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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

UPDATED: Barack Obama rally in Dallas draws hefty, “hope”ful crowd

By Chad Jones , Laura Seewoester

Updated 10:21 p.m., February 20, 2008

Email Print Tell us your story Comments (24)

Starting as early as 6:00 a.m., "change"-thirsty D-FWites staked out spots outside Dallas' Reunion Arena hoping to win a golden ticket into Senator Barack Obama's first north Texas rally during his race for the White House (note: there were not tickets, especially not golden ones).

By 10:00, a critical mass had gathered, estimated by campaign volunteer Connie Childress to be near 15,000*, with droves of pedestrians still pouring in, as well as a trickle of cars with 'hope for America' but also foolishly hoping there'd be parking spots left.

The Arena opened its doors at 10:30, while Barack went on stage around noon, addressing a crowd about as large as the one he had in Houston last night, and speaking on his campaign's central issues: taxes, education, Iraq, and change.

"I'm not even sure if I'll get in," said Dallas resident George Odero, standing in line with his wife. "We actually didn't call in to work today," he whispered to the camera. Sshhh.

The crowd ranged from all ages and races, with clads of uniformed school boys and girls on opportune field-trips, college kids, the middle-aged and senior citizens. A haphazard estimate: 45% African American, 45% White, 10% Hispanic/other

Obama '08 Reunion Arena rally

North Texans share their enthusiasm. Note: all peace signs are legit and unscripted.

While Senator John McCain, with his vast lead in delegates, has unofficially won the Republican nomination, the race to be the 2008 Democratic nominee is still tight between Obama and rival Senator Hillary Clinton, whose daughter Chelsea visited on the same Wednesday morning three separate D-FW colleges. (Unfair Park has that coverage)

This semi-unanticipated neck-and-neck situation has made the Texas primary on March 4 (as well as Ohio's on the same evening) a more crucial win for either Democrat, as snagging a bigger portion of our state's 228 delegates could tilt the rest of the race.

"It's a unique opportunity to be a Democrat in a Republican state," said college student Daniel Wheeler who drove from Abilene early enough to jump in line by 8:00 a.m., "And to have such an opportunity to help select the Democratic nominee. We're excited to be an important part of the process."

UPDATE: Go here for Brody Mulligan's inside-the-arena take on the proceedings, including pictures.

The DMN also cites this figure, which is roughly the capacity of the venue and actually moderate

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Comments

Chad Jones

Chad Jones Verified

The Observer has a piece on folks who got turned away due to capacity, with the best part being a commenter suggesting Obama telling the Dallas crowd "We're gonna send Bush back to Texas!" was ... awkward.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle

Scott Doyle Verified

Are you disrespectin' my authori-tah, Chad?

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Brody

Brody Anonymous

The press box was overflowing as well...loads of photographers and videographers trampling all over each other. Chaos!

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Chad Jones

Chad Jones Verified

Do what, Doyle?

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle

Scott Doyle Verified

My authori-tah, you be disrespectin' it.

Doesn't seem very balanced, Miko! I checked him, but he did noooooooothing. I'm very perturbed with the PegNews staff at the moment, to say the least.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Chad Jones

Chad Jones Verified

Yeah . . . Mike (o?), let's look into adding a breathalyzer component to our comment boards.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Brody

Brody Anonymous

Can't we all just get along?

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle

Scott Doyle Verified

I don't think y'all would want me getting tipsy at work, considering that's when I do the vast majority of my Pegnewsin'.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Erin Rice

Erin Rice Verified

In all fairness, I think there is a difference between "equal opportunity offending" and "equivalent offending." If I could, not being the person who set the site up but as someone with, hopefully, a working understanding of the first term provide my view of it.

While it's certainly our goal to cover everything to the same nth degree, that is nearly impossible, most definitely improbable. In this case we had a prime opportunity to cover the Democratic primaries as they pertain to DFW. In covering the event, we aren't trying to imply that we wouldn't cover the same type of event were it hosted by the Republican/Independent/Green/Socialist/Polish Beer-Lovers' Party. In fact, through comments, user submissions, etc., we welcome and encourage people to contribute stories about what is important to them.

Putting all that aside, there is definitely an unbalanced amount of Democratic primary coverage all over town because for the first time in decades, Texas will have some say is who gets the party's nomination. Since the Republican race is essentially sealed (as Chad pointed out in the article), there's not much news coming out of there, and certainly not much that pertains to DFW. However, back when the Republican primaries were closer, you may have noticed all our coverage of the local happenings here, here, here, and here.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rawlins Gilliland

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

I was there. It was not hard to get in if you showed up, and I did at 11:50 when he was supposed to be on @ noon. Trouble is, it was a capacity cowd, and after the arena filled, that was that. And oh what an eye-opening event this was.

I can tell you this: +1) The crowd looked like America. +2) Maybe 20% were VERY young people. +3) The VERY young sat and watched and listened attentively. Respectfully. Not in 'awe' but involved. +4) When was the last time you saw (or heard) that?

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren

Mike Orren Staff

Am I to glean from the headline that the audience was of unusual girth?

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rawlins Gilliland

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

Try: Dallas crowd fleshed out with swollen pride, overtaking electoral malnutition.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle

Scott Doyle Verified

Erin

I was bored, and at the end of my work-day I felt like giving Chad some grief for dissing my personal odor in public. Don't worry about 'splainin yo'self to me - you'll know when I'm actually passionate about something other than being a nerd. Did you think I was seriously expecting y'all not to cover anymore of the dem primary?

