Checking Under the Hood

A few doors down from Romney headquarters were the headquarters for Chris Dodd. Funny, they were political neighbors (Romney of Massachusetts and Dodd of Connecticut), and now campaign office neighbors. Ironic since they couldn't be much farther apart philosophically.

Dodd's office looked identical to Romney's from the outside, except for the giant lettering in the window panes. We entered and found a huge front counter with a Dodd candidacy sign backdrop as colorful as any we'd seen. The wall screamed "Vote for Dodd". The atmosphere screamed, "Come Back Later." No one heard us come in, and we heard no sounds from the other rooms towards the back of the office. I took advantage of being unsupervised and had Marra stand behind the counter for her token photo-op. Another winning shot for the scrapbook.

We couldn't just leave without trying to track someone down, so we wandered to the back of the office, announcing our presence with a few timid "Hello?"'s. We ended up walking into what I would call the Dodd Campaign New Hampshire War Room. Two large 4'x8' sheets of plywood supported by saw horses served as the conference table, and folding chairs served as office furniture. The modern speaker phone in the center of the makeshift table looked out of place in this garage-like setting, but it was clearly designed for work, not for comfort.

Henry and Nigel were either strategizing or discussing the Patriots game yesterday as we interrupted them. I gave the same speech. "Hi, I'm Joe and this is my daughter, Marra. We drove from Virginia to..." Henry did the talking when I asked the questions, and Nigel lingered nearby, like a new waiter hovering around his mentor to learn the ropes of proper serving techniques.

Henry was more knowledgeable than his Romney campaign counterpart, but there was a sense that he was resigned to being in a losing battle. The space was overrun with extra lawn signs and placards. Marra and I both thought that if things were going well, those signs would be posted somewhere, as opposed to taking up shelf space in Manchester. Henry admitted that Dodd was shifting resources to Iowa for a big caucus push, which I would find distressing if I were working the campaign. I mean, he's been the Senator next door to New Hampshire for dozens of years. You'd think he'd have a stronger organization and more buzz up here. Henry heated up with some defensiveness when I argued that Dodd was unelectable because he would be painted (fairly, I might add) as a Northeastern liberal. I questioned if the Republicans would be happy to run against a man whose signature issue is paid family leave. I could hear the negative ads now. "Typical out-of-touch Democrat more interested in seeing that someone who isn't working gets paid with the workingman's tax dollars." If I can figure that angle out, then the GOP already has the commercial in the can.

After we made Henry uncomfortable with our doubts about his candidate, he allowed us to take a picture of Marra in the war room.

Marra was predisposed to like Dodd, since she has one of his campaign signs hanging at the foot of her bed (I had picked one up during a business trip to Des Moines back in the spring). Both the Romney and Dodd campaign headquarters stops lacked a few important element for Marra, though. The actual candidate was not there. After 2 days of rubbing elbows with the high and mighty, visiting college age volunteers did not have the same cache. That's OK. As I would learn later, she wasn't missing anything and was absorbing much.

JS

Campaign Whistle Stops

Day Three of our trip to New Hampshire was completely unstructured. There were no candidates with scheduled public events today. Actually, Tom Tancredo was in New Hampshire, about 76 miles away. For the obvious reasons, we skipped it. It was too far to drive, and no one knows who Tom Tancredo is. Those that do know don't care. So it was to be a day of local campaign headquarters drop ins. If we couldn't see the candidates, we could at least see their staffers and ask the tough questions. I was hoping to hold Marra's attention as long as possible, and she surprised me with her stamina and enthusiasm for the whole enterprise.

We began with breakfast at The Merrimack Restaurant, only a block away from the hotel. Ideal weather again, so we walked. The Merrimack is a landmark stop for any presidential hopeful, a place described in various publications as a place for political debate and banter over eggs and bacon. I did not know what to expect, but I was hungry for the partisan atmosphere of this famous eatery.

The outside wall of the restaurant facing our hotel had a giant painted cartoon mural of past candidates who had stomped through Manchester in years past - Lieberman, Dole, Clinton (#42), Gary Hart. The inside, however, was much more sedate, one might say old and tired. It had dark red carpeting and plain wallpaper. Neither looked to have been updated in several terms. The cashier stand was in front of the wall of framed photos of candidates gone by posing with the owners and staff of the restaurant. Bob Kerry, Bill Bradley, Hart again, and Al Gore everywhere - he was clearly favored. The frames were cheap, similar to frames you have probably thrown away when cleaning out your grandparent's attic once. Thin black borders of plastic made to look like wood. All the pictures were hung randomly, and were hanging crooked. Politicians in crooked frames - insert your own joke here.

The hostess called me 'hun' and allowed us to sit anywhere. We had missed the morning rush, if there was one. We chose one of the booths along the right wall, and slide onto the cold red vinyl supported by what felt like the original vintage 1940 springs. It was a bit lumpy. I hoped the food would not be. I think we were the only non-regulars in the place. Marra actually heard the waitress greet a customer with, "You want the usual this morning?" We were in the breakfast version of Cheers.

Marra and I discussed the plan of attack. Start at one end of town, and visit as many headquarters as possible, asking a lot of questions and collecting as much campaign memorabilia as possible. We ate our first decent breakfast of the trip, and headed out.

The Visitors Center of the city of Manchester was across the street. We went there with our list of campaign street addresses and grabbed a map of the city. An elderly woman working the desk was kind enough to listen to our story, and help us place the locations in a logical order to visit. Start with Romney, next to Dodd, back to the center of town for Edwards and Clinton, head north for Giuliani, and further north for Richardson. Obama's digs are south, we'll hit that later. At least we wouldn't be going more than 10 miles total the entire day. How lost could we get?

Romney headquarter was street front on the main drag of downtown, Elm Street, but south of town in the less desirable part of the strip. It was an abandoned store, from the looks of it. Large rectangular windows with the candidate's name spelled out in the panes. Hard to miss. We parked right in front.

We opened the door and went up a small landing to the main floor. It was a wide open space with desks around the walls spaced generously from one another, for either privacy or just because there was so much room to fill. An old sofa sat dead center, unoccupied. It felt like a fraternity house great room, with its furniture in disrepair and its residents so young and without a trace of self-consciousness. I counted ten staffers were working at the desks, all staring at Marra and me for what seemed an eternity. "Who is the old guy with the kid, and what are they doing here?" I was afraid that since I didn't have my wife with me, we didn't look like the perfect "strong family" that Romney keeps crowing on and on about. Perhaps we didn't fit in.

A polite gentleman of about 22 approached us. I introduced myself and Marra, and told him our story. "My daughter and I have come to New Hampshire to spend a few days seeing various candidates for president from both parties, and visiting their state headquarters. Our goal is to find someone we can support in 2008. I'd also like to show my daughter what it takes to participate in the campaigning process. So, can we get an overview of what you do here, and tell us why we should vote for your candidate?" After all the "That's so cool" stuff from the volunteers who were eavesdropping from their desk perches, we heard his pitch. Not too impressive, so I told him one of my reservations about Romney.

"Everything I hear from Romney is platitudes about 'Strong Families, Strong Economy, Strong Everything'. I think Democrats and Republicans can agree that we want things to be 'strong'. But what does that really mean? I feel like Romney is all rhetoric, no core values. That's not the media telling me that, that me listening to him."

The staffer took a breath, and gave me the reasons to vote for Romney:

Proven business experience that he can turn things around and get results;

Leadership experience running a Democratic state as a Republican;

Real change. (Everybody wants "Change"...does Bush have any friends left?)

I couldn't let him off the hook, and I wanted Marra to see how smart her Dad was. "OK, but I don't see how handling the figure skating judges at the Salt Lake Olympics counts as foreign policy experience." Maybe I was beginning to wear out my welcome. I had to prove I was a serious questioner. "I read a book about Romney that touted all his business success, and Romney himself says that it comes from his ability to hire the right people. So, more so than any candidate, I feel like I need to know who he respects enough to place in his Cabinet." Of course, 22 year old volunteer staffer didn't have inside knowledge of Romney's short list of appointees. But that is a question I have.

