On The Campaign Trail
Politics brings Eagle couple closer together.

Story: Linda Funaiole
Photos: Eric Jacky

There's an old adage that politics makes strange bedfellows. That's not necessarily true for a formally apolitical Eagle couple who have jumped full-bore on a national presidential contender's bandwagon. Kassie Cerami was so inspired by Barack Obama's message that she traded a $60,000-a-year day job for full time campaign volunteer work. Her husband Tim manages a campaign website by night, lifts heavy furniture when necessary and finances Kassie's ever-expanding candidate T-shirt collection.

Together they have discovered a world beyond "muscle cars" and Boise State University Bronco games-a world in which cable network news, debates, caucuses, financial red tape and political "chum" (freebies) rule. They have also learned which family members and friends have closed ears to campaign chit chat.

"It's a blast! It's exhausting. It's exhilarating. It's exciting. It's frustrating, because you want to have more control over the end result, and all you can do is the process," says 42-year-old Kassie Cerami, Idaho for Obama director of operations.

This red-haired and bubbly former cheerleader is admittedly rah-rah for her candidate, whose ideals and visions she embraces. Before she joined the recently opened Boise campaign field office as a full-time volunteer, she managed a quarter of a million dollar advertising and marketing budget for a local car dealership. "Basically, now I work twice as hard and twice as long for no pay. And yet, it's the most fulfilling thing I've ever done," Kassie says.

In her 80-hours-plus weekly job she does everything from scrubbing toilets and arranging conference calls, to coordinating events and volunteers, doling out signs and information, and encouraging others to become involved, no matter what their party affiliation. "I think that people need to understand that there are so many issues and so many candidates out there that if they feel passionately about one person, or a certain party, or a certain issue, they should just give what they can give. Not everyone can give as much time as I am giving," she says.

Kassie became politically motivated for the first time after she heard Senator Barack Obama, D-Illinois, speak at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. His words struck a chord with her, and she vowed at the time to "drop everything" to help him if he decided to seek the presidency.

She later met Obama in Elko, Nevada, shook his hand, hugged him, and followed through on her earlier vow to "do whatever it takes" to put him in the White House. "Sometimes we have so many things going on that things fall by the wayside," Kassie muses. "We do the best we can, but we never really have the ability to put our whole heart into it, to say, ‘If I could, I would have done this kind of thing.'"

"For me, my main goal, of course, is to have him become the Democratic presidential nominee. But, there's a second reward for me--it's just that sense of accomplishment, of knowing that I followed through with something that I said I would do."

Tim, her husband of 19 years, a 43-year-old product manager for Mobile Data Force, backs Obama based on careful consideration and research of the senator as a potential president, and wholeheartedly supports Kassie's career move."First of all, we have always supported each other throughout our marriage in our different hobbies and interests," Tim says. "I knew she has always had an interest in our government--some of her favorite movies are Dave and An American President-so when she told me she was going to stop talking about it and start making a difference, I knew she was going to make some great things happen here in Boise and perhaps in Idaho."

The couple, who live off Floating Feather Road and State Highway 55, spend hours in person or online chatting and devising new ways to inspire other supporters.

"We have always worked well together," Tim says. "We feed off of each other's creative ideas."

Tim's political activism comes with age and an awareness of his vulnerability in terms of healthcare, social security and other inevitable issues. "Years creep by us so fast," he says."Before you know it you become affected by things you did or didn't cast a vote on. By staying politically aware and active, you're helping make important decisions that really do affect your life, as well as the lives of your children and grandchildren."

For Kassie, the true measure of her success remains to be seen. "I have come to realize that there are really very few opportunities in life to make a significant impact on something bigger than ourselves, and I had let too many of these opportunities slip by already.," she says.

"I decided that I couldn't allow myself to look back on this campaign and ask, ‘Could I have done more to help?' Now, no matter what the outcome, when the results start rolling in after the caucus, and I FINALLY am able to put my head on my pillow, I'll be able to fall asleep knowing that I lived up to my new motto: ‘Whatever it takes.'"

Kassie Cerami, Idaho for Obama, director of operations, 345-6210 (office), 608-1083 (cell), This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Tim Cerami, Mobile Data Force, 941-6450