Commencement Speakers at UNH!

Well, TWO someones big this way come, but not this weekend! Another university-wide e-memo this morning:

"University of New Hampshire Interim President J. Bonnie Newman announced today that George H. W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, and William J. Clinton, 42nd president of the United States, will be the keynote speakers at UNH’s 137th commencement on Saturday, May 19, 2007."

Exactly how they are going to tag-team a commencement speech is fun to imagine. I can't see Clinton handing over a mic; he's just too gifted a speaker AND he loves it so much. I last saw him at Dover High during his "farewell" thank you tour (Jan. 11, 2001), and he was mezmerizing. I can't wait to see this! And, twice the staffers and secret service too!

I sure hope it doesn't rain (UNH graduation is usually outside, rain or shine)!


PS: Hillary's NH visit this weekend will include Keene, Concord, and Manchester. :( No Seacoast this time. Biden's visit will include a stop at the Dover Library, too, so if I miss him on campus I still have a shot. Edwards will be at Darmouth this weekend, but I won't be traveling.
Source: Carbon Coalition blog.

Biden coming 2/05

While I wait & search, I found this tidbit:

2/5/2007 - 3:45 pm : MEET SEN. JOE BIDEN AT UNH
Memorial Union Bldg., Rm. 336, University of New Hampshire, Durham. Join presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware for a discussion of the issues at the UNH Memorial Union Building, Room 336, Mon., Feb. 5 at 3:45. The event is sponsored by the UNH College Democrats and is free and open to the public.

This should be interesting. Room 336 is, shall we say, not so big. I guess he's going for the full-room effect: better a crowd in a small room than an empty big room. Looks better on TV (if it's covered at all.) I don't know the official capacity but with a few press folks and Biden's aids in the room, it's already half full.

AND: today a memo was circulated around UNH about appropriate scheduling of "dignitaries & elected officials." Basically, we aren't supposed to be booking candidates on our own (we meaning faculty, student groups, fanatics like me), but rather we need to go through the powers that be. Yet another clue that someone big this way comes...

Twin Fevers, sorry

I've been sidetracked by sick kids, but I just want to say I'm still searching high & low for confirmation on Hillary's visit to NH next weekend. I'm suspecting that she's coming to UNH but no hints anywhere. I did discover another excellent source of candidate schedules: The Carbon Coalition (see link to the right). Great Election Schedule on their blog.

And having found that listing: I stand corrected. The Republicans are coming to NH but they aren't making it to the "liberal" seacoast just yet. Oh well...

SuperBowl Weekend

Forget about the other superbowl, next weekend is going to be the big kick-off for NH and at least for me. Unlike football, real patriots are in our game. Hillary is coming to NH February 3 & 4, and my money right now is that she's coming to UNH. And Kucinich is coming to Dover on Sunday the 4th.

I've spend every spare minute at work scouring some of my favorite sites & blogs to find out who is coming. (I have a lot of random spare minutes waiting for students to show up for appointments, and being "blown-off.") In that quest, I've found a few new sites to link to. Most notibly is a blog by The NH Primary Guru himself, Prof. Dante Scala of Saint Anselm College. Check out his blog GraniteProf. He offered an interesting opinion on Obamarama.

My dear colleague Louise likes to send me new blogs to check out, and it's her fault that I'm becoming a blogaholic. Today she sent me an article from the Rolling Stone suggesting Al Gore should jump in the ring. I nearly peed my pants. I can't handle it. Oh, I'm still officially undeclared & undecided, but I just love what each person bring to the table.

Oh, and this just in...the Republicans are back in the NH game. Rudy will be in Manchester NH this weekend. But the question everyone is asking is "where's Mitt?" He's got a home in Wolfeboro, so he of all candidates should be walking the streets, hitting the cafes, and hitting the campaign NH-style. My brother, who works for the Globe, also has a home in W'boro. Maybe it's time to pay a visit and snoop around a bit.

