Down in Des Moines Obama revives the ghost of JFK

[BeyondGeography]

Ewen MacAskill in Des Moines
Saturday December 1, 2007
The Guardian

==Rick Wilkie, one of hundreds of volunteers canvassing for Barack Obama this week, recalls JFK's inauguration speech with reverence. Wilkie, now 67, tramped miles through the thick snow in January 1961 to hear Kennedy. "On the way home, I was walking three feet off the ground," Wilkie said.
Since that day, he had no involvement in politics - until now. Out knocking on doors in West Des Moines, Iowa, on a night so chilly he had to jump into his car every few calls to thaw out, Wilkie said: "I would not be involved in this campaign if it were not for Obama. He is unique. I would be very proud to call him my president. He is the first candidate since John Kennedy to inspire people like that."

...Wilkie had a good night, finding three at home. Of those, one, a former professional football player, said he favoured Obama. More significantly, the other two he recorded as shifting from 4C to 3L, the former denoting someone who was leaning towards Clinton and 3L leaning towards Obama. One of them, Molly Ryan, 46, said: "Ideally, I would like a blend of the two: Obama for his charisma and Hillary for her foreign affairs experience. I had been leaning towards Hillary but am now leaning towards Obama. I think she comes across sometimes as not being a big people person. My trust is wavering because of the planted question in the audience."

...The popularity of Obama's campaign has meant he has had little trouble in recruiting, paying less than his rivals: his field workers earn about $2,000 a month, compared with $2,500 for Clinton's and $2,700 for Edwards's.

...Despite an increase in personal attacks, it has not yet been a dirty campaign. At Obama's headquarters, there is a discussion about a nasty poster campaign in Ames, north of Des Moines. The posters read: "Hillary is a Bitch, Obama is a Nigger. Vote John Edwards." White supremacists are blamed. Obama's team is relaxed, suggesting it would backfire and suggesting that Obama's standing in the polls in a state that is 96% white is testimony to the changing nature of America.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/barackobama/story/0,,2220112,00.html

[Bicoastal]

1. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!

Oh, wait...that headline is only metaphorical.

I thought--never mind.

[rurallib]

2. I told an Obama staffer back in March that Obama reminded me of JFK

But Edwards reminds me of RFK. Our candidates are so good this round.

[illinoisprogressive]

3. What a wonderful post. Obama inspires so many.