patching...
Welcome back, Patch Blogger!

Obama Campaign Office Opens in Sarasota

President Barack Obama's campaign, Obama For America, has set up shop at 305 Gillespie Ave. in Sarasota.

 

Supporters for President Barack Obama couldn't even make it through the door at a packed opening house Saturday in Sarasota.

"The Obama Knights are coming," said Karen Andre, deputy political director of Florida for the Obama campaign, in front of a standing room only crowd at the headquarters.

Obama For America opened up nine phone banks and campaign offices, including a regional headquarters at 305 Gillespie Ave., in Sarasota., beside the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce offices.

"It's all about momentum," said Rita Ferrandino, chairwoman of Sarasota County Democratic Party. "It's about the fact that people want to see the president elected and they're taking time out of their beautiful Saturday afternoon."

For Ferrandino, the rally re-affirms public support for Obama.

"At times people feel isolated in their support of the president, and it's times like this people come out of the woodworks to celebrate the start of the campaign," she added. She also noted the attendance equals, if not betters, the 2008 office opening rally for Obama on Main Street.

City Commissioner and the Rev. Willie Shaw rallied supporters at the event. Shaw, who noted his appearance was not one representing his office, said that the enthusiasm volunteers showed to re-elect Obama was outstanding. 

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has his Florida headquarters just down the street on Fruitville Road and having both setting up shop in Sarasota represents the opportunities the city gives to national political players, attendees noted.

"I always feel that it's rally support that candidates get here," Shaw said. "This is always important. Sarasota is such a wonderful city."

Ferrandino added that the city is a great fundraising base for both parties, but ultimately she hopes the Santorum office "becomes defunct."

According to Huffington Post's Fundrace 2012 tracker, Boar's Head owner Frank Brunkhorst has contributed the most in Sarasota to various Democratic causes and candidates, including the Obama Victory Fund, for a total of $88,600 this election cycle.

Obama and the Democratic National Committee has spent about $87 million in operating costs for the campaign, according to a New York Times analysis:

"The gap in spending underscores facts easily lost amid the president’s low approval ratings, his challenges in winning over independent voters and the gridlock he faces in Washington: Mr. Obama brings unmatched financial resources to the campaign trail, and a team with a well-honed sense of where and how to deploy money, people and technology.

“In the past three months, we’ve grown our organizing staff by 50 percent and opened up three new field offices every week,” Jim Messina, Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, wrote in an e-mail to supporters on Thursday. “Thousands of volunteers and organizers made 3 million phone calls and in-person visits to voters.”

 

Manatee County Democrats also are lending their help to the campaign to support the regional office in Sarasota.

The Manatee County club went on a drive to collect names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses leading up to the grand opening of the regional headquarters to organize support and fundraising dollars, said Sheryl Wilson, spokeswoman for the club.

"I think we're all just ready to get to work and I think we recognize the organization is part of the work we're doing," Wilson said. 

The campaign is going for a grassroots approach having volunteers focus on getting support in their neighborhoods, according to Democrat leaders at the grand opening.

Leaders at the event noted the young adult involvement being vital to the Obama campaign, as College Democrats of America chapters and members are getting involved to find out what it takes to campaign and fundraise. 

The Republican Party of Sarasota sent out an e-mail blast to its base letting people know about the grand opening as a way to increase its own volunteer and donation efforts.

"We cannot . . . we must not let this happen. Our country cannot afford 4 more years of ineffective leadership. Obama may be a failed President, but he is an exceptional campaigner," wrote Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota.

Related Topics: election 2012, participate 2012, and president obama 2012 campaign

Patch_comments_icon

Brenda Smoak

6:46 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Is there a phone number yet? When is the office officially opening?

Reply
Comment_arrow

Diana

10:21 pm on Saturday, March 10, 2012

WOW ! Obama has created "shovel ready" jobs in Sarasota !

Comment_arrow

BikerBill Gatewood

8:23 am on Monday, March 12, 2012

Can I get a defeat Obama in 2012 sign there? I gave away 15o yesterday at early Mass, everyone wanted one in my church for their front yard in Sarasota. People are printing them up on their computers and taping to fences, etc.....My sister in Naples and cousin in Tampa saw a bunch their to. These defeat Obama signs are catching on.

