Clinton, Sanders Campaigns Kick Off Local Super Tuesday Push
Clinton supporter Lynne Roberson speaks with coordinator Mary O'Brien and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier.
On Saturday, volunteers from the Sanders campaign began canvassing efforts while volunteers from the Clinton campaign opened an office to serve as a local headquarters. Both candidates are seeking the nomination for the Democratic party in the presidential race.
"We want to use the momentum we have nationally and reach out to the people who may be on the fence," said Steve Coyne, who is coordinating the Berkshire County efforts for the Vermont senator campaign.
"We are targeting Democrats and unenrolled voters."
Around two dozen volunteers joined together at the Pittsfield apartment of Ray Alt, who recently went viral because of his celebration dance at a Sanders rally in New Hampshire, to kick off the efforts.
"He's not bought. You can't question his integrity. And he's right on the issues," Alt said of Sanders.
Coyne said some 100 volunteers will be knocking on doors in North Adams, Great Barrington, Adams, Pittsfield, and Dalton this weekend. Next week the national campaign is expected to bring in additional resources.
On North Street, the Clinton campaign held a soft opening of an office which will serve as the base for phone banks, canvassing efforts, and as a headquarters for organization.
"You can call us a 'pop-up' office," said coordinator Mary O'Brien. "Today, we're hoping to offer the opportunity to participate."
Supporters were in an out throughout the day picking up signs and volunteering to call voters on behalf of the former secretary of state. O'Brien said the local efforts will go on right until Super Tuesday, March 1, in hopes to get voters and supporters to the polls.
"I have faith in Hillary and I have a doubt about Senator Sanders," O'Brien said, while questioning the ultimate impacts Sander's policies would have on the everyday person. "I happen to think his approach is too extreme in what is a center-right country."
O'Brien said Clinton, who was first lady for eight years before being elected U.S. senator from New York, has been involved in nearly every aspect of public life and has a strong understanding of all of the issues. She believes Clinton is the right person to build on President Barack Obama's progress on such issues as the Affordable Care Act or the Dodds-Frank consumer protection act.
"She's deep. She knows people. She's traveled. Her knowledge of foreign affairs is phenomenal," said volunteer Marietta Rapetti Cawse. "She has a grasp of very complicated issues. She is a leader. She doesn't shirk from tough decisions."
Cawse said she supports Clinton because "she's so consistent. She's had a concern for children and families since day 1."
"She's a person who is tried and true."
So far, polls show Sanders with a 7 percentage point lead in Massachusetts on Clinton. Coyne said he's found support in Berkshire County for Sanders that's transcended demographics.
"We have support across the board. The demographics don't matter," Coyne said.
Nationally, Sanders has been receiving the majority of the support from younger voters, an age gap that particularly impresses Alt. Alt said the millennials didn't "run up a $19 trillion" in debt but they are the ones who will pay for it. In return, investments in health care and education — "economic multipliers" — isn't too much to ask in return.
City Councilors John Krol and Peter White were both part of the canvassing efforts. Krol also pointed to the millennial generation as those who will be impacted by the next president.
"[Sanders] is changing the whole conversation," Krol said. "We're a progressive city and we're ready to work hard for it."
While the two parties agree a lot on the issues — particularly Citizens United — it is the tactics that divide the two parties. Sanders has proposed bold initiatives to do such things as break up the big banks and move to a "Medicare for all" system.
"We're looking to have a president who will protect the working men and women in America," Coyne said.
Clinton supporters say those bold plans may do more harm that good by undermining some of the steps forward Obama took on those issues. O'Brien said change takes time and Clinton has shown the ability to continue progress.
"Now we have the opportunity to follow up with Obama and achieve change," she said.
State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Gailanne Cariddi both stopped into the office to volunteer their time to campaign for Clinton.
"Hilary is the most qualified person on the plant to be president of the United States," Farley-Bouvier said. "She has the experience to get it done... She just has the depth and breathe of experience that we need."
Nationally, the two candidates are in a tight race for the Democratic nomination. The two are battling for delegates for the national convention when the party picks its candidate. A number of states will vote on March 1, including Massachusetts. Volunteers from both parties will now spend the next two weeks driving out support for their respective parties.
Tags: campaign, Democratic Party, election 2016, president, primary,
