FInal Preparations for Ohioans for Obama

By: Sean Balewski
sbalewski@gmail.com

It was only last week, with less than 7 days before the election, that I received a call from my media contact at Obama Ohio Headquarters, informing me that a NEW field office had been opened. Less than 7 days, and still the Obama Campaign was growing; so fast that they had to accomodate the influx of volunteers by opening up new sites for them to gather and work. So away I went, to the West Side of Columbus, to view the new field office.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by an elderly woman who was busily making phone calls. Inside the small office, I was shocked to find that the field supervisor was a man no older than myself, and his second in command was also a man of similar age. Yet, all the volunteers in the room were men and women who were at least in their late 50's.

This was exciting to see because right there in front of me was the change that we have heard of over and over again in the media. There, in that tiny office in West Columbus, was the new face of politics in America.

On the east side of town, on the campus of Capital University, I found the same to be true at that Obama Field Office. There, again, were young men and women running the office, while older volunteers took instruction from these young campaign staffers.

So there it was in plain view. While the focus of my piece for television was that new volunteers were showing up and new offices were opening up, the real story behind it all was the new face of politics in America.

The next week should be very exciting and historic....