Notes from the Granite State

I spent the last weekend canvassing in Manchester, New Hampshire with two good friends, and discovered that primary canvassing is much more fun than general election canvassing because there isn't really an enemy. At best, the primary is a "discussion" of what our country needs and what people want to see in a leader, and that's a fun conversation to have with people. Although I had a couple of the "is canvassing ever really effective" moments, I also had a slew of interesting conversations.

-I took a bus to the Manchester airport, and while waiting for my friend to arrive, I saw Patrick Murphy (D PA-8) who had endorsed Obama working the line of people going through pre-flight security, encouraging them to endorse his candidate. When it was his own turn to take out his laptop and place his shoes and blazer in the bin, he kept right on going, trying to persuade the airport security workers. It seemed like he was very successful in engaging them. While I'm no politician, I tried to use this as inspiration to engage with everyone, not just the people on my walk lists.

-A pretty cracked out young man buying cigarettes at a convenience store who wanted to talk with us and echoed back Democratic talking points. It's almost the first time I've gotten "liberal" talking points from someone who doesn't seem political invovled instead of "conservative" ones. Maybe we're doing a better job with message then we think we are.

-A young man who opened the door wearing tight boxer-briefs and a Temple University sweatshirt who wanted to compare Edwards and Clintons' anti-poverty agenda for 20 minutes and yet couldn't be bothered to put on pants before opening the door. Eye contact, eye contact.

-A Republican who was voting for Romney because he was the most "genuine" candidate. They are out there.

-I'm always a little amazed by how many voters seem to focus on personality over issues. Several older women wanted to talk about how Edwards was a "very nice man."

-We met a sherif who had done the security check for all the cars going into the debate who had gotten to briefly meet all the candidates. Most arrived in limos, although some came on their campaign buses and Ron Paul arrived in the backseat of an SUV. Only slightly more newsworthy than candidate eating habits, but an interesting slice of life.

-While waiting for lunch, an out-of-towner in a leather jacket asked me if I was working for Edwards (the sticker and the lit are sort of a give away). I said yes, and then launched into a more conversational version of my spiel. "Too bad the focus has been on Clinton and Obama," he said. I agreed, and we discussed the irresponsible media coverage throughout the campaign (at this point, I'm pretty disgusted by the Clinton treatment). At the end, I ventured to ask who he was supported. "Oh," he said, "Off the record, I'm a member of the irresponsible media."

-Saturday night, we went to a rally/visibility event downtown. At first, it was just us and a group of men from the steel workers union, who were funny and very interesting to talk to. The 'part' of the Democratic party I've had the most extended contact with as fellow campaigners is the, um, sushi eating, latte drinking part. (Incidentally, the same culinary propensities describe most of the Republicans I know. College towns.)
Many of them had worked on campaigns since 1972, and it was interesting to hear about their strategies and commitment because like churches, I think unions are such a credible force in the community that is much more effective at GOTV and persuasion than a campaign could be. I was surprised by the intensity of their hate for Senator Clinton even though they described themselves as lifelong, diehard Democrats.
As is to be expected, we didn't see eye-to-eye on protectionism, although we recent graduates kept our mouths shut. Trade seems like such a small rift within our party when the Republican party seems to be facing such an identity struggle.
One of the men seemed particularly concerned about the lack of women among their political leadership although he said 30-40 % of the union was female. It's encouraging that they are discussing the need to have a leadership that reflects the population it serves.

-The best one-liner of the weekend came from a young waitress at the Airport Diner in Manchester. She saw our stickers, then told us about her friend who wanted to vote for a Republican, probably Romney. "I said to her, 'Honey, you're a single mom. You aren't a Republican."