Carsey Institute Forum on Rural Issues

Another Front Row Seat! I didn't plan it, but two of my colleagues invited me to join them...

JRE did his MTV/MySpace stint at UNH at noon today (which I'm listening to now is doing fabulously), and then finally got to the more scholarly Carsey Institute by 2:30 (event was advertised as starting at 12:30!). I couldn't stay long but I was in the front row, and again: he was there and ON.

It worked like this: he spoke briefly about his RRA, then our experts on rural issues (faculty, researchers, and "demographers") questioned him. He took the questions from his seat on the panel on stage. The experts looked genuinely pleased with his answers. Then open Q&A, at which point I snuck out.

While waiting beforehand, I had lots of good chats with colleagues, students, and attendees. Everyone agreed that Edwards dominated & won last night's debates, and that's not just confirmed supporters like me. A nice gentleman from The Boston Globe wondered aloud about the students in attendance all being female. So a small group of us chewed on this a while. My take: it's true at most campus events, and certainly true in the rolls of most opportunities and academic programs. UNH is about 58% female, but the students present were more like 90% women. Fac/Staff were more evenly split. So maybe that will show up in the Globe's coverage. Maybe not.

My other observation: I ran out for my daily dose of chocolate during the waiting period. On my way, I counted the press vehicles on Main Street who did not pay the meters. Almost all of them! Some had press credentials mounted visibly on their dashes. Are they exempt, or just arrogant? Just wondering...

Another great event and great 24 hours for Edwards.

Great Night for Edwards, Great Day is Next!

Nine o'clock is my bedtime, so I wasn't planning to watch the Dem Debate at Dartmouth. But, I couldn't sleep last night so I ended up watching the debate in full on NECN, and since I was alone, I participated in the live blogging on the Edwards Blog. That wasy fun, and it sure beats watching alone in silence, talking to my TV.

Whoa, go John, go. I was trying to determine if I was biased in my assessment of his performance, so I heard/sought the opinions of two colleagues. One pal whose wife works at Dartmouth and is teetering between Edwards & Obama, definitely leaned Edwards after the debate, especially on the fire in the belly on issues. Obama just wasn't "on" last night. The other opinion was gathered by listening to The Exchange on NHPR today. Thank you, Dante, for your comment, and I'm paraphrasing here: If you were just starting to tune in and didn't know much, you'd see Edwards and Biden as the two primary challengers to Hillary. Obama wouldn't even be in the picture. So, after the disappointing statewide poll released by UNH a few days ago--in which Edwards is solidly in 3rd and not tied for 2nd in NH----this was a great thing to hear. [I should be more careful about what I wish for.]

So, now today...The MTV/MySpace forum at noon in the UNH Field House. Then the Carsey Institute policy forum on the Rural Recovery Act, both starring John Edwards. He'll be on fire after such a great performance last night, so this should be awesome. I'm going to try to spend my lunch hour there...we'll see. I can at least check out the visability outside, which is always fun. Let's hope the student group, UNH for Edwards, can do some major student recruiting today. (I'm now their official fac/staff advisor, which they are required to have as a UNH Registered Student Organization, hence the new knock-off logo.)

More later...

Scattered Thoughts, part II

Mailings: One reason I am registered in NH as "undeclared" (I love that name, as an academic advisor, and because "undecided" is just inaccurate) is so that I get mail & calls from all sides. Unlike most people, I actually like them and want them. And, since Stacey is declared as a Democrat (she just always forgets to stop off at the other table and re-undeclare), I like to use them as an unscientific research tool to see who gets what from whom. For example, she just got a super glossy multi-page mailing from Hillary entitled "Ready!" It was all about how well-prepared she is to step into office, and it ended, cleverly, with "Ready To Join"--a reply card for getting involved. What have I gotten? Three large postcards, full-color and glossy, from Rudy Giuliani. They were spaced about a week apart, and were touting his credentials as "fiscally conservative." No mention of social issues. My conclusion is that he's going for the undeclares under a safe issues and not on values. Smart. I wonder what he's sending out to registered Republicans.

