A year ago tonight was a roller coaster of a night. Having paid too much attention to the talking heads, I was anticipating an Obama victory in New Hampshire, which would virtually assure his nomination. As the history would record, however, the result was much different.
Although Obama won about the same percentage of the New Hampshire vote as he was polling, Senator Clinton picked up virtually all of the undecided votes that day. Despite both candidates winning the same number of delegates, the fact Clinton won the horserace gave her campaign a much needed boost.
Before Senator Obama came out, I sat disgruntledly in my Virginia Beach apartment, wondering if Obama would even make it to my state, and wondering if he could survive the fight that would be on if he did make it to February 12. I watched glumly as Senator Clinton "found her voice", and became more worried, wondering how I would talk myself in to voting for Senator Clinton in November.
Obama's speech began innocently enough. The usual thanks to his supporters, promises for change, standard political speech stuff. It wasn't very remarkable. Until he uttered three little words.
Yes We Can
With those words, the game was changed. His defeat was nothing more than a setback, a call to action. That night I donated money to his campaign. I wasn't alone, as January 8, 2008 was a very good day for Obamas fundraising.
Although nowhere near as enjoyable as the South Carolina or the Chesapeake Primary, it was a memorable night. It showed that even though Clinton wouldn't go away easy, neither would Obama. It was the start of a long haul, and the Obama supporters showed they weren't going away.
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