because i know that who ever wins the election, will impact on Canada. I have long since been concerned about the problem of America’s decreased standing in the world, and the fact that Nations like China and India are leading in terms of technology and because American politicians are fighting so much among themselves and because of thier obsession with the war in Iraq, they are not recognising their diminishing stading as the world leader. Obama is the first politician that has pointed out in an Education forum the challenges youth’s face when competing in the global market and of how important it is for Educators to become smart as to where America needs to be on the global scheme of things. Coupled with the fact that Hilary is the old school, Obama is young, this is the age of technology, A president like Hilary will not be able to move America technologically forward into the new era.
we have said that black people black have still living in backward social situation. and one day they would be on trick and rouling the whole world.. becouse this is the time for black race to take thier chance to appear and show to whole world that they are not less important than other race…at least we have seen someone different in whieathouse …
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