Well, we made it to the John Edwards extravaganza at the local junior high school this morning. The gymnasium was packed when we arrived so we were relegated to the overflow area i.e. the school auditorium. I can honestly say the ambience of New England junior high schools has not improved since I matriculated all those years ago. Wonder how the food is?
The good senator was wooing the gymnasium crowd so we were first treated to his wife. It seems they met at law school and have produced children during the 70's, 80's, 90's and the "zeros". This makes me question their sanity. But that aside, she was pretty good with her main points. She believes the next president may have 3-4 Supreme Court appointments to fill. And she worries that theDemocrats will lose the filibuster in the Senate by 2006 if something doesn't change. She sees real opportunities for her husband to draw upon rural Southerners and that sets him apart from the pack in her eyes. Oh, and Glenn Close was at her side throughout. A bit of star power in Nashua. Eventually the senator made his way to our crowd of about 200 or so arctic-dressed Granite Staters. Damn he looks like a teenager though he is allegedly 50. And his wife pointed out that JFK was 43 and FDR was 51 or so, when they were elected president. Anyway, his 15 minutes were unremarkable. There was something about healthcare, the environment, his work on the intelligence committee, etc. I'm sure it's his standard stump speech that he can recite in his sleep. I was not swayed from my feeling that Clark is the Dem's best shot, sorry Gene,(though Kerry is more qualified). Oh, and my 8 year old pushed her way through for an autograph at the end. What a political junkie we've created. We then headed to a local college where Clark was speaking. The Edwards gala made us too late to get in so we tried for Kerry at the high school. The exit ramp off of the highway was bumper to bumper so we opted for Mexican food. 1 out of 3 was not bad. That's a wrap from your roving NH reporter. Why they come every four years to this insignificant little state, I know not.
Peter T.
