The crowd of more than 20,000 erupted in applause and cheers as he took the stage at Austin’s Auditorium Shores. People waved homemade signs proclaiming their love for the man dressed in a black coat, white button-down dress shirt and no tie.
Was it a rock star? No. A movie star? No.
The man in black was Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama. He made his Texas campaign premiere at a political rally on Feb. 23.
The rally in Austin drew the biggest crowd a presidential campaign has ever drawn at that stage of the presidential campaigning process, according to the Obama campaign.
The turnout is an example of the political phenomenon that has been sweeping across the nation so early in the presidential race.
It’s been dubbed by the media as “Obama-mania.”
It describes the massive media response and grassroots support the Barack Obama campaign has received since the Illinois senator announced his candidacy in February.
Since the announcement, more than 3,300 volunteer groups have been founded, more than 4,400 personal fundraising pages have been established and more than 6,700 people have created their own blogs to chronicle their support for Obama.
Sarah Crisman, an organizer for the Obama Campaign Dallas chapter, says she has met people of every walk of life committing to the campaign, each of them equally fascinated by Obama.
“We all wonder, ‘why we are possessed to add this to our busy lives’?” Crisman said. “It’s because we want him to be president. I’ll do whatever I can do to make that happen.”
Some wonder if the excitement will translate into a potential bid at the presidency.
“The biggest challenge for a candidate is name recognition, but that is a hurdle Obama has clearly surmounted,” said Dr. Matthew Wilson, associate professor of political science at SMU.
Phone calls and e-mails to Obama’s campaign were not returned.
It’s not his platform that is drawing all the attention. The issues Obama tackles are the usual: fighting corruption in government, energy conservation, foreign policy and the war in Iraq.
People say they are attracted to Obama’s fresh face on the political scene. His lack of any substantial political track record allows his supporters to interpret his message in a way that best accommodates their own political views.
“People are reading into him whatever they want to read,” Wilson said.
Obama does not have the same political history as other presidential candidates, which allows him to take more flexible positions on issues, say campaign experts.
But not taking a stand on several primary issues could eventually hinder his campaign, they say. With primaries potentially moved to February 2008, Obama will soon need to demonstrate how he is different from other candidates.
His multi-racial background is a start.
Obama’s father was born and raised in Kenya and his mother, who is white, grew up in a small town in Kansas. His father eventually moved back to Kenya, and he grew up with his mother in Hawaii and for a few years in Indonesia.
But Obama’s atypical family background is countered with his more typical educational background. He earned a degree from Columbia University and a law degree from Harvard, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Both elements of his background combine to engage a wide range of support.
The question is how deep is that support, say experts, who wonder if the excitement is merely an infatuation with the politician who spouted hopeful rhetoric at the 2004 Democratic National Convention or a testament to the nation’s overwhelming desire and commitment to change.
“The question is if he can sustain the hype until the primaries,” Jillson said. “It’s a question of whether he can keep this level of enthusiasm for the next year.”
The Obama campaign is working to keep supporters involved by making Obama an accessible candidate who can respond to their concerns. His campaign Web site boasts, “This campaign is about you” to visitors and invites each of them to create his or her own blog and profile to better network with other Obama supporters. Other sections of the site allow visitors to “Meet Barack” and his family.
Obama and his wife Michelle, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and a law degree from Harvard, have two young daughters Malia, 8, and Sasha, 5.
Obama, like other presidential candidates, has a profile on Facebook. His Facebook group has more than 300,000 members. Most members are college students, a demographic Obama has had success connecting with.
“He is the most naturally positioned [candidate] to win youth support,” Wilson said.
Younger voters say they are attracted to Obama’s charisma, rhetoric and optimistic attitude. Nic Zweifel, representative of the Obama campaign at Drury University in Missouri, believes Obama’s prominent characteristics combine to offer younger voters new and exciting politics.
“He has the ability to communicate his ideas through an appealing rhetoric that is seemingly rare in Washington,” Zweifel said.
His youth support has united through an organization called Students for Barack Obama. The organization supports the Obama campaign by getting college students engaged and involved.
It started as a small Facebook group, and has transformed into what the Washington Post calls “the most structured grass-roots student movement.”
Henry Kraemer, the college media liaison for Students for Barack Obama, believes Obama is able to galvanize youth support because he speaks to their values and is striving to ensure America’s stability for future generations.
“In him we see a man who will work for the people, not use them to further his personal agenda,” Kraemer said. “Who wouldn’t want to support a man like that?”
However, young voters’ enthusiasm and energy early in the campaign is not reflected in the polls, so the impact of Obama’s vast youth support might not be significant, say experts. It is critical for his campaign to maintain the interest of young voters.
The Iraq War just might be the issue with enough direct impact to keep the youth involved, Wilson said.
Wilson explains that unlike all other candidates, Obama has no baggage in reference to Iraq. He entered the Washington political scene without having to vote on the war.
Obama has that advantage over his competition in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, which includes Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Bill Richardson.
Obama is also pulling support for his campaign from Hollywood. His celebrity status has been on the rise since he received Oprah’s endorsement in September 2006. In February, Obama headed to California and was welcomed by a strong turnout at a rally in South Los Angeles Park and a series of fundraisers in Beverly Hills.
The most profitable of those fundraisers was hosted by entertainment moguls Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, where a reported $1.3 million was raised.
After the fundraiser, a highly publicized feud between Democratic presidential nomination front-runners Clinton and Obama erupted. Clinton’s spokesman called on Obama to renounce critical comments about Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, made by DreamWorks executive David Geffen.
Obama responded by saying he did not feel it was his obligation to apologize for someone else’s remarks. His spokesman Robert Gibbs issued a written statement referring to the Clintons’ past with Geffen and how the Obama campaign would not get in the middle of their feud.
The Obama campaign also referenced Clinton’s acceptance of support from South Carolina Sen. Robert Ford, who said Obama would not win the presidency if nominated because he is black.
The Obama campaign’s response was accused of being hypocritical. Critics claimed it strayed from his previous campaign rhetoric of a new, high-minded brand of politics.
Dr. Calvin Jillson, a political science professor at SMU, said the ideal reaction for Obama would have been to shake his finger at Clinton, but to more importantly rise above traditional political jabbing and remain more concerned with his message to America.
Obama and Clinton crossed campaign paths for the first time on March 4 when both candidates spoke in Selma, Ala., to commemorate the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Obama spoke about the civil rights activists that helped give him the chance to pursue his ambitions.
Obama’s speech at Selma was important to his effort to gain the support of black voters.
There has been some question as to whether Obama is a fair representative of the American black community. Debra Dickerson, the author of the “The End of Blackness,” disagrees with Obama’s description of himself and says that in the American political context, Obama is not black. He is an American of African immigrant heritage.
But the exaggerated concern over whether Obama is black by recent defintions will not be his biggest hurdle in consolidating support, according to Wilson. His biggest hurdle will be combating the affection the black community has for the Clintons.
Obama must also face the criticism that claims he lacks enough Washington experience to be president. Although he may have the energy to engage the nation, critics question whether he has the know-how to lead it successfully.
Obama’s reply has consistently been that he has spent enough time in Washington to recognize the areas that need change, and it was the legislators with the most experience who led the nation to its current state of instability.
As the race for president continues, both infatuation and skepticism will continue to surround the Obama campaign.
According to Jillson, there are lots of opportunities for a presidential candidate to stumble, but so far, Obama hasn’t stumbled in any of the usual places.
“He’s doing well,” Jillson said. “But he’s got a long way to go.”
