Boston Globe: Thousands Expected for Boston University Obama Fundraiser Tonight

[flpoljunkie]

Thousands expected for Obama fund-raiser at BU
His 1st visit since he announced

By April Simpson, Globe Staff
April 20, 2007

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/04/20/thousands_expected_for_obama_fund_raiser_at_bu/

It won’t be a typical political fund-raiser, with a few hundred people seated at round dinner tables in a hotel ballroom. Instead, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois will address thousands of local college students and area residents in a Boston University arena tonight, as he hosts the official Massachusetts kickoff of his presidential campaign.

More than 5,000 supporters are expected to attend the (sold out) fund-raiser at the Agganis arena, where Obama will make his first public appearance in the state since he announced his candidacy for president.

Organizers say the event, which has been largely planned by college students, emphasizes two main themes of Obama’s campaign: inclusiveness and grass-roots mobilizing. ‘‘He’s going to come out and speak, and we’re going to go crazy,’’ said Joshua Darr, Massachusetts state director for Students for Barack Obama.

Shortly after establishing a chapter of the group at BU two months ago, Jon Marker, a senior majoring in political science, said he was contacted by the local campaign about organizing a youth-centered event in Boston. Students from a core group of 11 area schools — including Northeastern University, Brandeis College, and Tufts University — began selling tickets on their campuses, alerting their friends, and creating interest groups on social networking websites such as Facebook.

As political fund-raisers go, the price to attend tonight’s rally is cheap. Student tickets cost $23 a piece, while a group of young professionals called Generation O, which supports Obama, is selling seats for $115 or $230 each. Attendees can make a maximum contribution of $2,300, organizers say.