"Unprecedented"

July 9, 2008

Today’s Kansas City Star reported:

The [Obama] campaign said Tuesday it is tripling its paid staff — to an unprecedented 150 workers, who will fan out from 30 field offices across the state, from West Plains to Maryville.

"It’s unheard of," veteran Democratic worker Woody Overton of Kansas City said of the effort and expenditure.

"It’s unbelievable."

By comparison, the Star noted that at its height, John Kerry’s Missouri campaign had a dozen or so offices and 80 full-time workers. John McCain plans to have 12 to 14 full-time workers and 10 offices in the state, although currently the Republican campaign has only four people on the ground.

Missouri is just one example of our campaign’s plan to expand the electoral map and build infrastructure in all 50 states.

But in every case, the most valuable assets are the grassroots supporters and volunteers organizing community by community, block by block and door by door.

Building grassroots, neighbor-to-neighbor networks can be the most powerful means of advertising, easily surpassing those ubiquitous 30-second TV ads, Obama’s aides say.

"That’s the best message we’re ever going to get," said Buffy Wicks, Obama’s lead Missouri operative.

"At the end of the day, Missouri will be won or loss in the margins," Wicks said. "Field is what gets you over the top. It’s these person-to-person contacts that really give you an edge."

Field workers, Organizing Fellows and grassroots supporters in Missouri have organized over over house parties and 150 voter registration events in the last month alone. It’s all part of an unprecedented effort, not just in Missouri, but in all 50 states.

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