Gosh. This was different.
The atmosphere was electric. People were expecting something, and feeling they would get it. We were led to some seats, all well organized (as it was outside – clear signs from off the highway). Volunteers and staff with sign up sheets were polite but not intrusive. The elderly couple sitting next to us was very friendly – the man introduced himself and shook my hand. I sat down and looked around – gosh, this was probably double the crowd at Obama’s events.
Edwards walked in shaking hands along the way. With him was Elizabeth Edwards, I had just shaken hands with both of them before they walked in (and thanked Edwards for saying his vote on the Iraq war was a mistake). And they were no more than 15 minutes late.
Edwards stood in the middle of a circle (as was the practice in 2004 as well), and began to speak. His speech was short, and to the point. He made the standard democratic points on universal health insurance, about getting the troops out of Iraq, and closing Guantanamo Bay – but with an intensity that made a difference. And he also said other things – about poverty in the world, about poverty in America, about telling the truth and not being afraid to do so. About the fact that just the troops pullout was not sufficient, steps towards a political solution were needed. As the people applauded, I felt my skin tingle. Oh my gosh. This really was different. It was so unexpected compared to the other meetings I had been at.
Then it was time for questions. It was also time for me to take a good look at the audience – I saw that people were from all walks of life, and all age groups, and the clear presence of the working class. Which was very similar to Dean’s audiences in 2004. And different from Obama’s audiences – they appeared to be more well off, and the staff and volunteers of that campaign are young and wealthy for the most part. Not so in Edwards’ staff and volunteer group.
The questions were more personal – rather than “what is your health insurance plan”, it was “I just came out of the hospital, I am on social security and I cannot afford this. What do I do?” Or “politician after politician comes here and says the same thing. Will you really be different? Who cares about the poor in the country?” At which point Elizabeth Edwards got up and described Edwards’ upbringing as the son of a mill worker, the first in his family to go to college. True, that was probably a scripted note they like to highlight at every meeting, but what came across was that the Edwardses campaigned as a team. She was not just someone who came out to show the candidate’s softer side – she was campaigning with her husband and they were a team. It was touching to see.
My mother – my one-should-never-adulate-anyone-mother got pumped up enough to go get his autograph after the event. As she said, “what he says seems to come from the heart”. As my friend from the Nashua Peace Group said the next day “Edwards seems to care about the poor”. He is the only one on the campaign trail so far who has some semblance of Dean. If I volunteer for a campaign this election season, it will be for him I think. And looking at the crowd at the event, and the applause, I simply do not understand why he is third in the polls!
The atmosphere was electric. People were expecting something, and feeling they would get it. We were led to some seats, all well organized (as it was outside – clear signs from off the highway). Volunteers and staff with sign up sheets were polite but not intrusive. The elderly couple sitting next to us was very friendly – the man introduced himself and shook my hand. I sat down and looked around – gosh, this was probably double the crowd at Obama’s events.
Edwards walked in shaking hands along the way. With him was Elizabeth Edwards, I had just shaken hands with both of them before they walked in (and thanked Edwards for saying his vote on the Iraq war was a mistake). And they were no more than 15 minutes late.
Edwards stood in the middle of a circle (as was the practice in 2004 as well), and began to speak. His speech was short, and to the point. He made the standard democratic points on universal health insurance, about getting the troops out of Iraq, and closing Guantanamo Bay – but with an intensity that made a difference. And he also said other things – about poverty in the world, about poverty in America, about telling the truth and not being afraid to do so. About the fact that just the troops pullout was not sufficient, steps towards a political solution were needed. As the people applauded, I felt my skin tingle. Oh my gosh. This really was different. It was so unexpected compared to the other meetings I had been at.
Then it was time for questions. It was also time for me to take a good look at the audience – I saw that people were from all walks of life, and all age groups, and the clear presence of the working class. Which was very similar to Dean’s audiences in 2004. And different from Obama’s audiences – they appeared to be more well off, and the staff and volunteers of that campaign are young and wealthy for the most part. Not so in Edwards’ staff and volunteer group.
The questions were more personal – rather than “what is your health insurance plan”, it was “I just came out of the hospital, I am on social security and I cannot afford this. What do I do?” Or “politician after politician comes here and says the same thing. Will you really be different? Who cares about the poor in the country?” At which point Elizabeth Edwards got up and described Edwards’ upbringing as the son of a mill worker, the first in his family to go to college. True, that was probably a scripted note they like to highlight at every meeting, but what came across was that the Edwardses campaigned as a team. She was not just someone who came out to show the candidate’s softer side – she was campaigning with her husband and they were a team. It was touching to see.
My mother – my one-should-never-adulate-anyone-mother got pumped up enough to go get his autograph after the event. As she said, “what he says seems to come from the heart”. As my friend from the Nashua Peace Group said the next day “Edwards seems to care about the poor”. He is the only one on the campaign trail so far who has some semblance of Dean. If I volunteer for a campaign this election season, it will be for him I think. And looking at the crowd at the event, and the applause, I simply do not understand why he is third in the polls!
2 comments:
"I simply don't understand".... From what it looks like NH seems an anamoly. Folks in the US elected Bush twice, I can fully understand why Edwards stands third!
Don't forget that Bush won with a narrow margin, and the first time, it is not at all clear that he was indeed elected :-)
But yes, NH folks are different from other voters (as the NY Times acknowledged recently in an article, by comparing questions asked here with questions asked in other states), thanks to a history of being involved in the presidential primary process.
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