From Inside Reunion - The Obama Rally Liveblog

1:45 PM - George: Well, it's a little over ten minutes after the close of the event, and of course, there are still folks around the convention center — much to the consternation of the event staff, I'm sure. I was working the floor, so Josh probably got a better vibe of the press impression than I, but it seemed to me many in the press was pretty much in shock at Barack getting applause for blowing his nose. It does seem like something out of a joke — like something that one would say intending hyperbole, and not something that one would actually see happen. The candidate could basically do no wrong with this crowd. Word is that he'll be making another appearance next week in Fort Worth, which we'll also be covering. And of course, I'll also be liveblogging the Clinton event today at 3:30 at the University of North Texas. Thanks for following along with us, everybody.

1:33 PM - Obama said "Let me just make one final point," and a lady in the crowd behind me yelled, "You go right ahead!" He begins winding it up with a response to the criticisms of his campaign message — hope, essentially — and continues on through to the end with the modified stump that we've seen in the last month or so. The new version is essentially an attempt to dismantle and disregard criticisms of the Hope Platform as blind optimism. The question is whether that repudiation will stick in the two weeks running up to Ohio and Texas.

1:30 PM - George: We got the obligatory shot over the Clinton bow, pointing to the framing difference between the two: Clinton says the difference in the race is one of speeches versus solutions, while Obama says it's one of old versus new politics. As a communications guy, I'm not sure I would've even had him mention Clinton's version, but the crowd obviously didn't care.

1:24 PM - I can't remember the last time a crowd erupted into cheers in response to a pledge to do something about human rights and Darfur, but it just happened. Obama continues to key the language describing his campaign not as a campaign, but rather as a movement.

1:17 PM - George: And notably, we're almost half an hour in and the intensity hasn't dropped. The crowd was nearly as enthusiastic about NCLB and teachers no longer teaching to a test as they were about getting rid of Bush. They even gave Obama some applause when he paused to blow his nose. (He has a cold, he tells us. Not that it seems to affect his speaking skills any.)

1:12 PM - The stump speech is as effective on the friendly audience as it is every time we've seen it, and the specialized aspects of it added for Dallas come off pretty well. The crowd has been worked up to what I can only describe as an unrelenting rumble. Not really a roar, exactly, but more like an ongoing call and response, with breaks in the speech answered by chants, usually "Yes we can." It is less like a regular political rally than it is like church, or even a rock concert.

1:00 PM - I think the biggest applause line thus far was when Obama said that George W. Bush won't be on the ballot in November, and neither will his cousin Dick Cheney. He laments that in genealogical breakdowns, you hope to be related to somebody cool, like Emmitt Smith, and that Dick Cheney was a letdown.

12:52 PM - Senator Barack Obama takes the stage, and as I was trying to get pictures / video for later and saw the crowd react to the Senator's entrance, the one word that came to mind was: visceral. This is a campaign more or less living in the passing lane and Reunion Arena is full of people clamoring to get on the bus. I got an email from a friend of mine late last night who asked me if I was going to "The Reunion Visitation" and it struck me as funny last night, but this is serious business. When I wasn't paying attention, the place filled up to the rafters, and now the speech (after the usual thank yous) begins.

12:49 PM - George: Quick update, as I think Josh's been swept up in the Obamarama there: he's on.

12:47 PM - George: Went ahead and checked out the line outside, since I got the general idea that there was a little time left before we see the Senator. The line is *still* wrapping its way around every floor of the parking garage all the way to the top, and they're looking for where else to extend it.

12:42 PM - And you thought they went crazy for Ron Kirk. You can only imagine how the place sounded when Ron Kirk introduced Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith, who is tearing it up. Sports stars / rock stars / movie stars aren't always the best public speakers, but Smith is fired up.

12:31 PM - Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk takes the stage for the intro. The place goes nuts. He tells the crowd that Obama is feeling a little under the weather and encourages everyone to show some support for the Senator from Illinois. (As you might guess, they do.) Then he begins to speak about how Texas matters in this election, for the first time in a long time. It is not that I've never seen people excited for their vote to matter before, but the fact that Texas has a say seems to genuinely excite the people that are here, and that are working for both candidates all across the state. This is a special time to be in Texas politics, no matter who you're pulling for.

12:25 PM - Okay, so maybe the crowd is ready after all. The O-ba-ma chant returns.

12:18 PM - The train of people streaming in the doors doesn't seem to stop, media or otherwise. The press pit is pushing maximum density and the wireless access is running up against more users than it can handle. The event was set to begin at noon, so 12:30 or 1:00 PM is probably a more likely time for Obama to take the stage. The crowd, at the moment, doesn't seem to mind the delay, and are happy to keep dancing, singing, and doing the wave, if you can dig that.

12:04 PM - The motorcade is here, and there are people three blocks away in lines six people deep. Photos and video are going to have to wait, as everything I would use to get those to you seems to be having technical problems. The chanting continues as Reunion Arena continues to fill up, and staffers rotate on and off the stage reminding the gathered supporters that it would be terrific if they could go early vote today.

11:53 AM - I just found out that I'm one table over from Annatopia. She has a liveblog going too.

They've started seating in the upper decks and the reports we get from outside tell us that there are still lines winding around the building. They've cut off press passes and started to thin out access. So, to reiterate: there are quite a few people here!

11:44 AM - An organizer asks the people to cheer if they are at their very first event ever. The response is very loud.

The very charismatic Dr. Frederick Haynes opens with a prayer that gets the crowd going. He punctuates the end with the stump chant — yes we can — that gives rise to more chanting in the crowd. Now the National Anthem.

11:31 AM - While I engage in the mundane activities of trying to get the internet to work right, chants of "O-BA-MA" regularly rise and fall from the jubilant crowd. It is like a party in here, and the blaring music doesn't dampen that atmosphere. I believe the concession stands are even open, and people in the crowd have hot dogs.

11:07 AM - Here's a clue to what attendance is like: I meant to take a before and after picture of the crowd in the seats, but between when I walked in and when I got set up in the press pit, the place was already jam packed. I will have some video and pictures for you in a minute.