Obama's Oklahoma coordinator disputes support

The state coordinator for the Barack Obama campaign in Oklahoma has a different view point than one of his volunteers on John McCain's overwhelming victory in Oklahoma.

Jed Green said the state Democratic Party did all they could to try and make red Oklahoma Obama blue. Green disputes the remarks made by Jeff Bezdek who helped with the campaign's Oklahoma City office.

"They gave us plenty of support," said Green, Obama campaign Oklahoma coordinator. "They printed up thousands of yard signs and mobilized efforts to distribute the signs across the state."

Green also pointed out the state party paid for advertising, including a full page ad supporting Obama in Oklahoma Gazette.

STATE PARTY
When interviewed for a story about the presidential election results in Oklahoma, Bezdek put much of the blame on the state party.

"I think it's entirely due to party disorganization," Bezdek told Gazette. "(The Oklahoma) Democratic Party did not embrace the movement early on. They did not develop the infrastructure to capture and stimulate greater voter registration."

Green said because the Democratic presidential primary lasted until the summer, state organizations had to wait longer before mobilizing.

State Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes said the Obama campaign headquarters told him not to do anything because they did not expect to win Oklahoma.

"I talked to Obama because we wanted him to come here, and he said he was not going to win Oklahoma so he was not going to come here," Holmes said.

The campaign didn't even want signs passed out in Oklahoma, but the state party went ahead and spent $40,000 to have signs printed up and handed out, Holmes said. "Scott Cooper

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