Barack Obama Holds Overflowing Super Tuesday Rally at the University of Denver

DENVER -- Barack Obama came to the University of Denver this morning, planning to speak at the Magness arena which seats around 7200. Eventually, the line to hear him speak wound around the building as far as it could go, doubled back up one street and down another, totaling probably double the arena's capacity. I got the feeling that Obama was drawing so many because his message is refreshing, but I wasn't sure if it would carry him to the Presidency. I'm still not so sure, but I was mighty impressed!

Here's how the morning went.

Talking with people in the crowd, I got the impression that many were ardent supporters from the beginning, but there were plenty of people who were there to cut through the media filter and political sniping and "get a feel for the guy" firsthand.

It was chilly this morning in Denver, and many lined up as early as 5am to see Senator Obama speak. "Denvercrats 08" and "Barockies" were the hat and t-shirt slogans I saw, and some college girls were selling Red Bull energy drinks from logo backpacks. The crowd was a mix that couldn't be characterized except as "everyone." My section of the line, once around the building but no more, eventually made it into the foyer but we were stuck there listening to the preliminary speakers and watching a couple of television monitors, and we were the last ones let in.

"Purgatory," someone said, and another agreed. We were past the metal detectors, but no room for us there. A horde of everything from University of Denver security to federal agents, even TSA personnel were ushering us back out eventually, blaming the fire marshal. An Obama worker told us to "go out, or go home," and many people took the second option. Outside, though, the lacrosse field was set up with speakers, and it was a nice sunny winter day, pretty good in Colorado. Those of us who remained by the entrance, hoping for a reprieve as we looked through the glass at dozens of empty seats in the overflow area, were shooed away as well, this time citing Secret Service.

"So this is what it feels like to be on the outside," I thought. So much for the party of inclusion, it's all bureaucrats and poor planning. Shortly after that, a guy in the announcer's booth at the top of the bleachers was testing microphones, and announced "the next President of the United States - Barack Obama!" Just as I was thinking it was just another mic test with a bit of humor, I noticed that Senator Obama was standing right there, at the bottom of the bleachers, and I'd been looking at a decoy.

Graciously, Obama apologized to a couple of thousand of us outside for the lack of space, and said "we'll have to get a bigger boat!" He was clearly pleased at the turnout, and welcoming all. He spoke for a few more minutes, then returned inside where, after Caroline Kennedy's speech introducing him, he welcomed all in the main arena, in overflow seating, and where I was, out on the field.

Those of us who fell off the Democrat bandwagon in the Carter years have searched for a political party which blended responsibility with compassion. Artificially aligning with one party or another but not being fooled by what they offered, they probably felt a glimmer of hope on hearing Obama's speech. It was well tuned to exploit the Kennedy theme, from Caroline's introduction to her uncle Senator Ted Kennedy's endorsement. Invoking Jack Kennedy didn't get Dan Quayle far, though, and it remains to be seen if Obama will pull it off either.

The music was well chosen and not the usual blatant campaign enthusiasm. James Brown sang "I feel good!" but then Garth Brooks sang "Standing Outside the Fire" (about living life as a true participant), each song with a clear but non-manipulative message. This was music for enthusiasts, not True Believers. Barack spoke of activism, such as his arrival after college in Chicago to help those rendered unemployed by closing steel mills, and recognized that those who supported him faced many of the same challenges and rejections, and offered thanks to them.

Opening with humor, Obama joked that the audience already looked like the convention hall seven months away, albeit without the "funny hats." He graciously acknowledged the hard work of his colleague and fellow candidate John Edwards whose campaign is said to be ending today, and at points in his speech acknowledged that in the race for the nomination, the candidates are challenged to clarify their messages to the people, and to communicate better with those they seek to serve.

Saying that he was inspired by the contributions of young folks to his campaign, Obama presented ideas which he said were intended to define a collective future, not a divisive argument to fill the next four years. Detailing where he thought the Bush administration had gone wrong, he said that the goal is not to go back to the status quo before George W. Bush took office, building a "Bridge to the 20^th Century," but to create "change from the bottom up."

In a statement reminiscent of Ronald Reagan's "morning in America," Barack Obama expressed the desire to "go before the world ... and say 'America's Back'." Not just economically, but with a solid foundation, which he expressed as a goal for individuals as well, rocked by their Adjustable Rate Mortgages and foreclosures.

Obama spoke of social justice, but tried to articulate balanced programs, where teachers were rewarded for their hard work but also returned to teaching in a way that enhanced intelligence and creativity, adding music, art and literature back to the curriculum. Parents, he said, must turn off their televisions, tax incentives for education will require Americorps effort, and a growing economy will also have to invest in a future with 80% less greenhouse gas emissions, as well as true renewable energy use.

On the question of war, Obama cited his opposition to the war in Iraq from the beginning. He criticized political expedience and said that rather than one party being "strong and wrong" and the other "weak and right," he challenged his party under his leadership to be "strong and right," and said that he would not hesitate to take action when needed, towards those who threaten us. In one of many obvious unnamed references, he said that it was not enough to be "ready, on day one," but that he will be "right, from day one."

Obama declared that politics in his view is "a toxic sport," and the time has come for change, both to reduce the endless infighting and opposition and set common goals toward the future, and to cease "peddling false hopes" from a hamstrung political system and have the strength to make a difference, individually and nationally. This, he said, is the "magic of the Democratic Party," that "we will write our own future." At this point he invoked not only Kennedy, but also Jackson and Jefferson as agents of change in their times.

Finally, he addressed not only why people should vote for him, but why they should care, in a time of increasing apathy. The crowd resumed the signature chant of "yes we can!" and "Signed, Sealed Delivered" played as the closing tune.

However attractive a future of change and improved conditions may be, Obama clearly recognized just as Republican Ron Paul has, that being an agent of change is a dirty job, and Obama clearly rejected Washington politics, from the cynicism and dealmaking with lobbyists and PACs to the "us versus them" stalemates and focus on past wrongs and mudslinging. Making that change will leave everyone from politicians to businesspeople to journalists having to reinvent themselves, and there is one of Barack Obama's big challenges - getting people solidly out of their "comfort zone," however negative it might be.

Will Obama's apparent common sense make sense to the voters? Or are we too stuck on conflict, on social and business giveaways by either party, and politicians hooked on Washington like a drug? I've met and talked in the past with local Democratic Congressman and speaker at the Obama rally Ed Perlmutter, a champion of Colorado's booming renewable energy industry. I have the hopeful feeling that common sense is catching on, and politics in Washington as foreign to the American people a fading idea.

If Barack Obama is our next President, can he lead us to the change he promises, or are we better off with someone who can work the system in a new direction? Obama's stated goal is to get Americans of all kinds to support him, not just build a force against another candidate. Talking with voters leaving Obama's speech there was definitely still doubt, and former President Bill Clinton will speak at the University of Denver tonight after stops in Illinois and Oklahoma today to tell his wife Hillary's side of the story. I'm definitely glad that I got to see and hear candidate Obama without a media lens between us. In less than a week, the Super Tuesday states will give a resounding response.