McCain Camp doesn't have enough volunteers - have to hire "mercenaries for ground war"

[sabra]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5019585.ece

Republicans hire mercenaries for ground war against Barack Obama

Two women walk out of John McCain’s Mid-West headquarters carrying a pile of voter canvassing sheets, one sports a baseball hat declaring her a “team leader” of the Republican campaign. And both are black — an unusual sight in an election where Barack Obama’s support among African Americans is almost monolithic.

Are they volunteers? They look at each other sheepishly. “Not exactly,” replies one. “We work for an employment agency,” says the other. Who are they voting for? “I don’t want to say,” says the first woman. “Obama — of course!” whispers the braver of the pair.

They laugh, then look over their shoulders at the office behind them. “Don’t give him your name, he’ll put it in the paper,” says the cautious one, explaining that they cannot afford to lose their $10-an-hour (£6) jobs. “This is embarrassing. We’re doing this because we have to live. At least none of our friends can see us. We’re from Chicago — like Obama.”

Republicans have had to hire mercenaries for this ground war. And, if the experience outside the McCain headquarters was any guide, they may not all be shooting in the same direction.

Mr Obama, by comparison, has enough resources to spread his forces out like an invading army. In a dozen battlefield states, including Iowa, he has more than 700 offices, staffed with thousands of field organisers and hundreds of thousands of volunteers.