McCain Hiring Field Organizers Who Support Obama

The UK Times reports that some of John McCain's canvassers are actually supporting Barack Obama -- they're just there for the money.

Two women walk out of John McCain's Mid-West headquarters carrying a pile of voter canvassing sheets, one sports a baseball hat declaring her a "team leader" of the Republican campaign. And both are black -- an unusual sight in an election where Barack Obama's support among African Americans is almost monolithic.

Are they volunteers? They look at each other sheepishly. "Not exactly," replies one. "We work for an employment agency," says the other. Who are they voting for? "I don't want to say," says the first woman. "Obama -- of course!" whispers the braver of the pair.

They laugh, then look over their shoulders at the office behind them. "Don't give him your name, he'll put it in the paper," says the cautious one, explaining that they cannot afford to lose their $10-an-hour (£6) jobs. "This is embarrassing. We're doing this because we have to live. At least none of our friends can see us. We're from Chicago -- like Obama."

The Uptake found more paid "volunteers" in Florida, before the reporter was cut off by a McCain campaign staffer who angrily told her to stop filming. The staffer threatened to have her arrested for filming people who had signed confidentiality agreements.

Comments

[cvfh]

03:34 PM on 10/28/2008

This tactic of is really inauthentic, and has negative consequences for the temp employees, for the McCain campaign, and for the body politic. maybe you'll be interested in the post "McCain Campaign Exploits the Race of their Hired Hands" at www.AuthenticOrganizations.com

[yhgtup]

02:00 PM on 10/28/2008

Wow! Barack doesn't have to pay me to volunteer. Been doing our local bus terminal passing out buttons, stickers, even yard signs. Yes, these people are taking their yard signs on the bus with them. We're stressing early voting. Some people have actually come back with their "I Voted Today" stickers on after I talked with them. What a great feeling to know that you're making a difference.

[susierr]

08:53 AM on 10/28/2008

$10 an hour. I sympathize for them, and I understand.
I've been volunteering for Obama since late August. It's nice that so many people are willing to work for Obama for free.

[XME]

02:30 AM on 10/28/2008

I feel for them, to have to take such a demeaning job...

[Kuroneko]

02:01 AM on 10/28/2008

I'm not surprised. You gotta do whatever you gotta do to live!

In fact, I always thought Palin was working for the Obama campaign. As soon as she gave the conference speech, the money started pouring into the Obama camp. The more she talks, the more people move to support Obama. I'm sure Obama doesn't mind.

[kristah]

12:01 AM on 10/28/2008

I find it so interesting that the best coverage of the election is coming out of the UK. I have a few friends there I am in touch with daily and they are super informed about what is going on. The whole world is watching what is going to happen here. I was so nervous the last few weeks, and I am still nervous, but it seems that in the last couple of days victory for Obama is clearer. I just hope its by a major landslide that has never been seen before so there can be no claims of fraud.

[MasterfullyInept]

12:47 AM on 10/28/2008

I check the BBC regularly to get an outside objective view.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2008/vote_usa_2008/default.stm

[FLib]

11:47 PM on 10/27/2008

Hmmm. My Obama sign just went missing from my front yard here in Orlando. Wonder if McCain "volunteers," paid temp staffers, or just dumb teenagers took it. I can't WAIT for this election to be over. I keep gazing at the projection map on fivethirtyeight.com, which shows Florida a lovely pale blue. If only...

[oz4009]

01:47 AM on 10/28/2008

I have already lost 2 signs, but each time I just go down to the Obama headquarters and get more signs. Every time I get more signs, I donate more money. So, they (I'm sure McCain supporters) are really helping our campaign.

Obama/Biden

[ritgar]

05:46 PM on 10/28/2008

I'm outside of Chicago in formerly Repub DuPage & I keep losing my stuff, too! It is all but impossible to get replacements - there just isn't enough.
What really P's me off - I also own some rental property on a highly visible corner & someone keeps sticking McCain crap on it . I just go right over & take it down. That is MY PRIVATE PROPERTY! Good Grief - they need to take a hint.

[Greytdog]

10:00 PM on 10/27/2008

In Florida the officials actually put up signs around the lakes warning folks about the "nits that get in your ear and then later on may lead to your death. Sounds a bit like Palinits to me

[muypolitico]

09:43 PM on 10/27/2008

The woman who did the interview/video did so well. Calm but firm.

