Obama Supporters Woo 18,000 New Citizens In L.A.

If you were a campaign's field director and learned that 18,000 people eager to vote for the first time were gathering in one spot, you'd probably show up with at least a few clipboard-wielding volunteers to register them, right? Yet John McCain's supporters were nowhere to be found Friday morning as the first of three naturalization ceremonies got underway at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Maybe they decided to leave it to the county employees, who registered people as they sat and waited for their row to be dismissed after the ceremony. Or perhaps they asked themselves "why bother?" after reading the latest Rasmussen poll showing Barack Obama holds a more than comfortable 28 point lead in the state. Since more than half of the new citizens are Latino, and Obama has a 2-to-1 edge over McCain among Latinos, maybe it just wasn't worth their time. Or maybe McCain supporters, who swear California is in play, hit the snooze button at 9:00 a.m. but made it downtown for the 1:00p.m. and 4:30p.m. ceremonies.

But Obama's supporters, who really could have slept in given the California numbers, were out in force.

"It sends a message to people who are becoming citizens that we want them to be engaged in the political process and gets his name out there and attaches it to friendly people," said Bill Foote, an Obama volunteer and co-organizer of the 50-person team registering new citizens.

The Golden State leads the country in the number of people naturalized each year. More than 184,000 people became citizens in California in 2007, or 28 percent of all new naturalizations nationwide. Last year, 1.4 million people applied for citizenship in the United States, twice the number that applied in 2006. Factors contributing to the surge included a fee increase that went into effect last July, the ongoing debate over immigration policy, and the upcoming election.

Sure, new citizen voters might have little net effect on the top of the ticket in a non-swing state like California, but in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada -- swing states with significant Latino populations and a healthy number of new citizens -- any expansion of voter rolls could prove game-changing.

Lest one think newly naturalized citizens are too insignificant in number to matter, consider recent history. The Clinton/Gore White House may have denied claims it tried to make the naturalization process easier in 1996 expressly to boost Democratic voter rolls, but the record on the Citizenship USA program is at least somewhat gray. (see a DOJ report that details some of the questionable actions or a more critical take on the affair by former Chief Council of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee David Schippers)

And some have argued the current processing backlog resulting from last year's surge in applications has political underpinnings.

"The suspicion, at least in certain quarters, was that the administration did not respond as well to the surge because they were in no hurry to naturalize a large number of Latino voters," said Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute at NYU School of Law. "The fact that you didn't plan for [a surge in applications] means that you were not that keen to process as many applications just before the election."

But as new Americans who survived the citizen-making sausage factory poured out of the Convention Center hall, any grand political machinations couldn't be further from their minds as they registered to take part in that simplest of democratic institutions.

"Here people are happy to register to vote and you get some of their excitement," said Foote. "It's uplifting."

Comments

[MissingAmerica]

Good job! Good thinking! These people who have just taken the oath of citizenship probably know more of our history than we, because they had to learn it in order to adopt this country. They did the work, and now they will become a part of the process. What a great read to start the day!

[CindyM2008]

Very smart move.

[SeanGardner]

And folks say that Obama's NATIONAL POLL lead is evaporating. Actually, the Obama campaign's great effort to court new citizens is the type of thing that moves the STATE POLLS which Obama is leading in the vast mority of states.

People keep underestimating him, and like a PHOENIX, he keeps riging to the occasion.

[akryan]

This sort of thing has a six degree of seperation effect. Relatives and freinds and their relatives and freinds hear about this sort of thing and it leaves an emotional impression on people across the country that Obama cares.

[Faith101]

This is very encouraging news. I will be praying for all of their efforts and success. We need to elect Obama as our next president. This election is too important to sit idley by. Great Job!!!!!

[bmsrosmuc]

The right keeps downplaying the "community organizer" roots of Sen. Obama. hope they keep underestimating his "experience" We will not only take back the White House, with the downticket effect of these new voters, we will actually have a congress President Obama can work with to get our country back on track!!!

[MoeB]

Just wanted to give a few words of encouragement to all of those who are active during this campaign season! This is just the beginning of a larger grass-roots movement to be more involved in our politics rather than just sitting idly by while big-whigs make all the important decisions concerning OUR country for us.

Congrats! Hopefully we'll see our hard work and effort pay off in future elections (as well as in November).

[BlueZoo]

Bravo! Thank heaven for people who recognize voting as our most precious right and try to instill that fact in our new citizens! While this will not guarantee a vote for either candidate, it does say just exactly who cares about our voting for Obama. McCainites should be ashamed! They missed out on a sterling opportunity!

[athenalong]

That's GREAT.

It doesn't matter what party, just that you're registered.

(I am an election judge, and it's ASTONISHING for me to run into people who don't even know the BASICS of voting!)

[claudiam]

Team O is incredibly organized

[robiform]

Congratulations to the new citizens, and way to go, Obama organizers!! This is how Democrats should have done it in 2000 and 2004. Maybe we wouldn't have eight years of cow droppings to clean up now!

[JoanieNC]

Another brain-washing tactic from Obama camp. Lost my vote.

[jeg]

After skimming through your post history, it's pretty obvious that Sen. Obama never had your vote, and never would have your vote.

troll.

[CanadianforObama]

Huh??

[Yola]

Well as you can see, he lost your vote but gained maybe...18,000?

[BeltwayBette]

Liar, liar, pants on fire. Sen Obama never had your vote. Never would.
Go Obama team! You're doing a great job!

[loper2008]

This is so inspiring! I worked registering voters in Austin last weekend so I know how big of an impact it will have come November.

[mamajama]

Here in Colorado, we see the same dynamic. Obama volunteers are out in droves registering new voters, updating registrations. I myself registered 8 voters, 6 of them unaffiliated or Republican, on the fourth of July, and Obama campaign recruited volunteers will be at Walmarts, Safeways, campuses, everywhere, registering thousands of voters.

McCain campaign? Not even on their radar, apparently. No sign of them.

[Thron]

This is just a Deja vu, methodical and disciplined organized groups. Republican might be mimicking Hillary campaign mistakes. You can't look at Obama's campaign hunger management, and still not foresee an organizer from another kind. I guess it begun in the street of Chicago if I'm not mistaken, and along the way you make sure that you extend that experience by choosing the right people to apply that method in your presidential campaign. So, so far this is the guy I want to be the president of my country, cause he knows are to manage, organize, move the pieces, wait, invest. As I have said before, this is the most hypnotizing ongoing political chess game ever seen.