The new campaign headquarters for U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama had its official opening on Thursday, Jan. 17, at 12 Raymond Ave. in the Town of Poughkeepsie. Approximately 100 supporters gathered at the makeshift office for a “ribbon-cutting” ceremony in the evening, and Obama fans in attendance came in all ages, shapes, colors and sizes.
“America is on the verge of history, No. 1,” said Joyce S. Johnson, daughter of former Poughkeepsie alderman Stanley “Cubby” Johnson, and Barack Obama’s statewide petition coordinator in his New York office. Johnson also put together the slate of delegates from New York State who support the man who coined the phrase “Fired up and ready to go!”
The delegates took turns speaking to the room, which was packed tightly with supporters. “What we do locally is going to affect what happens globally,” Town of Poughkeepsie resident Frederica Goodman said to inspired applause. Goodman, along with other volunteers, helped to locate and open the headquarters to serve as a local meeting and planning point for the Obama campaign in the Hudson Valley.
Audience members listened with focus, cheered and chanted throughout the proceedings. “I’m a registered Republican,” one person yelled out during the ceremony. “So am I,” someone else added. Information about upcoming activities, lists of the issues, buttons and bumper stickers were all available. Refreshments were also on hand.
“Obama is clearly the right choice for us,” added Pete Wassell, county legislator for Dover/Union Vale, who officially endorsed his candidacy. “He brings inspiration and hope; he’s the right choice.”
Supporter Paula Williams, daughter of Bluford Jackson, the first black American Legion commander in the county, showed her ardent support throughout the evening. She said, “My father said you will see a black president in your lifetime,” and carried much of the rhetoric that was floating throughout the crowd: “If you listen to him (Barack), all the others say ‘I will,’ but he says ‘We will’ – it’s not ‘I,’ it’s ‘We,’”
Curtiz Simpson, another self-proclaimed Republican in attendance and a DCC student majoring in international law and diplomacy, added “He has a trustworthiness that the others just don’t have – as a student I believe he’s going to be able to help education,”
Regular walk-in office hours are planned for 5-8 p.m. on weeknights and 12-8 p.m. on weekends. The volunteers will also be meeting Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. at the Muddy Cup on Main Street in Poughkeepsie until Feb. 5. Volunteers are needed for door-to-door campaigning, phone banks, and planned rallies.
Even though Obama is not scheduled to appear in Poughkeepsie any time soon, the supporters are still confident and excited, and willing to put in the extra hours and energy to get their candidate elected. “What’s so great about this is it’s a volunteer effort,” said Johnson. “This is life in fine form.”
For more information, visit: www.BarackObama.com or for local information and events call Goodman at 240-6700 or volunteer coordinator Mike Casper at 240-6717.
Hillary opens office as well
Amid much less fanfare, fellow presidential candidate and New York Senator Hillary Clinton also opened a local office this week. Clinton’s Dutchess County office will be located at Dutchess County Democratic Committee headquarters at 41 Page Park Dr., Poughkeepsie.
The Dutchess location is one of nine regional offices opening around the state, and the Clinton campaign boasts more than 20,000 New York volunteers, according to a press release from campaign officials.