|
Obama's troops seek Nevada voters one at a time Street-level politics
September 25, 2007 LAS VEGAS -- Susan Gray and Tom Harper, momentarily lost amid a labyrinth of desert-hued apartment buildings, attract curious stares from tenants as they scurry along snaking sidewalks until they finally find the address on their list: a second-floor unit at the top of a flight of stairs.
Harper knocks on the door as Gray adjusts her armload of Barack Obama 2008 Nevada caucus pledge cards. Neither notices the retirement-age man on the sidewalk below, hands held loosely at his sides, his upturned face suspicious over an untucked blue shirt.
"Can I help you?" the man demands. No, Harper says, peering over the rail, they're just looking for the apartment dweller. "I see his car," the man offers, nodding toward the parking lot, and suggests his neighbor might be sleeping because he works odd hours. "Can I help you?" he demands again, more sharply this time.
Harper looks down at him and, after a pause, explains that they're working for the Obama campaign and that the person at the address is listed as a supporter. "Good," the man says, touching his right hand to the small of his back, "because I've got my .44 back here."
......
|