I asked if I could get a picture of Marra in the office, and he graciously offered to take one of the both of us. Nice finish for him, since his preparation for my questions left much to be desired.

We grabbed a few pro-Romney stickers, and left. I felt the same way about Romney when I had entered. A good resume, a good head of hair, and a few empty slogans does not motivate me to vote for you. In the words of the late Walter Mondale, "Where's the beef?"

JS

Bonding 101

When the Giuliani Town Hall was finished, we weren't ready to leave town. It was a town that longed to be explored, and both Marra and I had Whirlygigs Toy Store in our sights. Nothing captures the spirit of the American town like a local toy store.

The store was staffed by one woman in her late fifties, who was busy guiding a curious shopper in search of the perfect birthday through a selection of developmental toys. This store had all the classics - Etch-A-Sketch, Slinky, Monopoly, Easy Bake Oven, etc. It also stocked plenty of toys we had seen featured in the Baby Einstein video series (yes, we tried making Lucy smarter by plugging her into those shows in times of parental desperation). Marra was committed to buying something for Thomas and Lucy while we were here. Part of that instinct I recognized as her urge to spend someone else's money any chance she got. But the other part was a genuine sense of missing her siblings. It was sweet, and it is the latter motivation that I wanted to reward and encourage. We bought Thomas a Lego car and Lucy "Penguins on a Slide". Frankly, it is too difficult to describe, so I won't even try. Lucy loves it.

After a quick window shop of several other artsy shops, we headed for the car. When we arrived at the van, I noticed a flier under the windshield wiper. Obviously, too big for a parking ticket, so it had to be a political flier. It sure was. Someone had distributed a five page memorandum outlining the connection between our current government problems and the cover up of the Kennedy assassinations true conspirators. Our first encounter with a patriotic nut case! His memo demands that New Hampshire voters stand up during public candidate forums and insist that all documents related to the assassination be released. Only with this truth can we be truly free. "The root cause of America's problems today date back to that terrible day in November 1963." The letter is signed by Paul Kuntzler, who was kind enough to provide his new cell phone number (202.421.0131, but don't mention my name). I will be happy to forward the entire memo for anyone's review, but only upon request. As you can imagine, it tends to ramble.

The plans for the evening were simple - father-daughter time. We were back at the hotel by 4:30, and went straight to the hotel pool. We had the whole pool to ourselves, and it was special for me to have her climbing on me, racing me in the pool, and generally just enjoying my company. The older she gets, the more aware I become of how precious these moments are, and how infrequently we may have them in the future. My passion for presidential politics aside, the purpose of this trip was to share these types of quieter moments with Marra in a setting away from her natural surroundings, away from her natural distractions. A relaxed dip in the pool together was worth every town hall meeting and every house party. "She's getting so big," I cliched to myself.

The father-daughter experience must have been working for Marra, too. We went to the hotel bar/restaurant for a sandwich before church that evening, and she insisted that I not face the TV while football was on. She wanted my undivided attention. I was touched that she wanted so much to communicate; I was embarrassed that she had to ask. Note to self: listen, even when the big game is on.

Dinner, then church, then back to the room for an evening of no baseball on TV for Daddy and my regular place on the bathroom floor with book on New Hampshire primary politics and a beer. A quiet evening at home. Tomorrow would be a full day in Manchester, visiting various campaign headquarters. This would be the real test of Marra's patience.

JS

"Read My Lips" - Part II

Lunch at Young's was our first sit down restaurant experience since arriving in New Hampshire. We had time before Giuliani's Town Hall in Exeter, so we were unhurried. It felt like vacation. During our lunch conversation, I began to sense that Marra was absorbing some of the issues that had been force fed to her for a day and a half. She was talking a little like a liberal, but who isn't under the age of 15? Right before ordering lunch, we were briefly interviewed for the University newspaper by an aspiring journalist. She jotted down quotes from both of us, got the proper spelling of "Marra", and thanked us. Not exactly the Washington Post, but it's the press, nonetheless.

Directions to Exeter from Durham sounded easy. They weren't. I got us lost for the first time, and we sacrificed about 20 minutes seeing more of rural NH than we had planned. There was no panic, though. After the fire drill schedule of yesterday, 3 Sunday events seemed effortless. And the weather was so spectacular, it was impossible to feel stress. We knew we'd get there. We did, and we were late.

Exeter, NH did not appear to have changed in 100 years, from the gazebo in the middle of Main Street to the Whirlygigs Toy Store with its red awning. I am certain that I had seen a Twilight Zone episode that had been filmed with Exeter as a backdrop, an episode in which time stands still and the inhabitants never die. Marra and I were the visiting aliens, with our modern gadgets and funny clothes. Once out of the car, I took pictures of the downtown area, hoping to prove to outsiders that this place really exists.

The Town Hall was nothing but a Town Hall. It was not a room within a government building, it was not a school gymnasium, it was not an arena. It looked to be built specifically to hold political meetings involving all the citizens of the tiny hamlet. The room was full when we arrived (250 people?), so we made our way to the front right to sit on a small riser under the windows. The front backdrop was an enormous "Rudy" red and blue sign, and two rows of average Joes were placed in folding chairs beneath it. They were facing the crowd, like a jury in a small town trial. Once again, we had an excellent vantage point for pictures and maybe being called on for a question.

This was not good enough for my daughter, however. She wanted us in the balcony looking down on the proceedings. "Please, Daddy," she pleaded, "Let's at least look." I gave in, we went upstairs, and the view was fine - until we sat. Once you sat down and leaned back into the chair, three-quarters of the room disappeared from view. Nice move, Marra. Next time, we do like your Old Man wants.

Rudy entered from behind the curtain, Secret Service in plain view. Like all the other candidates, he received a rousing standing ovation.

His stump speech centered on several themes. First, Hillary is bad. Second, he is a leader who gets results with LOW taxes. Third, Hillary is bad. OK, just 2 themes. I learned that NYC was the 17th largest economy in the world, that's impressive. I learned that he is very intelligent, just like I read in the past. He explains his positions with depth of understanding, and he uses great illustrations to support his points. I also learned that front runners take no chances. He spoke to the group for longer than Edwards, and left very little time for questions. Front runners don't want questions. He emphasized the anti-Hillary message repeatedly. He is clearly angling for the "I can beat Hillary" vote. At one point in his speech, he says he has a quote from Hillary to read, and he make a dramatic pull of a piece of paper from his pocket and reads the quote: "I have a million ideas. This country can't afford them all." He then quips, "I'm not sure America can afford any of her ideas." He blasts the Democrats for not having any leading candidates with executive experience, reinforcing his contention that only he has the ideas that he can move forward. He is a doer, not a talker.

We were again shut out on the question asking, but remember, we were now in the balcony, way out of range. But here were the questions I was prepared to ask:

"President Clinton raised taxes in 1993, and the country experienced explosive growth for almost a decade after. You are saying that any tax increase will stifle growth and always does. How do you explain this, given the history of the 1990s?"

"You are repeatedly stating your opposition to "socialized" health care in this country. We already have "socialized" retirement with Social Security. We have "socialized" public education. Medicare is already a "socialized" health care system. Given your rhetoric against anything "socialized", which one of the previously described programs would you eliminate as President?"

(This question was developed after he pulled the Hillary quote from his pocket) "Mr. Mayor, have you ever had a quote taken out of its original context used against you in a political campaign, and if so, is that fair game?"

I didn't get to ask anything, but his final question was from a young boy near the front. I paraphrase: "If there was something bad on another planet, and it came to Earth and tried to hurt us, what would you do?" After the laughter died down, he was very gracious, assured the boy that we take care of it, and then offered to answer one more question, "about anything here on this planet."