Stats: I love them & I hate them. If it weren't for my good friend Bruce in graduate school, I never would have passed the class. Stats intrigue me, but make my head hurt. I know enough to get by, but not enough as I should to really dig in. But that was in my pre-computer days at Michigan State (that makes me sound so old...it was only the late 80s, not ancient history!) Maybe I just never found the right statistics to light the fire. GraniteProf's latest posts might make a convert out of me.

Union Endorsements: Like all good junkies in NH right now, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see who the SEIU will endorse. I've never been into union endorsements before, but this election they intrigue me. My dad was a loyal member of IBEW and all that I remember of that was a long-term strike in the 70s, and going on free lunch at school because of it. NOT a good association. I tried to change my thinking by taking Todd DeMitchell's Collective Bargaining in Education class here at UNH, and it didn't help. But last election cycle, I saw how enthusiastic the fire fighters and teamsters were for Gephardt when I was assigned to assist his staff. It seemed like a good way to get energetic & commited volunteers with roots in the local community, who'd work their collective hearts out for their chosen candidate. This cycle seems all about the little guy--hard worker who plays by the rules & still gets screwed. Enter: John Edwards 2008. SEIU is critical, because (I've been told) it's the union of the state employees in New Hampshire. Of course not every member will toe the union line, but the endorsement would be something here, and if it lands with my guy you will see the momentum I've been talking about. And, it would be nice to break the Clinton/Shaheen stranglehold on this state.


Polls: It's about time for a new UNH one, don't you think, Prof. Smith?

Scattered Thoughts, Gathered

I've been a bit busy with work, but today I'm home with a sick child (watching reruns of Madeline & Mr. Rogers...oy!) So, I have a bunch of random thoughts I guess I'll put into one post just to get them out of my head.

Signage: Hillary's office responded to my angst, and installed two huge, obnoxious permanent signs on the Chestnut Street office. Ugly, but noticeable. But still the #1 sign I see around the seacoast of NH AND at UNH is Ron Paul. So, I am going out on a little limb here to say: you heard it from me first. He'll be the GOP surprise in NH, where Repubicanism does not equate evangelicalism. Maybe not first place, but definitely "better than expected."

Canvassing: Thank you to the Edwards staff for my two new white spruce trees. They did a statewide canvassing over the weekend, which included handing out tiny trees & a little handout about "Granite Roots" campaigning and environmental policy. I am a sucker for this stuff; who came up with that? I love it, hokey as it is. Which leads me to this thought...

Spoiled: If I gave my last $50 to a candidate I really believed in, and I lived somewhere else, how would I feel about all the spending going to NH? This thought began when Obama held his ice cream social in Dover in late summer, and now it won't go away. I wouldn't call it guilt (I gave up guilt when I left the catholic church 20 years ago), but it does feel like an awesome responsibility. As more candidates pick up gimmicks, I do feel like they shouldn't get too silly or extravagant. Trees seem ok, certainly a noble gesture. Contests are the other big thing, I guess it all started with the contest to select Hillary's campaign song in the spring. Obama gave away lunch, and now you can win a seat with Elizabeth Edwards for the debates at Dartmouth at the end of the month. So, I'm keeping an eye on this trend, and I promise to make sure all you contributors from other states see that your money is well spent.

My day job: For my work at UNH, I've been attending various classes and student group meetings to promote internships The Washington Center. That's how I got into two of Dante Scala's classes, and Profs Smith & Dorsey's POLT 600, History of the NH Primary. Oh, to be a student again. I peeked at the required texts and plan to read them in my free time. I am lucky to work for such a cool program, and I was recently named to their Liaison Advisory Board. I get to visit the UNH interns in Washington DC when I travel down each semester. If only I could enroll in their National Political Convention program. Until then, I can continue to live vicariously through my students.

And, last but not least: Another Shaheen! Yes, of course, she's in. Jeanne Shaheen, former Governor of NH and wife of Bill Shaheen, HRC's guru, is running for Sununu's Senate Seat. And immediately, candidate Steve Marchand from Portsmouth kept his word & dropped out. He's the guy all the Edwards staff & many supporters really liked. I wonder why that was? Well, for more on the very graceful step out & endorsement, I refer you to Blue Hampshire. Impressive!

Gotta go rewind a video (yes, VHS, from the library)...

PS: Thanks to Mike for the fun new graphic.

