A surprising visit to Obama’s headquarters

by Lauren Fox

 

Youthful college-aged volunteers filled a sweltering Obama headquarters when Presidency and the Press visited on Monday.

 

The Presidency and the Press students traveled to Manchester, NH in order to get an inside look at the campaign center.

 

The walls were covered with an array of multi-colored posters, hand-written memos, and photographs.

 

Many visiting students were surprised with the headquarters’ disheveled environment.  “It just wasn’t what I had expected. There were water stains on the ceiling. The tables were broken down. It just felt disorganized, though I know they’re on a low budget,” said Stephen Keimig, 18.

 

Other students saw past the disorganization. It appeared evident that the volunteers put an emphasis on communicating their candidate’s platform. Katie Silverman, 17, said, “The people there really knew what they were talking about.”

 

Emeric Szep, 18, found the center to be “friendly, realistic, and engaging.”

 

Though not all students were entirely impressed, many peppered the Obama volunteers with questions about the upcoming election. The volunteers were lively and passionate about their candidate, but Keimig felt their attire was distracting. “The way they dressed and conducted themselves was even less than casual. I had a hard time seeing how they got people to be on their side,” he said.

 

The college volunteers made an effort to convince the students to vote Obama.

Szep said, “They made me feel a part of the family. I’m a fan of Obama.”

 

Silverman said, “I had only heard negative stuff about him. My parents are very conservative. After hearing a different point of view it gave me a different perspective on the candidate.”