It's easy for me to get caught up in the daily political currents and drift away from the world of day-to-day responsibilities and obligations. We had been in New Hampshire now for two and a half days. It was time to weigh anchor in reality, and that meant school homework for Marra and work emails for me. It also meant remembering those we had left behind, like our wife/mother and kids/siblings. We chose to procrastinate a few more minutes by shopping for family gifts.
I was having some regrets. In our rush on Sunday to be on time for Giuliani's Town Hall in Exeter, we did not spend any time shopping in Durham, home of the University of New Hampshire. We had briefly ducked into an off-campus store next to Young's Restaurant and saw all manner and variety of cool shirts, sweats and collectibles, all featuring the New Hampshire theme. I felt too pressured for time to make a smart buying decision, so we left empty handed. I wished Durham wasn't so far away, or I would have driven back. I was holding out hope that downtown Manchester would offer better, more unique, less tourist-y options.
Marra and I had scouted out 2 T-shirt shop options on Elm Street, but the T-Shirt Bodega sounded the most promising. A store that calls itself a 'bodega' will surely carry the type of personalized, out of the ordinary, subtle yet attention grabbing designs that say, "I'm an individual, and I have something to say!" I was about to be taught one of Murphy's axioms: Be careful what you wish for.
First of all, 'unique' equals 'overpriced'. This fact had little impact on Marra's shopping choices. Second, "bodega" is apparently a Spanish word for "rag". The hip style demanded that the clothing be so worn, thin and frayed that you could wear it during the day, use it to buff your car in the evening, and then blow on it like a dandelion to watch the threads spread out across the breeze. Disposable and eco-friendly.
"Attention grabbing designs" means political messaging on wedge issues that I had not directly addressed with my 11 year old. I was sticking with war, taxes, health care and the environment. The Bodega's shirts were targeting gay marriage, free speech in the form of profanity, and various Bob Marley causes. As Bill O'Reilly might say, they were "promoting their radical secular far left agenda on "us folks", the unsuspecting tourists.
I should not have been so shocked. The residents of the Live Free or Die state were not passive about their positions or opinions. We were learning a lot about New Hampshire during our stay. From my readings about the NH electorate, there were two competing groups, one represented by the working class, blue collar city dwellers and those in the North Country; the other known as the Elites, represented by those clustered near the universities and the Massachusetts border towns. In New Hampshire, car insurance is not required by law. Seat belts are only required for minor children. There is no sales tax. There is no income tax. The revolution to take back America will begin here, and this store is apparently run by free thinking revolutionary leaders. To win New Hampshire, you need a coalition of both the Elites and the Working Class. To sell T-shirts, Elites will do.
I talked Marra out of a $30 ratty T with an Apple logo on the front, and escaped without having to explain the meaning of the shirt picturing 2 woman holding hands. Isn't it enough that at age 11, she knows the term "Islamofascism"? Procrastination over - back to the Radisson for homework.
Marra poured over her math and social studies for almost 3 hours while sprawled on her Sleep Number bed. School work seemed a welcome respite from being shuttled all over a strange state in a minivan. After a Dennis Kucinich diatribe about the impact of global warring on eco-policy, even 6th grade math looks good.
We were still full from our late lunch at the Red Arrow, so we decided to check out Obama headquarters before dinner. We were really disappointed that we weren't going to see him in person. Several people at earlier events that heard our story asked if we would be hearing Barack in person. Each one praised his infectious energy, his passion and his elocution. If he is this generation's JFK as a speaker, we really missed an opportunity. Field office visit would have to suffice.
It was just beginning to get dark when we pulled up at Obama headquarters. It was only 2 miles from the hotel, down past the Romney and Dodd locations, but further off the main drag. The office was a brightly lit second floor of a building in an industrial area, the kind of area where they take your car after it gets towed away. Chain link, sparse street lights, the occasional barking dog. I wasn't scared...
At the top of the stairs, we rounded the corner and came to a plain open entrance. A woman was sitting behind a small card table sized desk, obviously the gatekeeper; however, the room was wide open, maybe 30' by 20', with 4 volunteers at separate desks working the phones. We could hear all their secrets! The gatekeeper listened to our story with suspicious ears, and asked me to wait while she found someone to help us. This was a new experience. At all the other campaign office stops, we had the upper hand, the element of surprise. We controlled the conversation, we wandered where we chose to wander. This was more like visiting a business. We needed an escort on the premises.
We were introduced to Garrett, one of the field volunteers. Finally, a person of color in lily white New Hampshire! Garrett should run for office himself. He had a presence as he spoke, a genuine enthusiasm for his candidate, and a deep understanding of Obama's message. He was happy to answer all of our questions, and made it a point to personally introduce us to just about everyone working that evening. And there were a lot of people volunteering, maybe 20 in all. He showed us the political research section, the voter turnout section, and he introduced us to Jack, the state Field Director. The place was humming. We were part of the wave now. Garrett was sucking us into the World of Barack.
Garrett and I spoke about the recent Senate resolution labeling part of the Iranian army as a terrorist organization. I asked where Obama stood on this issue. We had already heard Edwards rip into Hillary for voting in favor of the resolution. According to Edwards, Hillary was giving Bush an excuse to move militarily against Iran in the future. Edwards said Obama missed the vote, and I wanted to know why. Garrett said that the resolution was non-binding, and that the Senator believes that these types of contrived votes that are non-binding serve only political purposes, and distract the Senate from doing the people's work. (Sounded good, but I have not heard Obama use that defense for missing the vote since that time.)
Garrett also invoked the memory of JFK to us, comparing Obama's rise in popularity and his calls to sacrifice and action among the youth of America to the former President's ability to connect with the disenfranchised. I had to then caution young Garrett. Careful with the JFK comparisons. JFK made many foreign policy mistakes during his brief tenure in the Oval Office. We romanticize his Presidency now, but at that time, his legacy was far from secure. If I have figured that out, I am sure Hillary has, too.
The final close of the sale was Garrett's invitation for Marra to sign the wall. Throughout the entire area where the staffers worked on behalf of their candidate, the walls were covered with either campaign posters or signatures. Every dignitary and every volunteer that helped the Obama cause had their autograph on the wall - and the walls were full of signatures. It was powerful in its simple message of belonging to something bigger, and Marra gladly accepted the Sharpie and signed. She was now forever part of Obama Nation, New Hampshire 2008. I signed ,too.
On the way out, we asked if we could have one of the call scripts that the volunteers were using. The call script outlined the exact message being delivered in every call being made. We wanted to review it at a later date. We had already been treated to 30 minutes of dialogue, handshakes and smiles, and we wanted to let them get back to the candidate's business. Armed with posters, stickers, buttons and call scripts, we left Team Barack.
As Marra and I walked out into the hallway, I said, "Marra, so tell me which was the best headquarters operation you saw today." Her response without hesitation, "Was it even close?" She was right. Right then and there, give us a ballot and we might have pulled the lever for Senator Barack Obama. If he could inspire that type of following, if the people in that room represent Barack Obama's America, then count us in.
Our visit convinced me that he has a chance in New Hampshire with the Elites. And if he wins the Elites, he could carry the state. The real question is whether the Elite sensibilities of the T-Shirt Bodega shoppers will translate to votes in South Carolina, Nevada and beyond. The Obama Revolution to take back America may end here, but just for 2008.
JS
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