Obama Campaign Opens 13th Virginia Office   ...4 of 4 >

"...it's the people power."
Michelle Noth - Neighborhood Team Leader 
Noth, who works on education and child care policy, started helping out Organizing for America in winter 2010.  She described her role as team leader as being a resource for others in the team, which includes a canvass caption, a phone bank captain and a data captain.  Noth has some previous political experience.  In 2008 she volunteered on the Obama campaign, helping out with fundraising in New York as well as in Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.  She also volunteered on Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)'s 2004 campaign when she was a student.
"The excitement of registering voters...you feel like you're really doing something."
John Morland - Neighborhood Team Leader
Morland, a retired attorney, helped regional field director Aaron Rosenberg find the Columbia PIke office.  He also led a discussion group, and last weekend was involved in the voter registration effort at Clarendon Metro.  He said of his role as team leader that "it's not a huge position of power."  "Everybody comes up with ideas," he said.  As to the prospect of a negative campaign in the Fall, Morland said, "We can't worry about that.  We have to push forward in what we believe in."  Morland described himself as a Democratic supporter for many years and said that since he has recently retired it is time to play a bigger role.

"Can we talk to enough voters?"
Barbara Kanninen - State Co-Chair of Women for Obama
Kanninen, who owns an econometrics consulting firm, became a co-chair of Women for Obama in February 2012.  Although this group has not yet done its official roll-out, in mid-February Women for Obama threw about 40 house parties across the state to bring people in to the effort, and at the end of March they started doing woman to woman persuasion calls to independent voters.  Kanninen and her husband have been active in Arlington politics for years.  In 2011 she served as statewide coordinator of the petitioning that put President Obama on the March 6, 2012 primary ballot (this required gathering 10,000 signatures from eligible voters, at least 400 from each congressional district, August and the first week of December).



"Obama is a very good candidate."
Liz Towell - Phone Bank Captain
Towell, an attorney, connected with the campaign after responding to an email from the Arlington County Young Democrats.  She met with field organizer John Hooe and has been serving as phone bank captain for four or five weeks.  Towell is originally from Detroit, where her parents were politically active, and involved her in campaign events as she grew up.  Referring to Romney's call to "let Detroit go bankrupt," Towell said, "I don't consider him a fellow Michigander."  While in college at University of Michigan she was part of Students for Dean and took a road trip to Iowa to help out the campaign, including babysitting so people could go to the caucus.  Later in 2004 she led the campus registration effort for Students for Kerry.


"...Educate people and make sure they know the president's record."
Noah Habeeb - Volunteer
Habeeb is a senior at Yorktown High School, and president of the Yorktown High School Young Democrats.  He has helped with registration at his high school, and said that it is mainly a question of putting the form in front of his classmates.  Habeeb lauded Obamacare stating, "I think it's a great accomplishment.

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