Making Peace: A Clinton Supporter Fights for Barack

This week I checked in with Clare Doody, the Political Director of Students for Barack Obama, a group of USC students campaigning for Barack Obama. She pointed out that the Barack Obama Facebook group has 820 members while the John McCain group only has 136 members. A representative from USC students for McCain pointed out that their group is newer.

Students for Barack Obama meets every Monday at 9pm in VKC 100. According to their Facebook site their goal is to recruit students to: "Help bring Senator Obama’s message of hope, action, change to our school today by joining our chapter of Students for Barack Obama!!" Note that the banner on the USC students for McCain Facebook page only has one exclamation point ("Join us as we rally support on and around campus for the next President of the United States, John McCain!").

The two groups, along with the Daily Trojan and the Unruh institute sponsor policy lunches with students, to stimulate their interest in the election. Each week a speaker comes and discusses a particular issue. The groups also contribute columns to the Daily Trojan about the topic.

The Barack Obama group also puts a table on Truesdale every Tuesday and Thursday from 12-2. They hand out information, stickers and help students register to vote. Clare says they try to encourage students from swing states to file an absentee ballot instead of voting in California. They believe this strategy will help Barack Obama become president.

Bret VandenBoss, the chapter leader of the Barack group, approaced Clare at the beginning of August. She had worked on the Hilary Clinton campaign prior to her defeat in the primary. Bret knew that Clare was already organized and ready to keep campaigning. The Barack group was getting more active after the convention, and preparing for the fall semester to begin.

"He knew I was ready to go," Clare said. "It wasn't something I would have sought out, but once it was on the table.."

The media framed the conflict between Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton neatly. Hilary supporters were bitter and lost after her defeat. Clare disagrees.

"For the record, I was an Obama supporter before it was cool, but I switched to Hilary. I was realistic about not marrying Hilary. I kept reminding people that we were all going to be on the same ticket in November."

The term cougar has been used to describe disgruntled Hilary supporters who are now against Barack Obama, and possible attracted to Sarah Palin, the other half of the McCain ticket and the proud owner of two X chromosomes.

PUMA
"I think Pumas are an urban myth. They don't exist. And Sarah Palin..." she trailed off, apparently to appaled to immediately voice her opinions.

"Sarah Palin thinks dinos lived with humans-terrifying, terrifying. Her inability to answer questions should be giving Americans pause. She's woefully incapable."

"This is definitely the biggest election in a lot of people's lifetime. We're at war. There's a black man on one ticket and a woman on the other, that's huge."