"I'm working about 90-100 hours
a week:' Simon said. "The last couple
months of the campaign are daunting,
but it's really exciting and you wake up
every day feeling like you have the future
of the world in your hands. That's kind
of overwhelming, but it makes you want
to spring out of bed every morning."
The Israel Factor
Doing what's best for Israel weighs
heavily on the minds of the young*,
political insiders stumping for the
presidential candidates. Both sides
want a leader who will give strong
support to Israel and the war on
terror; both sides believe their
candidate is the right person to
tackle the hot button issues.
"When it comes to the war on
Islamic terror, I think McCain gets
it to his core from his time in the
Senate and in the U.S. military,"
says Republican fundraiser Bryce
Sandler of Royal Oak, who is work-
ing for McCain's campaign. "He
has a 25-year pro Israel track
record."
"McCain voted for the war in
Iraq, which has emboldened Iran
and endangered Israel," coun-
ters Obama policy intern Zack
Schram of West Bloomfield.
He's in Chicago working at the
Democratic candidate's national
campaign headquarters. "Obama
will end the war, making Israel and
America more secure."
McCain supporter and third-
grade Jewish studies teacher
Shira Drissman, a former Metro
Detroiter now living in New York,
sees things differently.
"I feel that Sen. Obama has a
very unrealistic view of how the
world works," she says. "Wanting
to talk to leaders like Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
and expecting that he's a reason-
able fellow is ridiculous when he
threatens to wipe Israel off the
map."
Drissman is referring to com-
ments Obama has made about
engaging in personal diplomacy
- with adversaries like Iran. His
,running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden,
D-Del., has since made it clear
'. 0bama would not negotiate with
such leaders unconditionally.
Schram says he's concerned
some Jewish voters may be mis-
informed on the critical issue of
Israel. He urges people to sepa-
rate facts from the rumors.
"I've seen the e-mails that have
been going around," Schram said.
"Some of it is slander, some of it
is guilt by association; all of it is
fear-mongering."
Zack Schram of West Bloomfield and Michael Simon of Birmingham inside Obama
campaign headquarters in Chicago
of Chicago Law School. Ellman's first
post as a senior policy associate involved
zig-zagging across the country, meeting
with voters and helping shape policies on
health care, education and other issues.
"For eight months, I was just on the
road from state to state said Ellman. "It
was so interesting meeting people and
hearing their concerns. I've had a lot of
unbelievable experiences."
Now, Ellman is back in Chicago at
Senate Subcommittee on Investigations.
"Obama represents the embodiment
of the American dream:' Schram says.
"His story is a Jewish story. I'm inspired
by him and I identify with him: the child
of an immigrant, who hit the books and
worked his way up, always committed to
the public goody"
Zack adds the emphasis on tikkun
olam (repair of the world) instilled by
his parents and rabbis motivated him to
delve into presidential
politics.
"I'm doing what I
think is best for the
Jewish community and
the country:' Schram
said. "He shares our val-
Zack Schram
ues. On foreign policy,
on the economy, on
healthcare, Obama can
deliver the change this
Obama's national campaign headquar-
country needs."
ters working on the paid media and poll-
Simon, who works as a targeting
ing strategy team. Most days, she's on the director, temporarily relocated from
job for 15-hour stretches, working with
Metro Detroit to Chicago to work on
pollsters and media consultants who
the campaign. In May, when Obama
write and produce pro-Obama television visited Michigan and attended a rally at
and radio ads.
Macomb Community College in Warren,
"Knowing him as a person, I have
Simon spent two full days traveling with
a different perspective. I believe he's
him by bus and by plane.
uniquely suited for our time Ellman
"I got to fly on the plane and sit right
said. "He's always supported Israel,
next to him:' Simon said. "It was when
and he shares our values. Being part of
the Pistons and the Red Wings were both
Obama's campaign has changed my life
in the playoffs; we talked a lot about
completely"
sports. He's the most real politician I've
Working alongside Ellman at the epi-
ever met. It was a really cool experience
center of Obama campaign activities
Simon's job is to collect data on voters
are Zack Schram, 30, of West Bloomfield
and build models that predict whether
and Michael Simon, 28, of Birmingham.
they're likely to become Obama support-
Schram began volunteering for Obama's
ers. He helps determine who's targeted
Senate campaign in 2003 and is cur-
for TV, radio and Internet ads, mailings
rently on unpaid leave from his job in
and phone calls, and who gets a knock
Washington, D.C., as counsel to the
on the door from a volunteer.
"I've met a lot of people who
will be influential on these issues
for years to come. ” -
All In Family
Having recently run his own cam-
paign for a seat on the Oakland County
Commission, it's no surprise Republican
Ezra Drissman, 27, of Farmington Hills,
is plugged into presidential politics. He
didn't win the commission seat in his
first-ever run for office, but now he's
working as a grassroots volunteer in the
hopes that his presidential pick, John
McCain, will win the White House.
"I've been involved in politics my
whole life Drissman said. "I think
McCain is infinitely more qualified. On
economic issues, he's bar none ahead of
Obama."
Drissman, who is Orthodox, says his
upbringing helped shape his political
views. He visits a local McCain campaign
office whenever he can, making phone
calls and singing the praises of the GOP
candidate. He even engages in political
debates and discussions with his friends
on the popular social networking Web
site, Facebook.
"If you don't do anything to help out,
you have less of a right to complain
about it later on:' Drissman says. "I
come from a conservative background
politically and religiously; to keep fiscal
responsibility and fiscal conservatism in
the country is very important."
Drissman's older sister, Shira, 33, who
lives in New York City, is another McCain
volunteer. She says she sometimes feels
like a lone wolf in the largely liberal-
Democratic community. The third-grade
Jewish studies teacher at a Reform day
school on the Upper West Side says she's
one of the few Republicans in her area.
"In terms of his foreign policy, I think
Sen. McCain has a much better handle
on how the world works:' she said. "He's
worked with Democrats and people who
disagree with him as a whole and he
actually does what he believes instead
of trying to pander to lobbyists or even
his own party. There's something to be
said for a guy who stands up for what he
believes."
She says being a woman doesn't fac-
tor into her support for McCain, but she
does relate to his running-mate, Alaska
Gov. Sarah Palin, whom Drissman calls
"a breath of fresh airy"
Political Insiders on page A16
October 2 • 2008
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