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