Published: March 20, 2008 11:58 pm         

2,500 festive supporters welcome candidate

A festive crowd of more than 2,500 greeted Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Thursday with the same fervor and outpouring of love the junior senator from Illinois has enjoyed while campaigning across the United States.

“Obamamania” struck the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center hard and heavy as supporters began arriving nearly 12 hours prior to his 6 p.m. town hall meeting.

A mixture of pop music and soft rap played on speakers prior to Obama’s arrival on stage and even “the wave” was attempted when James Brown’s “Living in America” blared through the convention center’s speakers.

Chants of “Oh-bama, Oh-bama” surfaced when stage lights were turned on and many began dancing in the aisles.

Angela Booker, CEO of Beckley’s Pinecrest Hospital, sat on the main floor during Obama’s speech and subsequent question and answer session.

“I am a supporter of Barack Obama and I think that he’s probably the best candidate to bring about change in the United States,” Booker said.

Booker also said she doesn’t feel Obama should be linked to last week’s racially insensitive remarks by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who heads the Chicago church Obama formerly attended. The controversy has dominated headlines of late.

“He was the preacher and not the candidate,” she said. “Preachers make statements all the time that some people don’t agree with.”

Robert Blair, a New River Community and Technical College student, had not decided on who to vote for in the state’s presidential primary in May prior to seeing Obama Thursday.

“You hear so many things and see so many things on TV that I really didn’t know what to think, so I wanted to see for myself,” Blair, of Beckley, said. “But I am leaving here today with a renewed sense that in November Barack Obama will be elected president and go on to be one of the greatest presidents ever.”

The boisterous crowd also gave Obama standing ovations when the Harvard law graduate talked about “the fierce urgency of now” and why Americans “cannot wait for change.”

Steve Rutledge, who heads the grassroots group “Greenbrier County West Virginians for Obama,” brought supporters from Greenbrier, Monroe, Summers and Pocahontas counties.

“I was very impressed with the way that he was able to deal directly with questions that were on people’s minds,” Rutledge said. “And what I’m really thrilled about is Obama chose southern West Virginia as a spot to launch a major campaign offensive.”

Possibly the only things missing were political signs that supporters normally wave during speeches. The Obama campaign prohibited such signs inside the convention center.

Local authorities handling security for Obama’s appearance reported few problems.

Beckley Police Chief Tim Deems said one elderly man fell ill before any of the speakers took the stage. Emergency medical service workers treated the man. Although the field in front of the convention center was reserved for them, no protesters showed.

Beckley Fire Chief Kevin Taylor said no “commotions” were reported inside the center.

“It was seamless,” Taylor said.

Even those too young to vote came out to support the 46-year-old Obama.

Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth King of Elkins drove two-and-a-half hours with a friend and helped as an Obama volunteer. She guided handicapped supporters into the convention center. King turns 18 only five days after the November general election.

“Obama embodies what our country needs today,” she said.

Large cheers also pulsated through the crowd when Obama talked about ending the Iraq war and the nation’s economy, which he said was in “shams.”

However, Larry Gibson of Boone County was a bit ambivalent about Obama’s response when he got the chance to question the candidate. The Kayford Mountain native asked the presidential hopeful about the federal Clean Water Act.

“No, I was not unsatisfied with his answer,” Gibson said afterward.

Obama campaign officials said their next stop will be Oregon.

— E-mail: cgiggenbach@register-herald.com