As we filed out at the end of the event, I asked Marra what she thought of this guy. Her answer: "He wasn't very nice to Hillary Clinton or John Edwards." Niceness should still count for something. I am glad that she recognizes that.

JS

The Mayor of 9-11

Giuliani was a big get for us. We didn't find out that he was going to be in the state until the day before we left Virginia. I was afraid that we would miss the front runners during our trip, but now Giuliani was here and Hillary had just updated her schedule with 4 local events on Tuesday. Everything was falling into place.

Rudy was scheduled to walk through Young's Restaurant in downtown Durham at 12:30 PM. It was a short drive from the Edwards event, and another beautifully scenic one. The autumn colors were in full bloom and we could occasionally imagine the 'whoosh' of dried leaves in our wake. We entered the downtown area of Durham and were greeted by another quaint, small town America scene right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. I did not know it yet, but we were in the center of the University of New Hampshire campus. The coeds were out in full force with their campus gear, Abercrombie and Fitch apparel, and tired Sunday morning faces.

The Mapquest directions were perfect and brought us directly to Young's Restaurant. Now if we could only have reserved a parking space...As we were circling the block for the second time, Rudy's caravan pulled up, and Hissoner disembarked from one of the Towne cars in his armada. We were in a panic to park now. Fortunately, a Higher Power again smiled on our journey, and a space opened 2 doors down from the restaurant.

Marra grabbed the camera and I grabbed my notebook, and we ran toward the sidewalk gathering of curious onlookers, C-SPAN crew members, reporters, and security personnel. The crowd was only 2 deep, not intimidating at all. What was intimidating was the heightened security presence - definitely Code Orange. I knew that some of the front running candidates had been assigned Secret Service protection, but Huckabee and Edwards were not as insulated as Rudy. Heck, we could have picked Huckabee's pocket! A picture and an autograph from the leading GOP contender (in national polls) was going to be far more challenging.

I snapped a picture of Rudy in the middle of the mob and headed into Young's with Marra. I figured we should anticipate Rudy's movements and get a table now. If he stopped at every table, we would have our meeting. Surprisingly, there was not a wait for a table. In fact, the young hostess seemed genuinely surprised that we had come to Young's in search of lunch. Most of the crush at the front door was there to gawk at the spectacle. A table for 2 opened up in the front bay window, just to the right as you entered the restaurant. I assumed that Rudy would come into the restaurant and follow his political instincts by turning to the right. I was correct. He is so predictable.

Rudy was led by a few handlers and trailed by some security and media types. Before we had even sat down at our table, we were face-to-face with Rudy Giuliani. He was shorter than I had pictured, but that might be because he was not wearing a trademark Yankee ball cap. Smart decision in Bosox territory. He shook our hands immediately, and I introduced myself and Marra. "This is my 11 year old daughter, Marra, and we drove over 500 miles from Virginia to see you." This was a slight stretch on the truth. I omitted that we drove to see a half dozen other candidates, too, but I was softening him up for the photo op. "May I get a picture with you and my daughter?" Obviously, he's done this before. He was in position, arm around Marra, by the time I had lifted the camera to aim. Flash. Perfect picture.

He told us that he had just been in Virginia, in Newport News. I told him we were from northern Virginia, and he pretended to know where Chantilly was.

I told him that for full disclosure, I was an avid Mets fan. He responded, "You have my sympathy." I wanted to deck him for that, but I didn't want Marra to someday tell the story about bailing her father out of a Durham, NH jail for hitting the presumptive nominee of the GOP. I smiled weakly, and he slide by.

The moment was over so quickly, and he seemed to always be moving forward towards the next table. In my joy at getting the perfect photo of Rudy with Marra, we forgot the autograph. Oh, well, I thought, he won't win anyway, right?

Marra and I sat, dazed by our good fortune of meeting him so soon after arrival. We starting looking over the menu, trying to act as if we met presidential candidates every day. No big deal. In a way, that was becoming true. Just another politician for us to judge later.

Rudy worked the restaurant for about 10 minutes total, shaking hands with lots of hung over college kids having a late breakfast, and just being personable. I doubt anyone pressed him on immigration while enjoying their western omelet. It was a good warm up for him before his Town Hall meeting, scheduled for 1:30 PM in Exeter. Marra and I would be there, hoping to finally get called on for a question. We were gaining confidence.

JS

L.L. Bean Comes Alive

Returning to our temporary home at the Radisson in downtown Manchester, Marra was exhausted. It was almost 9:30 PM. We hadn't stopped for 15 hours, so we now had a real taste of life on the campaign trail. It was mentally draining. I convinced Marra to shower before bed as a way to wind down and wash the dust and grime of 4 states off her body. While she bathed, I multitasked watching the Red Sox-Indians playoff game while trying to establish a viable Internet connection. I was exhausted too, but not yet ready for the day to end.

The shower had the desired effect on Marra. She crawled into bed face down and begged me to turn off the TV and laptop. "The lights bother me." OK, OK. Like any good father, we said our prayers, I kissed her on the forehead, turned off all the lights, and retired to the bathroom floor to read a book on New Hampshire primary politics and have a cold beer. Day One was in the books.

We slept in on Sunday morning. We had earned it. As will become usual, Marra was the first awake. I don't remember consciousness until 8:40 AM. That was fine. Our first scheduled event was a John Edwards House Party at 11:10 AM in Dover. No rush.

It was a good thing we had extra time. The hotel Internet service and my laptop-on-loan combined for painfully slow access and speed. Simple functions were taking an inordinate amount of time. I needed to Mapquest out our entire day of travels, and this required reviewing a number of options. If we did a Huckabee breakfast at 10 AM in Windham, could we make the Edwards event in Dover at 11 AM? Would the Edwards event be closer to the McCain Town Hall in Hopkinton or the Giuliani restaurant appearance in Durham? After the Giuliani Town hall in Exeter, could we still squeeze in another Edwards event in Hudson? For someone with no bearings in NH, the permutations were endless, but my patience with the lack of cyberspeed was not. I had to make some decisions:

Edwards in Dover.
Giuliani in Durham
Giuliani in Exeter.

We ate car snacks for breakfast. The ride to Dover was one of the most scenic of the trip. Beautiful lake vistas, leaves in full bloom, quiet country roads. As a bonus, we did not get lost on the 25 miles trip.

As we approached the address, we knew we had arrived. The road was packed with cars, most sporting liberal slogans on their bumpers. The driveway was marked with a nondescript mailbox, but the home itself was anything but. We walked down the tree lined private drive, past other smaller homes, feet crunching on dried leaves and pine needles. The driveway was at least a quarter mile. Then the home came into view beyond the welcome tables, falling down a gentle slope. It was not spectacular from the front, but the placement within these woods at the end of this long road evoked feelings of both comfort and envy. Comfort because of its unassuming appearance, envy because its seclusion gave it an air of wealth beyond our means.

At the top of the slope, just to our left as we entered the property, was a banner slung between two trees with the logo of the Friends of the Earth Coalition. This organization would be giving Edwards their endorsement this morning. Down the slope about 20 yards, about 80 metal folding chairs were arranged on the pavement in front of the house in a circle. Same chair set up as the Edwards event the previous night. It was cold outside in the shade, but comfortable whenever the sun would poke out from beneath the clouds, which was not often enough for Marra. Chivalry prevailed and I lent her my jacket.

As it was the previous night, the crowd was decidedly white and stereotypical New England. The entire scene was straight out of a Land's End catalog. There was the Golden Retriever, the plain front khakis, the wind breakers with sailing company logos tastefully embossed on the sleeves, the pink and blue oxford cloth shirts. And let's not forget all the Red Sox and New England Patriots banter that completed the tableau. Did I mention the lake behind the house?

Edwards was only 10 minutes late this morning, a big improvement over last night. He spent about 15 minutes at the top of the hill having his Friends of the Earth endorsement filmed for future web or TV spots, then joined the group seated in the circle. He was wearing his campaign uniform again - white long sleeve pinpoint oxford shirt and Levi jeans. I wonder if that outfit choice tested well with a focus group...

