Photos by Joseph Edgecomb / The Collegian
The walls of the Fresno County Republican Party headquarters off of Shaw Avenue are covered in American flags, McCain / Palin ’08 posters and large wall hangings that declare “Country Firstâ€Â.
People of varying ages and backgrounds volunteer their time from a few hours up to 40 hours per week. The office sells John McCain buttons, bumper stickers and Sarah Palin t-shirts that read “We can do it!â€Â
Volunteers scamper in and out of the office as they coordinate events such as Thursday̢۪s vice presidential gala, pick up yard signs for delivery to McCain supporters and organize door to door solicitation of McCain votes as the election looms 32 days from now.
Most of the Fresno Republican volunteers believe McCain understands the working class and has an edge in international policy experience over Barack Obama.
Carly Hammond
Student, senior majoring in psychology
How long have you been volunteering? Since May 2008
Hours? 30-40 hours per week
Why support the McCain campaign? “National defense.â€Â
What does McCain bring to the Fresno community?
“He holds the small town values that Fresno relies on. The farmers and the local business owners, that’s what he stands for.â€Â
Glenda Allen
Retired software engineer and former Democrat
How long have you been volunteering? Three months
Hours? 20-25 hours per week
Why support the McCain campaign? “I support McCain because he is far more conservative than Obama. When I listen to Obama, I hear extremely liberal viewpoints.â€Â
What does McCain bring to the Fresno community?
“Creating jobs. Fresno relies on the farmers and the local business owners, that’s what he stands for.â€Â
David Borchardt
Real estate broker
How long have you been volunteering? “I’ve participated on the Republican side for every election the last 10-15 years.â€Â
Hours? Couple hours per week
Why support the McCain campaign?
“Much more experience and better judgment.â€Â
What does McCain bring to the Fresno community?
“He understands the needs of agriculture in our valley.â€Â
Alison Morris
Student majoring in political science
How long have you been volunteering? About 3 weeks
Hours? 10-12 hours per week
Why support the McCain campaign?
“As far as economic policies and his experience with foreign policy, he’s a very knowledgeable candidate to lead the country in the right direction.â€Â
What does McCain bring to the Fresno community?
“Low taxes and he’s a champion for the people.â€Â
PalinS_cks • Oct 3, 2008 at 12:11 pm
McCain is going to die 3 months and Palin will be president. She will blow the country up and we will all die. J/K Palin S_cks. Watch the debate she went around a lot of the questions. I was a McCain supporter until the Katie Couric interview.
As far as scrutinizing her, well she is next in line for the presidency if McCain dies. So we as the american public should scrutinize and pick at her like a dog on a bone. We need to know information about her besides she sees russia from her house. We need details she is not clear at stating her stand points.
PalinS_cks • Oct 3, 2008 at 7:11 pm
McCain is going to die 3 months and Palin will be president. She will blow the country up and we will all die. J/K Palin S_cks. Watch the debate she went around a lot of the questions. I was a McCain supporter until the Katie Couric interview.
As far as scrutinizing her, well she is next in line for the presidency if McCain dies. So we as the american public should scrutinize and pick at her like a dog on a bone. We need to know information about her besides she sees russia from her house. We need details she is not clear at stating her stand points.