Greener Pastures?

You may know by now that I am sorta obsessed with the next phase of the New Hampshire primary. No, not so much the national nomination process (I'm bored with that). But rather, what happens to everyone who invaded my state, or those locals who seem to put their lives on hold or their political (or academic) careers on the line for a candidate, party, or press.

First I watched the invaders, mostly through Facebook stalking, I'm afraid. A bunch of them went on to other campaigns for US Congress, mostly. Some went on to Washington DC where I hope to visit them soon. A few are traveling, taking time to reevaluate, or just catching up on sleep. Some went back to their parents' home.

Now, I'm on to the Granite Staters. Looks like the thing to do around here for the natives is to start your own political consulting firm.

First that I was aware of was Steve Marchand, former Mayor of Portsmouth who was a Richardson supporter. He was going to run for US Senate, but he dropped out when Jeanne Shaheen jumped in. And he threw himself behind her & her campaign, and is working for her now while starting up his new firm, The Marchand Group.

Just this week, WMUR's Scott Spradling did the same thing. Spradling was the station's Political Director. As reported on PolitickerNH:

As the station's political director he has moderated political debates at every
level including nationally televised presidential debates. He was also granted
the first oval office interview with George W. Bush. In a state were a political
press secretary's day can be defined on whether or not WMUR covered their event,
it was Spradling call whether to send a camera.

But I think the biggest success story is Brian Lawson, the Saint Anselm College student who founded & ran NH Prez Watch from his dorm room. He's made a name for himself in the state, and is now a full-fledged political journalist at PolitickerNH. His story is every college career counselor's dream--do what you love, network, play nice, and you can make it happen.

So, this is what I learned: you make the inroads, get to know the movers & shakers in your own backyard (or adopted state). Then you sell out or cash in as the case may be, and hang out your own shingle.

First AND Last in The Nation

New Hampshire can be hard to pin down, and that's one of the things I like about living here. We've got only nine (?--I am trying to verify) cities (the rest are towns or unincorporated places) but we are, on average wealthy & wired. We've got a reputation as a conservative state with a libertarian leaning, but there's definitely movement toward blue, and not just because former Massholes (like me) are moving across the border. We eschew taxes but love our larger than life state legislature.

Live Free or Die, man, that's what it's all about! No pigeonholes here, thank you.

And so, it is that time of year again, apparently, when lists of state virtues are published. Rankings of the 50 US States, to be specific. Here are a few of those lists and how the Granite State fared. And, true to form, it's seemingly contradictory:

• First Place: Most Livable State
• First Place: Safest State
• Second Place: Healthiest State
• Last Place: State Government Efficiency!

No middle ground for us. My way or the highway! You can't call us wishy-washy, that's for sure. I like that NH isn't buying into things like the Real ID program. I think it's kinda funny that we can pass civil unions into law but can't make seat belts mandatory, but it makes perfect sense to me.

What doesn't make sense to me, however, is how such a state can allow some people to ban clotheslines. Live Free and Dry!

PS (dated 4/03/08):
Uncharacteristically, here's something we are rated as smack dab in the middle: Pork! How odd, to be average.

No Whining!

My intolerance of Hillary Clinton and her surrogates is reaching new heights. I think the Anna Quindlen's piece in Newsweek was the final straw. People don't call Hillary calculating because she's a woman in a man's world. They call her calculating because she doesn't answer questions head-on. She dances around them; you can see her gears turning. She seems robotic and impersonal, and she has no charisma. To me, that's not sexism. That's fact, to borrow from Geraldine.

And speaking of, is Obama where he is today because he's black (or, more accurately, biracial). Maybe but frankly I don't care. I'm sure we've all had benefits and detriments attributed to us because we are who we (or our parents or husbands) are--gay, straight, white, black, rich, poor, or anything in between. When someone doesn't like me, I never assume it's because I'm a woman or a lesbian. Give me a break. There are people you connect with and those you don't in all walks of life. Get over it.

On Blue Hampshire, we have a rule: attack the message, not the messenger. I don't like the condescending tone HRC's camp has taken. Obama appears gifted at some things that the country is particularly looking for right now, and I am tired of Hillary & her supporters crying sexism & favoritism. Quit whining. It's so unbecoming of a public servant.

So, yesterday, my primary pal Jessica was back in town doing what she does: following McCain around. This time he was on a thank you tour in NH, at the town hall in Exeter. Several folks I know were there, most were not there in support of McBush. Jess & I had hot cocoa and caught up on who's now working for whom, what John Edwards should do next, the Shaheen campaign, and all things political. I don't think I've had a conversation like that in a month. Gosh I miss the NH Primary!

Stealing My Thunder

I had this whole rant started yesterday, and was working on the fine tuning. Then my old fashioned paper Newsweek came in the mail, and Jonathan Alters said exactly everything I was trying to say, but of course more eloquently. So, either you can read his essay or mine. Same idea:

Please make her stop. Someone, please, show Senator Clinton how to bow out gracefully.

I tell my kids a million times a day that they can be more successful at getting what they want if they don't whine. Be nice, use your polite words. I expect the same of her. I have reached my limits with her campaign, and her.

The episode that put me over the edge was during the most recent debate (which I confess I did not watch), complaining that she's called on first all the time. Give me a break. It didn't seem to bother her when there were 8 candidates and she was called on twice as much as others. Or when she was getting all the free passes from press as the so-called front runner for the first YEAR of this campaign. YES she's being treated differently...she's being treated like the candidate who had a 30+ point lead for months and wasted it with arrogance and "inevitability."

