I have lived in this state all of my 44 years and have NEVER seen this kind of frenzy. My students are nuts for BO and have been working for weeks for him. (One of them registered over 70 voters and was up for that basketball thing tonight in Marion. He got tix to be there along with a friend.)
Everyone seems to have an opinion, even ones I don't like. And the focus is definitely going to bear down on us next week.
From the other side of the IU-Purdue divide (GO BOILERS!), I'd say Obama did the same thing here and in Bloomington. In fact, I believe they have been that successful at most of the major college towns.
Lafayette/ West Lafayette has about 90,000 people total and the university has like 38,000 (but some of those are counted in the WL population.) We registered about 6,000 new voters as well since January 1 and most of them are students.
Tippecanoe County sets up 20 vote centers for the election day. But we've had early voting on campus three days and will open early vote centers in two Payless stores, a suburban conservative church and the West Lafayette City Hall starting on SATURDAY -- thru the 4th. That includes Sunday 10 AM-7Pm.
The Obama people combed through all the dorms to get people to register and were able to come up with like 2,000+ just through that. Some won't go on to vote-- since we are in dead week and then finals next week as well. But they are holding all kinds of events to get people out to canvass neighborhoods and vote.
I am not tied into the Hillary Campaign, so I have no idea what they are doing really. But one of my students usually spills the beans -- not the brightest chap. I think they are relying on the old machine of our VERY popular mayor-- which means lots of union folks and old folks homes. Sadly this may work as he and the local State Reps all endorsed Hillary.
But one anecdote: When the Hillary Office officially opened, she had former first lady O'Bannon and Ann Lewis -- and 50 people. When Obama's Office opened a week earlier, they had no one official, no furniture and 250 volunteers to go canvass and register voters THAT day.
When Obama came to town, the 2500 tix went in less than an hour. On that same day, Clinton sent Wesley Clark in to speak to veterans, and they had 40 people. Bill Clinton drew nearly the same numbers as Obama in an earlier event here.
The polls are close. Time to get back to work!
Comments are closed for this post.
