The upstart presidential run of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is drawing volunteers who haven't previously put their time and money on the line for a presidential candidate.
They wear Obama T-shirts and buttons, go door-to-door and use the Internet to recruit. Some are Obama moms - women with children and jobs carving hours out of their week to help the campaign.
"You don't have to have any credentials," said Kristl Tyler, who said she's working 20 hours a week heading up Denver4Obama.com. "We can e-mail while our kids are just playing in the background."
Tyler, 39, is a data analyst who is married, with an infant daughter. A lifelong Democrat, she nonetheless
voted for George W. Bush in the past two presidential elections. She said the country is ready for a change and that Obama's "values and intelligence" appeal to her.
Having the Obama family in the White House "could be the new Camelot," said Tyler, referring to the Kennedy presidency of the early 1960s.
Part of Obama's appeal to women is a "craving for authenticity," said Melinda Henneberger, author of the recent book "If They Only Listened to Us: What Women Voters Want Politicians to Hear."
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"I kind of want to stop the Hillary Clinton locomotive," said Dorothy Lee, 70, who was among a dozen volunteers canvassing downtown for Obama. She said she hadn't been this involved in political campaigns since the 1970s.
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_6103693