British Vols Make Mark on '08 Campaigns

Much has been made of the sheer scale of interest in the 2008 race, from never-ending media coverage to the hordes of volunteers showing up to take part – but while Americans may see this as a purely domestic matter, much of the rest of the world is certainly giving it no less than their full attention.

The United Kingdom's "special relationship" with the United States has become fodder for comedians and BBC espionage drama alike, yet despite growing disapproval of the close ties between the two governments – a June 2006 Populus poll showed a majority of respondents agreeing that when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister he should distance himself from President Bush – it seems that more British citizens than ever are taking an active interest in the U.S.'s leadership.

Vehement supporters of individual candidates are easy to unearth, and one only has to glance at Facebook, with groups like Brits For Hillary, Danes For Obama, and Swedes For John McCain, together with their associated blogs to see that many non-Americans feel a personal investment in the forthcoming election. Ron Paul, the Republican whose candidacy has made him something of an Internet celebrity, has extended his Web popularity abroad, with Meetup groups in 32 countries. Meetup is a part of the social networking phenomenon, which campaigns have been making use of by helping supporters to organize on their own, and made its first impact on presidential politics with the Howard Dean campaign in 2004.

Youth involvement, a focal point in the United States, has been equally noticeable in the UK, with students engaged in a political process in which they cannot even participate. Both The Cambridge Student and Varsity, the student papers at the University of Cambridge, ran head-to-head opinion pieces on the Democratic nomination fight in anticipation of Super Tuesday.

Sean Morton, a British 26-year-old fascinated by the race said, "I want to see a president with smart ideas about how to make America better, and more respected," while a Ron Paul supporter in London posted on Meetup that he backed Paul because he saw him as "probably the best hope for the world, and not just the U.S." Paul's attentiveness to the level of America's international esteem seems to play a critical part in why so much foreign attention is being turned towards the campaign.

Yet the role of foreign nationals has not been limited to that of idle observers. Following the January New Hampshire primary the Times in London ran an article about 18-year-old Teddy Nicholson, who is spending a year between finishing high school and starting college volunteering for Sen. Obama's campaign. Describing him as "Obama's British footsoldier," the paper characterized Nicholson as a vital part of the vast grassroots mobilization effort the campaign is known for.

This young volunteer is far from being the only Brit on the ground for Obama, and certainly only one of a number of international supporters that have flocked to the campaigns. Richard Lane, a 22-year-old Clinton supporter who took the plunge and relocated to San Francisco to intern for the campaign, said that the office had no problems dealing with a British intern because of their previous experience with a German supporter.

"People seemed really interested and very supportive of the idea that I had come all the way from the UK to work on the campaign," said Lane. "I believe that a strong leader in the White House means a more secure world." Lane's passion for the race seems to reflect America's global leadership position

And international support is clearly there for both parties. Shane Greer, executive director of the Young Britons' Foundation, a nonprofit organization set up to train conservative activists, said that he had already spent time volunteering for the McCain campaign in Florida and planned to return after the Republican Convention in September. He also mentioned that he knew of a number of British Conservative party supporters who would be doing a similar thing.

When asked why he thought there was such enthusiasm within the UK for getting involved, Greer cited the concurrent enthusiasm in the United States, due to the unprecedented nature of the election. There's a feeling of "something very, very different from what has taken place before."

Matthew Bethell, an intern and later a full staff member on Howard Dean's 2004 campaign, echoes this sentiment. He said that back in 2004's primary season he noticed "an awareness of the process" in the UK, "but nowhere near as much anticipation of change."

In contrast to Lane's relatively simple integration into the Clinton camp, Bethell said that members of the Dean campaign were "pretty nonplussed" at the prospect of a foreign intern, and were "surprised that anyone from Britain would want to come to the U.S. to engage with their political system." The difference in experience for these two international interns over the space of two presidential elections clearly reflects just how significantly the 2008 campaign is being viewed around the world.

What are the legal implications of this? After all, the United States' Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1974 made it illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to campaigns at local, state or federal levels – and the Federal Election Commission states that these banned contributions could be "direct or indirect." This seems to suggest that volunteering services to a campaign as a British citizen might well be against the law.

However, in Advisory Opinion 1987–25 the FEC ruled to allow a foreign student to work for a presidential candidate, and this sets the precedent for today's landscape. Provided that these non-U.S. foot soldiers are not paid for their activities, their volunteering is not officially counted as a "contribution" made to the campaign.

Regardless of its position under the law, it is unclear what many think of this influx of foreign enthusiasts – one does not have to look far on international supporters' Facebook groups to come across comments posted by angry Americans who resent the participation in their electoral campaigns of those from outside. However, British devotees remain unapologetic, pointing out the anticipation felt by everyone towards November 2008, and acknowledging that we all like to live in exciting times.

Bethell says that Americans should see this interest for what it is – admiration for the American political process – and reflects that "what I took home was a passionate belief in the power of grassroots political organizing and engagement." This learning process is vital, adds Greer, and points out the benefits of experience and training, which both UK and U.S. campaigns gain from this cross-pollination of supporters.

This is not to say, of course, that campaign headquarters during the summer months will be transformed into pictures of such international diversity that they resemble a United Nations summit. Nevertheless, the level of global attention being paid to the race and the clear desire of those overseas to get involved are just yet more indications of the far-reaching momentousness of campaign 2008.