Obama attracts young and old

By DANIEL PERSON Chronicle Staff Writer

Like many in America, Donna Greenberg of Livingston first took notice of Barack Obama when he was running to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate. It was 2004, and Obama delivered the keynote address at the National Democratic Convention in Boston.

That speech led many to call Obama a rising star in the party. It also kicked off a momentous four years for the Illinois senator n taking him from political unknown to front-runner in the Democratic Party’s presidential primary.

On Monday - two weeks before Montana holds its primary election, in which Obama is running against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination - Obama’s surge into the national spotlight brought him to Montana, with stops in Crow Agency, Billings, and lastly, Bozeman.

But for many in his audience Monday, like Greenberg, it wasn’t just a hometown visit that drummed up excitement for the candidate.

“When I first heard him speak at the convention, I knew it. That was it,” Greenberg said as she waited for the doors to open at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on the Montana State University campus, where Obama spoke to a fairly full house.

Seven thousand people lined up and filed into the fieldhouse to listen to Obama talk about his vision for the United States.

In the arena, signs distributed by the campaigns offered such messages as “Big Sky Country for Obama” and “Barack and Roll.” To Obama’s left, supporters hoisted 10-foot-tall letters spelling “Obama ‘08.” Actor and part-time Livingston resident Michael Keaton warmed up the crowd with his glowing praise of the Illinois senator.

Lines started forming outside the fieldhouse at 9 a.m. By 5:30 p.m., when the doors opened, the lines stretched well south of the fieldhouse toward the football stadium across the street.

Heide Jones was set up in a folding chair, snacking on a sandwich, as she waited to enter the arena. She came to the rally, she said, to get a better idea of what Obama stood for.

“You can’t know too much about a candidate,” she said. Seeing a candidate in person, “you get a different feeling for him than if you see him on the TV or read about him in the newspaper.”

That said, she was already a supporter of Obama.

“I like it that he’s not petty. The only other candidate at this point is petty,” she said.

But not all those in line were ardent supporters of Obama.

State Rep. Franke Wilmer, D-Bozeman, has endorsed Clinton, but came out all the same to see Obama. While Wilmer said Clinton is stronger on issues like health care than Obama, and hopes that if he is the nominee he will strengthen his stance on the issue, she said she will stand by the Democrat who wins the nomination.

Paraphrasing Bill Clinton, Wilmer said that all of her life she has wanted to see a woman president and a black president. “God must have a good sense of humor,” she said.

Frank Marchak said he has not decided which party he will vote for in November’s election, but he wanted to hear what Obama had to say.

The general election -- not the June 3 primary -- will be the 17-year-old Marchak’s first opportunity to vote. He said young people are drawn to Obama.

“As well as he speaks, you can still understand him; relate to him,” he said.

Collin Brown, a government teacher at Bozeman High School, stood near the front of the line with about five of his students, all of them looking forward to their first opportunity to vote. While Brown wouldn’t back any candidate, he said the tenor of this year’s presidential election has had a noticeable effect on his students n a demographic with a history of dismally low voter turnout.

“I teach two government classes, and every single one of my students is registered to vote,” Brown said. “Sixty new people are excited to vote.”

Also in the crowd were those who won’t be able to vote until the 2012 election, or later.

Alec Conti, 14, said he wanted to “learn something about politics” and “see a guy hopefully who will be our president.”

Hanne Andersen, 9, with goldfish snacks in hand, said she couldn’t see Obama when he came to Butte, so she wanted to be sure to see him in Bozeman.

There also were those who could not vote for other reasons. Aksan Mian, a Bangladeshi who has lived in Bozeman two years, won’t be eligible to vote for about another two years. Still, he and his family wanted to see Obama.

“He could be the next president,” he said. “It’s an honor to see a president.”

After Obama’s 35-minute speech, there seemed to be few converts, and many energized supporters.

Jim Devitt, who had seen Obama speak in Butte, said the candidate was “fantastic again.” He was especially excited to hear Obama push back against attacks of his patriotism and foreign policy prowess.

Rick Willis, who had not seen Obama speak before, said seeing him in person impressed upon him that Obama was “a genuine guy who was going to make a difference.”

And Bridget Pitman said she appreciated the speech’s substance.

“He discussed the issues. He didn’t give us a bunch of slogans,” she said. “He just energized me.”

Daniel Person can be reached at dperson@dailychronicle.com or 582-2665.

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