April 5th info

I couldn't wait for a formal announcement, so I emailed someone in the know who shall remain nameless:

"They offered both (debates) to us and we turned them down. Too disruptive to the folks in PCAC mid-semester plus…more exciting news for UNH soon. Stay tuned!"

Someone's planning something...I can hardly stand it!

April 4th Debate, GOP

This just in: The April 4th Presidential debate location has been selected. Saint Anselm College in Manchester, and it will be the Republican Debate.

Please please please let the Dems come to UNH April 5th!

http://www.nh-democrats.org/newscenter/news/?id=435

What a Weekend!

Phew, I'm exhausted. Richardson is in today too, making it a veritable rainbow of candidates for the Democrats. Where are the Republicans??

Mark your calendar for a really fun visit: "2/4/2007, Town Hall Meeting with Rep. Dennis Kucinich at the Dover Public Library! 2008 presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio will discuss the issues and answer questions from voters in a 'town hall meeting'." Last time around, he added some real spice to the debates, and I loved the Partridge Family style bus his campaign used.

And BTW, I'm sticking to what I said earlier about Hillary. Everyone is glad to have her enter the race, and she's sure good for raising money, but will they actually vote for her in NH? I can't wait for her to get here so I can see the crowd she attracts for myself.

Busy Saturday!

Wow, what a difference a day makes! Hillary is in, and "in to win," and Brownback, too (who?). But my biggest development today is that I went to my first Primary Town Hall Meeting of the season. Yee Ha, here we go!! Senator Dodd of CT was in Dover, less than a mile from my house, and even though I had my four-year old twins in tow, I made it.

I've never heard or read a thing about Dodd before, and probably won't again. He didn't impress me. We chatted, he patted the kids on the head & told me about his own (very) little ones at home. He answered questions in that way long-time politicians do: tell you it's a great question, talk about something related & never actually answer you. He looked relaxed and comfortable in his non-Washington attire (unlike some who have to try to act ok in slacks and a sweater), and was warm and friendly. He wore Merril's on his feet (so, he's practical, that's good). Said some nice things--a touching story about his daugther, bashed the bushies now & then--but didn't stir the fire. My son fell asleep as soon as he started talking, if that is any indication of how it went.

Rep. Carol Shea-Porter did his introduction, and got a much deserved round of applause from the crowd. She looked more together in person than she does in media. I chatted a bit with her too, and she said she's actually having a good time in DC so far with all the excitement of being a freshman again. And, she welcomed the chance to take some of my students at UNH as interns, so that was nice. My daughter said she wants to vote for her for president, then told me "I only want you to vote for girls." So, I promised to drag her along with me to see Hillary when she comes to town, now that it's official.

I'm sure they'll need a bigger room for that "town hall meeting."

The Lastest Polls, and a Media Monopoly

The big news in the polls here is that McCain is tanking.

Last night, MoveOn.org aired a commercial (is it just running in NH?) that was highly critical of McCain, and showed him cozying up to Bush--a kiss of death these days. This made me wonder what the purpose of this ad is. MoveOn should save their money here, "The Senator Formerly Known as a Maverick" McCain is shooting himself in the foot. He was "the front-runner" and a Granite State darling until his latest change of strategy or whatever you call this newfound anti-maverick thing he's doing. Time for Mitt or Rudy to swing up and fill the void, but there's no sign of either any time soon.

But the MoveOn ad (which ran during Ugly Betty on ABC) got me to thinking...does anyone out of state realize that NH is basicly a one-network state? Our only major broadcast network is an ABC affiliate in Manchester: WMUR. (Not counting PBS I guess, and certainly not counting the Al Kaprielian station.) If Granite Staters want state & local news or weather (or school cancellations!), that's pretty much our only choice. NBC, CBS, Fox all come from Massachusetts or Maine. Translation: if a candidate wants to reach primarily NH voters, it's a no-brainer. If there's a debate to be televised on a non-cable network, it's pretty much going to be ABC.

Would it then follow that a smart candidate would cater to ABC news, especially the morning show since local news/weather cut in, and maybe even late night, etc? Makes you think, doesn't it?

