I started this post about a week ago. Then I got sick, followed by my son, then both of us were outdone by my elderly mother who is now hospitalized in Massachusetts. Therefore, this isn't quite as thorough as I'd like, but here's what I was pondering a few days ago:
Our Secretary of State in NH has announced the filing period for the NH Primary. As posted on nhpols.com: "According to the Secretary of State's Web site, the filing period for the upcoming New Hampshire presidential primary will begin on Monday, Oct. 15, 2007 and end on Friday, Nov. 2, 2007. " So, the big guess now is will it be January 9th? Bummer that it won't be when UNH is in session. This is a huge bummer to me, and it will probably ensure that the campaigns will be less likely to come to campus if the majority of students won't be voting in Durham.
Everyone is eager for the Primary's date to be set so they can more forward. This got me to thinking about unintended consequences, for some reason, and the hospitality industry.
There are so many campaigns waiting for this date. But imagine if you work for one of the larger hotels in the Manchester area. There are only so many ballrooms in NH. With eight Dems and nine Republicans so far, where will all the victory parties be? Do the big campaigns have deposits down on every Tuesday night in December & January, because they can afford to?
A quick study of Manch-Vegas on-line tells me that we have seven hotels in the greater Manch-Vegas area with a three-star rating or better, and only two of them are in Manchester proper. So, who's the lucky candidate who will be spinning live from the Econolodge?? I hope someone picks one of the venues in the Seacoast region, just to mix it up a bit. Oh, the media will hate me for that, but WMUR does have a little tiny branch office in Portsmouth, practically under the Memorial Bridge!
