Politics

Change Is Obama's Theme In New Hampshire

CHICAGO (CBS) ― It's only been a couple of days since Sen. Barack Obama won the Iowa caucuses, but all of his attention is now focused on repeating the magic in New Hampshire.

Voters in that state go for the nation's first primary on Tuesday, and polls show a race that is almost too close to call.

Obama and his fellow Democratic opponents drew more the largest crowd in the history of the New Hampshire Democratic Party Friday, reports CBS station WBBM-TV's Rafael Romo. The 3,000 faithful Democrats flocked to the New Hampshire Dome for the chance to hear their presidential candidates and their platforms.

With Iowa's second place finisher, John Edwards, skipping the event the dramatic tension was supplied by Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Sen. Hillary Clinton focused again on her message that she is the candidate with the most experience and qualifications.

"I know that everybody wants change," Clinton said. "Some people think you make change by demanding it, and some people think you make change by hoping for it. I think you make change by working really, really hard…. Who will be the best president on day one?"

But Obama, energized by the momentum of his win in Iowa Tuesday, again told supporters that he is the candidate that would bring real change.

"The real gamble would be to have the same old game plan in Washington, with the same old players, and expect somehow a different result," Obama said. "That's a gamble we can't afford."

Obama won the longest and loudest ovation of the evening when he first appeared on stage. He had the coveted final speaking position and the crowd that had at one point loudly booed Clinton as she attacked Obama responded with cheers and applause throughout his speech.

Friday night's event was a warm-up for Saturday night's final pre-primary debate in the Granite State.

Clinton's campaign has distributed talking points to its foot soldiers urging them to contrast her decades of national political experience with Obama's mere three years in the U.S. Senate.

Meanwhile, both the Democrats and Republicans are concentrating efforts in attracting registered independents, who can cast ballots in either party's primary.

"I'm kind of voting towards Obama, but I like Huckabee too," said New Hampshire voter Anthony Barksdale.

And back in Chicago, the city's number one Democrat says he is impressed by Obama's decisive victory in Iowa. But Mayor Richard M. Daley had a piece of advice for the candidate.

"You have to feel like you're always the underdog," Mayor Daley said. "You can't feel like you won it already. That's how I approach it and I think he approaches it in the same way."

Many Chicagoans supporting Obama and who helped him in Iowa have headed to New Hampshire to focus on the primary.

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