Obamamania Takes Hold of New Hampshire

An astonishing groundswell in support for the new Democratic front runner, Barack Obama, is threatening to sweep Hillary Clinton away in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary election of the 2008 presidential election Tuesday.

In a matter of only days, Obama has been transformed from a promising Democratic candidate into a phenomenon.

The normally staid state of New Hampshire appeared to be in a grip of Obamamania after his win in the Iowa caucuses last week and his inspirational televised victory speech.

Thousands queued in the snow over the weekend outside schools, town halls and theaters to hear Obama, in the most public demonstration in America yet of a desire for change after two terms of George Bush.

The crowds have played havoc with the Obama's campaign schedule, delaying the start of his meetings by an hour or more and leaving him stranded in traffic jams.

Obama's campaign manager, David Axelrod, described the crowds as inspirational, in spite of the logistical headaches they were creating. "We feel a lot of energy in New Hampshire. There is something special happening out there."

He added: "I think we will do well in New Hampshire. We are in a strong position to win the nomination." Reflecting Obama's new-found eminence, security around him has been stepped up.

But it is far too early to write off Clinton. She is in a dead heat with Obama in some polls. And, at a rally at a high school in Nashua today, the crowd matched those turning out for Obama at the same venue the day before in numbers, enthusiasm and youthfulness.

A poll for MSNBC published today put Obama on 33% in New Hampshire, Clinton on 31% and John Edwards on 17%. A Rasmussen poll the previous day gave Obama a commanding lead, putting him on 37%, Clinton on 27% and John Edwards on 19%.

Polls show Obama is leading Clinton by 2 - 1 among independents, who make up an estimated 40% of the New Hampshire electorate and who have the choice of voting in either the Democratic or Republican primaries.

If she loses New Hampshire, her team will concentrate resources on what was always going to be a tough fight, in South Carolina, where the politics are often dirty and where its primary is to be held on January 26. Obama has a slight poll lead in South Carolina.

Both Obama and Clinton emerged virtually unscathed from the final Democratic televised debate in New Hampshire last night.

An earlier Republican debate was a more tetchy affair, with the front runners showing signs of frayed tempers. Three of the candidates - John McCain, who has a strong poll lead, Mike Huckabee, who won in Iowa, and Rudy Giuliani - ganged up on Mitt Romney, particularly over a series of negative campaign ads aimed at them.

For most of last year, Clinton concentrated on portraying Obama as inexperienced but that failed to resonate with voters in Iowa. Today, she changed the message, acknowledging he was a good stump performer but questioning his ability to deliver.

"There's a big difference between talking and acting, between promising and performing. Over the next three days, I'm going to be making that case," she said.

Obama is attracting large numbers of young people, many of them seeing in him a rejection of the values of the 'baby-boom' generation of Bush and Clinton, even though Obama was born in 1961, making him technically a baby-boomer too.

An early morning rally today in Manchester in the 850-seat Palace theatre attracted people from the neighboring states of Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts, as well as New Hampshire. Some had got up at 4am to travel to Manchester. People began queuing at 6am for a rally that started at 10am. Even so, hundreds were still turned away by police who judged the jam-packed theatre to be a hazard.

Among those who made it inside, Tom Wooten, 21, a student who had driven from Boston, Massachusetts, about an hour away, said he became excited about Obama's candidacy after seeing his victory speech.

"I like Obama's rhetorical ability and the way he inspires Americans across the political divide and makes them proud to be Americans again," he said.

Aaron Remenschneider, 25, a student among those turned away, said: "He is the candidate that inspires voters rather than scares them. I see Clinton as a Washington insider. She has been there too long and is a polarizing figure."

Obama delivered a rousing speech, telling New Hampshire voters that "in two days time it is your chance to change America. You can do what the cynics said couldn't be done... We are one nation, one people, and this is our time."

He took on criticism in last night's debate of his message of hope. "Hope is not blind optimism, not ignorance of the hurdles that stand between you and your dreams," he said. "I know how hard this will be."

His final words were drowned out by the crowd, on its feet, yelling their support.