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Obama To Hold Huge Rally Tuesday Night At Site Of 2008 GOP Convention
Wow, this will be quite an optic.
Some folks have already reported this, based on anonymous sources, but now the Obama campaign has made it official via a press release: He and his wife, Michelle, will hold a big rally on Tuesday evening -- the night of the last voting in the Dem primary -- at the site of the 2008 Republican National Convention.
It will be at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Expect Obama to use the occasion to frame his entire argument against McCain.
It's a pretty ballsy move. To state the obvious, the event will strongly symbolize that the real significance of the completion of the Dem primary voting is that the general election has begun, with Obama as the standard-bearer challenging McCain and the GOP.
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Awesome! I love this man, love what stands for, and CANNOT wait for him to start campaigning in earnest against McCain.
May 31, 2008 11:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Amen, Carol! What a brilliant campaign!
May 31, 2008 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
If all goes to plan, Tuesday night's results will push him over the magic number.
May 31, 2008 11:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow.
This isn't brushing off--this is In. Your. Face.
May 31, 2008 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
I guess he didn't need Clinton's extra testicle after all.
May 31, 2008 11:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
that made me laugh.
May 31, 2008 2:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
"It's a pretty ballsy move."
I guess HRC did give him one of hers. This is fantastic! Brilliant!
May 31, 2008 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'll be there...
May 31, 2008 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Brilliant move. Now THAT is change, a Democratic candidate operating from a position of strength and self-assurance. This is the only way to proceed.
Beautiful intelligence and grace behind this move as well.
May 31, 2008 11:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
John H. Farr: You hit the nail on the head here. It's a beautiful thing to see someone take charge and bring it to the Republicans.
May 31, 2008 11:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Where is Clinton going to hold her big rally?
May 31, 2008 11:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
If she were really a Democrat she would go to his and open the program with a concesion/endorsement speach. That is of course a remote posibility.
June 1, 2008 12:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
At Lanny Davis' house.
June 1, 2008 7:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
First time ever that I wished that I lived in Minnesota...
May 31, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Born and raised there, it is a great state.
May 31, 2008 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
What can I say?
And people wanted to argue that he doesn't have the fire. ROFLMAO!
Step off or your eyebrows are about to get singed.
May 31, 2008 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama to GOP (borrowing from Thomas Friedman)-
Suck.On.This.
:)
May 31, 2008 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Woo hoo I'll be there!
May 31, 2008 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Barackarate! Master will enter his opponent's future temple, to tell his opponent how and why he will be beaten by the Barackarate! Master!
May 31, 2008 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
aka "I'm in your base, killing your doods"
http://elliottback.com/wp/archives/2006/11/12/top-10-i-am-in-your-base-killing-your-d00ds-pictures/
May 31, 2008 11:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly! Except McCain's doods won't be there yet.
But it is a tactic that will unnerve the opponent who is already easily unnerveable.
May 31, 2008 12:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
hee. McCain has totally been PWND.
May 31, 2008 12:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!
I guess this means Obama has wrested the mantle of Coolest Man Alive from Chow Yun Fat.
;)
May 31, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Barack-Fu.
June 1, 2008 8:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Damn... my high school graduation is the same night, at the same time, in a building right next door. Parking's gonna be a bitch.
May 31, 2008 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
you've done the work, earned the diploma, hell, skip graduation and come and make history with us, bring your whole class!!!! call cco and tell them your going to march right into the obama rally, they might make you the nightly interest story! lol
June 3, 2008 12:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
This tells me that he has it locked up. He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't, because it would be a PR disaster. When I say locked up, the clintons will whine and lie to the convention, but he will have the nominating number on Tuesday night with the supers that will have come out by then.
May 31, 2008 11:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
{{{{Happy Dance}}}}}
You're right.
May 31, 2008 11:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Democrats have FINALLY found a smart AND savvy candidate! Thank you, Barack Obama! Thank you, Ploufe and Axelrod!
AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
{basks in the glow}
May 31, 2008 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just watched Barack's 2004 DNC Keynote address to get primed for Tuesday night in Minneapolis!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UDKXKGZ3PY
Around the 4:00 minute mark he gets FIRED UP AND READY TO GO!
Proud to be a Democrat!
May 31, 2008 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
And cuing up Wolfson indignation and a purple fit from Bill in 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . .
"How dare he prepare to act like he's the nominee merely because he's clinched the nomination. I have never seen a losing candidate so disrespected in all my years in politics! We will take this thing all the way into next January. I've received thousands of emails and letters from people all over the country demanding that we launch a coup d' etat if that's what it takes for the will of the people to prevail."
May 31, 2008 12:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hillary would never have come up with this. I'm glad Obama is going to be the nominee.
May 31, 2008 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sweetness. Regardless, of the rightness or not of HRCs tactics, this primary campaign, let alone the lesson of 2000 and 2004, has toughened the Obama campaign and Democrats in general, going into the GE.
Finally, an all out political assault on the neocon culture in America is about to unfold. The times they are a changin!!
