Catherine Kennedy’s journey to knock herself off the political fence began Wednesday morning on a cold athletic field at the University of Denver.
The Denver resident stood with thousands of others hoping to see Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama speak at Magness Arena. Unable to get into the packed arena, or the overflow gymnasium, she stood outside, hoping to hear something that would solidify her choice.
Calling herself a fan of Bill Clinton, she said she is on the fence when it comes to picking between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“Fresh and new is great, but in our system, just because he’s fresh and new doesn’t mean he can fix an old, rickety system,” Kennedy said.
She was impressed that Obama spoke beforehand to the overflow crowd on the school’s lacrosse field.
“We weren’t expecting that,” she said. “It’s still hard for me. I believe in the experience that Hillary has. But Obama is a breath of fresh air. I was impressed. I like him a lot.”
Kennedy was one of several in the crowd who said they were spending the morning listening to Obama and then planning to hear former President Clinton stump for his wife at 9 p.m. on the DU campus.
After Clinton’s speech, albeit to a much smaller crowd that braved nasty weather to get there, Kennedy’s indecision was over.
“I’m for Hillary,” she said. “We’re not voting for Hillary; We’re voting for a team of Bill and Hillary.”
Among the crowd watching Obama speak was Wilma Gonzales, who left her Pueblo home at 4 a.m. Wednesday.
“It’s important to be here,” Gonzales said. She had planned to attend both rallies, but concern about an approaching storm front led her to return home before Clinton’s event.
Gonzales and others said they wanted to attend both events so they could judge for themselves.
“I want to hear what they both have to say,” Gonzales said. “They all say change, but I want to hear what change is to both of them.”
After hearing Obama, Gonzales remained undecided — saying she did not hear specifics about Obama’s plans to withdraw from Iraq and what exactly he would do to improve the economy.
“With the economy, I didn’t hear him say whether there would be jobs for these boys coming home from Iraq,” she said. “But it was a good speech, a strong speech. To see him in person, you get a better grasp on how he is trying to get his message across. He’s very charismatic.”
Dawn Copple of Golden is a registered Republican who likes John McCain on the right and Obama and Clinton on the left. She is torn and said she would attend both events.
“I want to see for myself and hear it straight from them,” she said. “If you see someone in person, you just get a better feel for what they are saying.”
Katie Hallaran is from Connecticut and must fill out her absentee ballot soon for the Super Tuesday primary next week. She was leaning toward Clinton, but Obama’s speech Wednesday put her in a quandary.
“I was blown away,” she said. “He is an incredible speaker. Everything was completely compelling. I knew I would be jilted today into thinking about my decision. It’s a really tough decision.”
She moved quickly back into the Clinton camp after hearing the former president speak of his wife’s experience and Senate record. She said Obama’s remarks seemed inspirational but vague in comparison.
“After seeing Bill Clinton, I just think the substance is with Hillary,” Hallaran said. “It’s unfortunate Obama has a monopoly on the subject of hope just because I believe Hillary’s campaign also brings hope.”
Brian Horsburgh, 19, skipped a test in his DU accounting class to hear Obama. “To have this opportunity, I’ll never get a chance to do something like this again,” he said.
Staff writers Chuck Plunkett and Tim Hoover contributed to this report.
