Obama volunteers aim to stay involved

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By Christina Bellantoni

She even noticed he was checking his BlackBerry, and told the others at the lunch that the rumors he's "addicted" to the device are completely true.

Everyone laughed, and attendees started talking about all of the "normal" things they'd witnessed Mr. Obama and his family doing. From the way Mr. Obama listened to music at the Lincoln Memorial concert, to his daughters, Malia and Sasha, being "real" because they weren't so "prim and proper" like many politicians' children, they agreed they found the family to be genuine.

"They actually represent America the way I see the U.S.," Miss Benz said. "Our last few leaders and their families, they don't represent me, they don't represent my ideals, and they don't represent what I think our country is."

Ann Landers, of New Martinsville, W.Va., said even her difficult task of working to convince voters in that red state was made easier by Mr. Obama's attitude.

People who didn't support him at first are starting to come around, saying they are impressed with Mr. Obama, she said.

Miss Benz chimed in. "He has a vision for the country that actually is a place you want to be and a place that we can all be really proud of. It's not that everything is going to work out perfectly, but to have everyone believe in that vision of what the United States can be again, just that is so powerful," she said.

Mitch Stewart, the new executive director of Organizing for America, said the goal is to keep supporters involved for the long term.

"You wanted this movement to continue, and you wanted to actively support President Obama's agenda," he said, adding he hopes the tactics used during the campaign continue. "Friends talk to friends, and neighbors talk to neighbors about the issues they care about," he said.

One way to do that is to make sure voters feel "connected to what President Obama is doing in Washington" through regular communication, said David Plouffe, Mr. Obama's campaign manager.

"We'll soon be asking you to give whatever time or talent you can to support the president," Mr. Plouffe said in a video Friday. "We're going to be talking to you a lot more about issues. Together, hopefully we can build a movement ... [with a] much different purpose - not to win an election, but to change this country."