Obama's speech was largely unchanged from the stump speech I
commented on earlier. What had shifted was the beginning, which used the Iowa Caucus results to punch in an argument for Obama's ability to expand the Democratic base. "It was a vision of a new coalition being built," he said. From there, he went into the normal stump. One bit I forgot to remark on earlier is his riff where he keeps describing attributes that the next president should have, then saying "you have the opportunity to make me that president." Comes off a bit weird to me, like telling a girl she has the opportunity to let me take her on a date. But he did offer a good riff on the change stuff that's worth reproducing here, as it aptly demonstrates his
technique of reciting, and attempting to allay, progressive criticisms (it's near word-for-word, but this is on-the-fly transcription, so I may have missed something):
"I know how hard it will be to get the insurance companies and drug companies pushed back so we can actually deliver universal health care. I know climate change and educational reform don't lend themselves to easy change. I know because I've fought these battles out on the streets. I know because I've seen good legislation fail, because those with good intentions didn't have the powerful sway or the political will to overcome the obstacles. I know how hard this is going to be.
I'd already seen the stump once today, so a bit of its power was lost on me. But Obama
smoked Hillary in crowd reaction. The place was a sea of Obama signs. It was rocked with chants. During her speech, few stood up. During his speech, few sat down. The difference in energy was tremendous. It was so great that I feel I should report that someone said they heard that Obama's campaign had bought out most of the tickets to the event (though someone else said theyd heard that about Hillary's campaign), so take that for what it's worth. If true, it's surprising to see Obama's New Hampshire organization that far ahead of Hillary's, particularly given her need to demonstrate some momentum and enthusiasm before the assembled press. If untrue, it's worse for Hillary, as the committed Demorats in attendance seemed wildly pro-Obama. Either way, he won the night. Edwards, by the way, didn't attend, and instead had a townhall in Portsmouth. I'll be seeing him tomorrow.
