Was that a political gathering or a church revival?

Congresman Neil Abercrmbie, Obama-backer No. 1 in Hawaii, had the Democratic convention crowd on its feet with a “change-is-coming” speech that would not have been out of place in a revival meeting. You got the feeling: For Neil and many others, Obama is not just another political candidacy, he is a movement. And it’s been a while since we had a movement that got the juices flowing this way.

So the question is, do movements last, and can they translate into gut political reality? Sometimes they do, the civil rights movement, for instanc. Other times they fizzle when attention or their charismatic leaders drift elsewhere.

Abercrombie also had some intriguing things to say about the caucus system, such as in Hawaii, where Obama did his best. “The caucus system is the glory of democracy,” he said.

Yes, but it also tends to amplify the passions of the engaged . Hillary Clinton has been talking about this precise point, noting that Obama did best in caucus states (where activists dominate) and less well in states where a broader spectrum of Democrats participate: the regular primary states.

Her point: She’s winning in the kind of game that will be played out in the general election. And it is true, Obama will have to take his “movement” and convert it into a much broader general election arena.

That’s the next big job.

Oh my, the excitement is nearly unbearable.

Obama’s sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng (da sistah!) is introducing Congressman Neil Abercrombie, who will give the big speech of the day. In the audience, a “spontaneous” Obama demonstration is ready to erupt, when the signal is given.

Maya says she has watched Neil “shout, and dance, and preach for my brother.” He’ll no doubt do it again today. This is red meat time.

The New York Times blog covering the Tuesday presidential primaries was commenting on the photo-op crowd behind Barack Obama as he declared victory in North Carolina.

It was, the blog noted, almost entirely middle-aged white ladies, the kind of voter normally found in Hillary Clinton’s corner. “Not an Abercrombie T-shirt among them,” the blog noted.

What!?! Has our Neil been such an influence that people notice when his fans aren’t crowding the Obama stage? Probably not. There was no explanation for the comment, but it most likely meant this was not a trendy crowd, no one was wearing Abercrombie & Fitch T-Shirts.

But make no mistake. Neil Abercrombie has been stumping hard for Obama, from the Iowa corn fields and on out. But a gossipy piece in the Washington Post suggests that the Obama camp is paying insufficient attention to his Hawaii friend.

In her BLOG, “The Sleuth,” Mary Ann Akers writes about a frustrated Abercrombie and his inability to get someone in the inner circle of the Obama campaign to pick up their end of the coconut wireless.

It makes for pretty funny reading. But Rep. Abercrombie should relax. It’s a good bet Obama will begin paying more attention to his Hawaii roots if and when the nomination is in hand.

Until that time, the Aloha spirit will have to take a  backseat to lunch bucket talk about making it in the tough political fields of the South Side of Chicago.