NYT: Obama’s Back Fund-Raising in New York, Not Quietly

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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/us/politics/10obama.html?_r=3&ref=politics&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Obama’s Back Fund-Raising in New York, Not Quietly

By JEFF ZELENY
Published: March 10, 2007

Since opening his presidential fund-raising committee in January, Senator Barack Obama has made a series of stealthy trips to New York, quietly prospecting for contributions and supporters in the city of one of his chief rivals for the Democratic nomination.

But when Mr. Obama arrived yesterday, no effort was made to keep his visit under wraps. His campaign trumpeted the back-to-back events that raised nearly $1 million.

And just so no one — particularly, perhaps, the campaign of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton — would overlook that he was in town, organizers passed out blue and red Obama signs to admirers lining the street outside a Midtown hotel.

“We are here because the country is calling us,” Mr. Obama told a cheering crowd inside. “We are here because we are at a crossroads.” He added, “Every 20 or 30 years, every generation, a moment comes when we have to look up and ask ourselves, ‘Are we prepared to meet the challenges that this generation faces?’ ”

In the first quarter of the year, a period critical for fund-raising, presidential hopefuls in both parties have chased one another across the country in a furious hunt for contributors. Perhaps no other candidates have been competing as vigorously as Mr. Obama, of Illinois, and Mrs. Clinton, particularly for New York and Hollywood money and supporters.

Theodore C. Sorenson, one of President John F. Kennedy’s closest advisers, introduced Mr. Obama at one fund-raiser last night. He endorsed Mr. Obama’s candidacy, saying the senator was the only candidate he believed could restore the nation’s credibility around the world.

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