His opening remarks were pretty much the same as last night. I realized that these unscripted moments were scripted. I knew that intellectually, but it is different to hear it live. He delivered these lines with the freshness and passion required of a serious pol, but it was still old material for us.

He talked about his "college for everyone" plan. I forget the details, but for Edwards, I guess it is mission accomplished since I remembered that he even had a "college for everyone" plan. He told us that his universal health plan mandates coverage for everyone, while his rivals for the nomination have offered plans that do not mandate coverage. He vowed that if elected, and Congress did not pass universal health care within 6 months, he would see that the health care for members of Congress would be cancelled. Big applause line, Certainly, no one heard him admit that he wasn't sure if he could do that legally. Doesn't matter. Sounds serious.

He put special emphasis on the trust factor. He believed that we should only vote for a candidate that we trust will do exactly what they say they will do. I came away trusting that he would try to accomplish exactly what he said he would. I was left with 2 doubts: could he pass the legislation he promised to deliver, given his brief experience as a legislator, and second, are his plans the best plans for America? Frankly, I found him to be a stereotypical tax and spend liberal - all great ideas, as long as the rich pay for it. Not sure he could overcome that in the general election.

Marra had a different opinion. She liked Edwards alot, and I feel bad that I did not press the issue to get a picture of them together. I think it would have meant a lot to her.

We wanted to make it to Durham for the Giuliani restaurant appearance, so we cut our visit short at the Edwards House Party. I felt bad leaving early, but if it was anything like the night before, he was only going to take 1 or 2 more questions anyway. He took questions from just about everyone person sitting around Marra and me, and yet, passed over again. Would we ever get to ask a question, or were we destined to remain photo-op props, blindly applauding every catchy turn of a phrase (or anti-Cheney swipe)?

Stay tuned...Hissoner the Mayor of 9-11 is next on our list.

JS

If a Candidate Falls in the Forest...

Sam Brownback, the two term Senator from Kansas and the best hope for Evangelical Christians this year, has suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination. Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson might be the only Americans who noticed, since both are in line for his few supporters and donors.

On another Evangelical note, Fred Thompson told the crowd at the Family Values Conference in DC yesterday that he would spend his first hour as President praying in the Oval Office. If Fred does win, I think I'll be praying, too, but for different reasons. Perhaps he should pray for a work ethic in pursuit of the nomination.

Back to the NH trip shortly. I just had to get that off my chest.

JS

Southern Hospitality

We left the Huckabee House Party pretty jacked up. This feeling of accomplishment did not replace the feelings of hunger and fatigue, but it helped ease our pain somewhat. It was almost 7 PM Saturday night. Our day had started 12 hours and 325 miles prior, and our dinner was cut short by the ill-placed CSPAN2 cameras. All things considered, Marra and I were holding up remarkably well. Cherie had packed snacks in the car, and we were often grateful.

Marra and I chatted about the questions we didn't ask Gov. Huckabee. I wanted him to expand on his Republican debate within a debate with Rep. Ron Paul from Texas. Huckabee took the position that in Iraq, "we broke it, so we bought it", meaning stay until the 'job' is done. I wanted to hear from the candidate how he defined "done", and whether or not the United States had a breaking point with its' patience. I wanted him to defend his stance in favor of drilling for oil in ANWAR (Alaska), in light of his strong statements about protecting the natural beauty of his own state, Arkansas. Those questions would remain unanswered, at least this evening. Asking the perfect question, or asking any relevant question, was going to be a challenge. Any candidate contact seemed like it was going to be fleeting at best.

The Edwards Town Hall Meeting was in Tilton, about 20 miles further north, so we were headed in the opposite direction of home base in Manchester. The ride home after the event would be brutal, almost an hour in the dark in a strange place. I mean, there were Moose Crossing signs. I briefly considered packing it in for the night, since Edwards was on our itinerary for the morning anyway. I kept thinking, "I've planned this for 4 years, we have 4 days, we are going 'til we drop." What a great dad I am, huh? Marra was becoming numb from all the driving. Not sure she had an opinion at this point. She was just along for the ride.

Tilton, from what we could see in the dark, was a classic American small town. Lots of trees, a Main Street (New Hampshire has 1,000 roads called Main Street, and we traveled them all), a town square, statutes to fallen heroes of the past, not a Wal-Mart in sight. Few lights, a very still place. Walking around at night would not be a problem.

We got out of the car at the high school where Edwards would be performing, and Marra commented, "It smells like Christmas." There was the first nip of winter in the air along with some chimney smoke, creating that unique scent. We were wide awake now.

Inside the school, down the hall, past the team trophies behind glass, a small table surrounded by Edwards posters was set, and manned (if "manned" is the correct word here) by 2 attractive young ladies who greeted us warmly with their Southern accents. "Welcome, would you sign in please?" They told us that we had not missed anything yet - Edwards was running late. We had arrived about 10 minutes after the publicized start time, but were too tired to be concerned about maybe missing a few stock opening remarks.

The auditorium was small, and there were only about 150 people total in attendance. First thing I noticed was the lack of color in the room. Lots of white people as far as the eyes could see. I knew that New Hampshire had one of the lowest (if not the lowest) minority populations in the nation, but this was the first time it struck me. All the seats were taken, however a staffer pulled out 2 more plastic chairs for me and Marra. Even with all seats taken, we were in the third row from the center of the ring. Edwards would be performing while encircled by the mob. I chose to stand for a bit. My rear end needed some circulation after a long day behind the wheel.

At 7:45 PM (30 minutes late), Edwards arrived. White long sleeve pinpoint oxford, brown belt, Levi jeans, a touch of the Kennedy tan. The simple uniform of the working man's candidate. The man was attractive, and I try not to notice those things. His haircut was unimpressive, though. If he paid more than $30, he was robbed.

We were all waiting for the apology that never came, and he launched into his brief opening remarks before taking questions.

His positions: He is opposed to all nuclear power, and opposes any new plants in this country. Sees them as dangerous, particularly as terrorist targets. He wants to close Guantanamo immediately upon taking office. He did not say where all those prisoners would go once it closed. He favors a raise in the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour. He would fix Social Security by lifting the cap on the taxable SS wages from the current $97,000 per year. Under the Edwards plan, all earnings would be subject to the Social Security tax. Also, he is not Hillary Clinton. That point he repeated several times.

It was the end of the day, and he seemed to be reaching by the end of the evening. He wanted his mission as President to be ridding the world of nuclear weapons. After he finished that, he planned to educate 100 million children all round the world. He didn't say, but I will assume he meant these as goals for two terms, not one.

Marra and I were aggressive in raising our hands to be called on for questions, but we must have looked intimidating by this hour. We didn't get to ask him a question, and we didn't get to shake his hand. Frankly, that was OK at this point. Marra leaned over to me at 8:20 PM, and begged, "Daddy, I'm really tired and I want to go to bed. Can we go?" She never wants to go to bed, so this must have been serious. I asked for 10 more minutes, then promised we would leave no later than 8:30 PM. Seconds later, Edwards announced, "I only have time for one more question." Everything was coming together for us on Day One.

The questions we were prepared to ask, and didn't:

"In 20 years, 90% of all jobs will require a college diploma, but only 30% of adults today earn a college degree. Given this statistic, what do you view as the federal government's role in higher education, and in preparing students for the knowledge economy?"

"You have advocated establishing a government fund to bail out those citizens who were victims in the subprime lending collapse. How do you plan to differentiate those who were swindled by predatory lenders from those who understood the risks, and took these loans out anyway?"

"You talk about tax fairness, but how would you simplify the tax code so that ordinary citizens won't need to hire a CPA to take advantage of your proposed tax benefits?"

