[“I’ll have a small peppermint mocha.”]
Beep beep beep. Ching Ching. (Sound of Cash Register)
Along with the caffeine at New Hampshire coffee shops, customers also get a big helping of politics. Take for example, Daniel Lord. He lives in Concord and he’s a regular at the Green Mountain Coffee shop on North Main Street. Lord says the candidates even campaign over a cup of coffee.
[“I think, ya know, it’s up close and personal. Like I talked to Obama in here face to face and he’s just a regular guy.” Daniel Lord of Concord]
Aside from Senator Barack Obama, Lord has met John Edwards and Senator John McCain. But Lord says he’s already committed to Hillary Rodham Clinton.
[“I think she’s tremendous.” Daniel Lord]
Issues like healthcare and the war in Iraq are among the concerns for locals. For example, 20 year-old Morgaine Adair and 22 year-old Freeland Hubbard are dating. They say they both feel strongly about voting for a candidate concerned about healthcare. But they try to stay away from diving too deep into topics. They don’t share the same views. Morgaine Adair says she’s set on Democrat Denis Kucinich of Ohio.
[“I agree with everything he stands for so I’m not going to vote for Hillary or Obama…I’m going to vote for who I want to win.” Morgaine Adair of Concord]
[I don’t know I sort of have a different view. I feel like no matter who we vote for it doesn’t really matter.” Freeland Hubbard of Concord]
But the couple says one thing that definitely matters is their pro-choice stance on abortion and Hubbard says he isn’t overwhelmed by all the campaigning.
[“I sort of disregard all the hype.” Freeland Hubbard]
Jay Luppold is the assistant night editor for Manchester’s Union Leader. Luppold says even the press gets tired of the constant campaigning.
[“This starts a year ahead of time. These people start coming around. The press releases, appearances, and the ads, ya know it gets it gets tiresome.” Jay Luppold, Assistant Night Editor New Hampshire Union Leader]
The politicians were scarce today. Most are still in Iowa. They will start arriving late tonight. And the coffee will be ready. For WATD, I’m Beth Croughan.
[Beth Croughan, a junior broadcast journalism, political science major, is covering the New Hampshire primary for WATD Radio in Marshfield, Massachusetts. http://959watd.com]
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