May 31, 2008 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Methinks this will be used in a highly effective contrast ad. McSame's lameass acceptance speech versus Obama's Tuesday night spaeech in the same venue.
May 31, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you know the shift key is perilously close to the enter key? I meant to finish with:
LOTS O' VOLUNTEERS!
May 31, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, don't know where my 1st post went....
Kudos to the Mpls/St Paul Obama campagin team!! They are incredible.
May 31, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guess I need a nap - CAMPAIGN - better log off now...
May 31, 2008 2:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I LOVE this guy!
In fact, I love the entire Obama for America team!
This is BOLD -- Yay!
May 31, 2008 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Balls Up!
May 31, 2008 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm glad that Obama isn't the sort of politician who engages in cheap, meaningless political stunts.
May 31, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I doubt the rent for this venue will be cheap, and this does not lack meaning.
June 1, 2008 12:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is what I'd call a highly symbolic, meaningful political stunt. Communicates strength, resolve, self-confidence.
Walking the streets of Baghdad with an escort of marines and Apache helicopters, on the other hand, is an expensive meaningless political stunt.
June 1, 2008 3:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama will go to Iraq and it will be an expensive meaningfull political stunt. He will be able to go before a crowd of soldiers in the combatzon and have them chant "Obama, Obama, Obama...". McCain is going to wish he had never chalenged Obama ot go to Iraq. Iraq is Brear Obama's briar patch.
June 1, 2008 12:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I heard Al Gore, Howard Dean and Dona Brazile will be there, too. :)
June 1, 2008 3:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Michelle is good enough additional support for me. However, if that's true that would be pretty sweet. Guess we'll see....
June 2, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Taking it right to 'em. It would be awesome if Clinton could give her concession speech right there and then announce and throw her support behind our nominee. Not going to happen. But it would be awesome.
June 1, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
You never know. When Bill was the nominee he quietly arranged for Al Gore to show up for a pre-convention VP announcement. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that Hillary will be there. It would end the "Democrats are splintered" FALSE FRAME that the Corporate Media has been pushing and that, sadly, Democrats have been quite willing to play into.
June 2, 2008 12:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ohhh..... I wish I could be there!!! I have to work, we own a restaurant in Mpls. If anyone on this post goes, please write about it afterward. I would give anything to see Barack on the big jumbotrons at Excel Center ( quite an excellent venue, I saw Springsteen there last month, and the Rock the Vote Tour w/ surprise guest Neil Young). Jeez to think Obama will probably kick off his nomination there is incredible. Cant wait for the RNC convention, they'll keep all their money downtown. I guess you cant rent a room within 20 miles of the Twin Cities during the convention days. The only up side is the 35W bridge will be appear to be done, it will not carry traffic yet. Smoke and mirrors, false images just want Pawlenty and ol' Norm Coleman are famous for.
June 1, 2008 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I guess I know what I am doing Tuesday night. After the winter/spring we had, Minnesotans deserve this. I am sure it will be a huge turn out. There were something like 15-20K at the Target Center in January.
June 1, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is doing this Illinois-style: hit 'em early and often, go for a knock-out even before the other side knows what hit 'em
June 1, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
dare we say it ???
Obama is going to mark some territory huh ???
we got a young alpha male here, folks
I'll leave the rest to your imagination ...
June 1, 2008 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I will be there also! I can't wait...
June 1, 2008 10:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Watch Obama get more people at one rally than the entire GOP Convention!
That would be a great spin point for convention week.
Or fill the center with Obama was Here signs.
June 1, 2008 11:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
As an earlier poster mentioned "Barack-Fu", I think it more like Tai-Chi combined with Aikido.
Michael A mentioned he believed this already locked-up...otherwise this would be a PR disaster. I agree.
1 - Absolutely brilliant kick-off point to officially pivot towards the General Election.
2 - The Supers cannot sit on their hands past this point or risk becoming pariahs, which in turn puts Hillary's "Endgame" strategy to dust.
3 - It almost guarantees the RNC will look like a macrame club after the energy that Obama and the Dems will get from this rally, a new beginning - - A changing of the guard from Clinton to Obama.
Everytime someone underestimates this man, they end up on their back confused at what just happened - - Obamaikido, Barack-Fu, Barackarate - - you've just been outmaneuvered.
I'm aware that overconfidence and cockiness on this matter has a remote possibility of backfiring (anything can happen)...but this is too positive a moment to pass up.
June 2, 2008 1:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Cubs with the best record and now this. It's shaping up to be a good year.
To coin a phrase: "Bring it on!"
June 2, 2008 2:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm going too! I can't wait. I am pumped up and ready to go!
Obama 2008 and beyond!
June 2, 2008 10:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is a great time in American history! I love this man. I will see you all St. Paulites like myself at the Excel tomarrow night! Lets remind the RNC who owns this town!! HEAR US ROAR... O B A M A
June 3, 2008 12:31 AM | Reply | Permalink