Barak Obama, Wed. December 19

Full disclosure: I really like Barak Obama and I feel inspired every time I hear him speak (twice live, now, and several speeches in podcasts and on tv). But I will try to do this in reporting mode just to describe what he said.

Now, one thing that will be very difficult about writing this up is that Obama's speechifying is so much more filled with actual style than the other candidates I've seen. With the others, I was pretty much able to write down what they said like a very slow recorder. With Obama, I found it very difficult to write what he said because how he said it was so engaging that I started to write that down, but the real point could be summarized in one sentence, and I may or may not have actually written that particular sentence down. Kind of hard to explain, but, for example, when he says "When I become president, the era of Scooter Libby justice, of Brownie incompetence, of Karl Rove politics will be over." That's a pretty long (and stylish, I think) way of saying something about Bush's legacy or the current standard, or the type of administration he'll have.

Okay, so, on with the scene...

The setting is "The Armory", which is basically a huge gymnasium space that's attached to the Radisson in Manchester. The place was pretty full, though I think there may have been some empty seats in the back (but there were a lot of seats). The audience was a serious mix of all ages and races (well, as much racial mix as you might get in NH, which isn't saying much for people from major cities or places like CA). We waited for a long time for the doors to open (I got there a bit after 4), they opened at 5, and Obama came out around 5:45. Before he spoke, one of the local politicians spoke about him and introduced him.

Obama came out from the side door and shook hands across the fence (the seats were behind a fence area) and did lots of smiling and welcome. Oh, and I'd like to point out that he was wearing a tie, since somebody made a disparaging comment to me after seeing him in a picture sans tie.

He started his speech by thanking the local organizers and recognizing them in the audience. Then he pointed out that Santa was in the audience. Santa then held up a "Stop Global Warming" sign. Obama said, "That's right. What we want for Christmas is a sustainable planet!"

Then the real speech started. "I want your vote." He asks who in the audience is undecided and about 20% raise their hands (and I'm guessing many undecided people didn't want to raise their hands).

He says he's been traveling a lot. The size of the crowds is inspiring. But it's also the makeup of the crowds that is inspiring. Young and old, all races, all religions, democrats, independents, "and, yes, even republicans". He tells a funny story about people coming up to shake his hand and whispering "Barak, I'm a republican." He'll say back, "That's okay. Why are we whispering?"

He says that people recognize we are at a defining moment in history. There is no incumbent, no incumbent VP, and George W Bush will not be on the ballot [gigantically huge cheer from the crowd]. "My cousin, Dick Cheney, will not be on the ballot." [Laughs and clapping from the audience]. He goes on to joke about how when they do that geneology stuff, you hope to be related to George Washington, or Willie Mays, not Dick Cheney!

Then he gets into the thing I mentioned above, about the era of Libby/Brownie/Rove being over.

He says this is a defining moment and you have to ask yourself, "What is next for America?" We are in peril, people are working harder for less. We're paying more for health care, college, more to heat our homes, more to put gas in the tank... People have lost faith, they feel cynical and frustrated.

He goes on to say that people have come to expect fear and falsehoods that lead us into a war that we shouldn't have been in.

Americans want to believe we can achieve something as a country. Right now in this moment, we have a chance to bring people together in a working majority.

People have said they'd do this before, but health care is something that's been talked about for decades but costs are still going up. Drug and insurance companies spent $1 Billion in 10 years to block changes to the health care system.

Energy independence is something we've talked about for decades but we're seeing more importing of oil, and higher prices. The prices we're paying are higher than they've ever been and Exxon-Mobile's profits are higher than they've ever been.

We need a fundamental change. We can't have a traditional campaign. We need to tell people what they NEED to hear, not just what they want to hear. If we're serious about governing, we can't be afraid to lose an election. He believes we should be led not by polls, but by principles. We need not just a change in policy, but a change in leadership. We need to think about not just how to win, but why we should!

He talks about a 6-person focus group he did in Portsmouth (about 45 min away). The focus group was about economics. And these are the stories you hear everywhere. One woman (65 years old) had to leave her job. She has $2900/month in drug payments and she's living on Social Security. She started crying during the session. She's worked in her job for 47 years and got laid off. Then a young couple, a teacher and a land trust guy. They have two kids and can never get ahead. They can't save and can't start college funds.

This is why he became a community organizer... to help people get back on their feet.

