TERRE HAUTE — You have to wonder whether John McCain or Hillary Clinton could stir a packed gymnasium as Barack Obama did Friday night.
Policies matter. Few Hoosiers wish to see America continue to be administrated as it has been under President Bush. Indeed, no status quo advocates appeared to be among the 2,700 people listening to Obama in Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
All three senators carry the mantra of change. On Friday, though, Terre Haute got its chance to witness that long-discussed quality held alone in this presidential campaign by Obama, a captivating voice, an ability to change the spirits of people listening.
Whether that skill is enough to change the country is left to be seen. Obama assertively insisted his presidency would “not only change America, but change the world.” But it’s more sure that a commanding presence in front of thousands might be the tipping point in Obama’s favor in his duel with Clinton for the Democratic nomination, and then in the general election against McCain.
The reaction of the crowd, a diverse group, was more intense than Sen. McCain received inside an Indianapolis office building in February. It generated a more passionate response than Sen. Clinton got outside a Terre Haute restaurant a couple weeks ago.
That effect is something Clinton and McCain will have to counter.
Obama knows how to make an impression.
He admitted that many of his policies “overlap” with those of Clinton. But he deftly drew her into a circle with Republicans McCain and Bush, claiming, “They all seem to criticize me in all the same way, which is interesting. Think about that.”
The more voters think the Illinois senator is different, the better his chances. He drew distinctions all evening, most sharply with President Bush. His political jabs got the desired applause, such as, “After seven years of George Bush, we’re finding that pain trickles up.” But Clinton and McCain both have an equal talent at such one-liners.
Obama was most effective when he combined a strong oratory and a strong message. The war in Iraq and the struggling American economy gave him ample opportunities to use both, although he also outlined some of the highlights of his plans for health care, college tuition increases, boosting aid to foreign countries, curbing gun violence and dealing with the mortgage crisis.
“If we can spend $10 billion a month in Iraq, we can spend $10 billion a month right here in America, rebuilding our economy,” Obama said, bringing the audience to its feet.
He countered criticisms by McCain and Bush that his intention to bring the war to an end includes a “precipitous withdrawal” of U.S. troops. Obama insisted his plan would pull one or two troop brigades out of Iraq per month. “At that pace, it will take 16 months,” he explained.
Stressing the need for diplomacy, Obama quoted John F. Kennedy, saying, “We can never negotiate out of fear, but we can never fear to negotiate.”
The political shadow still cast by Kennedy’s much-romanticized presidency nearly a half-century ago emerged Friday night. The podium used by Obama was the same one JFK stood behind during a 1960 campaign speech in Terre Haute.
Ironically, comparisons with dramatic speakers such as Kennedy and Ronald Reagan have brought Obama some of the sharpest attacks from his campaign rivals. Reagan elicited similar criticism … an actor, all speeches, no substance. Yet when Americans had to make a choice for president, Reagan won. Kennedy won.
Obama spent the final 20 minutes taking questions from the crowd. The last questioner asked what qualities he would require from a vice presidential running mate. Obama insisted that prospect was premature, but gave some details. Among them was this statement, “I want independence. I don’t want people who are just going to say, ‘Yes, sir. No, sir.’ I want people who will argue with me, and tell me when I’m wrong.”
Again the crowd cheered.
Finally, Obama reiterated his confidence that his administration would change America and prove “the American people are not looking for a way to bring each other down, but to find a way to lift this country up.”
Clinton and McCain may insist Obama is merely all speeches and no substance. But if they want to beat him, they’ll have to change a lot of Americans’ minds in the next few months.
Mark Bennett can be reached at mark.bennett@tribstar.com or (812) 231-4377.
Mark Bennett Opinion
Related Photos
Related Links
Discussion
Mark Bennett: Obama’s charisma may be the determining factor
- Mark Bennett Opinion
-
-
MARK BENNETT: Stuck in the middle with you
Thank goodness, members of Congress do not drive in the Indianapolis 500.
-
MARK BENNETT: Roadway Role Models: Adults need to remember habits often rub off on teens
Plenty of dads connected with a car ad that first aired on TV two years ago.
-
MARK BENNETT: Farmers using no-till and cover crops doing their part to keep soil healthy
Earth Day typically features community cleanups, and discussions of air and water pollution. All deserve the attention.
-
MARK BENNETT: Lyrical legacy
Traditions begin, end, revive and evolve.
-
MARK BENNETT: GOP campaign fireworks could fizzle for Hoosiers once again
Of all the United States, Indiana deserves to experience Republican-on-Republican presidential attack-ad mania.
-
MARK BENNETT: Hard hit: Cash rewards for game-ending hits on NFL players are not a part of the game
The moaning and whining miss the point.
-
MARK BENNETT: Vigo County native helping relief agency provide physical, spiritual aid to Japan in wake of last year’s devastation
Help can be harder to receive than give.