Comment_arrow

Hannah

12:46 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Actually, when Obama took over from George W. Bush, the U.S. economy was losing 750,000 jobs PER MONTH, and lately it's gaining about 200,000 per month, and there have been twenty-four months of private sector job growth. Nice try, though.
I plan to arrive in Florida and hit the ground phoning for you in October and will come earlier if I can. Hello, folks, Romney is noted for sending jobs to Mexico, China or anywhere but the US. Could it be that you are racist?

Comment_arrow

Diana

9:18 pm on Monday, April 2, 2012

Obama lied
America died.......
nobama 2012

Comment_arrow

Connie Potts

7:08 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012

Postings reflects minimal research and knowledge. T-h-i-n-k for yourself !

Les Mack

4:34 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012

Are the acorn folks there yet?!?

Reply
Comment_arrow

Diana

10:24 pm on Saturday, March 10, 2012

Acorn was re named after being caught registering dead people to vote .

Comment_arrow

Connie Potts

7:03 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012

Are you volunteering to go register voters, encourage voter turnout? Betcha' neighbors won't like that . . . ,

Kyle

12:46 am on Saturday, March 10, 2012

This is indeed good news, I knew he would create a job if we gave him long enough.

Reply
Comment_arrow

Alex E. Cahn

9:49 pm on Sunday, March 25, 2012

Actually, when Obama took over from George W. Bush, the U.S. economy was losing 750,000 jobs PER MONTH, and lately it's gaining about 200,000 per month, and there have been twenty-four months of private sector job growth. Nice try, though.

Deborah G Flynn

5:23 am on Saturday, March 10, 2012

Lets give him one of the Defeat Obabam signs then because the Acorn people can't read they'll think its a good thing ROLFMAO

Reply

Diana

12:40 am on Sunday, March 11, 2012

The Obama administration’s apparent willingness to award its cronies with no-bid contracts, as well as the seeming willingness to test questionable vaccines on children makes one wonder if this is what the President meant when he said he has the most open and ethical administration in history.

Reply

Diana

12:42 am on Sunday, March 11, 2012

According to the Los Angeles Times, with the exception of existing in locked freezers in Russia and U.S. labs, the smallpox virus was eradicated in 1978. Yet, in a no-bid contract, the Obama administration has given $443 million of American taxpayers’ money for a “experimental smallpox drug” to a bio-defense company, Siga, controlled by billionaire Democrat-donor Ron Perleman and whose board ex-SEIU boss Andy Stern sits on.

When Siga was in danger of losing its grip on the contract a year ago, the officials blocked other firms from competing.

Siga was awarded the final contract in May through a “sole-source” procurement in which it was the only company asked to submit a proposal.

Reply

Diana

12:43 am on Sunday, March 11, 2012

The contract calls for Siga to deliver 1.7 million doses of the drug for the nation’s biodefense stockpile. The price of approximately $255 per dose is well above what the government’s specialists had earlier said was reasonableSiga’s questionable government deal may eventually mean $2.8 billion in revenues While the Times notes that there is no credible evidence that the threat of a smallpox outbreak is imminent and that the U.S. already owns enough vaccine to treat the entire population, the Obama administration’s ties to Siga become even more questionable, considering the recent recommendation to start experimenting with an Anthrax vaccine on America’s children.

Reply
Comment_arrow

Deborah G Flynn

7:39 am on Monday, March 12, 2012

The vaccine costs exactly 34 cents a dose to produce. That is with overhead and salaries. talk about a scam.

Diana

7:30 pm on Sunday, March 11, 2012

Vote Early -Vote often !

Reply

BikerBill Gatewood

8:28 am on Monday, March 12, 2012

Is this the place in Sarasota where they have the defeat Obama sign in 2012?
Defeat Obama in 2012 signs are all over Manatee County.
Someone was handing them out in church yesterday. Our priest took one to.

Reply
Comment_arrow

TreasureCoastforOBAMA

5:10 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Recently, you posted the below comment to Sarasota Patch. Your contribution has been removed from the site because your neighbors on Patch flagged it three times for being inappropriate.

Here is your comment:

"Wonderful Campaign !!!!! The brain only remembers the important information: Obama in 2012"

Comment_arrow

Viola Posthuma

4:41 pm on Monday, October 1, 2012

so much for separation of church and state

Diana

10:31 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012

Almost anyone with a skill or a certificate can be a college instructor. Undergraduates are routinely taught by instructors working on a Masters degree.

That Obama was never hired as a full time instructor or a professor or a "tenure tracked professor '' FOR TEN (10)YEARS is very telling. He was hired as cheap hourly labor and was never considered for advancement.