People do not expect the government to solve all of their problems! They just believe things like they shouldn't be bankrupted when they get sick. And DC is not listening. They don't hear your voices. What's needed is not just a slight change in policies. We need tax breaks for the people who need them, not for the CEO's who make more in an hour than most people do in a month. People need help with drug costs.

Other candidates say, "I know how to work the system." But how is that useful when the system isn't working? I think the days of corporate lobbyists setting the agenda are over. They will not down out the voices of the American people. We need trade agreements that don't undermine American workers.

Obama's mother died when she was 53. He knows about how the health care system is messed up. When she was dying, she should have been spending her time with family, not reading all the paperwork and figuring out health costs.

If he's elected Americans will be able to get health care as good as his, with no exclusions for pre-existing conditions. They will negotiate for the cheapest drugs. And he pledges to do this all by the end of his first term.

Education. Invest in early childhood education. Reward great teachers, higher salaries, more support. And no more policies like No Child Left Behind that leave the money behind! We shouldn't base the future of a school on a single test, especially one that leaves out things like arts and music. For college, students should have a tax credit and in return we'll ask for community service or national service after graduation.

Americans are tired of sending $1 Billion a day to hostile nations for foreign oil and melting the ice caps. We need to cap greenhouse gases, invest in solar, wind, and bio diesel. Increase the MPH requirements! Cutting out the middle east oil will be good for us in terms of environment and national security.

You all need to insist on somebody who is going to tell you the truth. My job will be to keep you safe. We will maintain the strongest fighting force in the world, but we have to take care of them, and use them judiciously. I opposed this war in Iraq from the start. I will end it. I will bring the troops home within 16 months. And then we'll finish the fight we started in Afghanistan. We've been distracted from this.

And we need to not just end the war, but change our mindset. He got into arguements with Clinton about wanting to talk to enemy leaders. People called his views "naive". But JFK said, "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate." We need to have a strong president to represent this country and talk to our adversaries.

"(quotish) I want to tell the world that America is back. We are ready to lead. Yes we will lead with military, but that's not the main way. We will lead by building schools and public health centers in areas of need. We will fight against Darfur because genocide is never okay. We will close Guantanamo, restore habeas corpus, and outlaw torture, because that's not what America is about."

He says he is not running for ambition or because it's his turn. He is running because, as Martin Luther King says, there is a "fierce urgency of now." This is not about red and blue, this is not about the same arguments we've been having for ages. This is about the fact that he does not want to, in four years, see awful things have happened in this country because we didn't do something about it now.

He talks about historical figures who stood up for what they believed, even though they were a small voice. But civil rights marchers, and leaders for women getting the vote, and the environmental movement, they spoke up and they did make a difference and changed the world.

If some people stand up, then a few more feel they can stand up, then a few hundred, and then a few thousand. We have a chance to change this country and this world. He tells the great story of "Fired up! Ready to go!" which you can google to hear.

Then Questions.
Q: This is Nancy. "Define American unity."
A: We are not as divided as our politicians would have us believe. We have common beliefs in hard work and responsibility. We believe in family and community. Americans want to be respected. and we believe government should be wise on spending. We believe we should leave a better lives for our children. Our politics are designed to highlight division and strong conflicts. So focusing on those issues is common. But we agree on the goals, in general, we just need to work out how to get there. Example: health care... we all agree it costs too much.

Q: Rosie from Manchester. What are your thoughts on immigration?
A: This is the latest example of a political wedge. We need stronger boarder security, we need to monitor visas, and crack down on employers of illegal immigrants. This will slow the influx and many will go home. But many of them have roots here and are basically living as Americans. (makes a joke about Romney and his hired help) We have to have a path to legalization. Have a fine, learn english, back of the line, but let these people come out of the shadows and then they can't be exploited. We need to fix the legal system. Then we can be a nation of laws AND a nation of immigrants.

Q: A Manchester senior in high school. What have you done to earn my first vote?
A: I spent my life in public services. I started working when I was young to help people less fortunate. I was a civil rights lawyer, helping those who needed defense. I was a constitutional law professor, so you know I will actually uphold the constitution and have great respect for it. I help fixed the death penalty system in IL. I worked on health care, reformed welfare, ethics reform. I got Republicans and Democrats working together. I worked on nuclear non-proliferation. I opposed the Iraq war. I've worked on everything from the grass roots level up to the highest level of government. But I've always brought people together, I am always straight-speaking and accountable.

