Kevin Clifford/Nevada Appeal Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., talks to supporters during a town hall meeting at the Carson City Community Center Monday. Nearly 2,000 people turned out for the town hall meeting.
Entrances to the auditorium were clogged with lines of people as the crowd inside the Carson City Community Center began to chant.
"O-bam-a! O-bam-a! O-bam-a!"
Rock music blared over the speakers as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama walked on stage.
"How's it going, Carson City?" he called out to close to 2,000 people Monday night.
"You know how to throw a pretty nice party," he said later.
Obama went on to stress the importance of going to the Saturday caucuses. He told the throng it could help him change politics.
He promised more health care for millions of Americans and better pay for teachers.
These are problems he can bring people from across the country and from each party together to fix, he said.
After Obama promised security for workers and retirees, a baby in the audience cried out.
"Uh-oh, someone's really upset about the problems we're feeling," he said.
The crowd cheered several of his solutions, like getting out of Iraq and giving middle-class workers a tax cut. But many of them were there to learn more about the candidate.
"I only base (my vote) on one thing," said Emily King, 32, "basically, who I see is least likely to get politicized once they get in office."
King has never voted for a Democrat for president before, but she thinks what Obama said shows he's different than most politicians.
"I saw him on Oprah," she said.
Most of the candidates give "quickie answers," said John Rowett, a 69-year-old retired illustrator, but Obama might be someone who thinks more deeply about issues.
Rowett doesn't like everything about him, though. He said Obama's tax proposal could hit the companies in which he's invested.
Many, like Kelly Erdman and Rachel Kozloski, had to hear about the proposals through a loudspeaker in the lobby because they couldn't get into the auditorium.
Both women said they were there to hear more about Obama, and already liked that he didn't always vote with his party and that he stood against the Iraq war. The two 26-year-olds, however, still were trying to decide between Obama and a Republican candidate - Erdman with Ron Paul and Kozloski with John McCain.
"Everybody says he's naive and hasn't been in politics a lot, but I like that because he's not soured on it, " Kozloski said of Obama. "He might just have the stupidity to do something right."
Obama's attention to Northern Nevada and stance on domestic issues such as poverty are also important, said David Schlessinger, 33, of Minden.
"His message resonates with me," he said. "He's someone I'm considering."
Steve Platt, chairman of the Carson City Democratic Party, warmed up the crowd that had been waiting for more than an hour since the scheduled start time.
He called Obama "a new leader for a new century."
After the speech, a man at table with Obama merchandise called out to supporters.
"T-shirts ... hats ... beanies!" he yelled.
• Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.