This is just going to be a quick hit and run... I just got back from the Omaha Obama event.
It was standing room only, which was nice to see in this town.
Ben Nelson endorsed Obama which does not bode well for Clinton and the rest of the mainstream machine.
below the fold for the big news...
Update II: Putting this up top because it is important: In the future I suggest that the Obama campaign make sure that in large venues like the civic that they use metal detectors at the door. There were none at the event today, and slightly less outside police presence then a rock concert.
Just saying that security should be a concern here and all it takes is one whacko with a pistol to destroy everything as we found out with Bobby.
There were no counter snipers in the upper works, very little in the way of thermal imaging to pick up a concealed weapon and no bomb sniffers. All in all I would give the security arrangements as below par. If anyone here has some contact with the campaign could you please, please PLEASE pass this along! I don't mean to sound like a paranoid but better to be a seen as a paranoid then a mourner.
Correction, there was a bomb sniffer but it was inside the arena and that is not a good place for it to be. Once it is inside the perimeter it is halfway to late. Just a little more security would be a good thing is all I am saying....
As far as I am aware he changed his stump speech.. He has opened it up quite a bit from before super tuesday!
Change is wide open people! He has put in language to make US the determiner of how much change we want. There were also segments that were highly evocative of Edward' speeches and they were delivered with conviction... he seems to be feeling his oats after Tuesday.
I have a hunch in my gut that what he put out at the beginning of the campaign may have been a bit milder then what he would like to shoot for in the way of changes.
Edwards people we have a man in this fight and his name is Barack... and I am not shitting you on this! He IS for real and there is something majorly different then before.
UPDATE: Alright I am back from dinner, and will update this as much as I can. Now a couple of warnings here: It is probably NOT going to be as complete and wonderful as I would want it to be, the reason is quite simple my teeth are freaking killing me and that is distracting me quite a bit.
Now on to how the stump speech has changed... the tone of the language is a bit more aggressive as is the tone in which it was delivered. And you know when you watch someone talk how body language gives you a great deal of information of their mood etc.? Well his posture and body language was also much more aggressive. The language change is subtle and I wish I had brought something to take notes with so I could give you a quote or two but I didn't bring a pad; it opens up the degree and amount of change that he will push for or try for when in office up to the people. Now that is conveyed through a combination of words chosen and the way it is delivered; from what I have seen of his earlier stump speeches he chose slightly less aggressive tone and body language as well as slightly different wording.
He seemed to me to be feeling his wheaties...
Other quirks from the day... Mayor Fahey apparently renamed Omaha to Obamaha... for how long I don't know*L*... The reaction of the crowd was also interesting, the numbers of people speaking aloud saying yes in spots of the speech...