New Poll Confirms My Gut!

This just in from NH Prez Watch, and the LA Times, but I like to credit Cosmo (vote globally, blog locally!):

New poll [http://www.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2007-09/32481597.pdf] shows John Edwards is now tying Obama for 2nd place in this state, bumping Richardson back down to 4th. It's a 10 page document, and I will leave it to the experts (and the students in POLT 600) to comb through it with more precision, but it feels real nice to have my suspicions confirmed.

Let me back up. Last night I did more phone work for Edwards in their Dover HQ. What a difference from my last stint just a few weeks ago. First of all, no one can say Clinton has a hold on female voters. All 6 volunteers at the office at the same time as me were women, ranging in age from mid-30s to mid-60s. Secondly, what everyone has said about Labor Day is so true (unscientifically, of course)! In August, everyone I called was undecided, or at least pretended to be, and didn't seem to be paying attention. Now, post-Labor Day, I had more folks say they are paying attention, reading the papers and websites, AND are committed or at least have narrowed down their field to three. Interestingly, I had a bunch of Kucinich supporters, one for Obama, a few for Hillary, and a whole bunch for whom Edwards was in the running (1st, 2nd, or 3rd).

But it's my gut that felt this change coming. Richardson had some commercials a while back on WMUR, and his polls went up immediately. They were really well done and were received favorably enough to increase name recognition & interest, I thought, but they didn't produce a lasting bump, especially after a few poor debate/forum performances. Obama seems to be loosing his traction here, to me. Sure he's been here (hosting ice cream socials), but he hasn't gotten any union endorsements that I can recall, and he seems to be shooting for the elite vote. Just try to diagram one of his sentences; you need a college degree to follow his train of thought! And don't forget arugula-gate...

Then there is John Edwards, and his greatest asset, Elizabeth. They've been in the state a whole lot, separately and together, and much more on the weekends than before. What a dynamic duo!! There has been a TV spot (the music of which was borrowed by the Clinton team for their spot later), and of course the multiple labor endorsements. This coming weekend, his national campaign chair, David Bonior, will be in the state canvassing & rallying the troops while handing out tree saplings to highlight Senator Edwards' environmental & energy plan. Edwards is a policy wonk's dream. (I'm not a wonk, but a wanna be, which explains why I loved Bill Clinton so much.) If you want to know exactly where a candidate stands or what he/she will do once elected, Edwards is your candidate. And that's where I think Obama is playing catch up.

I know I know...It's still early. But apparently, it's not as early as it used to be!

UNH Debate Post #3

Oh my gosh, I'm so tired. I'm too old for this, or at least for doing this and then getting up and getting twins ready for preschool by 7:30am.


Anyhow, so much to report from the debate last night. I don't think I can pull off actual complete sentences & paragraphs, so I'm going for bulleted highlights for now:

• I worked press check-in from 5-11pm, then was free to roam the spin room. The only people I knew or recognized were Mora Liason of NPR (we chatted it up over the yummy UNH brownies; it pays to sit next to the food table), Brian Lawson, and the NECN reporter. And of course the official UNH Faculty Experts on display. When I compare to debates past, this one attracted a much lower status of reporters. Is that because it was Fox or GOP, or the combination?? Hmmm.
• We spent a lot of time hanging & chatting with the head of Fox News in DC. He was having a great time, and couldn't stop gushing about the great rental car he got--a Mustang Convertible--that he drove to Portsmouth every night with the top down. He loved the area, and especially loved Erika, our Media Relations Wonderwoman.
• Biggest excitement was when a well known crackpot managed to get in & eventually kicked out by the NH State Police dudes in jumpsuits and UNH superhero Deputy Chief Paul Dean. Don't mess with police who wear jumpsuits, OR Paul Dean.
• I got scolded by none other than Fergus Cullen, state GOP chair, for not giving a press credential to a McCain campaign worker, who wasn't supposed to get one.
• If you want real answers, talk to maintenance guys! My pals on the UNH Facilities crew set up their own tailgating (grilling steak tips!!) in the press parking lot. They confirmed that the Whitt is NOT air conditioned, and that it cost Fox $70,000 to bring it in for the past 2 weeks. The Hamel Rec Center, where the spin & filing rooms were, also are NOT air conditioned.
• Students working out in the weight room (which was open and is always air conditioned) were all over the press area. In fact, the bathroom that the press used was also the locker room.
• Past debates held in PCAC at UNH had a capacity of 700. The Whitt had seating for 7,000! Whoa!!
• The women of UNH Media relations are fun to hang out with! Thanks for letting me volunteer once again!
  

