Obama-mania hits Austin!

[Soubrette]

Yesterday I attended the rally that Barak Obama held in Austin...it was an amazing event.

Attendance was estimated between 15,000-20,000, and Austin traffic came to a stand-still. (On the UT campus, the line for the shuttle to the event stretched 5 blocks!) These numbers are *huge* for this early in the campaign.

The crowd was energetic, but also an interesting mix of supporters and those who just wanted to hear more. I went with a group of friends, but we met a lot of people while we were waiting for the speech. Many mentioned that this was their first political rally.

I really give him credit for holding a public rally in Austin; he could have attended his fundraising events and left, because it's very unlikely that TX will have any effect on the primary season. But he stood there and gave a passionate 45 min. speech in the rain to thousands of people who wanted to know more.

I absolutely loved what he had to say about education and healthcare, and his position on the Iraq war and terrorism is solid. (http://www.barackobama.com)

Here's a pretty good write-up of the event and Obama's speech:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/022407dntexobama.10794.html

 

[NewJersey]

that's awesome you got to go! I watched part of it live over the internet from his website and I was very impressed. If he doesn't win the nomination, he'd be an excellent choice for VP.

Besides Obama, the only other Democrat to really peak my interest is Bill Richardson.

 

[Soubrette]

I almost had to miss it, but luckily my boss was cool and I got to reschedule a meeting.

There was just such a great energy and vibe with the crowd. It wasn't at all what I was expecting, based on the "rock-star" hype the media has given him. People were just really optimistic and motivated for change.

 

[Robinrs]

Go O!!!