KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Determined volunteers turned out in a torrential downpour Saturday morning to open a Kansas City campaign headquarters for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
They weren’t fazed by the elements or the vaunted Sen. Hillary Clinton juggernaut. They think Obama’s going to win the Iowa caucuses in January and then win the Missouri primary on Feb. 5.
Campaigns thrive on volunteers. Obama’s got a lot of them across the nation. I think his large volunteer base in Iowa could pull off an upset in the caucuses there.
His donor base is nothing less than astonishing. More than 350,000 Americans have donated to his campaign. Some naysayers have pointed out that that number includes people who have bought items through his Web site.
But, hey, if you want to wear an Obama T-shirt or drink your java from an Obama coffee mug, you’re pretty committed for him. I’d include those numbers any day.
It appears that he’s developing a pretty good core group in Kansas City. The campaign office at 3911 Main St., will be led by Sophie McCarthy, an Obama campaign veteran.
Roxanne Grant-Atkinson is a pastor who’s never been involved in a political campaign before.
She said that she believes that Obama is different.
“He represents real change,” she said.
Kathleen Aylward on the other hand, has worked in every Democratic presidential campaign since 1960. She said that Obama reminded her of former president John F. Kennedy.
Obama has a big organizing jump on his opponents in both Missouri and Kansas, which will hold its caucuses the same day as the Missouri primary.
Consider his campaign’s activities in the Kansas City area just Saturday — a headquarters opening and two separate voter canvassing efforts in Kansas City, a voter canvassing project in Lenexa, Kan., and a caucus convention and voter canvass in Lawrence, Kan.
The lightning and rain no doubt put a damper on things. Maybe former Bill Clinton really does control the weather. It’s tough to run against Hillary Clinton.
The crew at the Kansas City headquarters was undaunted. They even seemed to believe campaign organizer Josh Reed when he said that the rain would help their canvass of local neighborhoods. Everyone would be at home.
Well, I’ve done my share of canvassing and leafleting in the rain. That’s why I’m happy to drink my java in the warmth of my home.
I’ll say this. Hillary Clinton had better keep the Obama horse in the barn in Iowa. If she doesn’t, the Obama volunteers at the Kansas City headquarters and more just like them will be waiting to greet her in Missouri and Kansas.
By the way, I blogged live when several presidential candidates spoke at the VFW convention in Kansas City this summer, click here to check those posts out and see video and read stories from the convention.
