Barack Comes to Pittsburgh and Tidbits from My Time on the Campaign Trail

 

Barack Obama traveled to Pittsburgh today. More than 16,000 people packed into Mellon Arena. Special guests included Art Rooney, Gov. Ed Rendell, and Sen. Bob Casey. It was a cold day in the Burgh and people turned out for this event, which was held at 3 p.m. today. This was Barack’s last chance to interact with Pittsburgh voters before the election on Nov. 4. Bill Clinton will be stumping for Obama on Wednesday in the area. 

Last weekend, I worked all day and all night at the Obama HQ in Pittsburgh. The experience is nothing short of awe-inspiring. This is the first time I’ve lived in a battleground state during a presidential election and I can say that I have never seen anything like it. The Obama campaign has at least 15 offices in Southwestern Pennsylvania. There are surrogates here on a daily basis and there are ads during every single television program. There are calls and canvassers everywhere. I have never seen anything like it. It’s amazing for a politico, like myself.

Last weekend, I worked with labor union members from all across the country. Hundreds of union members have traveled to Pittsburgh to support Senator Obama in this election. All of the union reps I met–Teamsters, AFSCME, and many others–were some of the most genuine people I’ve met during political campaigns. I’ve worked on local, state, and national campaigns and these folks were the most dedicated and hard-working volunteers I’ve ever seen. My entire view of the union faction has changed after this interaction. Unions are falsely portrayed as anarchists in the media. I’m also in a conservative MBA program, where unions are depicted as an obstruction to business continuity. I’m so happy to be working on this campaign and meeting people with different backgrounds and experiences!