Q: Thanks for a positive campaign. Would you have republicans in your cabinet?
A: I think it's a bit premature for me to announce my cabinet! [lots of laughter] I have much respect for many republicans I've worked with: Dick Lugar, Chuck Hagel, and I don't always agree with him, but I really like how Schwartzeneger has handled the climate change issue. Abe Lincoln, greatest president, and founder of Repub party. I think a cabinet member should be excellent at what they do and they should have integrity, and of course those qualities are not limited to democrats. I want people who have independence, not yes-men (or yes-women).

Q: Lots of angst in the middle east
A: Israel/Palestine... we've lost a lot of time and lives in 7 years. Bush finally started up recently, but we have to remain actively engaged and get them to understand that it is in their best interest for the long term to come to an agreement.

My view
I could listen to Obama speak all day long. He fills me with so much inspiration and hope. And a politician that is smart, educated, well-spoken, practical-but-progressive, AND actually gives a sense of hope is something I have not witnessed in my lifetime. I can't speak to how experience matters or how he'll defend himself in a fight, but I admire the man, and I think I will be voting for hope. I'm sick of being depressed and scared about the future of this country!

Events changing

Huckabee was canceled due to snow on Sunday, and I ran out of steam for Romney on Monday, but I did get to Obama last night, so I'll be posting a summary of that later today or tomorrow.

Unfortunately I'll be leaving to MD for a week, but hopefully the candidates will be full-force between Dec 30 and Jan 8th (election day)!

Politician Bingo

I feel like I'm playing politician bingo... trying to see each one of the candidates at an event so I can check off the box. I've got 3 of the dems, 1 of the repubs, and Romney and Huckabee are both on the calendar for times I can get to on Sunday/Monday. Then I'll be 3 and 3. I just need Giuliani and Obama and I'll have what seem to be the top 4 on either side... although Biden and Thompson are up there in some of the polls, so that would get to 5 on each side.

But with only about 2.5 weeks of me being in the state (due to the Xmas holiday) before the election, it'll be tight!

John McCain - December 7, 2007

John McCain is a machine. Within 4 days, he had about 15 public campaign events. I got to see him at a country club in Atkinson, about 25 minutes south of me. It was early on a Friday morning, so it was not jammed with people and it even started on time. Yay! There was sooooo much less media (video, cameras, etc) in the media section compared to Clinton. Ooo, and they provided coffee! Go McCain organizers! I've only had refreshments at house parties before, so coffee was a welcome sight on a cold morning.

Before McCain arrived, they showed a video ad. It had POW's and him shaking Reagan's hand, had "endorsements" from the other Republicans running (as in, they all said things at various points about how if they weren't running they'd vote for him). Lots of humor.

Then McCain came up on stage, no suit, just a fleece jacket over his shirt. The senator started with many funny jokes about the weather in Pheonix (it was very cold with snow on the ground here), about CA taking Pheonix's water, and other things.

He paused to remember Pearl Harbor, and said we need a sound national security policy. Then he launched into Iraq. America is frustrated by Iraq, but we can't go into Protectionism. That's not a way to meet the challenge. We are faced with radical Islam and we have to defeat them there, not wait for them to get here. He is running because he's the best prepared to meet the challenge.

The radicals are making good use of cyberspace to recruit and motivate. He knows there's stereotypes of terrorists, but now we're seeing them in Denmark, Germany, elswhere.

He is qualified and he exhibits leadership without any need for on-the-job training.

Spending is out of control. And this totally started with "we Republicans", who had this happen. Then the Dems came in and of course they continued it. But money is a corrupting influence. He is proud to have worked with a Dem to pursue the Abramoff investigation. He wants to stop excessive spending and use a veto pen a lot as president.

He is honored to have many veterans in the audience. He reads a very interesting quote by George Washington that says people will sign up to defend the country based on how they see the veterans of earlier wars treated. But we're not caring for the vets. They're great at saving lives in the field of battle, but we need to take more care of people when they get home. He wants to give very vet a card that means they can get treatment anywhere.

Iraq: It was mishandled for four years. Early on he said it wouldn't work. It was just like Search and Destroy in Vietnam. But the new strategy has worked. He thinks we are blessed to have Gen. Petreus.

He feels it is most hard to fight people willing to take their own life in order to kill many. The Iraqi police aren't quite up yet, and the Malaki gov't isn't quite up yet, but things are getting better. Suicide bombers are coming from other places, not within Iraq. The war is not lost.

Dems wanted to set a date for withdrawal, but if we had done that a year ago, Iraq would be a mess today. He's guardedly optimistic about the future of Iraq. Will it be long and hard and tough? Yes. But he feels it's worth it, and he'd rather lose a campaign saying this than lose a war.

