If you’re looking for amazing evidence of youth’s new political power in America, start in Georgia.  Once heralded as an Obama no-win state, when his campaign downsized (in a “pullout”), it is now a strong contender for most surprising Obama upset victory.  The secret: an unbelievable mobilization of youth organizers, especially Alex Lofton, an extraordinary 23-year-old.  Read the following snippets from www.fivethirtyeight.com, which has done a fantastic job staying on top of the Obama groundswell of volunteer and staff organizing:

“If there is one shocker on election night in the presidential race, cast your eyes to Georgia. 1,994,990 people voted early in Georgia. 3,301,875 total voted in Georgia’s presidential race in 2004.

Let that sink in.  [Early voters are overwhelmingly organized by the Obama campaign. – ed.]

“The pullout was greatly exaggerated,” began Caroline Adelman, Georgia Communications Director, Obama for America. The pullout, of course, refers to the publicized redistribution of Obama staffers to other states when it appeared the Illinois Senator had no chance to win. Obama’s skeleton staff of 53 is at least four times bigger than any other Democratic presidential effort in Georgia’s history…. With 33 offices and 175 separate staging locations, at least one in every one of Georgia’s 159 counties, Obama’s operation seemed shockingly energetic for a state not on most pundit radars.

Adelman credited wunderkind field operator Alex Lofton, now in Ohio, with setting up the infrastructure before he was considered too valuable not to have in a more competitive state. “He opened up all the offices, he trained all the kids, did conference calls twice a day,” Adelman explained. “He was 23 and doing things in a way twice his age couldn’t accomplish.” Such are Obama’s young brilliant organizers the campaign’s great underwritten story. [My emphasis.]

“Really, in Georgia, that’s all we needed,” Adelman said. “The rest of it was neighbor to neighbor. People needed to see people in their own neighborhood” talking about Barack Obama. …

As the interview progressed just around the noon hour yesterday, we found ourselves pressed by a steady stream of volunteers elbowing us out of the way to get to the phones. In a flash, an already buzzing office grew packed. Volunteers think Obama is going win Georgia.

We asked about the insanely long lines, and whether that would hamper voting. First, we learned, Barack Obama has “Comfort Teams,” which are all volunteer forces who don’t campaign, but simply bring water, hot chocolate and snacks. “No campaigning, no materials,” Adelman said, just making sure the people who have to wait in long lines aren’t hungry or thirsty. …

We pressed Adelman on why outside observers should feel confident that Georgians will stay in line, as long as it takes. Adelman paused for a moment, looking for a way to capture the intangible. Finally, with the air of a woman who’d seen early voters up close, she shrugged.

“I just think our voters are going to stand in line.”