MA-Sen: Out-of-Staters for Brown

BOSTON — A surprising discovery at yesterday’s “People’s Rally” in Worcester was just how many people had traveled into the state to assist, in whatever way, GOP Senate candidate Scott Brown’s campaign. Some of the loudest people at the rally outside the main event were visitors. Wayne Kilburn of South Windsor, Conn., walked up and down the street ringing a bell and shouting slogans like “Noooooo terrorists in Afghanistan!”

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And later I met Chris Wim from Lubbock, Texas, who said he’d come up because “these guys are firing the second shot heard round the round. First Scott Brown wins here, then we bring this to Texas.” Informed that he was from Texas, some of the Massachusetts activists gently ribbed Wim and told him to find an ACORN volunteer and get registered.

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Inside the overflow room where supporters watched a choppy video feed of the rally, organizers kept up enthusiasm by letting supporters say who they were and where they were from. A good proportion were from out of state–Michigan, Connecticut, Rhode Island. And this wasn’t frowned upon at all.

“I’m one of the people who worked on the ‘Dump Dodd’ campaign,” said Jim, a FreeRepublic blogger from Hartford, Conn. “You guys have hope.” He told supporters to click onto his FreeRepublic thread to see photos of their rally.

“I’m here today because I want to stop the bribery in D.C.” said Mary, an activist from Darien, Conn. “I want a two-party system. I want to restart the real medical economy. I invite you all to go to my Website, www.PaytheDoctor.com. I’m a citizen who’s writing her own health care plan. It took me six months!”

These people were welcomed with open arms. No, they can’t vote on Tuesday. And their effort won’t be as polished as the efforts of Democratic activists and unions inside Massachusetts. But Brown supporters have embraced their role as the possible doom-bringers of health care reform and “the Obama machine,” and the arrival of out-of-staters who are in awe of what they’re doing is raising their spirits.