Obama Enjoys Actor’s Nod and ‘Spirit of Upset’
By David Kocieniewski
Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts greeted Senator Barack Obama of Illinois upon his arrival at Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday morning. Mr. Obama was scheduled to hold rallies in East Rutherford, N.J., and Hartford. (Photo: Jason Reed/Reuters)Updated, 2:12 p.m. | EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Despite the brutal schedule of the pre-Super Tuesday endgame, Senator Barack Obama seemed crisp and inspired this afternoon throughout his 35-minute address at the Meadowlands here.
The crowd of 3,000 did not fill the 20,000-seat stadium, and it was smaller than the throngs of 12,000 to 20,000 that he has drawn in other states. Supporters attributed this in part to the timing, location and snowy weather.
After dispensing with the obligatory Giants reference (he was introduced by Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and said, “If I can bring a Patriots fan into the Meadowlands, we can bring the lion and lamb together; we can bridge any gap”), Mr. Obama launched into his standard stump speech, saying that only he could bring the kind of change necessary to revitalize the middle class, end partisan warfare in Washington and bring American troops home from Iraq.
Mr. Obama mentioned the name of his chief rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, only once, while setting up his now familiar rebuttal to her argument that she is more experienced with the workings of the White House and won’t need on-the-job training.
“I’ve said that it’s not just important to be ready on Day One, you have to be right on Day One,” he said, bringing a roar from the crowd.
Mr. Obama seemed most emotional when he responded to the Clinton campaign’s criticism that his appeal for hope was naïve, misleading and nothing more than lofty rhetoric.
Citing his own work as a community organizer, the struggle for civil rights and an assortment of grassroots struggles, Mr. Obama said he viewed hope as a call to arms and a call for change. “I’ve fought for it out in the streets,” he said, delighting the crowd.
1:11 p.m. | Mike Huckabee may have the support of Chuck Norris, but Barack Obama has someone new to watch his back: Robert De Niro.
You got a problem with that?
As the crowd at the Meadowlands awaited Mr. Obama’s arrival, Mr. De Niro made a surprise appearance and received a thunderous welcome. Mr. De Niro said he’d never before made a political speech, and the actor made a special appeal to the young people and first-time voters, saying that Mr. Obama gave them someone to gather behind.
“You wanted to vote, you just didn’t have anyone to vote for,” he said. ” Well you know what? I felt the same way. Until now.”
Mr. De Niro introduced Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts; his niece Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy; and Mr. Obama, who were greeted with raucous applause by the crowd, which had grown to about 3,000 by the time the candidate began his speech.
12:32 p.m. | Shortly before Barack Obama took the stage around noon today for a campaign rally, the most notable thing in the Izod Center was the sea of unfilled seats. About 600 spectators and 100 members of the news media were clumped near the center of an arena that accommodates about 20,000 for New Jersey Nets basketball games.
That sparse turnout surprised many political operatives, especially since Mr. Obama drew huge crowds during the past week: 20,000 in Minneapolis and 12,000 in reliably Republican Idaho. Obama supporters said the sparse turnout was a symptom of logistics rather than any measure of waning support for the candidate.
Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark, who was at the rally, said that the rainy and snowy weather, the mid-workday timing and the relative lack of access to the Meadowlands were to blame. Mr. Booker said that he had hoped to play host to the event at the Prudential Center in downtown Newark, which is much easier to reach via public transportation and — for the city’s thousands of office workers — by foot.
Still, appearing at the Meadowlands — home to the newly crowned Super Bowl victors, the New York Giants — did offer one advantage: the opportunity for countless If The-Underdog-Could-Do-It-Last-Night, We-Can-Do-It-Tuesday remarks.
“The important thing about the Meadowlands is the spirit,” Mr. Booker said. “I don’t know if you can smell it — there’s a spirit of upset.” |
