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Snow Doesn't Stop Obama Crowds

(CBS)
From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

CORALVILLE, IOWA -- Barack Obama's campaign has said that bad weather could deter supporters from participating in the caucuses on January 3rd. However, if today is any indication of how voters will react to bad weather, the campaign could be wrong.

By Iowa political event standards, an enormous crowd packed a high school gym in Coralville - it was so packed that an overflow room was set up for those who couldn't fit into the gym.

Prior to the event, the campaign said that primarily undecided voters were invited to attend. (They estimate that over 900 undecided voters and supporters attended.)

The crowds seem to be invigorating Obama as he delivered an energetic version of his "closing argument" speech and spoke like a man who is still has "hope" that he might win.

"It's the reason that I am standing here today, this is pretty unlikely," Obama said, "The son of a mom from Kansas and a dad from Kenya named Barack Obama raised by a single mother and his grandparents in Hawaii standing before you as a potential nominee for president, of course I believe in hope."

The campaign is trying to build on this momentum and is determined not to cancel any events today, despite the snow falling over the Hawkeye State today. In order to ensure that he gets to all of his events on time, he is traveling in an SUV rather than his campaign bus.

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