Barackmania takes over Union Square

NEW York's Union Square has long been a barometer of America's pain and dreams, the equivalent of London's Speaker's Corner: red banners flew here in support of the Russian revolution a century ago; in 2001, candles fluttered to remember the dead of the World Trade Center; thousands protested the invasion of Iraq in 2003; and hundreds were arrested a year later in protests when George Bush made a rare visit to the city.

Now this historic square has become a mecca for the new phenomenon sweeping America – Barackmania.

This week, despite freezing winds and rain, Obama supporters, mostly young, clustered in the square, singing and waving placards supporting the candidate who has energised American politics.

Days before nearly half the country votes in the Super Tuesday primary elections, these supporters massed to make their voices heard.

Among them was sculptor Milton Rosa-Ortiz, standing on the corner of 14th street holding up a blue placard announcing 'Obama 08'. "I never in my life got involved in politics," he says, wiping rain from his face. "And here I am holding a sign and talking to people."

Obama's campaign has generated hope in a country fed up with politics-as-usual, angry about Iraq and worried about a crumbling economy. "His campaign is empowering individuals like me," says Rosa-Ortiz. "It's a great feeling."

Nearby, Pam Simons, an adviser for charity organisations, is handing out fliers for a 'Women For Obama' meeting to the river of commuters who hurry by. "The thing about Obama is, he pumps you up," she explains. "We have great issues that are facing us all, social security, medical insurance, and all we do is fight. The thing I like about him is his call for unity."

Dozens of such events take place each day across the Big Apple as a growing army of volunteers tries to win the hearts and minds of New Yorkers. Capturing this city next week would have huge symbolic importance because the city is at the heart of American culture and because Hillary Clinton is the state senator.

The extent of this movement is apparent from a glance at the rival campaign websites: Clinton's website boasted 22 campaign events in the city in the period leading up to next Tuesday, while Obama's listed 190.

It is a pattern repeated across America: Obama has 38 events in Los Angeles compared to Clinton's nine, 25 to 17 in his native Chicago and 18 in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Clinton has just two.

"Obama offers a different vision for the country," says Adey Fissehia, a 35-year-old lawyer whose family arrived in America 30 years ago as refugees from Ethiopia. "Obama is the son of an African, he is the American dream, that there is opportunity for everybody. I know the idea of hope and change for the country has been made fun of, but what we're seeing is a seismic shift."

All eyes are on the battle between Obama and Clinton, and their contrasting messages: Obama's is "change", Clinton's, "experience".

Commentators are divided about whether Obama created this movement, or is simply the beneficiary. Either way, his campaign has energised the election, with the number of people voting Democrat doubling at its primaries.

And Obama's campaign managers have proved expert at harnessing the internet to ride the wave.

January saw Obama smash all American political funding records by raising £16m in just one month, an achievement all the more remarkable because the money came not from big organisations, but from an army of 253,000 small donors.

And while Obama's campaign is flush with cash, it is also spendthrift: supporters have to pay for the posters they wave, at five dollars a time – one reason why at Obama rallies so many placards are handmade.

The supporters at Union Square glued or stapled their Obama campaign posters onto stiff-backed cardboard, and most have covered them in cellophane to protect them from the icy rain. Simons used her own money to photocopy her women's event fliers from a single copy given out by the campaign.

These volunteers all have different hopes for an Obama administration, be it an end to the Iraq war, help for the medical bills of the poor or support for Al Gore's crusade against global warming. But a common theme is the desire to replace a political system they say is rotten, amid the fear that a Clinton administration would simply exchange one set of big-business lobbyists for another.

"What's refreshing about Barack Obama is he's not bought and sold," said Fissehia.

History is, of course, littered with idealistic leaders who have failed to break the mould, and with others who have won power, only to then disappoint.

But for the Union Square faithful, those are concerns for the future. Nineteen-year-old student Ryan McGuire became a believer four years ago, when he watched Obama addressing the Democratic National Convention. "I remember thinking 'this is the guy who should be president'," he said. "Everyone I meet wants change, and Obama is able to tap into that desire. His message of unity is something no-one else talks about."

Obama has a string of big endorsements, from that of the daughter and brother of JFK, Caroline and Edward Kennedy, to the biggest Democrat-leaning website, Moveon.org.

And while his poll numbers keep rising, they remain below those of Clinton, one reason why her supporters are less inclined to campaign on the streets in this overwhelmingly Democrat city.

Of the commuters stopping to talk to the volunteers, as many back Clinton as Obama.

"Hey man, you have to be for Clinton, she has the experience," says a bicycle messenger, sporting tattoos on his face and neck. "Its time to give a woman a chance."

In vain, McGuire argues the election should be about the person, not sex or colour

"Experience, man," says the messenger. Someone asks his name. "Clinton," he says with a smile. "It's my first name."