"You are proud to have opted into public financing this election season, because it fits your message that the system favors the rich. But isn't it true that the real reason you opted into the public financing system is that Obama and Clinton were out-fundraising you so dramatically, and you could never catch up?"

The town hall event was somewhat disappointing. Edwards was very charismatic, and you could see how well he speaks his message and works the audience. The disappointment was how few questions he took, maybe only 6. My expectation of the town hall was 15 questions, with lots of follow up questions when the candidate danced through a non-answer answer. The actual questions and answers were pretty vanilla, and I didn't learn anything I hadn't seen during a debate on TV.

But we were tired, and we had a 45 minute ride in front of us. We'd see Edwards again in the morning, so we called it a day.

McCain, Kucinich, Huckabee and Edwards in one day. We would sleep soundly, and we had earned it.

JS

Someday on C-SPAN2

It was time for the tricky part of our trip to New Hampshire - navigating around the state. Prior to leaving Virginia, I had an idea about various scheduled public events by using http://www.nh2008.blogspot.com/. This site posted updated candidate schedules regularly, and it became my favorite site in the days before departure. Campaign stops were listed with the date, time, candidate and physical address. What could be easier, right? I had already spent an evening on Mapquest and Google Maps to plot a logical course by day, avoiding events at 11 AM in the North Country followed by 1 PM events in the south. So, like most stereotypical men, I had a "sense" of where we were going. That was going to have to be enough. A tired and hungry 11 year old was counting on me.

The first event on our agenda after the Global Warming Conference was a Mike Huckabee House Party. It was billed as a walk through of a Green House featuring the latest recycled materials and energy efficient design. It was not, as Marra first thought, a traditional green house filled with flowers and trees, which she told me would have been too hot for her. Global warming was hitting home in New Hampshire on this fall day, with temperatures in the upper 70s, sunny and clear. It felt warmer, probably since we were all pumped up with the adrenaline of our first day in campaign mode.

The Green House Party was the lone address that Mapquest and Google Maps could not recognize before we left Virginia. I was going to be dependent on some kind New Hampshirites or knowledgeable campaign flunkies to help us get there safely. We found two members of the Huckabee staff, eager to help two lost potential donors find their way. It turns out that the address doesn't exist yet, because the neighborhood is under construction. The Green House does not exist in cyberspace. On the last day of the trip, this might have deterred me. But not on opening night! I will find it. The staffers asked me a question I would hear throughout our stay in the Granite State: "Do you have a GPS?" If only...

Directions in hand, we headed out in the fading light due north, approximately 25 miles. This was my first opportunity to debrief with Marra in an uninterrupted setting, just the two of us. I asked for her impressions. She had several questions about nuclear power, a topic that was raised by each candidate, and was the subject of a question to McCain and Huckabee. Both McCain and Huckabee favored more nuclear plants in the US, calling it a safe and efficient option to help us break our dependence on foreign oil. Both reminded the crowd that France meets 80% of its power needs using nuclear (ironic that France is the model we should look to for energy policy, but not anything else, like "socialized" medicine ideas). I explained to Marra that disposal of the waste from nuclear is still an open issue, and that many fear nuclear plants would be prime targets for those wanting to harm America. I also told her that the last nuclear plant in the US was chartered 20 years ago, so it had been an energy source on hold for a number of years. I did not tell her that I attended the No Nukes Concerts in 1979 in NYC, featuring Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne, and that my screams can be heard on the recording of Bruce's "Devil with the Blue Dress" medley. That would have been brainwashing, and she had gotten enough of that listening to Kucinich for 20 minutes. (I will never forget the gleam in his eyes when he said, "I believe in public ownership of a lot of things.")

The event seemed further away than 25 miles, a feeling I would have repeatedly during the week, but we did find it without incident. None of the other houses on the street were occupied yet, all were in various stages of construction, but mostly finished from the exterior. There weren't too many cars parked nearby, and I took that as a positive sign. We were there for access to power, and the fewer people the better. Huckabee might have disagreed. His problem was that his candidacy, like the Green House, was not yet on the map. He needs a break through event, and time is running out.

Marra and I walked into the house like it was ours. Like Damon said in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, "You don't just walk into a room, you walk." I had to show her that we belonged...and I didn't want to get thrown out of our first party. We met a nice young woman at the door behind her draped card table, and she greeted us warmly. I was only half listening, since Gov. Huckabee was about 12 steps to my left, talking to other average citizens with C-SPAN cameras capturing every movement, every exchange. At that moment, I knew I had succeeded. Marra and I were in New Hampshire, in a private residence with a few dozen people, rubbing elbows with a major party candidate for the Presidency of the United States. They'd have to drag me out.

We signed in (yes, I used my real name and real address, although I did hesitate), and headed to the kitchen and Huckabee. He was slowly making the rounds, and headed straight for us. "Marra, stay right here," I said, "Don't move." I felt for the camera. Check. It was ready for the money shot when our prey turned to us. As we waited our turn, I strained to hear the answers to the questions he was getting from other attendees. Crowd noise or old age, but I couldn't understand most of what was being said.

Then, just when it was our turn, the hostess of the party sidled up and told us, "We need to stay on schedule, so I will need to take the governor over to meet these people next." I controlled the urge to tell her our sad story of 550 miles of travel that day just for this one moment with our future president, but I was polite and reserved. We'll get another chance. Huckabee then turned and was face to face with Marra and me. "Hello, I'm Mike Huckabee," and he extended his hand. Nice shake, firm, not too hard, single pump, he lingered in the hand embrace just the right amount of time. Obviously a professional.

I introduced Marra, and told him about our travel plans. He asked Marra what grade she was in, and I think she answered correctly. I asked for the photo with Marra, and he happily complied. It came out great, both Mike and Marra looking happy without red eye. What a special moment.

Mission One accomplished, we weaseled our way to the food. They had sandwich wraps with turkey, roast beef, and chicken salad. There was cut fruit, chips for dipping, and an assortment of beverages, including beer and wine. I was drunk with the proximity to power, and we had one more event to see that evening, so I stuck with water, thank you. Marra and I filled plates and found an open bench seat built into the bay window. We sat comfortably, and soaked it all in.

It interesting how unobtrusive the cameras and microphones became after only a short time. Those C-SPAN guys must know what they're doing.

Twenty minutes into the event, and Governor Huckabee came to the front of the living room to deliver a few words of thanks, and give us an abridged version of his stump speech. He set up to deliver his remarks about 3 feet from where Marra and I were sitting in the picture window, and as it happened, we were directly across from the C-SPAN cameras. Should this particular house party event end up being broadcast on the show "Campaign 2008", Marra and I will be featured prominently. If it never reaches broadcast, here's what you'll miss: Marra chomping away while the governor is speaking; me leaning over and telling her to starve if she has to, but stop eating while he's speaking, it's very distracting; Marra spilling her cup of water on the seat cushion and her own leg; Marra attempting to rub her leg over and over during the talk to dry up the water; me sliding further away, in case people think we're together. Oh well, it was too neat to be in the room to let any of that really affect our mood.

During his remarks. Huckabee told a famous New Hampshire primary joke that I will share with all of you, since I found it to represent a truism of NH politics:

A reporter walks into a barber shop and asks one of the patrons, "So, do you plan to vote for {insert candidate name here} in the election for President this week?" The patron responds, "How should I know? I've only met him twice."

The whole process has such an intimacy there, that it is true that everyone discusses not only a candidate's positions, but their demeanor, their persona, their openness to the citizenry.

So Huckabee finishes his speech, and turns again to Marra and me. We shake hands again, and I tell him that I wish we had more time to hear about his Fair Tax proposal. He would replace all taxes on earnings with a national consumption tax, the theory being why tax earnings, just tax spending. This would encourage saving, simplify the tax system, and remove the disincentive to invest money. I'd like to hear more.

Marra and I then stalked one of his staffers, who laid out the Huckabee path to the nomination. Be competitive in Iowa and New Hampshire (top three in both), then offer himself as the truest conservative in the race...oh yeah, and hope one of the front runners stumbles.