Now, about the candidates I saw in spin:

-Guiliani is a grumpy old man and his wife was wearing a fake smile & too much make up.

-McCain is paler than pale. I've never seen such white skin in my life.

-I got a handshake from Mike Huckabee (had to ask a colleague who he was). Thanks, Denny.

-Mitt looked and acted most "presidential," but he's not as tall as he looks on TV. He wins for best spouse, too.

-Our local paper reported (in the headline this morning!!) that Dante Scala is still at Saint A's. Oops, I should have given them our UNH Fact Sheet, where he was listed with our faculty experts. Silly Foster's.

(more later...the formatting & autospacing in blogspot is making me crazy.)

Debate Day, Post #2

I just returned from a quick shift at credential check-in, so I need to keep this short (lunch hour blogging!)...

A few observations

• There really are giant mobile air conditioning units running, outside the buildings. The AC guy had me take his photo standing next to one. Then he performed a magic trick for me.
• No one cool checks in at 10am. Just press techies, UNH student press, and the fun-loving threesome from Danish Broadcasting System.
• The filing center still uses good, old fashioned land-line telephones, with spiral cords!
• The wireless signal has been boosted; courtesy of Fox TV.
• I met the mad Ron Paul chalker; he stopped by to ask what locations people would be at so he could take his bucket of sidewalk chalk to new heights.
• Any UNH student who is going to work out at the rec center will be able to see into the filing center. No tank tops allowed.
• Everyone really is wearing black, no matter how hot it is outside.
• And, now I know why UNH isn't getting more debates: new this cycle...the sponsors have to pay 100% of the costs, up front!

Back to my day job...

Dabate Day, Part 1

Debate Dilemma #1: What to wear. This is my first debate that is not in the bitter cold NH winter. My usual rule is to try to wear as much black as possible, since wearing anything else makes us locals stick out as country bumpkins. Washingtonians seem to own nothing but 8 shades of black. But it's supposed to be 75 degrees today! And I haven't worn closed toe shoes in 3 months. Ugh, what's a woman to do! (I know; get some cute shoes like Mrs. Edwards'!!)

Unless your life revolves around sports or our Rec Center, main campus seems oblivious to the influx of media & candidates. Students just moved in this past weekends, and their minds are (for the most part) where they usually are: reconnecting with friends, buying books, perfecting their schedules. I noticed that the Ron Paul folks have "chalked" the sidewalks in and around the MUB. As I was walking to my office this morning, I told my colleague Becky about my Ron Paul/RuPaul issue, and she started in with an imitation of RuPaul that had me chuckling. RuPaul as a Presidential candidate; worthy of an SNL skit.

For the most info on the upcoming events, I humbly refer to Campaigns & Elections. There isn't even anything on the main UNH website!

I'm heading over to do a shift at press check-in. Since I don't know any TV personalities, my biggest goal is to meet Brian Lawson and maybe an NPR reporter or two. I also wouldn't mind catching a glimpse of a candidate or spouse.

So, since Brian posted what he'll be wearing, I'll do the same: Olive green shirt, black pants, black clogs, and probably my UNH nametag if I can find it.

Media Relations

In 2002, I realized a huge lifetime goal of mine: I attended the Winter Olympics...as a spectator, not an athlete. They were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Stacey & I stayed with friends in Provo for a wonderful week of being tourists and taking in the games. We had tickets to several events: bobsled, women's ice hockey, XC & downhill skiing, and the figure skating exhibition. It was a blast, and one of my most treasured memories (and the reason I have a soft spot for Mitt). But the biggest disappointment was learning that, the unless you are a member of the press corp or a corporate sponsor, your tickets won't get you very close to the action. Hmm, not unlike politics, no?

At every venue, there was always a big huge block of the best seats, usually color coded in purple, right behind the judges or at the finish line, for the press. And they were usually empty. It drove us crazy.

