Letter: Baracktober in Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay’s legendary Art and Pumpkin Festival provided the perfect opportunity for spirited Barack Obama activists to get the word out about their candidate. With crowds of over 200,000 expected during the two day event, a dozen Obama supporters from Santa Cruz, Boulder Creek, Saratoga and the Coastside converged on Main Street, staffing a colorfully decorated booth and fanning out into the crowds with literature, campaign stickers and Obama-monogrammed Halloween candy.

Obama was the only candidate with a booth at the event on Saturday, while three Edwards supporters did set up a table on Sunday. Hundreds of voters visited the Obama booth throughout both days to get information,  pick up campaign buttons and bumper stickers and change their registrations from Republican and Decline to State to Democratic so that they can vote for Barack Obama in California’s Democratic Primary on February 5, 2008.  A man in a Jack the Ripper costume proudly put on an Obama button, admitting "I’m probably not the best spokesperson for Barack while I’m wearing this outfit," and a woman in a George Bush mask posed in front of the Obama booth holding a large color photo of the Illinois Senator. As one passerby enthusiastically put it,"This is Baracktober—it’s Obama’s month and Obama’s time!"