Obama and Patrick Galvanize Supporters on Boston Common

BOSTON__The Barack Obama rally on Boston Common Tuesday seemed more like a rock concert than a political rally as supporters arrived nearly two hours early to vie with each other for a spot near the stage.

The event highlighted Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's endorsement for Obama's presidency that he gave last week and sought to galvanize a massive grassroots organization to help campaign for the Illinois senator throughout New England.

In his speech, Patrick discredited many of the criticisms Obama has heard during his campaign such as his lack of experience both in Washington and as a foreign diplomat.

“You know this man is book smart and street smart.” Patrick said. “He has learned to live with and learned from people all over the world, he has studied with the elite and worked for the vulnerable.”

Patrick’s endorsement choice was under a watchful eye because of the ability he showed last fall to mobilize a powerful grassroots movement to secure his seat on Beacon Hill. This ability will be a valuable asset for Obama’s campaign in neighboring New Hampshire, which holds the first primary in the country. Patrick also has close ties to both top presidential frontrunners Clinton and Obama.

He called on the supporters, hundreds of whom were young adults and college students that came to cheer on the candidate, to rile up the troops and start campaigning immediately.

“We’re going to have to work the phones and walk the neighborhoods and take down the names and the numbers and do the follow ups and make the case for each person,” Patrick said. “We’re going to have to ask our friends to take a chance not on another kid from Chicago with a funny name but on our own aspirations and hopes for a better America.”

After congratulating the Red Sox Nation for the team’s recent victory and entry into the World Series against the Colorado Rockies, Obama encouraged his supporters to help him get elected and to help create “a new kind of politics that represents each and everyone.”

Obama called for numerous ideals that he would enact if elected, including creating universal healthcare reform, lessening the country’s dependence on foreign oil and ending the war in Iraq.

“This election is about character, this election is about values, this election is about judgment and experience that comes not just from sitting in a committee room but from working along side the American people,” Obama said.

He also promised to change the way higher education is paid for in America by taking the banks and private interest out of the college finances and providing government aide for students who go to college to become teachers, social workers, nurses and other high demand professions.

“I’m angry that we are not providing an education for every man and woman in America,” he said. “We’re going to make college affordable and accessible to every young person in America.”

Young supporters from across the state came out to hear the presidential hopeful speak and vowed to get involved in the campaign effort in Boston and New Hampshire, which has the first primary in the nation and holds a great influence in the outcome of the primary elections.

Boston University freshmen Lauren Dobbs and Lauren Snyder—with “Barack the Vote” and “Obama in ‘08” painted on their faces—jumped at the opportunity to get involved in the campaign. The pair is planning to campaign for Obama in Manchester, New Hampshire this weekend.

“We just shook hands with him (Obama), I can’t believe it,” Snyder said as Dobbs squealed with excitement to her friend on the phone. “And he said he liked our face paint.”

Hundreds of young adults roamed the Common after the rally, thriving off the energy from Obama’s speech, waving signs and reveling in excitement as if they had just met their favorite rock star.

Derek Ortner, a student from Brandies University, first saw Obama’s speech four years ago at the Democratic National Convention in Boston and said his enthusiasm grew ever since.

“I was so psyched that he decided to run that I just had to start campaigning,” said Ortner, who has been making trips to New Hampshire to knock on people’s doors and tell them about Obama. “He’s just such an intelligent man and a dynamic candidate I have to try everything I can to get him elected.”