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If enthusiasm translates directly into votes, volunteers at Barack Obama's McKeesport campaign headquarters have nothing to worry about on Election Day.

On the other hand, if local Democratic Party officials really are picking up McCain-Palin signs at the Mon Valley Republican Committee office, the vote in local precincts could be very tight indeed.

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Last night, about 40 volunteers gathered at Obama's office in the former Canopy restaurant on Fifth Avenue to discuss get-out-the-vote strategies and review the rules for poll-watching on Tuesday.

In one corner of the room, four young women made phone calls on behalf of the Democratic presidential candidate.

Excitement was high; earlier in the day, volunteers were visited by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (who supported Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary), former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, and Ted Kennedy Jr., son of the longtime Massachusetts senator.

"It was a very spirited session, and very upbeat," said city Mayor Jim Brewster, another former Clinton backer who's now working on Obama's behalf. "I'm encouraged, because I'm a big believer as the mayor and the Democratic chairman in talking about issues instead of people."

Brewster said he thinks Obama's campaign largely focused on the war and the economy, rather than on Republican presidential candidate John McCain, is resonating with people.

"In my heart, I think there's a lot of other people who think that, too, including a lot of Republicans," Brewster said. "It's an issues election, and they're world-wide issues."

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As Democrats were working to get out the vote Downtown, a small but hardy group of Republicans in Port Vue was equally optimistic.

Two people leaving the offices of the Mon Valley Republican Committee, located in the former Super Dollar shopping center on Washington Boulevard, were carrying armloads of yard signs that read "Another Democrat for McCain-Palin."

Both identified themselves as Democratic committee members, but would not give their names.

"Four years ago, it was unusual to see so many Democrats coming in the door," Committee Chairman Brent Kovac said as two volunteers busily stamped out "McCain-Palin" buttons. "This year it's been amazing to see so many Democrats."

Some of the newfound McCain boosters are former Clinton supporters disillusioned by their candidate's loss. "They're not satisfied with Barack Obama being their candidate," Kovac said. "A lot of union members have come in --- the Teamsters, for instance --- and say the candidate is being forced on them."

He said interest in McCain has been boosted by two events --- his selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, and Obama's widely reported remarks that the nation needs to "spread the wealth around."

Kovac said disillusioned Democrats that he's met keep using the word "socialism" to describe Obama's proposals.

Asked if he thinks Obama is a socialist, Kovac demurs: "He's about as far left a candidate as they could have picked. Worst case scenario, I would have preferred Hillary Clinton."

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The charge that Obama is a "socialist," which has been repeatedly leveled by the McCain campaign over the past two weeks, isn't resonating with local voters, at least according to Obama volunteer Fawn Walker, who has been knocking on doors in the city and surrounding boroughs.

In fact, none of the rumors spread about Obama seem to be sticking, she said.

"I get questions about his tax plan, I get questions about his health plan," Walker said. "I don't get many questions about 'is he a terrorist' or 'is he an Arab.' It's not true, and everybody knows it. I think people who believe that weren't going to vote for him anyway."

In the days following the June primaries, when Obama appeared to lock up the Democratic nomination, many local Democrats were angry over Clinton's defeat, Walker said.

"We heard a lot of that," she said, "but since the Clintons have come out for Obama, and since a lot of their surrogates have come out, it's been decreasing. Democrats are starting to come together."

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However, there are an awful lot of "Democrat for McCain" yard signs in the Mon Valley --- many of them alongside signs boosting state Rep. Bill Kortz, a Democrat from Dravosburg seeking his second term.

The yard signs are "flying out" of the Republican office in Port Vue, Kovac said.

"If I were to ride around my neighborhood four years ago, there was a 'Kerry-Edwards' sign in every other yard," he said. "I would be hard-pressed to find an Obama sign."

A big boost for the Mon Valley Republican Committee came after someone threw bricks and a car tire through the office's plate glass window and front door, causing about $2,000 damage. Port Vue police are investigating.

"That brought us a lot of sympathy, even from Democrats," Kovac said.

The most prominent features of the committee's office might be the larger-than-life, color portraits of President Bush and Vice President Cheney hanging on the wall.

Despite public opinion polls showing that eight out of 10 Americans disapprove of the Bush Administration, Kovac isn't worried that potential converts might be turned off by the pictures.

"John McCain is hardly a conservative," he said. "John McCain is not George Bush, and I like George Bush. Besides, he's still the president. The argument 'Bush equals McCain' appeals to the lowest common denominator who wouldn't vote for us anyway."

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The most prominent features in the Obama office Downtown are kids' shoes decorated by volunteers' children with glitter, stars, and expressions of support for the Democratic candidate.

According to Walker, Democrats aren't the only ones defecting to the other party. At least one volunteer in the city office is a registered Republican.

"We just keep working," said Al Washington Sr., another Obama volunteer, "working, knocking on doors, calling people."

Again and again, volunteers hear from residents who are eager to go to the polls, Walker said. "People are excited --- they are really ready for the election," she said.

Kovac is excited, too, despite polls showing that McCain is lagging behind Obama across Pennsylvania. "I'm not discouraged by it," he said. "If anything, I'm excited by the level of attention we're getting."

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The Mon Valley Republican Committee is located at 1515 Washington Blvd., Port Vue. The Obama campaign's McKeesport regional field office is at 211 Fifth Ave., Downtown.