Obama in Indiana: 32 Days

Exciting times around here. We haven’t seen a local presidential contest like this since 1968 when Robert F. Kennedy actively courted Hoosier voters.

In 2004 there wasn’t a single Kerry for President office in Indiana. This morning Obama is opening regional HQ #17 in Hamilton County, north of Indianapolis where I live.

The regional field director opening that office is living with me through the May 6th primary. Obviously, I supported Obama before my guest arrived 11 days ago. But this past 10 days has been an amazing peek behind the curtains for me and I am really excited about what I’m seeing.

Today we have 32 days to go before the May 6th primary and I intend to blog my experience with the campaign. I live in Hamilton County, Indiana. This is a solidly Republican county but it is also an important Clinton stronghold, with a dozen Democratic super donors who have been Clinton supporters for years.

I have several things I’d like to share with you so follow me over the jump ...

Indiana is a Clinton Stronghold

An interesting dynamic continues to develop here in Indiana. Several of the Clinton’s super donors live in Hamilton County. I don’t know them all, but I would say that there are 10-12 maxed out donors in this county alone. Most of them maxed out in January 2007.

The traditional Democratic machinery in Indiana is well-oiled and firmly in the Clinton camp. Many state Democratic leaders announced support for Hillary in 2007. Led by Evan Bayh, 5 super delegates pledged to Hilary in October 2007. Many, if not most, of the most experienced campaign volunteers have been on the Clinton team for 6-12 months.

A year ago these super democrats (and they are super human beings!) saw the Clinton campaign as a way to end the Bush era. They believed in her, in her campaign machinery and her electabilty. They put the full force of their resources behind her campaign to make sure we got out of the mess the GOP has gotten us into.

But things have changed. The ground game today looks quite different than what they envisioned just 6 months ago. Remember, it was supposed to be over on February 5th. There wasn't going to be a primary campaign in Indiana. It was going to be a coronation.

And now this. The Obama campaign poured into the state and translated the 50-state strategy into a 92-county state strategy with different focus in each county. For instance, in Marion county (Indianapolis proper) the Obama office was opened earlier and the emphasis has been on registering new voters. In Hamilton county (northern suburb) the office opened a few weeks later and the emphasis is on selling Obama to registered voters. Different ground games, different tools, different volunteers and staff.

But the emphasis IS on the ground game and to me the major donors and experienced volunteers who have been Clinton supporters for years seem more than a little stunned.

How to talk Obama in a Clinton Stronghold

My houseguest keeps talking about the importance of talking up Obama and leaving the other candidate out of the conversation. Personal anecdotes are the best: why I support Obama. What made me choose Obama? When was the moment that he "got" my vote? Which of his positions speak to my personal situation?

And I’ve found that it is really, really important to keep my own frustrations and concerns about the Clintons to myself. Allow that Hillary is a strong candidate who would make a great president (note to self: bite tongue) so we have a win-win no matter what happens. (note to self: bite tongue again) And then tell a personal anecdote. "I was on the fence for a while, but you know when Obama said (fill in the blank) he got me". And follow that up with another win-win comment.

Individually we have to find `ways to give these passionate Clintonistas a graceful "step-down", a way to gradually move to an Obama campaign because we NEED them. They are NOT the enemy. These are the experienced campaigners who know how to GOTV. We need them and we cannot afford to alienate them.

Indiana versus Mempis on April 4th

Finally, about Obama being in Indiana on the anniversary of MLK’s assassination. From NBC’s Lee Cowan:

It was in Indianapolis on this very day 40 years ago that Robert Kennedy -- campaigning for the Democratic nomination himself -- was dealt the task of having to inform a stunned crowd that Dr. King was gone.

In the midst of the grief, Kennedy begged for calm, as Dr. King surely would have himself. And as cities across the nation were beset with violence in the wake of the King assassination, Indianapolis remained quiet.

It was that moment that Obama commemorated today. Not the shot that rang out, but how some responded in the wake of it. There will be talk of whether his choice was appropriate -- whether the first African American to have a serious shot at the White House should have visited the spot where a generation was changed.

But in the end, the unfinished business of Dr. King still reaches into every corner and every balcony in the country. What that night in Indiana 40 years ago showed, is that it's sentiment that counts, not geography.

On April 4th, RFK’s widow Ethel Kennedy and their son Max were in Central Indiana campaigning for Obama and I had the good fortune to heard them speak. Max compared Barack to his father RFK, when he spoke of both men being centered and confident about acting on their core beliefs. Many people who knew both men are saying the same.

I would like to reiterate the fact that Indianapolis stayed calm, not because of apathy or fear, but because of the direct actions of RFK on April 4, 1968. At a local organizing meeting a month ago I met a black woman who was a teenager at the time. She went to see RFK that fateful day and was pushed down to the ground by the angry crowd, a crowd that was waiting to see RFK, but had had just learned of MLKs assassination. She banged up her knee and tore her new panty hose (which was a big deal in those days, hard to get and very expensive). She made the news when a photo was taken of RFK helping her up off the ground.

She told me the same thing that I’ve heard from many people: Obama’s campaign is the first where she feels the same surge of hope and excitement that she felt when Bobby Kennedy was running for president.

So we can argue about Obama’s decision to stay away from Memphis. I personally, think it was brilliant because he focused on King’s legacy, not his assassination. But the buzz in Indiana yesterday was all about MLK, RFK and Barack Obama’s link to both.

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Wow. Didn’t intend for this diary to be so long. And I haven't even told you about HQ opening today! I’ll write more tomorrow about the Hamilton County headquarters opening this morning and try to post a few pix.