Questions and Answers
Q: I care about who can defeat Hillary. Why are you best qualified?
A: Well, it's actually becoming more competitive on that side, so I've heard. But I have 24 years of a conservative record and I feel this country is right of center. I also reach across the aisle to get things done. And then on healthcare, she wants mandates, and I want to get the cost down. On Iraq, she doesn't believe the surge is working and I know it is. But regardless, I want a respectful debate. I think that's what Americans want from the republicans and all of the politicians. Oh, and polls show I would win.

Q: What will you want from us?
A: Work together. Support the party. Call Americans to serve!

Q: It's a vet. He solutes McCain. Talks about terrible story of being treated poorly after Vietnam.
A: We learned a valuable lesson after Vietnam and I'm proud that this country knows to support the vets, even if they disagree with the war.

Q: Spending and social security trust fund
A: We've bankrupted the system. It's just broken and we need to fix it, we can't just pay it off.

Q: 9/11.... is Saudi Arabia a foe or ally?
A: SA has made a Faustian bargain. He's appalled by the treatment of women, worried about progress on human rights... they need to make more progress

Q: How do we reduce dependency on foreign oil?
A: Nuclear. Good for climate change, too. But we need to figure out what to do with the waste.

Q: (THIS IS ME!) Our country has some big problems besides terrorism. It's not just manufacturing going abroad... In high tech we're losing jobs to overseas partly because we're falling behind in Science and Math education. What would you do about it?
A: Take care of the teachers. Also scholarships for people going into tech, and making sure tech is paid well enough to attract folks. The numbers of grads in tech of US compared to India and China is disturbing, to be sure.

Q: McCain-Feingold, and Immigration
A: Who invited you? *lots of laughs* The 527's are messing up finance reform right now, so we need to crack down on them. Immigration... first secure the borders, then have certification for legals, and make sure employers only use legal workers. Then, the 12 million illegal... let's remember these people are god's children too. They have tough lives, they're not evil people, lets try to handle this without so much anger and emotions, and with compassion, and have a discussion about it.

Q: The national debt
A: Take away subsidies for ethanol and for cotton. We don't need that. And then stop wasteful spending on defense. It's ridiculous what there's contracts for. Defense is the largest non-fixed cost. Use the line-item veto.



So I felt my question got a stock answer, but he was somewhat excited to have me (as one of the few people under 35) participate, since he said he was coming to me next as soon as he saw my hand go up. In general, he really seemed to be a wonderful man. Unfortunately, much of his speech felt like the classic fear-mongering (Iraq and terrorism: rah rah rah). But I admire his willingness to say things that the mostly-republican audience wouldn't necessarily agree with (immigration). And of course he does have a history of working with the other side, so I always like that. I'm not going to be swayed to vote Republican for him, but think my Republican friends should consider him. Despite his slight fall to Bush's will a couple of years ago, I think he is a man of integrity and would probably be a good leader.

Hillary Clinton - October 10, 2007

I’m way late in writing this up, because this event happened on October 10th, but here’s my visit with Hillary Clinton…



Hillary came to the Derry Opera House, right down the road from my house. I would have walked there, but it was raining, so I drove the 90 seconds down the street. Ha!

Hillary’s speech was advertised as being about Innovation. I was sitting about 10 rows back from the front in the small auditorium space. The floor fit maybe 150 or so and the balcony some number more.

She started by saying she wanted to create good jobs, build the middle class, and use innovation to gain an edge in the global economy. As an example of the innovative edge, she sited the company she just visited, GT Solar, a local energy company that is actually exporting to China (how rare is that!).

Hillary said the global economy equals challenges. There’s jobs going overseas. Our productivity is going up but people are getting less in return. Living costs are going up, and only a small minority of people are doing well.

She says we Americans need to start working together and get back into the solution business. Her suggestions:
1. Apollo project – Invest in clean renewable energy for security, global warming, and job creation. We need national leadership. She’ll start a strategic fund, closing loopholes to the oil companies who are getting tax breaks. She wants to create the equivalent of DARPA (which was started after Sputnik went up). And we need to have the best minds in both public and private sectors working on this stuff.
2. End the war on science [Hell yeah!] – No muzzles on scientists. No politicization of science. Yes to stem cell research. Tax credit for research. Improve math and science education. Create a manufacturing base in this country because that is what our country was based on and we need to keep that to remain strong. We also need to have a feedback loop for engineers and scientists, so manufacturing here can do that.
3. Rebuild infrastructure – Create an emergency repair fund for roads, rails, sea ports, etc. Have a green building fund, to encourage environmentally sound solutions. Have a national broadband strategy.

