In his first visit to New Hampshire on Sunday, first-term Illinois Sen. Barack Obama realized just how much the public wants him to run for president. Presented with a Hollywood-style welcome, a swarm of reporters and a 200-page bound petition with 12,000 signatures supporting a 2008 campaign, Obama was the only one surprised at the turnout.
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch joked that the city of Portsmouth, where Obama appeared for a book signing, canceled the Rolling Stones—who had initially been scheduled to headline the rally—in favor of Obama, who was likely to sell more tickets. Obama, who has been in the Senate for less than two years, has already been dubbed a "legend," "electrifying," a "superstar." What's the first word that came out of one toddler's mouth? Obama.
Obama's first stop was a victory rally for the New Hampshire Democratic Party. In a modest but poignant speech before a sold-out crowd of 2,500, more than half of whom paid $25 to attend, Obama said he was "baffled" by the attention.
"I think to some degree I've become a shorthand or symbol or stand-in for a spirit that the last election in New Hampshire represented," Obama told reporters. The state voted out two incumbent congressmen in November. "It's a spirit that says we are looking for something different—we want something new."
Indeed. Reeling from frustration with the Bush administration's mishandling of the Iraq war and the congressional stalemate that made it worse, the public is desperate for change, a message it conveyed clearly in the midterm elections. In a time when both foreign and domestic relationships are on the rocks, Obama may be just the man they're looking for to turn things around. He appeals to Americans on so many fronts—he is biracial, his father was an immigrant from Kenya, and he grew up in the heartland of the country.
His staff is far more diverse than that of other U.S. senators, for whom top aides are all white. Why is the U.S. Senate worst for diversity? Read the June issue of DiversityInc magazine to find out.
"We've come to be consumed by a 24-hour, slash-and-burn, negative ad, bickering, small-minded politics that doesn't move us forward," Obama said in Portsmouth. "Sometimes one side is up and the other side is down. But there's no sense that they are coming together in a common-sense, practical, non-ideological way to solve the problems that we face."
Obama was surrounded by no fewer than 100 people at a given time, all asking for autographed copies of his recent book, The Audacity of Hope, which hit No. 1 on the bestseller list, thanks in part to endorsements from talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. Obama's publisher, Crown Publishers, said the book already is in its seventh printing with 860,000 copies in circulation, according to The New York Times. (See also: Who Really Is Barack Obama?)
It will be a few weeks before Obama announces his plans, which will most likely come after the holidays, following his annual Christmas trip to Hawaii to visit his grandmother. But his supporters already are gearing up for a campaign.
It's "Obamamania," NPR says of Obama's rapid rise to stardom. But reporter Ken Rudin also documents the realistic concerns about becoming overly optimistic about Obama's chances at the presidency. Perceptions about Obama's experience may pose real obstacles. Some say Obama's short time in the Senate may actually turn out to be a plus, lest he become tainted by association. Others say he should finish his term and build experience before running against political heavyweights such as New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who may be his opposition in the primary.
While the "race card" has not been played in pre-campaign hype, it's too soon to tell whether or not it will.
"Maybe it's a sign of progress," writes Rudin. "Maybe it's a hunger for someone so new and so promising who transcends race. Or maybe we're just deluding ourselves, and once he becomes a genuine candidate, all bets are off."
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