Now that I've met him, I hope he sticks around. He's unassuming, which is nice in a house, bad on a national debate stage. Of all the candidates we saw in NH, I thought his message was the most coherent and most consistent. He was a great first course in our political meal.

But red meat was just ahead. We were off to a John Edwards Town Hall Meeting next. Our first day in New Hampshire was not over yet.

JS

The Candidate Next Door

I will continue with a chronological account of our stay in New Hampshire. If you need a refresher, just scroll down and read previous blog entries.

We had a 30 minute or so break between Kucinich and the next scheduled speaker, Mike Huckabee, so we decided to check in to our room. In the lobby, John McCain was holding court surrounded by student activists wearing their "Students for McCain" t-shirts. There were about 20 people around him, and he commanded too much of my respect to shove Marra up against him for a cheap photo-op. Besides, seeing the candidates up close was already beginning to feel normal, so the urge to touch the hem of his jacket had faded. We watched for a minute, then went to the room.

Marra was in her princess glory when she fell onto her own "Sleep Number" bed. The Radisson was featuring Select Comfort air mattresses in all the rooms, so she immediately grabbed the controls in search of her 'number'. As exciting as inflating and deflating a mattress was for an 11 year old, we had political speeches to hear, and I didn't want to lose our front row vantage point.

Mike Huckabee, Republican candidate for President, was 2+ term governor of Arkansas, and actually comes from the same home town as Bill Clinton. He is another "Man from Hope". His story has intrigued me, particularly his dramatic weight loss (I believe it was 110 pounds) and subsequent passion for running. He has run a marathon, and I am not sure if he does them regularly or not. So I feel some connection to him, as someone who once (and only once) braved the 26.2 miles. He also had a strong showing in the Iowa Straw Poll in September, raising his profile among the pundits. I had optimistic expectations.

He looked great in a blue suit, rep stripe tie, and white shirt. Very fit in appearance. He began his talk in a low key fashion, initially relying on his notes. He described his own views on the environment as coming from his personal faith. "We are visitors, and we owe it to our grandchildren to be good stewards of the earth." That sounded heart-felt and sincere, seeing that he is an ordained minister. It fit his regular guy persona.

Like the other speakers before him, he tied environmental security to national security. He crystallized his message by telling us that a "free country must be able to do three things - feed itself, fuel itself, and fight for itself. You cannot outsource one of the legs of this stool and still be free." Well put, I thought, and I wondered to myself how long it would be before Iraq could accomplish all three.

Like McCain, he apologized for the lack of Republican leadership on green issues, but he went on to tell us about the importance of protecting the natural environment in his state, Arkansas. As governor, he said, he realized that if his state didn't take care of its own physical treasures, no one else would.

To encourage environmentally friendly technologies get a leg up in the marketplace, he would ask the federal government to take the lead as Number One consumer of green products and alternative energy. The federal government, being the largest consumer in our economy, could help make these alternative sources of fuel and products more affordable by driving down the prices. That makes sense.

He ended with a memorable metaphor. He asked if we were thermometers or thermostats. Thermometers read the temperature and do nothing about it. Thermostats set the temperature and then work towards it. He, of course, urged us to be thermostats (set at 68 degrees or below in the winter, of course).

For a Republican candidate in a hostile environment, he was well received and, most importantly, believed. With the activist crowd we were hanging out with, that was important. Most of these people grew up with "Question Authority" bumper stickers on their VW vans and hundreds of Grateful Dead bootlegs on cassette. I am sure some still wear knit ponchos on chilly days.

We were on the wrong side of the room to get a picture, but we weren't concerned. Next stop for us was a Mike Huckabee house party in Loudon...wherever that is.

JS

Farewell to New Hampshire

We leave tomorrow morning, and we are exhausted. Trip updates will be posted throughout the week, giving everyone a play-by-play of all our adventures. As a teaser:

Monday was campaign headquarters review day, and we visited offices for Romney, Dodd, Edwards, Giuliani, Thompson, Clinton and Obama.
Tuesday (today) was an all-Hillary stalking, and we sat front row for a policy speech in Manchester and her town hall meeting in Salem. Excellent pictures of Hillary with Marra, and even one of me and Marra with Mrs. Clinton. Marra got the autograph, too.

A successful trip - you should hear Marra getting uppity about George Bush after full doses of Edwards and Clinton!

See you tomorrow.

JS

Let Washington Do It...For Your Own Good

After listening to John McCain's brand of experienced Senatorial leadership on a range of issues, Dennis Kucinich represented quite the contrast in style - and substance. Rep. Kucinich, Democrat from Ohio, was taller than I had pictured. I usually see him in photos with his statuesque bride from England towering over him. Standing alone behind the podium, however, he looked less like Alfred E. Newman and more like a serious contender. He is not a serious contender at this point, and even quipped that he is now polling above the margin of error for the first time ("I poll, therefore I am.").

Kucinich seemed uncomfortable, sticking closely to his notes, fidgeting, making one feel that he was giving this talk for the first time. As we will learn later, very little said by the candidates is being said for the first time.

He spoke haltingly about the "re-enchantment of the world", and the imperative to reconnect with nature and rediscover man's place in the natural world. "We are one with nature," he said. Even the crowd wearing hemp sweaters and carrying backpacks made of 100% recycled materials (in psychedelic colors of course) was barely following his line of thought. He sounded more like a cult guru than a presidential aspirant. Eventually, he found his stump speech stride.

He made the connection between global warming and global 'warring' - wars are fought over scarce goods, and oil is the king of scarce goods. He warned the audience that compartmentalized thinking leads to curing symptoms instead of root problems. He urged us to view the global warming issue in a holistic way, and investigate all the interconnections, to the economy, to the federal budget, to our foreign policy. His clearest statement was that NAFTA and the WTO were created to produce profits and not to protect/preserve resources.

Then the Kucinich Plan: a WGA (Works Green Administration), similar to FDR's WPA and other programs known only by their initials. The government would accelerate the greening of the world, and create jobs in the process. In the Q&A part of his talk, he promised to support a government take over of the oil companies in this country if they don't not begin taking serious, substantive steps to reverse our dependence on oil and other non-renewable sources of energy. In fact, he unabashedly said, "I believe in public ownership of a lot of things." That's a quote. Excuse me, that's not liberalism, that's communism, comrade.

The second half of his address showed much conviction, much energy, much honesty. It showed little practicality, and little to convince us of electability, but it was dramatic. I'm not surprised that his "green" stance hasn't translated into any campaign green for him. Even the tree huggers in attendance were a bit reluctant to have the US government run the oil industry.

After this speech, a nice gentleman from the NH Electric Company stopped by, and showed me 2 photos he had taken of Marra in the foreground with John McCain in the background. He promised to email them to me. Marra was becoming a celebrity in the front row, being at least 30 years younger than the rest of the audience around us. She was listening, asking what certain issues were all about, and taking notes. The severe fatigue from the long drive had yet to strike her, but it was coming. Mike Huckabee was next...

JS

The Trip Begins

Six thirty AM Saturday morning came earlier than usual. I was in a deep sleep, enjoying a vivid predawn dream when present day yelled up the stairs, "Wake up, Joe".

Marra and I had decided to break up the long drive to New Hampshire by stopping off at my sister's home in NJ for a visit and a rest, and I was comfortably snoozing in an upstairs bedroom, a bedroom recently vacated by my niece. Fortunately, my niece left a mattress on the floor and a roof for over my head. In the dream, I was walking Marra through the swim club of my youth, which we had passed in the real world on the drive in. The Columbian Swim Club in this early morning dream, however, was new and improved, almost unrecognizable to me. A new sun deck, a separate diving pool, renovated changing rooms. Quite modern, including a roof over the entire complex with skylights that let in warmth and sunshine. There remained enough clues in the upscale design of the pool area to remind me of the old days, and I was comforted by the familiar landmarks. At the same time, I was disappointed that the physical context of my upbringing was gone. Marra couldn't share that context by walking the same path as me. She couldn't see exactly what I had seen. Everything had been repaved, repainted, and rearranged. Her experience of my world would be different.