-
MARK BENNETT: Perception of Wabash River’s water quality doesn’t always match reality
People like chocolate milk. In a glass. Fresh from the fridge.
-
MARK BENNETT: Filling a Need: Vigo County YMCA expected to open this spring
Comebacks inspire hope. They also require lots of work.
-
MARK BENNETT: Favorable images
Movie critics take a lot of criticism.
-
MARK BENNETT: Toxic victories
When the Super Bowl ends tonight in Indianapolis, most of the Giants and Patriots will shake hands, despite their competitive fire, win or lose.
-
MARK BENNETT: Indianapolis will be on display for the nation with the Super Bowl coming to town
Someone immersed in a crash diet to make a smashing impression at a class reunion may get the desired effect.
-
MARK BENNETT: Patiently waiting for Indiana's primary
While standing in a check-in line at Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome a few years ago, I watched an Italian woman walk past dozens of more patient travelers to grab a spot up front.
-
MARK BENNETT: Processing postal change
You probably know one of those 10,026.
-
MARK BENNETT: Multiple choice question: Voters must choose which direction they want the future of education to go
There was a time when few Hoosiers outside of education circles could name the state superintendent of public instruction.
-
MARK BENNETT: With an historic election behind Terre Haute, it’s time to look at the future’s possibilities
Everybody knows their “woulda, coulda, shoulda” moments.
-
MARK BENNETT: Economic forecast: Things looking up but don’t expect ‘much of a dent in unemployment’
Outside the Columbia Club, the atmosphere matched the picture of 2012 painted by a panel of economists for an audience of business people gathered inside that ritzy building on Monument Circle in Indianapolis.
-
MARK BENNETT: Students who reach for a college education too often are buried under a pile of debt
Right now, millions of college graduates are wondering whether their education was worth the effort.
That doubt hurts the country. -
MARK BENNETT: Tangier’s festival volunteers keep past alive for future
Traditions stay alive only as long as the people who hold them dear.
Small towns have that same life expectancy. -
MARK BENNETT: Made in the USA? A political T-shirt faux pas
The most rational statement about a small furor in the U.S. Senate campaign was uttered by a tea party organizer.
-
MARK BENNETT: Daniels goes where a candidate probably won’t in new book
Some things simply won’t get said on the political campaign trail.
-
MARK BENNETT: Time waits for no Manning
Sad, disappointed and uncertain. Colts fans feel all of those.
-
MARK BENNETT: Value of every minute deeply realized on 9/11 (related VIDEO)
Editor’s Note
This summer, the Tribune-Star’s Mark Bennett visited New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa., sites where the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are now memorialized. He observed the cityscapes and landscapes forever changed by the events of that day and talked with people he encountered there, many of whom witnessed the attacks and their aftermath from close range and had personal ties to its victims. -
MARK BENNETT: As school begins, carve out daily time
By now, most back-to-school checklists are tattered and creased.
-
MARK BENNETT: Movie scene shows Terre Haute accepting Debs' role in its history
You stay classy, Terre Haute.
-
MARK BENNETT: Community outpouring represents collective sympathy for fallen officer
Every Terre Haute resident has probably been asked the same question.
“Why do you live there?” -
MARK BENNETT: Declaration of cursive’s death reminiscent of ’70s metric-conversion mania
When the state of Indiana announced it would no longer require schools to teach cursive handwriting, I was LOL.
-
MARK BENNETT: On Fourth of July, remember, too, those we depend on
A spatula in one hand, a cool beverage in the other, and a stash of bottle rockets in a plastic sack in the garage.
-
MARK BENNETT: Get out and see what the Valley has to offer
Maybe you drive the same route to work every day. Shortest route. Saves time and a few dimes worth of gas.
-
MARK BENNETT: Walking the fine bipartisan line
Lugar’s occasional departures from hard-line conservatism have put his six-term Senate position in jeopardy.
- More Mark Bennett Opinion Headlines
-
MARK BENNETT: Stuck in the middle with you
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Obama Pays Tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Raw Video: Earthquake Shakes Evacuees in Italy
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Beryl Knocks Out Power in Florida
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Memorial Day Aboard Intrepid
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
iPhone 5 Rumors Get Pictures, New Details
Beyonce Shows Off 60 Pound Weight Loss at Concert
Drunk Women Breaking Into Houses: A New Trend?
LeAnn Rimes Rocks Short Shorts
Gordon Ramsay Carried Off Field
Man Dies Getting Lap Dance
Bear cools off in Calif. family's pool
Kim Kardashian Claims Items Stolen from Her Luggage
Ep. 3: Chopped Desserts
Air Force dad surprises family at baseball game
Justin Bieber Wanted for Questioning for L.A. Scuffle
J.Lo and Marc's Friendly Reunion
Jet makes emergency landing after debris falls off
Cynthia Nixon Ties the Knot
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Keira Reveals Engagement Ring
Dog runs alonside cyclists for 1,100 miles
