CONCORD, N.H. (Jan.4) — The top three Democratic presidential contenders blew into cold weather and warm welcomes in New Hampshire on Friday for the next round of campaigning.
Just hours earlier in Iowa, Barack Obama had bested fellow Democrats John Edwards and Hillary Clinton. In the Granite State, they each held rallies in key cities to kick off the latest efforts at primary campaigning. For the crowds, spirits were high, even as temperature hovered in the low teens. Obama took his position as the man to beat and Clinton and Edwards worked to steal the title from him.
In the smallest and earliest of the three rallies, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina continued to position himself as the people’s candidate, working to overcome the big budgets of his two “celebrity” competitors.
“I am not the candidate of money, not the candidate of glitz, not the candidate of glamour,” Edwards said. “I am the candidate who will fight with every fiber of my being, every step of the way.”
Edwards’s wife, Elizabeth, compared her husband to another come-from-behind winner, famous racehorse Seabiscuit, who beat the champion of his era despite serious injuries. “It seems to me that the perfect metaphor for this race right now is Seabiscuit,” she said. “But they can’t count on any broken legs. This candidate doesn’t make mistakes.”
The location of the rally, in the dark of 6:15 a.m., was symbolic. It was held in the Tower Mills in Manchester. The mills were part of a booming industry in the city, which has long since disappeared. The location fit perfectly with Edwards’s image as a supporter of the working class and an opponent to corporate outsourcing. In the dimly lit mill, the walls and ceiling were lined with exposed beams and piping. John Edwards posters lined the beams and a large American flag hung behind a stage.
Before Edwards arrived on the stage, volunteers pumped up the crowd with chants and cheers. Nobody rallied the supporters more than 6-year-old Fiona Hynes, of Woodbridge, Conn. Wearing a leopard-print shirt and a cat-ear headband, Fiona yelled as loud as her tiny voice would let her to lead the crowd in a cheer. “E-D-W-A-R-D-S. Oh Yes! John is the best!” she said. After the rally, she added, “I like all the stuff that he does. I like that he’s running against George Bush too.”
Lydia Johnson, a retired cytologist from Nashua, N.H., used to work at Lowell General Hospital. She understands the hardships families face when it comes to getting affordable health care, she said. “He’s good on health care,” she said. “He’s a beautiful person all around. I think his time has come.”
At her rally in Nashua, Senator Hillary Clinton of New York pointed to her record — both in the senate and during her husband’s two terms as president — and what she said is her ability to win the general election and make real change in America.
“I’ve spent 35 years making the kind of changes that will improve lives,” she said. “We can make the changes together that America and the world are looking for.”
Her rally’s location, the Nashua Airport, was a stark contrast to Edwards’s mill. Clinton’s rally was in a bright airplane hanger with enough space to fit two or three jets. Her campaign bus was plastered with her slogan, “Real challenges, real solutions.” A giant American served as the backdrop for the stage.
Clinton was the only candidate who took questions from the audience at her rally. One man asked her when she would bring the troops in Iraq home. She would start bringing home troops from Iraq within 60 days of taking office, she said. “Nobody wants to end this war like I do, but I know, as president, I have to do it right,” she said. “We have to do it quickly and responsibly because it’s dangerous.”
Health care has become a hot issue for many Americans, with 47 million lacking health insurance. All three leading Democratic candidates have detailed proposals to cover more Americans. Clinton has tried to distinguish herself through lessons she learned from her failed attempts to overhaul the healthcare system during her husband’s first administration. Her plan would only apply to Americans who want to buy into national health insurance, though all Americans must have some sort of coverage.
“If you have health insurance that you’re happy with, you can keep it,” she said.
After the speech, Bob Jennings, of Bedford, N.H., offered succinct praise. “I think she has it all,” he said, matter-of-factly. “I’m not interested in seeing anybody else.”
Sarah Campbell is not as certain as Jennings. Campbell is an independent voter from Groton, Mass. Campbell is a native of Iowa. Thursday night’s caucuses reminded her, she said, of the importance of voting. “Seeing someone in person makes a difference, it’s a unique opportunity,” Campbell said. “I find the process really invigorating.”
In Concord, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, fresh off of his Iowa victory, stuck with his winning themes of change and hope. As he often does he invoked the legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I am running for president because of what Dr. King called the ‘fierce urgency of now,’” he said. “You want politics based on common values. You want politics based on practicality not ideology.”
Some people, Obama said, are sick of him talking about hope. Some call him a “hopemonger,” he said. “Look, I’ve got to talk about hope,” he said. “Hope is that thing inside each of us that has moved this country forward at every single juncture.”
The rally took place in the gymnasium at Concord High School. Along one of the rows of bleachers was a red, hand-painted sign that read, “Concord High welcomes Senator Obama.” On one side of Obama’s podium was a basketball scoreboard with the words “Home of the Crimson Tide” scrolled across the top. On the other side were six banners, boasting the school’s sportsmanship awards.
The students, many of whom have had their gym class on the rubber floors where Obama stood Friday, filled the stands and crowded around the stage to listen to him.
Obama is the eleventh presidential candidate to visit the school. One group of freshman — too young to vote, but politically involved just the same — gave Obama highest marks for best show.
“I love Obama. I’m die-hard,” said Angelo Santiago. “I’ve seen Hillary, Huckabee and Kucinich and I like Obama the best.”
Kaileen Gleason is an English teacher at Concord High. She teaches juniors and seniors, many of whom will vote in the primary and general election for the first time. “I hope a lot of them vote,” she said. “I think they will.” Gleason is an Obama supporter, herself. She was amazed by his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. After that, she read his books and, as an English teacher, was drawn to his writing style. But there’s one thing that she likes most about Obama.
“Honestly,” Gleason said, “it’s his optimism.
(Andrew Restucci, a newspaper and religion and society major, is covering the New Hampshire primary for The Sun of Lowell, Mass.)
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