Unlike the Olympics however, at Presidential Debates, the press doesn't get front row seats. In fact, they aren't even in the same building. You'd think this would be a disadvantage, but it's not. They are all together in the Media Center. There, they watch the one video feed on a large screen, while sitting side by side with their competitors. They are free to talk, chat on phones, IM, laugh, jeer, roll their eyes. It's so fun to hear what they OOO and AHH at. They file their stories (when I first volunteering, filing was a lot different than now, in the age of wifi) and go to the spin room after where everyone is saying how they won the debate. Experts like UNH's Dynamic Primary Duo (Profs. Andy Smith & Dante Scala) also give their observations & analyses.

So, it's with a great deal of excitement that I will again be volunteering in the Fox GOP Debate Media Center here at UNH. On Wednesday, Sept. 5th, I'll be doing press check-in at 10am, and maybe again later in the day or evening. I want to be in lovely downtown Durham for the post-debate parties (it's a really small downtown, so there may be more candidates than restaurants/bars to accomodate them!). The first time I did this, 2000, I was teased by my pal Colleen for not recognizing any big pundits because I don't watch much TV. So, when Tim Russert came in, I was not all starry eyed and actually had to ask who it was. I still don't watch much TV (and I don't have cable) but this time around I hope not to embarrass myself.

I'm off now to scope out the Whitt...more later, I hope!

A REAL Front Row Seat!

On Friday I was invited to a Supporter Meeting for the Edwards campaign. It was held at our Dover office, and the headline attraction was Elizabeth Edwards. So, even though it was on a Saturday afternoon at 4pm, I was there, early of course. Early enough to get a seat in the front row.

Of course, Elizabeth wasn't the only item on the agenda. The staff had a very full meeting planned, and the meeting portion was closed to the press. We went over the campaign strategy nationally, state-wide, and locally. I'm such a geek, because I do find that stuff interesting! Mike Alfoni, or Monster Mike as my kids affectionately now refer to him since he plays well with others, was the speaker, mixing motivation with guilt (more of the former than latter). But the rest is top secret, and not nearly as interesting as what transpired when Elizabeth arrived.

She's so amazingly accessible and normal, like someone you'd start chatting with in the line at the grocery store (although most people in NH don't chat much with strangers). She stood in the front of the small room of maybe 20 or so supporters & 8-10 staffers, thanking us and again motivating us to keep up our hard work. One needs lots of positive reinforcement to do phone banking! She was wearing black pants, a cute black & white striped shirt, and adorable little black shoes that looked dressy yet incredibly comfortable. (Also, check out the article in Foster's Daily Democrat. That's my pink sleeve in the audience.) And, interestingly (to me anyway), she didn't wear one bit of jewelry, including a wedding ring. No watch either. Who needs one with all the staffers keeping you on schedule?

Her job was to thank & motivate us, then to take questions about John's positions and policies so that we can better answer them in our work as part of the team. The two big topics were health care and education (No Child Left Behind). She gave so much info and detail and specifics, let me tell ya, that I couldn't even keep up. Impressive. She knows her stuff!!

I keep reading that the GOP thinks health care isn't a big issue, and that even for Dems it should not be on the top of the list, but I'm so glad it's on Edwards' agenda, front & center. And every campaign event I attend or read about is chock full of health care horror stories from average people. Sounds like folks in NH are more afraid of a catastrophic disease than terrorism to me. And aren't we one of the most affluent states?

In attendance were teachers, UNH staffers and a adjunct faculty, union workers. A few folks with disabilities (that I could see), parents, retirees. Two underage high schoolers who want to volunteer too. Regular, normal folks. No state reps or city officials, though there are some who are on board.

Lots of picture taking and hand shaking afterwards. Since I so recently got her autograph, I let others have their turn. Instead, I accosted the staff with requests for campaign buttons. Then, after Mrs. Edwards used the restroom, my friend & colleague Colleen & I debated on whether we wanted to be the next person after Mrs. Edwards to sit on the same seat. As we bickered and bantered, Laura Jones (Pres. of UNH College Dems and my son's big crush) beat us to it, I think unaware of the "seat of honor" she just took!