Victory HQ

Yesterday I paid a visit to the John Mc Cain campaign's New Mexican headquarters located here in Albuquerque. The reason for my visit was to somehow tip the balance of my reporting on my blog and the radio documentary I'm doing for Trinity FM. While I was expecting a bunch of bible-bashing conservative Christians, I was very pleasantly surprised.

The atmosphere in the headquarters can only be described as 'folksy', to use a very American adjective. Upon arrival, I was welcomed at the front desk by a middle-aged American mom who was extremely friendly and helpful. She introduced me to the chief organiser who again was very welcoming. He invited me to have some food which was laid out in the volunteer room where there was a modest army of volunteers making campaign calls. While I was there, the campaign staff held a raffle for the volunteers. Top prize was a Mc Cain - Palin yard sign with various other prizes such as car bumber stickers, badges etc. It was like a church fete!

News travelled fast that I was Irish and all of a sudden I had loads of people come out of the woodwork to tell me about their Irish roots. It was all very good humoured.. apart from a woman who was embittered by the Democrats' claim to represent the African American community. As she put it, Lincoln, a lifelong Republican, had freed the slaves and she was vehement that Dr. Martin Luther King was a Republican, something which is strongly upheld by the National Black Republican Association. In a country where partisan divisions have been blurred throughtout its brief history, it is hard to tell who say who is telling the truth. As one Obama supporter said to me though it is without doubt that Dr. King would have supported Obama's candidacy. I tend to agree.

And while the atmosphere was certainly very folksy, the paid staffers were wary of me because they saw me as a media person. I wasn't allowed conduct any interviews with staffers or volunteers on the record nor was I allowed take any close-up photographs. They scheduled an interview for me with the Communications Director for the south west region of the Mc Cain campaign.

I interviewed the lady in question, Yvette Barajas this afternoon. A confident and well prepared young woman, Yvette was very on top of her brief. She didn't stray once from the party line and refused to divulge any sensitive camapaign strategy. When I asked her what she felt Sarah Palin added to the campaign, she told me that Palin had concrete answers to the ailing American economy. Her experience as a mayor and governor would lend her an insight into middle America, an essential for Vice Presidents and indeed Presidents. While I was obviously not swayed by Yvette's mastery of PR, I can see how other people would be.

With five days left in the campaign, the Mc Cain camp seem to have an uphill struggle on their hands. From seeing the Obama campaign from the inside, I don't see how Mc Cain has a hope of winning. This is America though where we're told anything is possible.