Ignorant people voted for him because they were impressed. The "spin" was that he was a professor. He was cheap labor and he needed a job.

Strange is it not,that neither Barack or Michelle were able to hold on to their law license.Wonder what they did to lose it..? Records are sealed.

Reply
Comment_arrow

Tony T

4:56 pm on Monday, October 1, 2012

Handing out posters after chruch is not a violation church and state especially if was not done by chruch staff . I would perfer that if it was done it not done on church property. What is a violation of church and state and their tax exempt status is preaching and endorisng a certain candidate from the pulpit or having a political candidate give a political speech from the pulpit, This is done in many ethnic churches and it really should not be.....this is a violation.

Caren Flynn

3:34 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Is Caren Lobo and her husband working in the Democratic Party office in Sarasota.? Her attempt to influence the city attorney on behalf of the President is sickening. I am a registered Democrat, a proud Democrat but what I see and hear about the Presidents attack on the Catholic religion, the Sarasota "defeat Obama 2012" sign, health care and the administrations use of regulators to circumvent the Constitution has left me cold and contemplating voting for the Republican candidate for the first time ever in 20 years. Obama has divided the country by demonizing his opposition.

Reply
Comment_arrow

Deborah G Flynn

4:04 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012

It is vey refreshing to see someone from the praty in question having a mind of their own. Articulate too, the reality of us all being Americans has started to come through. I am a registered Republican but when a candidate has violated the very fabric of our way of life I feel the same way. I have voted democrat as recently as this past year when I voted for the Democratic Governer of our state. He has proven to be a very responsible leader and takes all his cinstituents needs into his thought process. The reality is OBAMA has violated EVERY trust facftor. He has shown himself to be a left wing radical that quite friankly is as bad as a right wing nut case. The majority of Americans are center right and almost as equal center left. When a President divides us the way this man has with his rhetoric and trampling the constitution then people of all parties get upset. I will vote for anyone but OBAMA when in the past I would never do that. I would vote for the best man for the job. Unfortuneatly he has proven to be the worst man for the job

TreasureCoastforOBAMA

5:14 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Censorship is alive and well in Sarasota !!!!!!!!
I guess the GOP want to delete the First Amendment when they add their
Biblical interpretation to our Constitution.
FYI

Recently, you posted the below comment to Sarasota Patch. Your contribution has been removed from the site because your neighbors on Patch flagged it three times for being inappropriate.

Here is your comment:

"Wonderful Campaign !!!!! The brain only remembers the important information: Obama in 2012"

Reply

Diana

9:37 pm on Saturday, March 31, 2012

OMG !
I talked with a lady that adopted a black baby because we have a black president.
Imagine,fashion in adoption.
An imported baby of course,not domestic.
I am not kidding.........

Reply

Dr Geoff Clarke

5:46 am on Sunday, April 1, 2012

In my practice I see a lot of people who have developed a new rekindled desire to fit in with this charasmatic President to the point they do things like this.They want to show how very liberal they are . While I believe children of any color or nationality need a strong family I abhor the pocket pet school of adoption when people "buy" deisigner dogs or children for that matter to prove a point. In this case it is to prove how openminded they are. The poor child often suffers resentment from the family at some point because this isn't a "love" adoption.They become objects of some weird political game. Goeff

Reply

Connie Potts

7:15 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012

WHAT !? Child could very well be loved, adopted for many good reasons, be well nurtured. How very negative and judgmental a perceived outcome without info !

Reply

Connie Potts

1:21 pm on Saturday, August 11, 2012

OMG. Ryan's budget is indefensible. GO DEMS! Want to know about Ryan's positions? You thought it was Romney running as presidential candidate? Doubtful with Ryan's single-minded ideology. V-e-r-y Scary! see http://meetpaulryan.com

Reply
Patch_comments_icon

Brenda Smoak

11:37 am on Monday, October 15, 2012

Hi Ron there is an Obama office at Fruitville and Gillespie. Open most days till 8pm. Feel free to stop in. They will be happy to have your help. If you want to call them or Google them, it's called OFA.

Reply

Peg Rodrgues

1:48 pm on Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Peg Rodrigues
Sarasota

Do you folks really want all your neighbors knowing just how ignorant and yes, racist, you are. A better sign for your front lawn might be, "Vote! It is a priviledge to have the freedom of choice.

Reply
Comment_arrow

Kate Rigatuso

1:28 pm on Friday, October 26, 2012

Thank you for one of the very few intelligent comments on this site.

Leave a comment