Michelle Obama wowed the 600+ crowd of students and community members today during a Stand for Change rally at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

The audience essentially filled Skibo gym this afternoon in a show of youth vote support for the Obama campaign.

Teresa Heinz Kerry, while frustrated by faulty microphones, introduced Michelle as, among other things, a “strong woman” that Barack was wise to wed.

Michelle Obama is a tall woman and seemed every bit at ease on stage as her husband.

In fact, in some ways, she is a better speaker than her husband.

She has a very casual and likable style that puts everyone at ease.

If President Bush was the President you’d like to have a beer with, Michelle Obama would be the First Lady you’d like to have a coffee with.

She simply talked about what’s gone on during the race so far, her life and her family.

There was no lecture, no sermon, no wonkish policy litany, just Michelle Obama giving the audience her take on things.

The audience at CMU ate it up, and took every opportunity to jump with applause.

After all of the pins have been counted, Sen. Obama concedes. With only a disappointing 12% of pins falling in his favor, he acknowledged that the Presidential race had gotten the better of his bowling game. He had this to say to Dan Rather, who just happened to meet him at a local gas station:

I had hoped to do better. I had hoped to stay out of the gutter, to rise above the way this game is usually played in Washington, but the pins have all been counted. I am going to go back to Chicago to work on my bowling skills. Yes I can. Yes I can.

Happy April Fool’s from PaPrimary.com!

The Road to Change continues in Wallingford with an Obama Town Hall meeting on Wednesday. Additionally, Senator Obama’s wife Michelle will hold a Stand for Change rally at CMU on Wednesday afternoon.

Wallingford “Road to Change” Town Hall Meeting
Strath Haven High School
205 South Providence Road
Wallingford, PA 19086
Doors Open: 10:00 AM
Program Begins: 12:20 PM

Pittsburgh Stand for Change Rally with Michelle Obama
Skibo Gymnasium
Carnegie Mellon University
Tech and Frew Streets
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Doors Open: 1:00 PM
Program Begins: 2:15 PM

Michelle Obama will hold a rally at Carnegie-Mellon University on Wednesday April 2nd at 2:15.  She’ll be joined by Teresa Heinz Kerry.

Pittsburgh Stand for Change Rally with Michelle Obama
Skibo Gymnasium
Carnegie Mellon University
Tech and Frew Streets
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Doors Open: 1:00 PM
Program Begins: 2:15 PM

Just thought this was an interesting tidbit: He wears size 13 1/2 shoes.  Talk about your barges!  I didn’t think he looked all that tall.

Senator Barack Obama’s “Road to Change” bus tour of Pennsylvania continues Monday March 31st and Tuesday April 1st with stops in Lancaster, Allentown, Wilkes-Barre and Scranton.

Monday

Lancaster Town Hall Meeting

Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
John Barley Multi-Purpose Activity Center
750 East King Street
Lancaster, PA 17602
Doors Open: 8:00 AM
Program Begins: 10:00 AM

Allentown Rally

Muhlenberg College
Memorial Hall in the Life Sport Building
Liberty Street at 24th Street
Allentown, PA
Doors open to public: 3:50 PM
Program: 5:50 PM

Tuesday

Wilkes-Barre Town Hall Meeting

Arnaud C. Marts Center
Wilkes University
274 S. Franklin Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Public Doors Open: 9:45 AM
Program: 11:45 AM

Scranton Town Hall Meeting

Dunmore Community Center Gymnasium
1414 Monroe
Scranton, PA 18509
Doors Open: 1:30PM

Obama began his bus tour on Friday with stops at Soldier’s and Sailor’s Hall in Pittsburgh and the Hempfield Area High School gymnasium in Hempfield Township.

I attended both events as a member of the press.

Both events were packed to the gills, and the free tickets were given out soon after they became available.

Attendees were extremely enthusiastic, and security was everywhere to be seen.

In addition to the Secret Service, there was Obama security, local police, and state police.  TSA checked us all in at both events.

Senator Bob Casey endorsed and introduced Obama at both events.

There were men and women in about equal numbers and from a wide range of ages at both events.

Obama seemed genuinely to enjoy himself at these events and seemed at ease with audience back and forth.

I don’t yet know whether there’s been an actual endorsement of Obama by Rep. Jason Altmire who represents Pittsburgh’s northern suburbs and is a superdelegate, but he’s clearly supporting Obama. He was introduced by Obama to cheers, and stood several times to cheer for Obama’s applause lines. I mentioned before that his wife and staff wore Obama buttons during Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. That’s Altmire in the center below. He’s the only one not blurred out — neat trick, eh?

I was at two of Obama’s rallies yesterday, and I’ve been asked what it’s like. An Obama event is a unique political event in my experience. It’s like a cross between an African-American church service, an intimate rock concert, and your favorite professor’s lectures. There’s the call and response of African-American churches, and the rhythm to his oratory follows in this tradition.

He gets interrupted constantly by the audience, but integrates their communication into his speech. All great communicators do this, and he’s truly excellent at it. I think he can do this, because he loves what he’s doing and genuinely thinks about and believes what he’s saying. He’s too smooth with this to be hunting for correct answers when he’s interrupted.

He’s also theologically informed. His reference to Dr. King’s “Fierce Urgency of Now” is actually a powerful reference to black liberation theology.

He is, of course, a rock star, and it’s a little like being at a club where your favorite indie band is playing. It reminded me of being at a small club in Pittsburgh’s Strip District when Sonic Youth played while I was in college, minus the great music.

He references having taught Constitutional Law in his speech, and there are so many college-aged people out in the audience, that it really does at times feel like the mid-90s for me all over again.

While these former Pittsburgh Steelers may not be superdelegates, they are super stars. Their support actually does matter to football-crazy Pittsburgh. How much? It may not be quantifiable, but it does, like Senator Casey’s support, increase his appeal to working-class male voters.

Jerome Bettis (aka The Bus) and Franco Harris gave Obama a football and blue terrible towels that say

Here We Go

America

Here We Go

For full effect, you need to pause for a full second after each line, close your eyes and imagine thousands of people all around you swirling these towels over their heads chanting the same lines loudly in swirling snow. Welcome to Football Town, Senator Obama.

By the way, as I reported earlier, the Steelers were Obama’s childhood team.

I wish I had taken this photo, but I didn’t.  Credit to Getty.