Memo to John McCain: be afraid, be very afraid.
WaPo reports on the 3,600 Obama volunteers, culled from a pool of 10,000 applicants, that have been dispatched throughout the country for six weeks of training.
Moving to harness the grass-roots energy that helped win the Democratic nomination, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign will deploy 3,600 volunteers in 17 states this weekend, each committed to six consecutive weeks of full-time political work.The project, launched two months before the senator from Illinois became the presumptive nominee, is a measure of his determination to out-organize Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in states that could swing a close election.
The campaign put out word in April about "Obama Organizing Fellowships," an approach that went well beyond the "y'all come" model of luring volunteers with free doughnuts for two-hour canvassing stints. Supporters were required to answer essay questions, supply references and go through a telephone interview with campaign staff members.
In return for a promise to give the campaign at least six weeks of their lives, they were promised training in community organizing techniques.
Marc Ambinder reports that much of their time will be spent on registering voters as well as hosting thousands of United For Change events around the country.
As described in an e-mail from deputy campaign manager Steve Hilderband:"In all 50 states, supporters like you -- seasoned veterans and first-time volunteers alike -- will host house meetings with the express purpose of reaching out and bringing together folks who supported all of the Democratic candidates (and those who are just tuning into the process now)."
These house meetings form the core of the campaign's organizing model. The concept derives from organizing theory as taught by Saul Alinsky and as adopted by community organizers across the country. Never before has a major party presidential campaign used them to expand their support in a general election.
It's no accident, of course, that the philosophy behind this type of organizing echoes that of Howard Dean's Neighborhood Volunteer program:
Research alone shows that talking with voters face-to-face is more persuasive than TV advertising, direct mail or phone calls. For our Democratic candidates to win, we need to go to our neighbors, knock on their doors and ask for their vote. To accomplish this, we are launching an effort in communities across the country called the Neighborhood Volunteer program. We are recruiting activists like you who commit to talk to 25 neighbors at least three times between now and Election Day. By Labor Day, we need 500,000 activists like you to pledge to be a Neighborhood Volunteer.
It. Is. On.
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