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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 17, 2004 David Castillo poses at Bush-Cheney headquarters in Portland Saturday. He had planned to stay in Medford for President Bush�s visit this week but was called away to unravel a logistical problem with a coalition of supporters. Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer Vote-getters: Republicans rely on Washington state native to smooth the Oregon trail By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune WEDNESDAY EVENING, JACKSON COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS & EXPO : Crews have spent the day assembling an impromptu stage fit for a president on a paved lot between riding arenas. Carpenters hammer together steps to the stage while technicians test the sound system. A core group of volunteers called captains gathers on bleachers in front of a giant banner proclaiming "Winning the West, Victory in Oregon 2004." David Castillo is in the fray on a cell phone with CNN, trying to direct the TV crew to the Republican Party headquarters in downtown Medford. He has the address, but for detailed directions he hands the phone to Bryan Platt, chairman of the Jackson County Republican Central Committee. "I am not the media guy," Castillo says, shaking his head. Castillo, 36, is the northwest regional coalitions director for Bush/Cheney ‘04. He works to rally support from targeted groups — veterans, farmers and ranchers, women, small-business owners, Latinos — in Oregon, Washington and Nevada. He also works to get support from veterans, labor representatives and first-responders nationwide. Advertisement He plans to spend the rest of the campaign in Oregon. This is his fourth trip to Medford. He came this spring to help train volunteers, returned to assist with Vice President Dick Cheney’s rally in July and was here on Monday with Gen. Tommy Franks. He arrived back in town Tuesday night to help smooth the way for President George W. Bush. "I’m just an extra set of hands for whatever needs to be done to move the ball forward," Castillo says. He’s coordinating efforts between local volunteers and the president’s advance team. "I just make sure they get what they need," he says. Castillo grew up in Centralia, Wash., and his mom still lives there. He’s been involved in political campaigns for 15 years. Three years ago he received a political appointment to the Department of Labor and moved to Washington, D.C., with his wife, who is now in law school. In the summer of 2003, he was invited to join Bush’s re-election campaign. "It’s an opportunity to serve," he says. "I’m lucky to have the chance to work for such incredible people. This time in history is one of the most critical the country has faced. "I have so much respect for the president that it’s easy to get up each morning and work hard for his re-election." Golden rays of the setting sun catch the fall colors that shimmer in the trees along Bear Creek. The captains are ready to get to work. Barron Bell, a Brett Favre look-alike in a baseball cap that says "W Wisconsin Victory 2004," is here from the president’s advance staff to train them. Each captain is assigned a task — parking, press, ticket-taking, rally squad (strategically placed crowd boosters) — and a team of volunteers, some 200 in all. A horsy smell drifts from the packed dirt floor of Compton Arena as Bell describes each task. The parking crew will check tickets at the fairground gates and remind people that they can’t take food, folding chairs or signs to the event and they should leave large bags in the car. Ticket-takers will set up in Compton Arena, double-check tickets and keep an eye out for people who might disrupt the president’s speech. Anyone disruptive can be asked to leave. "This is a private event hosted by the Republican Party," Bell says. Volunteers discuss the best way to politely check underneath long skirts for inappropriate messages — protesters have flashed the president this way before. The solution: Have a woman volunteer ask the skirt wearer to roll up the hem a little so she can check for writing on the fabric. Volunteers will stand by as security officers guide people through metal detectors. They’ll watch the lines for trouble and make sure people find their seats or standing area. The rally squad will hand out signs, then take their assigned places in the crowd to lead roars of approval and chants of "four more years." "The Secret Service is here to physically protect the president. Our job is to politically protect him," Bell tells the captains. "From a political perspective, they are invited here to hear the president’s message," Castillo adds. "You’re going to be able to tell who is an ass in the crowd and who is here to hear him." Organizers reiterate that they welcome people of all political stripes who want to hear what the president has to say; they just have to be cautious as the level of vitriol rises among dissenters. "At the end of the day, we want to make sure everyone — the president and all the visitors — has a good time," Castillo says. With the captains briefed, the rest of the volunteers, many clad in red, white and blue, pour across the fairgrounds to begin their training. Castillo gets caught up in the crush of excited party workers. Returning volunteers remember him from his past visits and offer handshakes and greetings. The interpreters who will sign Bush’s speech for the deaf need to know where to stand and wonder if they can get a script or outline to help them do their job. Castillo promises the interpreters advance copies of the speech and leads them to event coordinator Shelley Ashenfelter, who will map out where they will stand. Volunteer motorcade drivers need information. Again Castillo turns to Ashenfelter. She checks a list, rounds up the drivers present and leads them off to the campaign official in charge of what they need to know. Volunteers rally around their captains to learn about their jobs for the big day. Castillo plans to spend Thursday afternoon briefing and seating special guests who will sit in bleachers on- stage behind the president. After receiving assignments from the captains, volunteers sit down for an address from Bush’s advance team. This part is closed to the media. THURSDAY AFTERNOON, INTERSTATE 5: Though he’d planned to be there, Castillo’s not helping seat people on stage at the president’s rally. He’s driving back to Portland. The calendar of events for the national coalitions of veterans, police and firefighters is shifting, putting a wrinkle in the campaign’s tightly packed schedule. He needs to connect immediately with people in D.C. to keep the party’s message on track. His wireless BlackBerry, a high-tech device blending cell phone, digital organizer and e-mail, is not working in Medford because there is no suitable network here. He usually relies on it to communicate with the home office in Washington while he’s on the road. In Portland, he’ll be able to connect. Confident that Jackson County’s "fantastic" volunteers and the campaign event team will pull off the rally without a hitch, he speeds back to the Bush/Cheney office in Portland to handle his next challenge. Even while working the national scene from Oregon, he will focus plenty of attention on the state. By a narrow margin, it went for Al Gore in 2000, but it has lots of independent thinkers who don’t like taxes or government meddling in their lives, he says. Those folks like the Republicans’ message. "It was so incredibly close (in 2000), it’s a natural to be where we spend time and resources," he says of the state. "I think people will be in for a shock when Bush wins Oregon this time." Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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