“You guys have a nice deal around here,” Obama told a packed crowd in the Adams Center. “This is some pretty country out here. I think I need to learn fly-fishing - get some waders, go out there, clear my head. We may have to come back to Missoula, there's no doubt about it.”
The Democratic presidential hopeful spoke to some 8,000 people stuffed in the University of Montana's basketball arena, and another 500 watching a live broadcast on the Jumbotron in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. In some ways, his speech resembled a sporting event more than a political rally.
There was even crowd surfing - sort of.
As Obama shook hands with supporters after his speech, a parent several rows back passed a baby forward to have its photo taken with Obama. Afterward, the senator handed the infant back to the crowd. The baby was then passed back, presumably to the right parent.
Only two homemade signs hung inside the arena. A sign-making party at campaign headquarters in Missoula on Friday never materialized. Yet, people were excited.
Aaron Curtis' friends could not talk him out of painting “Rebel 4 Pres” on his face.
The 22-year-old was determined to shake the hand of the man whom Curtis is confident will be the next president of the United States. Since homemade signs weren't allowed in the rally because they might restrict the view of press cameras, Curtis had to do something else to get Obama's attention.
He heard on CNN that “Rebel” is the Secret Service's code name for Obama.
“I've never met anyone famous,” said Curtis, of Missoula.
When Obama came near the crowd, Curtis reached out his hand. It was more of a brush than a shake, but that didn't matter.
“It was like a heart-stopping moment,” he said.
It was still dark when Tami Adams arrived at the Adams Center. She got in the line, which eventually stretched west through the parking lot, around the side of the University of Montana Law School, by the University Theatre and back to Arthur Avenue.
Adams' two girlfriends joined her an hour later.
Except, Adams registered online for a ticket while the others picked up orange tickets from Obama's campaign headquarters in Missoula Thursday. Once inside, her friends were ushered to the floor section and Adams was sent to the nosebleed rows.
“I kept going up and up and up,” she said. “I didn't stand in line at 5:45 a.m. to sit up here.”
Adams later sneaked down to the floor, nodding “yes” as volunteers asked whether she had an orange ticket. “I wanted to get a good seat,” she said.
Saturday morning's crowd was naturally dominated by Obama supporters, including Nate McConnell, 36, of Missoula, who was counting on his own personal mojo working on the senator's behalf. McConnell saw Bill Clinton in 1992 when he was running for president, and of course Clinton was successful. But McConnell missed opportunities to see Democratic candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004. Both lost.
“I thought that my coming here today and seeing (Obama), maybe my magic could work,” said McConnell, a research historian.
Missoula Mayor John Engen stared at a blank Microsoft Word sheet on his computer screen for half an hour Friday.
“When you are speaking within minutes of one of the great modern orators,” Engen said, it's best to be brief.
Engen, who endorsed Obama more than a week ago, spoke at Saturday's rally shortly before the senator came on stage. He rattled off a list of one-word adjectives to describe why he supported Obama.
“He's smart, honest, decent, compassionate, fair, thoughtful, innovative, collaborative, tough, wise, humble and human,” he said. “Frankly, folks, I think he could be a Missoulian.”
Afterward, Engen had a chance to sit down with Obama for several minutes, but knowing what to say was a tad overwhelming. A somewhat-nervous Engen mentioned the troubles with finding affordable housing in Missoula and elsewhere in the West.
“The man is remarkably intelligent, but he put me right at ease,” said Engen, who only hours after his endorsement speech was posted on YouTube, with both French and English headlines, had already received a dozen e-mails from Obama supporters worldwide. One of the videos already had nearly 5,000 hits.
As Obama spoke inside the Adams Center, security guards and police turned away some people who had tickets to the event, but who didn't get there in time to claim their seats before the center filled up.
Rosemary Caye, 47, of Elmo, on the Flathead Reservation, pleaded with a woman blocking the entrance to the Adams Center.
“My sister is inside saving a seat for me,” said Caye, brandishing her ticket in the woman's face. “Please, I drove 80, 90 miles per hour to get here, and I just walked about a mile from Miller Hall, and now I can't even see Barack.”
Caye said she wanted to see Obama “because I believe he can make a change, not only for my people, indigenous people, but for people throughout the United States.”
The woman at the door firmly directed Caye to Washington-Grizzly Stadium, where Obama's speech was being shown on the Jumbotron. His words echoed through the chilly air.
Those who made their way to the stadium were rewarded, however, when Obama made a surprise stop there after his speech, shaking hands with members of the overflow crowd, including Dan Taylor of Missoula, who held a sign reading: “Trout for Obama.”
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