So with this in mind, we set off from NJ for New Hampshire Saturday morning. We had already traveled 4 plus hours, and we knew we had 5 more to go. Fortunately the weather was gorgeous, sunny and clear, and the traffic was non-existent (at least in our direction, the only direction that mattered to me!). The drive was pleasantly uneventful. We stopped for breakfast in Connecticut at McDonald's, and only stopped one other time for a quick bathroom break. My goal was 12 noon in Manchester, lunchtime at the Global Warming Conference we were scheduled to attend. We pulled into the hotel parking garage at 12:05 PM. Pretty close, I'll take it.

At first, I thought we were in the wrong hotel. The first event we passed inside was a large gun show. Gun show enthusiasts and global environmental activists sharing the same real estate. Smells like trouble, doesn't it? Add the facts that grown men in camouflage were walking through the lobby carrying assault weapons, and I was ready to see 3 presidential candidates in the building. Islamic terrorists or NRA separatists...both scare the pacifist in me.

We headed for the registration desk of the conference. We were the last to register for the entire conference, a sign that perhaps we would continue to have good luck. We were in time for our lunch of grilled chicken, mixed vegetables and yellow rice. I thought it was typical hotel fare. Marra thought it was the food of kings. We sat right up close to the podium, thinking the candidates would speak in this room. Wrong. We were up close for the lunch time keynote from the head of the National Wildlife Federation (or maybe Foundation). We ate chicken, but this guy was serving liberal red meat. Both were filling for the crowd.

We sat with 2 nice ladies from New Hampshire who were developing climate strategies for their communities. It seems that the states are leading the Federal government on climate issues. States see the crisis, and our acting without waiting. California is again first in this area, but other coastal states are writing their own plans and legislation to combat global warming.

The ladies tried to engage Marra in conversation about her political views, to which she responded with a few shrugs, a few grunts, and some well placed "I don't know"'s. I think she was focused on the food, frankly, but these ladies were asking stuff a bit over her head. I myself felt out of place. We had come to see the candidates, and if they had been speaking at a conference on expanding nuclear power, we might have been there, too. I felt like a party crasher. But, when in Rome...

Lunch ended, and we rushed out to get a great seat for McCain's speech. The room held about 500 attendees, with tables arranged in long rows. Marra and I sat in the front row of the far left section of seats. We had a perfect view of the podium.

McCain was right on time. He looked exactly the same as he does on TV, although I had expected him to look older in person. Blue jacket, tie, sweater vest. Very conservative looking, an image he needs to cultivate more if he wants to win a Republican primary. He began by saying that the global climate issue is important because "We're here today for young ladies like this one over here", and he was gesturing at Marra. Marra's first recognition by a nationally ranked candidate for President. If I wasn't jacked up before, I sure was now. We were in New Hampshire, watching the big players perform.

McCain framed the environmental issue in an interesting way. He said, "Suppose we're wrong about global warming and we do something about it. Worst case, our air and water becomes cleaner. Now, suppose we are right about global warming and we do nothing. The generations of the future will never forgive us." In his view, the choice is clear. We must act. The pro-green crowd ate it up. They did not equally cheer his support for an expansion of nuclear power, especially since there is a crumbling reactor located downwind of New Hampshire right now. McCain cited France as generating 80% of its' power through nuclear, a rare Republican using France as an example of what to do. He reminded us that this country has been sailing nuclear ships and subs around the world for decades without incident. OK, that's true. Then again, I've never had a serious car accident, so perhaps I should stop wearing my seat belt. He is against a gas tax, which he argued would be paid more heavily by those with less money. He made a good point on this issue, using DC as the example. He said that those with the least money move the furthest away from their jobs in Washington, DC. Those with the most money live close in to DC. Now, who would pay the high cost of a gas tax? Right, those who live the further away. Good example.

He really took on some aggressive questioners with his patented "straight talk", and was forceful and polite when he disagreed. He was never disagreeable. I wish we could have attended his town hall meeting. It was clear why New Hampshire residents supported him in 2000. His brand of conservatism speaks to them.

Next, Dennis Kucinich takes the stage.

JS

Live Free or Die

That's the motto of the great state of New Hampshire. We are here, participating in the miracle of democracy, driving everywhere, sleeping not enough. The Internet connection is weak, and so am I, but this is a quick teaser:
We attended a Global Warming Conference Saturday, and heard McCain, Kucinich, and Huckabee speak. We sat in the front row.
We next drove to a private house party for Mike Huckabee, and had a great chat with him. The picture of Marra and Huckabee together is a classic.
We then drove too many miles for our first town hall meeting with John Edwards. 100 people in a school gymnasium. Pretty neat. Ladies, he is good looking.
Sunday morning we attended a house party for Edwards. I think he is becoming afraid to call on us for questions.
After that party, off to Young's Restaurant at the UNH and a beautiful picture of Guilaini hugging Marra. I told him I was a Mets fan, and he expressed his sympathy. Too many handlers around, so I couldn't swing at him.
We trailed him to a town hall meeting in Exeter, set in a room right out of the courtroom scene from To Kill A Mockingbird.
Now we are resting, preparing to visit the local campaign headquarters most of tomorrow.

Tuesday night, we share a conversation with Hillary in Salem.

MUCH more to follow. All is well.

JS

Pack It Up

Tomorrow we depart Virginia, stop in New Jersey for a brief meal mooch, then Saturday morning, it's on the New Hampshire. Full weekend slate is tentatively planned. Saturday we attend a Global Warming Conference in Manchester and hear McCain, Huckabee and Kucinich speak, then quickly off to a smaller event with Huckabee. After a drive through dinner, we attend a town hall meeting in Tilton with John Edwards. That's Day One. Ouch.

Sunday brings Huckabee, Guiliani, and Edwards again for some intimate meetings, some scheduled at private residences. Don't worry, I'll hold on to my wallet. Monday we finally exhale and spend some time with the campaign staffs of the front runners, weeding through their slightly skewed views as best we can.

It's all happening, and we're ready!

By the way, Marra won her election as Corresponding secretary at her elementary school. First comment to her dad after winning? "I'm not really sure what the job is, but I won." Sounds like something Fred Thompson might say if he were to win the Presidency.

On the road...

JS

Synchronicity

Today the Republican candidates - Tancredo, Hunter, Paul, Romney, Thompson, McCain, Brownback, Guiliani - debated in Deerborn, MI. Each candidate tried to stand out with a line or a statement that would separate himself from the crowded field. Each candidate tried to use humor to make an impression on the audience. Each candidate returned to their campaign themes, and repeated the message for the voters to hear.

Thursday morning, Marra will be appearing on the TV News at her school, along with all the other candidates for Corresponding Secretary. She will present prepared remarks for the camera that outline for the student body the reasons to vote for her. She will attempt to separate herself from the crowded field. She will use humor to make an impression on her audience. She will return to her campaign theme (monkeys), and repeat the message for voters to hear.

Here is her speech, written independently by Marra. To set the stage, she will appear on camera with a monkey puppet in her arms. The monkey is named Bobo.

Bobo: Good Morning, Chimps and Orangutans. I’m Marra’s campaign manager. I’m going to tell you why you should vote for Marra. First of all, If you don’t I’ll punch you in the nose and-

Marra: Hey, that’s not very nice, Bobo! I’m not that desperate for votes. I’ll handle the speech, okay? Anyway, like Bobo said, I’m running for corresponding secretary. I think I would be good for the job because I have neat handwriting so I can record things neatly and accurately. I’m also responsible.

