McCain Home-State Offices Remain Empty While Polls Tighten; Obama Offices Bustling

[babylonsister]

Dawn Teo
Posted October 27, 2008 | 07:56 AM (EST)

McCain Home-State Offices Remain Empty While Polls Tighten; Obama Offices Bustling

By Peter J. Burns, Auburn McCanta, Sarah Moglewer, Marlene Phillips and Dawn Teo


PHOENIX -- The conventional wisdom in presidential politics is that presidential candidates win their home states. In Arizona one would expect every corner to look like a jubilee celebration in honor of John McCain. It's a hot election season, which means many street corners are festooned with red and blue campaign signs, lined up like colorful sheets drying in the Arizona sun. Surprisingly, though, McCain's name is absent from most corner festivities.

Even more surprising, volunteers are scant at McCain's Phoenix headquarters and other GOP offices throughout the state. The McCain campaign has a national website presence, but lacks a cadre of helpful and informed local volunteers -- people who answer for their candidate when he's away. Are these indicators that the McCain campaign is complacent in Arizona, or are Arizonans that blase about McCain's candidacy? The campaign did not return phone calls, so it's hard to know. In fact calls to Republican McCain offices around the state often go unanswered.

This is McCain's backyard, so where are his supporters?

snip//

In September, when the Barack Obama campaign opened its main office in the heart of downtown Phoenix, an estimated 1,000 cheering volunteers showed up. Arizona's Obama for America Communications Director, Dave Cieslak, says,

If enthusiasm is a measure, it shows a deep and thorough level of support. It's stunning! Offices are filled daily with volunteers -- answering questions, getting ready for community events. Phoenix volunteers have taken on an incredible amount of work, as well as working full time jobs.

A study in contrasts, Obama's packed Phoenix office is located in the heart of Phoenix's inner city, homemade posters taped to the security bars that wrap around the entire porch of the old home; McCain's posh office is housed in the same upscale office building as are his stately local Senate offices, the headquarters filled with expensive equipment but nothing like the kind of massive volunteer support this election season has turned up around the country on the Democratic side. A glistening sign on the side of the busy thoroughfare advertises the presence of the headquarters.

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dawn-teo/a-tale-of-two-campaigns-i_b_137722.html

[ej510]

1. Obama should hold a rally in Phoenix and Scottsdale.

[Two Sheds]

2. if it's not scheduled now, he shouldn't do it

the MSM would spin it as "arrogant." It would be satisfying, though.

Obama has plenty of places to go and lots of work to do in places he needs more than Arizona.