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Big Crowd For Obama In District
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"I know he's ready to be president on Day One," Kennedy said, borrowing a description the New York senator often applies to herself.
The endorsement by Kennedy, the Democratic Party's leading liberal, gave a boost to Obama eight days before the Super Tuesday primaries, when 22 states and a U.S. territory will vote. The Clintons had tried hard to persuade Kennedy to remain neutral; the Massachusetts senator called Hillary Clinton on Sunday to tell her of his decision.
At the rally, Kathleen Kilpatrick, 65, a retired bus driver, wrapped her coat a little tighter and said, "I can't remember this much excitement or energy." She has lived in the District for nearly 40 years.
"The main thing is, this is history for us as a people," said Kilpatrick, who, like Obama, is black. "And today, the Kennedys played such a big part in political history."
Doug Kendall, 43, said he pulled his 8-year-old daughter, Miracle, out of Stoddert Elementary School to attend the event. "I wanted to have Miracle be inspired by Obama," he said. "I always wished I had seen President Kennedy. I wanted to give her a chance."
"To have the experience you didn't have," Miracle chimed in.
Howard University students Ashleigh Hairston and Monique Holmes and recent graduate Askale Shiteraw wore matching T-shirts bearing Obama's face and the words "Obama for Your Mama." They posed for photos with strangers impressed by their attire.
"We bought them . . . yesterday," said Hairston, 21, of Seattle. "I said these will be perfect for the rally."
At 11:30 a.m., officials announced that the arena was filled to capacity, prompting moans from the hundreds still standing in the cold. University security guards instructed people to go across the street to a makeshift overflow room at the Mary Graydon Center. About a third of the crowd refused to move, however, hoping officials would reconsider.
Inside Graydon, two small televisions were set up on carts as about 500 people squeezed into the room.
A few families and dozens of students grabbed chicken nuggets and fries from a stand in the corner. A handful of students sat at a table watching a CNN feed of the rally on a computer. Some did homework, reading textbooks or writing in their notebooks.
The overflow room got so crowded that officials directed more people down the quadrangle to the library, where people crowded around five televisions, including one screen that offered no sound.
