GREENSBORO, N.C.--The lack of air conditioning failed to sap the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd that gathered in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, for the re-opening of the campaign headquarters for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday, July 13. Although I kept wiping sweat from my brow as I navigated my way under the red-white-and-blue streamers and around tables laden with sweets and snacks, those attending the four-hour open house ignored the stifling heat in order to show their support.
The new headquarters is located in the heart of Greensboro's revived downtown district, right on Elm Street, the main thoroughfare, which I think was a smart move if you want people to know where you are. The headquarters was previously located just a few blocks away in a nondescript office building. The new location should see more foot traffic from shoppers and diners, and automobiles often must slow to a crawl, which will give drivers plenty of time to spot Obama campaign signs.
The open house featured the usual appeals for volunteers and campaign office supplies interspersed with chants of "Fired up, ready to go!" The new Greensboro location will serve as the regional campaign headquarters for Guilford County and surrounding counties including Rockingham, Alamance and Caswell.
While Obama staff and volunteer Fellows weren't allowed to speak to me, I found the rest of the crowd eager to share. I wanted to get an idea of why Greensboro was so excited about Sen. Obama, what issues mattered to residents and whether anyone was concerned about Obama's perceived move to the center.
When I asked Greensboro resident Kitty Harrigan about the perception that Obama was moving to the center, she had a quick answer. "I see [Obama] as practical, pragmatic, and he said he would refine his positions," says Harrigan. "I think you have to listen to the people and then make an intelligent decision, and that's what I look for in a leader." Harrigan began supporting Obama long before he announced his candidacy based on what she read in his book "Dreams From My Father."
"I thought, 'This brother has a vision,' and that's something I haven't felt in a long time in our political culture," says Harrigan. She eventually signed up to volunteer, and she and her husband canvassed neighborhoods for the first time. "That was exciting, going door to door---just being able to breathe in what was going on," she says.
I sensed the same excitement in Tammy Shaney, a personal friend who I was pleasantly surprised to bump into. "What I like is [Obama] is galvanizing those people who have never been involved in politics," says Shaney. "He gives hope and he ignites dreams."
Shaney herself is a former supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton who says she had no problem switching her allegiance to Obama. "I didn't base my support of Clinton on the fact that she was a woman," says Shaney, adding that as a loyal Democrat, she simply realized it was more important to support the party once it was clear Obama had won the primary campaign.
But Shaney does have some reservations, particularly given Obama's recent vote for FISA reauthorization. "That bothers me some," she says. "I think [FISA] takes away our freedoms." But she still intends to give Obama a chance. "I want to learn more about his reasons."
And as a teacher, Shaney says she wants to see what Obama will do to reform No Child Left Behind. "We're just teaching to the test, and we've lost all creativity in the classroom," she says.
E.J. Allred, an Obama supporter and volunteer since the primary campaign, says he would most like to see health care reform as well as an end to the war in Iraq. A young man of few words, it took a few minutes for him to reveal that he was in fact a veteran of the war in Iraq, which got my attention. Allred said he served for 10 months with the Army National Guard between 2004 and 2005. He says he thinks it's time for U.S. troops to begin coming home, and he likes what he's heard so far from Obama about how a withdrawal should occur. "I think we need to be as responsible as possible," says Allred.
Right about this time, chants and applause erupted around the room as the campaign staff began thanking all the hard-working volunteers, so I didn't get an opportunity to ask Allred more about his position on the war. However, Kitty Harrigan added her own concerns.
"I've been against this war from the beginning and so has Obama, and that triggered me more than anything to support him," says Harrigan.
Harrigan, Shaney, Allred and the other volunteers will have their work cut out for them.
Although Greensboro and Guilford County generally vote Democrat, North Carolina has voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004. And while my last-minute attempts to determine whether Republican challenger Sen. John McCain had set up camp in Greensboro came up empty, I did discover he does have some hefty local support. According to McCain's web site, the popular Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes is co-chairing a statewide committee of sheriffs created to build local support for the Republican presidential candidate.