All that aside, don't talk about raising muh taxes. Doyle gets angry when my precious funds are at stake. I'll shut my mouth and pay what I feel is reasonable, but past that I'll moan all I want.

I honestly don't care who pit-stops in Dallas to rally their troops - it's not going to change my feelings on the candidate one way or another. I certainly don't care what local sites post about it. I prefer debates over rallies, b/c talking to a bunch of people who already support you is useless imo.

It particularly seems you have more to lose than gain by addressing people who are willing to take time out of their day just to stroke your ego. All the while, undecided or indifferent voters are waiting to be won over. Is this really the most effective way to campaign?

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

luniz Anonymous

Doyle I think it's pretty common, they always call it "getting out your base" or something like that. What you call "undecided" may actually be people who are never going to vote for a Democrat, black man, or woman anyway. And the indifferent, well, I dunno. Not much they can do to get to us I suppose ;)

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Neff Conner

Neff Conner Verified

Scott, there are people who attend candidate's rallies who are undecided or indifferent. And these assemblies are useful for other purposes than "stroking" a candidate's "ego," as you put it. They help motivate supporters to increase their campaign efforts, raise money, and keep the candidate's media buzz going. "Is this really the most effective way to campaign?" Perhaps not. Maybe candidates should spend more time going door-to-door and speaking to individuals and families. Or how 'bout an ole fashioned whistle-stop tour on a steam locomotive?
i reckon you'll tune in to the debate between Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama tonight. Maybe one of them will say something that will change your opinion about them.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

interestedcitizen Anonymous

Obama is just another world socialist. We have one of three choices. Socialist McCain, Socialist Clinton, Socialist Obama. All three are using the myth of human caused global warming to exert world control over us.

Further, they're all globalists. Obama wants a security and prosperity partnership among Mexico, USA, and Canada, which was promoted by Bush. He wants to tweak NAFTA, not get rid of it. He falls in line there with Bill Clinton, who promoted NAFTA. NAFTA was also strongly promoted by Phil Gramm, a Republican. Senators Cornyn and Hutchison are strong supporters of NAFTA.

So, he wants us out of the Iraq quagmire, but globalist and UN supporter that he is, do we doubt for a minute that he would send US troops to make peace in the Sudan, or Kenya, if the UN Security Council called for an international peace keeping force?

They're all in the same club. They differ only on minor issues. Ultimately, they want a centralized approached to managed health care, and they want it managed from the top by the Federal government. They are all reading from the same script. They are all stooges and puppets. Where else are they getting the money to stay in the race? The globalists and the socialists are going to win, regardless of who of the three makes it into office. We the people, are going to lose. We are going to lose our wealth, our liberty, and our property, slowly but surely. The world socialists march on.

We don't read our constitution. We don't understand the difference between legislative power and executive power. We let our candidates for the chief executive set the legislative agenda. We are dying from within due to our own ignorance.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Billusa99

Billusa99 Anonymous

Scott... have you looked at the last 18 debates? I hate to tell you, bro, but they are already talking to a bunch of people who support them!

Interestedcitizen... I have it on good authority that only disinterested parties with high SAT scores will be allowed to remain in the NAFTA countries once Obama wins. It's in the script for tonight's debate in Austin -- will be announced then. USAir has a fare sale to Liberia if you decide to leave and Bush is greeting people at the airport there in Monrovia as I type.

BTW, the Polish Beers Drinkers Party is searching for enthusiasm such as yours.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

John McClelland

John McClelland Verified

I thought isolationism went out of style in the 30's.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Chad Jones

Chad Jones Verified

Apparently, either the DMN thinks we don't read their print version*†, or our headline's alliteration is just so appealing they couldn't resist:

*this is mostly true
†can't find the story online whatsoever

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle

Scott Doyle Verified

Maybe I'm crazy, but I figured there'd be more of a push to light a fire under the third of the country who didn't even bother voting back in 2004. As interestedcitizen pointed out, differences between candidates is splitting hairs (especially within the party). Considering Texas actually matters in the dem primary this go-around, why not take more of a grass-roots approach than just having a rally?

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rawlins Gilliland

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

Sleepless Sufferers: Why bother asking your doctor for Ambien when you can read 'interestedcitizen'?

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

xdavidwattsx

xdavidwattsx Anonymous

Scott, perhaps you haven't noticed the massive influx of new voters in this cycle? Obama has been bringing out tons of new voters who have given up on the system. Voter turnout is WAY up. I'm not sure what you're complaint is. There were people showing up to a political rally in Dallas that have never even been to a political rally. Isn't that the point - to get people engaged in the process?

Interestedcitizen - God help us all if McCain, Obama and Clinton are considered socialists. You must think Canadians are commies.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle

Scott Doyle Verified

I wouldn't consider people actually getting off their ass 'new voters'. And methinks a lot more people are interested in this election than the past one b/c of disdain for Bush, not necessarily love for any of these candidates. Could we improve from 2/3 to 3/4 turnout this election? Who knows, but it certainly won't be a result of the same-old-song-and-dance campaigning.

Everyone's talking about being a reformer of this and that - how about you actually show us with your efforts to get in office?

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

xdavidwattsx

xdavidwattsx Anonymous

I dunno. There was a lot of disdain for Bush in 04 as well. Voter turnout has been smashing 04 all over the country and Obama is about to have 1,000,000 individual donors to his campaign and is breaking all time fundraising records. Considering that 97% of those 1,000,000 people have given less than the maximum allowed, that's impressive.

1 year, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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