DNC rules won't keep Barack Obama out of NH primary

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama says that if he runs for President, he will ignore a new national Democratic rule by campaigning in New Hampshire even if its first-in-the-nation primary is scheduled earlier than the Democratic National Committee's designated date.

But Obama, who arrives in New Hampshire on Sunday for two sold-out appearances, also said in a telephone interview today it was a "great idea" by the DNC to schedule a caucus in Nevada and a primary in South Carolina into "slots where they can have an impact" on the nomination process.

In a move strongly opposed by Gov. John Lynch and state party leaders, the DNC earlier this year moved Nevada's caucus ahead of New Hampshire's primary. It also moved South Carolina's primary to a week behind New Hampshire.

Obama said despite the moves, the national party preserved "the essential role that Iowa and New Hampshire have always played" in the nominating process.

He said that as a political product of grassroots organizing, "I'm a strong believer in the tradition of New Hampshire being the first primary.

"I believe ultimately that people in all states, across all demographics, are looking for somebody who is authentic and can listen to their concerns" -- a pragmatic politician rather than an ideologue, Obama said.

The freshman senator, an African-American, also said the United States is not "color-blind" and that "race is still a powerful force in our society. But what I found in my own race when I ran for the U.S. Senate (in 2004), when people were skeptical whether I could run for statewide office, I believed that if people get a chance to know an individual, then they judge that individual on the merits."

Obama said, "If somebody goes into a polling place and they seen the name 'Barack Obama', I probably won't get their vote, but if we sat in their living room and talk," he would stand a much better chance of receiving those votes.

For a full report on DiStaso's exclusive interview with Obama, see UnionLeader.com and the New Hampshire Union Leader tomorrow.

By John DiStaso of the Manchester Union Leader