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Obama rides momentum from Iowa

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor January 4, 2008 10:12 AM

Obama%20inNH.jpg
(Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

Senator Barack Obama attracted a crowd in Market Square in Portsmouth as he landed in New Hampshire, fresh off his win in Iowa.


By Sasha Issenberg, Globe Staff

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Barack Obama, in his first rally in the Granite State since winning the Iowa caucuses, reveled this morning in the enthusiasm of supporters.

"This feels good," he said. "It's just like I imagined it would be talking to my kindergarten teacher."

That was a sly reference to an essay he wrote while a tyke about wanting to be president. Rival Hillary Clinton's campaign tried to use it to question Obama saying he had only recently thought about running for the White House, but the attack appeared to backfire as petty politics.

Meanwhile, Deval Patrick will help Obama in New Hampshire this weekend try to build on the momentum from Iowa, Patrick's political committee announced today.

The Massachusetts governor, who campaigned with Obama in Iowa, plans to knock on doors in Manchester and speak at house parties across southern New Hampshire. They share a personal history and their campaigns are similar as well. Patrick served in the administration of President Bill Clinton, but said he endorsed Obama because he believes in his ability to unite the country around an agenda for change.

16 comments so far...
  1. Senator Obama’s speech last night following his success in Iowa was inspiring and idealistic. Are we really ready for this type of change? I hope we are, and I hope the voters in New Hampshire are willing to ride the wave of change propelling Obama’s campaign. I think highly of Senator Clinton, but we need new blood in America’s political system, extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and people, it is New Hampshire’s turn to answer the challenge.

    Posted by Gerardo Giusti January 4, 08 11:53 AM
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  1. Yesterday's results in Iowa is mostly due to complete bankruptcy of America by Bush/Cheney regime. The participation in moral bankruptcy due to Iraq war made Biden, Dodd & even Hillary losers. Similarly, Bush/Cheney will successfully bankrupt his own party by getting most of his party members to defect. With US facing recession on BC's watch, americans will truly regret how Bush/Cheney got "elected" in the first place. If Barak wins in NH, then he will become the President as he would have won over both "cultural moderates" in Iowa & "economic moderates" in NH. I sincerely hope he succeeds and make USA a great non-threatening power again.

    Posted by Vic Viswanath January 4, 08 12:37 PM
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  1. Barack's 11 p.m. something standing O from all at the Des Moins Democratic dinner just weeks ago, observation of an appearance here a few days later--but particularly the almost unbelieveable Obama performances given to us all by Cspan over the last two weeks--all made his remarbkle, yes, history makkng, speech last night not unexpected but nonetheless overwhelming in both content and quality of presentation. The guy is real, the challenges are as big as his rhetoric, and the public response so far says, we truly ready for "change we can believe in."

    San Francisco

    Posted by Tony Redington January 4, 08 12:40 PM
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  1. Those who voted for Obama in Iowa will vote for a republican to White House 4 years from now. Why? Because they will want him to get out of the Oval Office so badly.

    Yes he gives a good speech sometimes, but being a president is not only about the speech, it's not about ideology and being a poet. Who can he unify? Republicans? those who demanded tax cuts when our country is in a war? How? By giving everyone a dose of cocaine?

    Look at his lazy face! He really needs a dose as he had been taken!

    Shame!

    Posted by Ryan January 4, 08 02:37 PM
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  1. I liked Obama the first time I read his first book, even more with his second. He is intelligent, has charisma, has wonderful ideas and is just the man to replace the rotten White House of the Bush years. I am from red state Uath, but I'm true blue for OBAMA !!!!!!! I watched an Iowas caucus on C-span and was excited to find Obama was so ahead.

    Posted by barbara bybee January 4, 08 02:40 PM
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  1. He gives a great speech when he is high and a lousy one when he is not. I tried once to listen to him for 20 minutes and then gave up. It seems that he always stops in the middle of a sentence searching for words. He has some synptoms of something.

    His speech is not at the level of Congresswoman Barbara Lee. If you want just a black president, vote for Barbara!

    Posted by Ryan January 4, 08 03:02 PM
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  1. Obama is not alone, you will be surprised and amazed there are people talking about truth and have great courage.

    www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/

    Posted by Michelle January 4, 08 05:21 PM
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  1. See some people like Ryan are so ....... Stupid. You say dumb things because you can. Obama will be the next president of the united states if you don't agree move to russia.

    Posted by DJ January 5, 08 01:39 AM
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  1. See some people like Ryan are so ....... Stupid. You say dumb things because you can. Obama will be the next president of the united states if you don't agree move to russia.

    Posted by DJ January 5, 08 01:40 AM
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  1. Lucky New England -- undefeated Patriots, reborn Celtics, repeat Red Sox, and now Obama comes to town. It's just one winner after another. You know, Obama's 12 legislative years are going to look a lot like, hmm, John Kennedy's 12 legislative years when inauguration comes around (but Obama will be three years older, at 47).

    Posted by Ronald Loui January 5, 08 05:17 AM
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  1. THANK YOU IOWA . THANK YOU NH AND THANK YOU AMERICA FOR OBAMA.

    Posted by AY January 5, 08 06:38 AM
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  1. Fortunately, the number of "Ryans" in the USA is a minority. What most of us want is someone who can lead and unite the country. The current president, unfortunately, was not the "uniter" he claimed to be and lacked a vision of what our country needed. The Democrats really screwed-up in 2004 with Kerry. If Kerry had Obama's thoughtfulness and intelligence, Bush would have lost in 2004. Fortunately, we have Obama now. I don't agree with all of his positions, but I see him as being a very capable president.

    Posted by bendaro January 5, 08 12:00 PM
    Reply | Report this post
  1. Fortunately, the number of "Ryans" in the USA is a minority. What most of us want is someone who can lead and unite the country. The current president, unfortunately, was not the "uniter" he claimed to be and lacked a vision of what our country needed. The Democrats really screwed-up in 2004 with Kerry. If Kerry had Obama's thoughtfulness and intelligence, Bush would have lost in 2004. Fortunately, we have Obama now. I don't agree with all of his positions, but I see him as being a very capable president.

    Posted by bendaro January 5, 08 12:04 PM
    Reply | Report this post
  1. Fortunately, the number of "Ryans" in the USA is a minority. What most of us want is someone who can lead and unite the country. The current president, unfortunately, was not the "uniter" he claimed to be and lacked a vision of what our country needed. The Democrats really screwed-up in 2004 with Kerry. If Kerry had Obama's thoughtfulness and intelligence, Bush would have lost in 2004. Fortunately, we have Obama now. I don't agree with all of his positions, but I see him as being a very capable president.

    Posted by bendaro January 5, 08 12:06 PM
    Reply | Report this post
  1. Fortunately, the number of "Ryans" in the USA is a minority. What most of us want is someone who can lead and unite the country. The current president, unfortunately, was not the "uniter" he claimed to be and lacked a vision of what our country needed. The Democrats really screwed-up in 2004 with Kerry. If Kerry had Obama's thoughtfulness and intelligence, Bush would have lost in 2004. Fortunately, we have Obama now. I don't agree with all of his positions, but I see him as being a very capable president.

    Posted by bendaro January 5, 08 12:14 PM
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  1. Ryan, the only thing Obama is high on is IQ. As you say, he has "syntoms" of something -- symptoms of intelligence. It's always nice when people can actually spell when they are trying to do a hatchet job.

    Posted by Ronald Loui January 7, 08 01:16 AM
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About political intelligence Field reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors covering the 2008 presidential campaign and the national maneuvering of Bay State politicians.

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