Obama's getting closer

Senator Obama is setting up his exploratory committee, surprise surprise. He got such a superstar welcome when he was here last month. What's bugging me is this is that he & Hillary Clinton are constantly cited by the national media as being front runners, especially in NH.

I can't speak for the whole state, and no one should dare try, but let me tell you that I have not met ONE person who wants Hillary to run. The most liberal of voters think she's gone too central (too Hawkish, and what's up with supporting the ban on flag burning?). Centrist or others have no interest in revisiting the "vast right wing conspirarcy" years. Don't get me wrong, if there is anyone I'd want to be the first woman president in the White House, it would be her. And who wouldn't want Bill Clinton as the first First Husband? No one beats Hillary in fundraising, too. But, no Democrat or Independent I can find here wants her baggage. And no one wants to hand the Republicans such a juicy target.

So, a request to the media: when you say Hillary is a front runner, please give your source. Because we up here in NH want to know "says who?" Nothing can kill a candidate faster in New Hampshire than outsiders telling us they know what we think. Why else would Patrick Buchanan ever win an election (did you really think we were that dumb?)? Yup, that's another Live Free or Die thing. Think you know us? Dare ya!

Let's Get This Party Started!

Ok, I'm finally doing it. I've been talking about this for years and it's finally time to jump in the ring. I'm starting my own blog of the view from inside New Hampshire's Presidential Primary.

I'll start with an admission: I'm a political junkie. Specifically, since moving to NH in 1988 I've been addicted to this First In The Nation thing. Growing up in Massachusetts (yes, I'm a recovering Mass-hole), I thought the whole thing was silly, overrated. One primary later, I was hooked.

I make it my goal to see every candidate--big name & unknown, red/blue/otherwise. I work at UNH in Durham, and am housed right next door to the MUB & Holloway Commons, the two buildings most likely to hold an event, candidate, debate, etc. I'm lucky enough to be able to scoot out & see anyone who's here most of the time. ;) And I really do have a front row seat. Off the top of my head, these are the candidates I have seen (some I've just seen in person or in passing, some I've heard speak) since living here: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Joe Leibermann, John Kerry (tall!), John McCain, Howard Dean, Dick Gephart, Gary Baurer, Wesley Clark (handsome!), Carol Mosely-Braun (short!), and more that you probably forgot even ran. I keep all my press passes and tickets in my office, right next to my ticket to the Dukakis Victory Party. ;-)

But my favorite thing to watch are the handlers & press that come with each new candidate. I love the White House press corps, bomb-sniffing dogs, staffers dressed in black who think NH is too cold and there's no good food here. I volunteer at debates and events to watch this dog & pony show as much as the candidates themselves. I've been interviewed by our local PBS station, and have been at the taping of Good Morning America when they filmed here. (My job was setting up the green room, and supervising my staff who stoked the fireplace for Charlie Gibson.)

So, who am I? Google me if you care that much. Like one third of voters here, I'm a registered INDEPENDENT. No, that doesn't mean I flip/flop or have fear of commitment. I suspect that I'm like most NH Voters in choosing independent status because it's none-of-your-business. It's part of that Live Free or Die thing. I get everyone's campaign lit & junk just so I know what everyone is saying about each other. No one owns my vote and shouldn't think of me as an automatic vote in their pocket. Everyone has to work for it equally. Welcome to New Hampshire!

I know I'm not alone here. New Hampshirites really do love this stuff. We not only expect, but we DEMAND to see candidates in person, up close before voting for them. And we do get our way. Why should we get the first primary? Why not?? We are hyper-engaged. Do you know anyone in other states as excited for Presidential Debates as we are here, now?

Folks are starting to come so I'm starting to write. The big buzz here is WHERE these debates will be April 4 & 5. Nothing is on the UNH calendar yet, but I'm watching. I missed John Edward last week, so now I'm scouring...I'm ready. I've got the front row seat: bring 'em on!