Bobo: Hey, what about that time when you-

Marra: Shhh!!! Bobo, stop interrupting. As I was saying, I’m very responsible. I’m a tutor, I’m on the TV news, I’m in GT and band…

Bobo: And she’s been a patrol for 2 years.

Marra: Right. I am a good writer, and I enjoy it too so it’s not like this job would be torture for me.

Bobo: Plus Marra’s on top of it!! She comes home every day and tells me exactly what’s going on.

Marra: Well, I have been here since kindergarten. I should know.

Both: So if you want a successful SCA, vote the Funky Monkey today!!!! Vote for Marra Sherrier!!!

Guiliani uses 9-11 and Marra uses monkeys. Whatever motivates your base. The vote is Friday, the day we leave for New Hampshire.

JS

Taking Shape

One of the challenges in planning a trip to New Hampshire for primary season is coordinating our schedule with that of the various candidates. We made our reservation for our room in Manchester back in April. Candidate schedules are fluid, changing sometimes by the hour. We had sketched out the framework for our days in the state, but the details are being filled in only this week, right before departure. It was always a possibility that every candidate would abandon New Hampshire for the week in favor of Iowa or some other early voting state. That was the risk I had to take in choosing the dates for the trip 8 months in advance. I was trying to predict where the political winds would blow each presidential hopeful. Have I guessed correctly?

Some good early news: Bill Richardson, John McCain and Mike Huckabee have committed to attend a conference on global warming this Friday and Saturday. The conference is not only in Manchester, it is being held right in our hotel! The current schedule has speeches by McCain and Huckabee Saturday, and we should be there in time. Might miss Richardson. After the conference, we can follow Huckabee to a gathering about 20 miles away, hopefully for more close up time. McCain is staying in the state through the 14th. Can't afford to leave probably.

Hillary and Barack are in the Granite State beginning tomorrow, so the odds are they will be gone by the time we arrive. We'll see. The 3rd place candidate and his wife, Elizabeth, are planning to be in the state, but no schedule has been released.

Kucinich and Gravel, pulling up the rear in the polls, are confirmed to speak to the NH Committee for an Independent Voice - perfect for those two characters, since they have been marching to their own drummers for years.

And then there is everyone's favorite Republican, the darkest of dark horse candidates, Tom Tancredo. He'll be picketing a 7-11 all week. OK, that's a joke. He's around Wednesday, so perhaps we'll see what kind of a crowd he attracts. I'll keep Marra close.

The rest of the hours at this point will be filled with campaign headquarters drop-ins (most are located in Manchester), collecting political bumper stickers, signs and other wacky memorabilia. We'll ask questions, interview volunteers, discuss policy, process, and cheap local eateries.

GOP debate tomorrow - stay tuned for Fred Thompson's coming out party. Should get ugly early.

JS

What's All This Monkey Business?

In a previous blog, I wondered how I would feel about Marra choosing a career in electoral politics and public service. It's no longer hypothetical now - she's been nominated for the position of Corresponding Secretary at her school. She earned enough votes in the 'primary' to be chosen as one of four candidates for this honor. Just like the national Presidential contest, however, the voting calendar is compressed slightly...the election is this Friday.

Marra has jumped into the ring with both feet. She gathered her campaign staff, including a media consultant from down the street, in our basement to agree on a campaign theme (monkeys), and the first (and only) media buy - five posters with Marra's name and picture.

The rules for this elementary school campaign rival the details in any campaign reform bills I've ever seen work its' way through Congress. First, the maximum number of posters is five per candidate, to be placed only in designated areas. No saturation blitz of issue ads, so I like that. Candidates are also prohibited from passing out "items such as candy, pencils, or other prizes to encourage students to vote for you." Good rule, aimed primarily at the candidate's largest donors (the parents), I think. Those donors would be tempted to not spare any expense to see that their little Janie or Johnny wins the ultimate popularity contest. The rules do not state this, but it is implied that rules violators will be removed from the ballot. I'd like to see that law passed for other contests, wouldn't you?

Candidates are restricted from harassing voters on election day, and the distribution of stickers is tightly controlled. I know this, because the sticker rules are indicated with italics type. Italics equals "We Mean Business". While the distribution of gifts and goodies is banned, that doesn't mean that Marra doesn't have any tricks up her sleeve. She instinctively knows that to win during a short campaign cycle with a crowded field requires her to do something to attract attention to herself. It's too early in her career to win by smearing the opposition, and that strategy would probably lead to a meeting between the principal and Mommy and Daddy. Marra's plan to differentiate herself? She will have a monkey puppet actually give her speech to the student body on October 11th. Now, strong arguments that tout her abilities to enhance the student experience through her conscientious efforts as Corresponding Secretary might seem like a good framework for her speech, but Marra has learned already - image wins over substance.

That's my little monkey!

JS

Now I'll be blogging about 2 campaigns!

Progress in Black and White

On Saturday afternoon, my son and I were staking out the exit doors of our local Lowe's Home Improvement Store (when did they stop being "hardware" stores?), pitching overpriced popcorn to the weekend masses on behalf of his Cub Scout troop. "Would you like to buy some popcorn or make a donation?" Over and over, without any change in pitch or delivery, he and his 8 year old buddy were models of persistence and dogged optimism. It obviously takes a lot of rejection to dampen the enthusiasm of a kid supporting his gang and his cause. Minimum prices per can began at $8, skyrocketing to $17 for a large decorative tin of pre-popped, caramel covered popcorn with almonds. Makes a great gift. We all know that the Girl Scouts have cornered the market with their "treats disguised as charity" business model, a profit engine driven first and foremost by the popular Thin Mints. Those cookie box prices are designed to drive volume, and provide an immediate investment return for the little salesperson who smiles sweetly and says "Pleeeease" with that irresistible and unrehearsed hint of desperation. Girl Scout cookie sales are "a slam dunk", while Cub Scout popcorn sales require more finesse.

But I am not here to whine about the Girl Scouts making our job harder on this sunny day. Thomas had heard his share of "No thank you" and adults pretending not to see or hear him and his sales pitch. "Part of the sales training process", I encouraged him. Thomas, midway through his 2-hour shift, had his own theory on his sales successes and failures. He turned to his friend and commented, "The people with the white skin are buying the popcorn, and the people with the black skin are not."

ALERT! ALERT! White Man's Guilt, dead ahead!!!

In the pit of my stomach, I felt it. And I had to react.

"Thomas, let's not make snap decisions about who will buy popcorn and who won't. You never know just by looking at someone, so just keep trying." He listened (not sure if he understood), and dutifully went back to his friend and the job of moving product.

I'll admit, I've had many thoughts about this incident since, and most are positive. First, all my son did was state a fact - more white people had in fact been customers. He wasn't suggesting that black prospects be ignored, and his behavior towards the clientele remained unaffected. That's good. Second, his friend didn't react one way or the other to the observation. To him, someone young enough to be unencumbered by the guilt of racism, the comment meant nothing beyond that statement of fact. Third, I realized that he had not made any distinctions between the brown skinned and the black skinned. There was only white and non-white to him, the shadings didn't register as a significant difference. Finally, there was no whiff of condescension, no fears; there was only "this is what I see" without extra baggage attached.

After replaying the moment in my head, I am left with some pride - in our parenting, in our schools, and in our country. The much maligned "multiculturalism" as taught in the schools and supported by the non-Right Wing media appears to be having an impact on the up and coming generations. Maybe the racial differences that were defined for us in an often negative way as we grew up are falling away. Maybe our kids will see the differences in skin and accent, but not assign negative personality traits to those differences. Maybe our kids are learning not to ignore differences, but to see them, shrug, and move on.

Marra will grow up knowing that Barack Obama can run for President as a top tier contender, based on his merits. Marra will live in a world where a woman running for the highest office is a given. In New Hampshire, we will probably hear questions about race and gender. If I'm right, Marra will hear these questions and later ask me, "Daddy, why does any of that matter? I don't get it." That would be great.

On the trail in 11 days.

JS