CONCORD, N.H. (Jan. 4) — The Democrats are here.
With Iowa behind them, candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination arrived in New Hampshire on Friday for the last few days of campaigning leading up to the state’s primary on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
Illinois Sen. Barrack Obama, won the caucuses in Iowa followed closely by former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and then by New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. But it took a former president and husband to a contender now to sum up the importance of the next four days here.
“Last night, the people of Iowa put America on the road to change,” Obama told cheering rally-goers on Friday. “And in four days’ time, New Hampshire, it is your turn to stand up for change in America.”
As the candidates launched into their New Hampshire sprint, Democrats have reason to be proud. The Iowa Democratic Party reported a record-breaking turnout of 227,000 caucus-goers with 96 percent of precincts reporting, according to a report by CNN. Democrats express hope that will mean a big turnout for them in the general election in November.
In Manchester, N.H., on Friday, Edwards was the first of the three Democratic leaders to rally his supporters. To rousing cheers in an old factory, Edwards expressed optimism about his chances in New Hampshire and reminded his supporters that he was the candidate who supported the middle class.
“I am not the candidate of money. I am not the candidate of glitz. And I don’t claim to be. But what I am — I am the candidate of the United States that is the peoples’ candidate,” Edwards said.
In a comparison started by his wife Elizabeth, he dubbed himself “Seabiscuit” after the famed Great Depression-era racehorse, who won his last race from behind after injury.
His supporters offered praise for his candidacy. “Senator Edwards has the only true progressive message of change,” said Kim Hynes, who had traveled from Woodbridge, Conn., to support Edward’s campaign in New Hampshire. She was introduced by her husband and former president, Bill Clinton.
In Nashua, N.H, Clinton began her final round of New Hampshire campaigning in an airport hangar festooned with American flags. She continued to promote herself as the most experienced of the Democratic candidates.
“I am tested and I am proven,” said Clinton. “I have been through the fires.”
Unlike the other contenders, Clinton fielded audience questions across a range of issues: withdrawl of American troops from Iraq, health coverage, the national budget, the loss of manufacturing jobs to overseas workers, dependence on foreign oil and homeland security. In promoting her candidacy, she quipped: “It took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush. And it may take another to clean up after this one.”
Her appearance drew satisfaction from many rally-goers. Margret Flynn of Nashua attended the rally to start her search for other candidates after her candidate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, dropped out of the race. She found Clinton’s speech, she said, “very good, very impressive.”
Stephen Patch of Manchester, a registered Republican, attended the rally to see if the “caustic and in your face” preconception he had of Clinton was accurate. He was surprised to find different. “I thought she was a very good communicator. Very inspiring,” Patch said. “The media doesn’t paint her as well-versed.”
In Concord, N.H., Obama made an appearance Friday at the Concord High School. The rally was in the school’s gym. Obama won a warm welcome from a large crowd of high school students and supporters and undecided voters. Many had lined up from the school door to out in the street over an hour and a half before the event.
He continued his successful themes of unity and change. “We are one people. One nation,” Obama told the cheering crowd. “And our time for change has come.”
He, like the other candidates, offered proposals about key issues of healthcare, Iraq, and what he and others see as corporate greed. He maintained his long-standing expressions of optimism. He dismissed criticims that he is “too nice,” catering to the young and being hopeful, portraying his pleasantness as a good characteristic.
“There’s no shortage of anger in Washington people,” said Obama, on charges of being “too nice”. “We don’t need more heat. We need more light.”
Lesley Friend, an undecided voter, drove from Boston to hear Obama. It was, she said, worth the trip. “He said exactly what I wanted him to say,” said Friend.
(Liam Migdail-Smith, a sophomore magazine and political philosophy major, is covering the primaries for The Westerly Sun).
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