GOP = Good Old Paranoids?

[FlyingEagel]

09:07 PM on 10/27/2008

Let's push Obama over the TOP! I have been volunteering here in VA making phone calls and walking the streets. We can win this if we all come together these last few days and try to sway undecided voters to Obama. Remember . .Florida was won by 540 votes in 2000 and I believe NM was won by 370 votes in 2004. Let's work hard to turn out the vote for Obama.

[Swedishgal]

10:17 PM on 10/27/2008

FlyingEagel, I've been volunteering here in VA also. I belong to an independent campaign office and we're doing whatever we can to get out the vote. I was in MA the last couple of days and they are excited for us to win it for Obama. Nice to see another volunteer from VA here in Huffpo.

[paulita]

12:26 AM on 10/28/2008

I´m a "fake Virginia" volunteer

[PGHook]

02:45 PM on 10/28/2008

I'm technically from "Real Virginia" but Charlottesville is a very progressive city. I'm volunteering to help get the vote out. It's all about running up high numbers for Obama here to offset some other locations in VA. Keep going, keep working, keep going, Obama '08!

[teacheng]

07:08 PM on 10/27/2008

Wow - this is great stuff. I'm starting to believe we're going to win...

[tokitori]

09:20 PM on 10/27/2008

I'm concerned about "retrieving absentee ballots"??? What does that mean?

[iheardthisbefore]

05:30 PM on 10/27/2008

Poignant and tragic at the same time.
Poignant in that this is how far some have to go in order to eke
out enough to live on.
Tragic in that this is how far the McCain campaign has to go to
get people to actually try and get the vote out.

Very Telling.....

My question is how in the world is McCain going to be able to
go back to work in the Senate after this DEBACLE?

How can he face those same colleagues he has demonized
in this campaign?
I for one would be tempted to take the man in a quiet corner
and bitch slap him until he turns purple.

Just sayin'

[Swedishgal]

10:19 PM on 10/27/2008

Amen iheardthisbefore. How embarrassing that would be for him to go back to face those he has demonized but it is of his own making.

[obamadeus]

10:30 PM on 10/27/2008

Your comments assume that McCain has some sense of shame. He does not. If he can hire the people who slandered his adopted daughter and still face the poor girl, he will have no trouble returning to the senate.

[sahenderso]

05:19 PM on 10/27/2008

As I work hard through these last days of this unprecedented campaign, I’d like to share a labor of love from a wonderful family in support of Barack. It’s a campaign anthem with words that are strong, healing and consistent with his message. It is particularly appropriate with all of the hate generated by anti-Obama people. A video slideshow on you tube gives a glimpse of the beauty of this work. If anyone sees the song like I do, perhaps you could bring it to the attention of the proper campaign official. I could see this song being sung by everyone at the inauguration! Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAZzZzq3yZQ
Contact Laura Blanks @ [phone]

[ReallyMe]

05:09 PM on 10/27/2008

I was struck by the first McCain campaign workers insistance that he was going to call the police and have the reporter arrested.

1. Was it public property? If so, how could he have her arrested?
2. If indeed, he thought he could have her arrested for speaking with his employees regardless of whether they have confidentiality agreements or not, he is mistaken.

Just one more example of how the Republicans limit speech.... We used to have a constitutional right to free speech... till Bush/Cheney/Rove then we got "Free Speech Zones" where folks were herded behind fences and kept so they couldn't exercise their rights or could only do it in pens like animals... And of course, nobody could get close enough to the Bush gang with any sort of protest for Bush et al to know of their existance much less have the opportunity to be filmed...

[lb458]

06:25 PM on 10/27/2008

If we are only able to speak freely in "Free Speech Zones", we must live in a totalitarian state.

[tokitori]

09:18 PM on 10/27/2008

Well, Jonathan at least, in the red shirt, was civil. And actually quite nice. Higher brain function. It's an emotional time.
What got me is how they could possibly think that Obama supporters are actually going to be effective in getting out the GOP vote. Those people they were interviewing CLEARLY don't support McCain!

[BluePrideSMW]

05:03 PM on 10/27/2008

they'd get decent people, at least...

a lil levity: Obama as Mogli infiltrates McCain campaign:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFKRYwG26yo