And I'm so sick of being called sexist if her voice reminds me of a nagging spouse or parent. If her tone is grating to me? She's a lousy public speaker and is short on the charisma. That's not my fault, that's her's. There are plenty of women's voices I could listen to lecture me all day long--Elizabeth Edwards, Cokie Roberts, Robin Roberts, to name just a few. Hillary's also trying to sell something--experience--that is not very glamorous or motivating. It IS like being nagged to do something because you should, not because you want to. She should have listened to people like supporter NH Rep Jim Splaine (scroll down for his comments) rather than Mr. Overpaid Penn.

And don't even get me started on the plagiarism deal. She flat out stole John Edwards' closing line "No matter what happens, we'll be fine. I'll be fine." Did she credit him? No, nor did her team credit Eddie Vale (Edwards' NH Press Secretary) when they stole the words off his press release word for word, right down to the ellipses (you'll have to search Blue Hampshire for that, I don't have time).

If/when Hillary Clinton loses this nomination, it will be her own fault. Not because the press played favorites or that voters like me are sexist or worship Senator Obama as a deity. It will be because she and her team changed themes every week, they whined when they didn't get their way, they overspent their money, and their arrogance turned off more voters.

I'm so over the Clintons. Sorry, Bill.

Not Wasting Any Time!

Well, that didn't take long at all...just as Laura predicted!


A few nights ago, the phone rang after dinner. Caller ID said "Democratic Party," so I knew it was going to be for me. It was. Here's what the woman said, "I heard from some of your friends on the Edwards campaign that you were a great volunteer for them, is that true?" My first reaction was to think "who said that?" then I found it funny that she ended with a question asking me to confirm my own fabulousness. The thought of that just made me laugh out loud.

She was asking me to participate in the state party's new initiative, The Neighborhood Leader program, which I have heard of thanks to emails and newsletters I've been receiving about it. It seems like a reasonable way to get new-ish volunteers to commit to a small, accessible goal. Now that I am a slightly experienced volunteer, I felt empowered to tell her my limits: I will not canvass, and may or may not be willing to do more phone banking. If I do phone banking at all, I prefer to do it with others and not alone from home. I don't love it, but will do it, maybe. I'm not completely there yet, but leaning.

What I didn't say was that it might depend on who the presidential nominee is.

Here She Goes Again

Once again, I'm not toeing the party line. This time, it's not the lesbian line, it's the populist/liberal line. The moveon.org line (no, I won't sign the petition, thanks). Here's my crime: I kinda think "Super Delegates" are cool. I like them, I want them to vote any way they want.

There, I said it. Is that so wrong?

This is NOT the general election. Each of the Political Parties is selecting their nominee. This is the their game. This is obvious if you watch how different every state and each party has been choosing their nominee. Caucuses are a great example of this--great fun but you have to show up, be informed, participate. Some caucuses have a "round two" like Iowa's, where you can realign if your candidate is deemed unviable. Republicans have winner take all, Dems get gritty and allocate delegates by Congressional District.

Super Delegates are party elite, that's true. In some cases we--common voters-- elected them. In other cases, they were elected by those who chose to get involved in the local, county, or state party. That's cool with me. I didn't get involved in the party and didn't vote for them, but I'm ok with the fact that others did.

Maybe I trust my Super Delegates more than the average voter because I know who most of them are. Reps. Carol Shea-Porter & Paul Hodes...I trust them completely. Governor Lynch with a 78% approval rating in NH--what's not to love? Chairman Ray Buckley, who is still publicly undecided, I trust him too. He's been through a lot just to become our state Chair, and I know he does not take his responsibility lightly.

A fellow blogger I "met" during the NH Primary has a signature to his emails that says "Decisions are made by those who show up." I didn't show up at any of those party meetings or elections. That was my choice. Maybe next time I will. Those who did show up got to vote. I can live with that.

Where Did Everybody Go?

Unlike Howard Dean, I am LOVING how this is dragging on and on. The more voters across our country that can participate in selecting the nominees, the better. Especially when those voters are in the US territories and District of Columbia, who generally do not get to vote. I love that Vermont will get a vote that matters. I love how everyone lamented that we'd have a prolonged general election and now the worry is that it will be too short! The only thing I don't love is that Ohio, once again, will be a major factor. What's up with that, anyway? Why is it always up to Ohio??

The other thing I love about this process is that it is further proof that Iowa and New Hampshire are not the deciders. AND, all those states who moved UP their primaries, to get more influence, may actually have less in the end. And speaking of...IMHO, Michigan and Florida delegates broke the rules and should not be seated. Even on the elementary school playground, you know that you can't change the rules in the middle of the game.

In other news: the Edwards blog has finally shut down. I had no warning because work has been busy & I hadn't visited in a few days. There was a pretty tight community there, and it's a bit sad to see them disperse. I just wish I had had a chance to say goodbye. NH Prez Watch has stopped posting as well, but he's shifted focus to a new project (quickly becoming my new fav): PolitickerNH. GraniteProf is still around, though not posting as often. He's still popping up in the media, and building his following at UNH.

I'm an academic advisor/career counselor at heart: I'm still following the career paths of the activists, staffers, press, and trackers I got to know over the past 12 monts. A few have resettled in the Washington DC area, and I'm hoping to reconnect with them during my next trip (for The Washington Center) in April. My Advance pal, Susie, accepted a job the the Jeanne Shaheen Senatorial Campaign so she's sticking with Manch-Vegas. Now that Shaheen's last in-party rival has dropped out, all her energy is focused on the opponent: Sen. John Sununu. He's not very popular 'round these parts lately. I think it will be cool for her to be able to work for the Shaheen Machine, and have a successful campaign--I have no doubt Shaheen will win--on her resume, post-Primary.

OT random though: Isn't it interesting that the two major candidates we have for this NH Senate Seat both have last names (and families) of Arab descent. Just an observation...kinda cool actually.