Obama's New Hampshire Events Are Already Sell-Outs; Enormous Media Turnout Expected
Sen. Barack Obama has two events scheduled in New Hampshire this Sunday -- and both are already sold out with standing-room-only crowds. The Concord Montitor reports that the ticket sales have been so large that state Democratic party officials were forced to move the Sunday night event from the 500 person capacity ballroom of the Radisson Hotel to a 1,500 capacity adjoining armory. An extraordinary media turnout is expected at Obama's events, too: The paper reports that some 150 journalists are expected to attend, including correspondents from the New York Times, Time magazine, CNN, Fox News, and even various TV stations from abroad. The paper concludes: "Thus far in the 2008 presidential primary process, Sunday's event is unparalleled in size and national attention."
I wouldn't get too excited about this news or about the latest polls.
The polls this early in the game are meaningless. TPMcafe has a poll showing Obama easily beating Romney. No way. Keep in mind most people have never heard of Romney. They have no idea who he is, what his positions are on the issues. OTOH, they have been subjected to 24/7 fawning news coverage of Obama.
How many voters know that Guiliani is a serial adulterer? Not many. Like Obama he has had mostly fawning press coverage. Once the primaries start and Obama and Guiliani are subjected to real scrutiny their numbers will deflate.
So ignore the numbers for Obama/Guiliani/Romney/Brownback/Vilsack
Exceptions; Kerry, Hillary, McCain, Gore. The public already has a pretty good idea who they are.
December 8, 2006 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who will be the bigger media darling: McCain or Obama?
Dissent Protects Democracy.
December 8, 2006 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
How long has Obama held public office? Oh yeah, less than two years. I worry that if he tries and fails this time he'll be branded as an egomaniac. Granted, most senators are already viewed that way. I'd like to have Obama be a long term player and I'm not sure this is the best way. Oh well. We'll see what happens.
December 8, 2006 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama will have been in the US Senate for 4 years come 2008 and served 8 years in the IL Senate. Abe Lincoln served 2 years in the US House and 8 years in the IL House by 1860. Just sayin.
December 8, 2006 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama also served 7 years in the Illinois State Senate before his election to the U.S. Senate. That's 9 years total.
December 8, 2006 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Obama also served 7 years in the Illinois State Senate before his election to the U.S. Senate."
Illiois State Senate is training for the Presidency?
You guys have drunk the media cool aid.
Obama is not going to be the Dem nominee. He is flavor of the month.
He is going to have fawning press coverage for about a year and then the primaries will happen. People will look at his qualifications for the job. They will vote for someone with experience.
This will be one of the reasons, among a dozen, why Guiliani will not win the GOP nomination. Being mayor of a major city is not enough training for the presidency.
December 8, 2006 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
December 8, 2006 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll bet that that's not that last time we'll hear that factoid recited...which is probably not a good thing.
December 8, 2006 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
The combination of traits and abilities that Obama has only come around every 3-4 generations, he has the kind of eloquence and intelligence of an RFK and MLK...they too, were able to inspire the masses and achieve greatness quite early. The media understands the phenomenon they are witnessing, so do the masses.
Folks use all this 'experience' as conventional wisdom because that is what it takes for MOST individuals, unfortunately that conventional wisdom blinds many to the exceptions even when they see it happening.
Obama is not drawing throngs and capacity crowds because he is the flavor of the month. It is his beliefs, his values and ideas that inspire hope in people. America is hunger for leadership. When Americans see Clinton on TV they breathe a sigh of relief and realize what is was to live without fear, that has been a constant threat under Bush. They remember how competent Clinton was and how he kept America safe.
Obama represents change and hope for all that America truly stands for not this catastrophic quagmire Bush has wrought on our nation and global standing.
It is quite possible that Obama will build up such momentum going into the Presidential race that the other candidates are never able to catch him and will be crushed like black diamond skiers in an avalanche. Never even knowing what hit them.
Candidates sitting on the side line and waiting to declare their candidacy and listening to political consultants are going to have a huge surprise. The mood of the country is not like it has ever been before due to Bushs' debacle on both domestic and foreign issues for EIGHT years....Obama is a wave that McCain, Hillary, Bloomberg nor Romney will be able to catch.
WATCH!!!
December 8, 2006 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm excited about the news. I think Obama is going to jump out to a big lead in the primaries, and unlike Dean, I think he has what it takes to go on to win the nomination. This rock star status has grown organically and will continue to do so.
"If the response to Obama's planned visit is any indication, he will enter the Granite State a political rock star. Thus far in the 2008 presidential primary process, Sunday's event is unparalleled in size and national attention. Late Wednesday, the New Hampshire Democratic Party sold out of tickets for the event, which is standing-room only."
Obama is going to go up at the expense of Hillary. His name recognition is certainly better than that of Romney (and the news coverage of Obama is certainly not 24-7), but nowhere near where Hillary's is.
Giuliani is going to go down, and Romney will go up in the GOP polls. Your comparison of Giuliani and Obama is silly.
December 9, 2006 11:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who is this experienced Dem who is going to beat Obama with all of this experience? Hillary? Who will have had what, 8 yrs in the Senate? John Edwards had 6. Howard Dean was governor of a very small, relatively congenial state for 8 yrs.
P.S. I think someone named Lincoln received training for the presidency in the Illinois State Senate.
December 9, 2006 11:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is a good thing. Having loads of experience is way overrated. Look what good it did Kerry, Gore, Dole, Mondale, etc.
December 9, 2006 11:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here are the Marist polls from throughout this year. Hillary has stayed at the same level based on her name recognition; they weren't even polling for Obama before!
Democrats
December 2006
October 2006
February 2006
Hillary Clinton
33%
35%
33%
John Edwards
14%
10%
16%
Al Gore
13%
16%
17%
Barack Obama
12%
n.a.
n.a.
John Kerry
5%
9%
11%
Joe Biden
3%
5%
4%
Bill Richardson
1%
1%
2%
Evan Bayh
1%
1%
3%
Wesley Clark
1%
1%
3%
Tom Vilsack
1%
December 10, 2006 12:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
When you hear Republicans complaining about his lack of experience it's code for, "We can't accuse him of voting raise taxes 350 times."
December 10, 2006 11:47 AM | Reply | Permalink