Not even 20 seconds into Governor Sarah Palin’s take on the economy, the crowd was already shouting at the screen.
In a small storefront at 105th Street and Broadway, 50 local Democratic activists gathered Thursday night to watch the vice presidential debate in movie-theater screen proportions. Sitting among Barack Obama posters in the main room of their campaign base, members of the Three Parks Independent Democrats and the Broadway Democrats passed around Palin bingo cards and sipped wine from plastic cups.
The sizable turnout for an evening of cheering and snickering, managers said, reflected the enthusiasm local activists say they have encountered since opening the storefront a month ago. Launched at the end of August, the base has been registering voters, phone banking, and canvassing for Obama, while also working in congressional and state senate races.
Three Parks member Steve Max, who serves as one of the storefront’s managers, said
local turnout since opening has been surprising.
Max said that the store receives a lot of traffic, even when it is closed.
“It’s hard to close at night,” he said. “People just keep coming no matter how late it gets, and that’s just the response we’ve been getting.”
The store is not the first partnership for the two groups. Three Parks and Broadway Democrats teamed up four years ago, when they manned a storefront on 106th Street to campaign for the John Kerry presidential campaign. Since their renewed effort in August, they have signed up 900 volunteers, and expect to register their 5000th voter sometime Friday, according to Cynthia Doty, Democratic leader of the 69th Assembly District.
But Thursday’s debate between Palin and Senator Joe Biden also drew a less political contingent, and a small crowd of passersby lingered, watching the debate from outside.
Shirley Moulton, a local resident who is not involved with either activist group, said she just came to watch the debate with her friend. She walked away impressed with Biden, echoing the general consensus of the room.
“Joe Biden was amazing. I have such renewed respect for him. I can’t believe he delivered the way he delivered,” Moulton said.
