Obama opens new campaign office in Bloomington

Downtown Bloomington was buzzing for Obama at Monday evening’s opening party for one of the first six “Indiana for Change” campaign offices to open in Indiana. The new campaign office on the corner of Ninth and North Walnut streets once housed a taco joint, but now is a grassroots-campaigning center for Obama.

Local supporters hope that campaign efforts will culminate in the state’s first Democratic victory seen in a presidential election in Indiana since Lyndon Johnson’s victory in 1964.

“For the first time in 40 years, we’re going to have a competitive Democratic candidate in Indiana,” said Indiana State Representative Matt Pierce, D-61, to the cheering crowd of about 250 people.

Outside the building, supporters crowded several signup tables, adding their names to volunteer lists and rosters. In the back of the building, a handful of campaign volunteers staffed the “gift shop,” selling T-shirts, pins, stickers and other paraphernalia. Tables of snacks and refreshments lined another wall.

“I’m very excited about this, and I’d like to do whatever I can to help out,” said volunteer Nick Vastra. An electronics engineer at IU’s cylcotron, he has been involved with Obama’s local campaign throughout the migration of the Bloomington headquarters from two previous spaces during the primaries. He listed such qualities as a sense of shared philosophies, ethics, energy policy and human rights, among other issues, in explaining his excitement about Obama.

“When Obama speaks, I recognize certain philosophical backgrounds,” Vastra said. “I can tell where he’s coming from.”

Vastra is keen on renewable energy sources and envisions enormous potential for them to transform policies and the “power dynamics” in America. He asserted that Obama’s “accountability to the little guy” is part of what he admires.

“I think we can get into renewables without the oil economy if we simply work from what’s going to be best for the individuals and what’s going to be best for the country, not necessarily what’s going to be best for big oil and the people who already have the money,” he said.

Also present at the opening party were a number of local politicians and Democratic Party members. Mayor Mark Kruzan is among those pulling for a Democratic victory in Indiana.

“But even if that doesn’t ultimately happen, the fact that we’re considered competitive is a success,” he said.

“We were very pleased with the turnout at all the office openings over the weekend,” said Jonathan Sweeney, communications director for Obama’s campaign in Indiana. Obama’s campaign is planning to open between 25 and 30 offices in Indiana during the time leading up to November’s general election.

John McCain’s campaign, meanwhile, has no plans to open offices in Indiana, said Indiana Republican Party spokesman Jay Kenworthy. He said McCain has spent very little money in the state, which traditionally votes Republican.

“The Obama campaign has a lot of money,” Kenworthy said. “But he has so much money to spend, I don’t think he knows what to do with it.”

He said Obama was unlikely to defeat McCain in Indiana, and said that Obama actually lost support during the primary election, as evidenced by his loss in the primary.

In Indiana, Hillary Clinton defeated Obama in the Democratic primary by 2 percentage points. McCain garnered nearly 80 percent of the Republican vote.

Responding to Kenworthy’s remarks, Kruzan said, “A sure sign of a worried campaign is one that speaks negatively of the opposition.”

Monroe County Democratic Party Chair Lee Jones said that Obama certainly knows how to spend his money, especially since his state-to-state grassroots efforts require a lot of money.

“Obama is taking a whole different approach to his campaign,” she said. “He is really focusing on campaigning in every community possible, and that requires a huge amount of money.”

She added, however, that “money does not actually vote” in an election. People do. “Lots of people contributing is much more important,” she said.

Monroe County Democratic Party Vice Chair Rick Dietz added that the money Obama spends in states like Indiana will involve a different, ground-based approach that could yield long-term benefits. “The money will be invested for this presidential campaign and will go for decades beyond that,” he said.

Sweeney said that the economy has hit close to home for Indiana, and this election could be crucial.

“A majority of Americans and a majority of Hoosiers are very unhappy with the present direction of the country and are eager to have new leadership in the White House,” he said. “People are excited, many of them are involved with a campaign for the first time in their lives, because they know there’s a lot at stake and are anxious to get out and work hard and certainly make history this fall.”