Resolute volunteers define grass roots
As Tuesday's Indiana primary closes in, plenty of folks think the Democratic nomination contest has dragged on long enough, thank you.
If it feels long to us, consider how long and winding the campaign trail must seem for the volunteers.
There's Matt Flamm, of Palatine, who dived in a few weeks after watching Barack Obama announce his candidacy in Springfield last year and now has worked in eight states on his behalf. Or Donna Kouri, of Naperville, who since November has devoted "hours and hours and hours" working on Hillary Clinton's behalf.
Presidential candidates raise tons of cash, but their efforts also rely on fuel -- in the form of time, labor and loyalty -- offered up by thousands of volunteers.
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Many of these workers, including some from Chicago's suburbs, trudged through snowy Iowa five months ago, and many this weekend are traipsing through Indiana -- the latest in a long line of supposed make-or-break primaries.
Besides walking door to door to generate votes, they've worked phone banks, generated letters and distributed signs and buttons, often giving up whatever hobbies and interests once occupied their free time.
Why?
"She gives hope to me, as a female and a teacher," Kouri said. "I've always been the type of person who works for the underdog, and she's addressing the needs of the entire country including those who, because they don't have the means, are overlooked."
A similar sentiment, only for Obama, comes from Merri Bizjack, of Palatine, who, working with Flamm's group, has campaigned in Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana, as well as Illinois.
"This has gotten to the point where it's not even so much about (Obama)," said Bizjack, who thinks Obama's election would spawn an unprecedented spirit of volunteerism. "It's about us, and he's the catalyst. He calls out the best in so many people."
Some volunteers have pledged their loyalty to a candidate only in recent months. Others, like Clinton volunteer John Schumacher, of Naperville, who has made calls to voters in Maine, Texas, Wyoming and Pennsylvania, have admired their candidate much longer.
"I've been a fan of Hillary Clinton since I was in middle school, and I'm 26 now," said Schumacher, a teacher. "I don't think you can see her in person and not be moved by her as a caring and compassionate person."
That was the message being delivered in Highland, Ind., Saturday by those believers, like Betsy Ebeling of Arlington Heights, whose bonds with Clinton were forged decades ago when they were growing up in Park Ridge. Ebeling, along with Ernest Ricketts of Oak Brook and Kathleen Burgess of Geneva, told prospective Hoosier voters that the Hillary she knows is "funny, big-hearted" and has the intelligence and compassion to be a successful president. And the experience.
"I don't think we have time for the new president to have a learning curve," one of Clinton's friends, Patsy Bowles of downstate Bloomington, told a woman who asked how she could persuade her husband to vote for Hillary instead of Obama.
Granted, the long-term ties of Clinton's Park Ridge pals are unique among volunteers. Still, most others agree the work offers its own rewards.
Chet Farley, a Palatine graphics artist who works about 20 hours a week on Obama's campaign and spent Saturday knocking on doors in South Bend, said his group has met scores of interesting people.
"I've also sort of challenged my own prejudices," Farley said, "because I've gone to neighborhoods I never would have gone to before, and that's been great."
For many, working for a cause they believe in has been the biggest reward.
"I was telling my mom on the phone," Schumacher said, "how great it feels to believe in someone and to work so hard for someone who views issues the way you do."
So dedicated are both camps to their candidate that some Democrats fear the losing side will not embrace the eventual winner -- a concern borne out by some exit polls and at least some local volunteers.
"Honestly, no; I just can't," Bizjack said softly when asked whether she would vote for Clinton in November if Obama falls short. "I couldn't vote for McCain either. I have issues with Nader, too, so that makes it really difficult."
Flamm, though, thinks Democrats will quickly unite once a nominee is determined. "Everyone said conservative Republicans wouldn't support John McCain," he said. "Then Romney dropped out, and I haven't heard another word about that."
Even if there's occasional friction between Clinton and Obama volunteers, few agree with the often heard sentiment that the primary season simply has lasted too long.
If the number of people volunteering is any gauge, then public interest has hardly waned.
Farley said workers signing up for Obama's Northwest suburban group has roughly quadrupled to about 400 since Iowa.
Patricia Park, a Clinton staffer working Northwest Indiana, said her camp had hundreds of volunteers working neighborhoods throughout the state this weekend.
So fired up are some volunteers that the time zones mean nothing.
Larry Glowacki, an Obama volunteer from Crystal Lake, said in South Bend Saturday that he's been waking up at 3:30 a.m. to call prospective voters in Guam, which held its caucus Saturday and is 15 hours ahead of Chicago.
Flamm -- who said his wife and law partners have been "very understanding" of his commitment -- noted that the prolonged contest has given more Americans a chance to see the candidates and cast meaningful votes.
"Barack spoke to 10,000 people in Pittsburgh and 30,000 people in Philadelphia," Flamm said, "none of whom would have heard him if it had been over before Pennsylvania."
Others see the long grind as a valuable indicator of whether each candidate has what it takes.
"To me, it's like the Olympics decathalon," Farley said. "That's what it's like when candidates have to show what they can do in the North and the South, in rural areas and cities, in black areas and white. I think it's been a terrific test of their strengths and weaknesses."