Hillary wants to get back to “evidence-based decision making”. [Again, hell yeah, especially compared to Bush!]. Then she quotes Stephen Colbert and says that the President makes facts based on decisions, not the other way around. She’d like to get that in the right order.

She says we need a change to win in the global economy. And then she asks for the support of each person in the audience. Literally asks for it. She wants to change course and takes nothing for granted, so she is out campaigning for every single vote.

The speech part was about 15 minutes or so. They did a short “panel” discussion with two other folks about innovation and stuff. Boring.

Then come the questions from the audience.
Q: Inheritance Tax. What do you think of it?
A: Anything I propose, I pay for… let’s go back to pay as you go rules. Estate tax comes from the fact that we, as a country, never liked huge inherited wealth [I totally never thought about this before!]. She’s proposing >$7 million pays inheritance. That should make it pretty safe for most families.

Then she talks about how psychology says people will save more if the government offers to match some, so she says gov’t will match first $1K of saving for those with less than $60K income. And 50% for people with 60-100K income. If we don’t start doing these things, the inequality in economic sectors will get worse.

Q: We need to stop outsourcing high tech jobs! (citing Dell, Apple, and Autodesk)
A: We’re going to stop tax breaks for those companies that are doing this outsourcing. The tax code should reward companies that provide American jobs. And it’s not just low or high tech jobs. Everyone is in danger. Example, she’s seen things where X-rays are read in India for people in the US.

Q: Mom of 4. She’s got a son with Asperser’s syndrome and insurance is a nightmare.
A: Autism, she knows a lot about it. She’s done a lot of work on child development issues. Spends time talking about what she knows… She wants to put money into research, but that doesn’t help the family who’s having problems with insurance companies, so we need to crack down on them, too.

Q: A couple (65 and 67 years old) are paying $10K a year for their health insurance. That’s a lot of money!
A: Hillary’s seen a family in Portsmouth who was paying $18K a year! It’s awful. She touts her health plan, how it has choices plus a public option. She wants to see a competitive playing field in this area to keep costs down. And we need to lower Medicare costs.


So the event was nice. The science/tech stuff she talked about was right up my alley and I really appreciated her points in that area. She’s very smart and well-spoken. She obviously knows her stuff and seemed very strong and in control of the facts and her plans. I think she would do a very good job. That said, I didn’t feel all fired up and inspired by her. I think she’s an admirable woman, but do I want to stand out in the cold rain with a Hillary sign trying to get other people to vote for her? Eh. Solid candidate, definitely confident she can do it, but not inspiring my undying support.

Now that they’ve moved up the primary, I don’t know how I’ll be able to see everyone, but I’ll keep trying!

John Edwards, July 29, 2007

Today I went a few miles down to Mack's Apples in Londonderry to see John Edwards at a "town hall". The only difference between this and the house party format was that it was not in a house and there was more people there (possibly because it's in a well-known spot or because they did more publicity).

I have a bunch of photos up on my flickr account, including the bigger version of this one:


Let's see. He arrived on this bright and sunny day in the big field. He gave a speech for 15-20 minutes and then answered questions for at least another 30 minutes. Then he shook hands and kissed babies (well, I didn't see that part, but it could have happened).

Once again I met a bunch of people (and saw several I had seen at the Richardson event). Nobody was decided, not everybody was even a democrat. NH is really fun for this stuff.

I sat about 10 feet from Edwards while he spoke and took furious notes. Let's see if I can summarize them before I pass out from being so tired.

The speech:
He started by saying Elizabeth was doing well (and their 30th anniversary is tomorrow!). He talked about his cycling with Lance Armstrong and Elizabeth ratting him out to their son about the fact that Lance slowed down to let daddy keep up with him.

He launched into his standard dialog: Washington is broken. The system is rigged and it's rigged against you. It's rigged by the Insurance companies, the drug companies, the oil companies... We need a Big Change.

He jumped over to say how democratic candidates should not be going after each other, they should be going after what's wrong with the government (reference to bickering between Obama and Clinton). Then he said what he doesn't want to see is one set of insiders take the place of another set of insiders after this election. [sorry to insert my cynicism but like he's not an insider?]

So his issues
- Healthcare system. He wants universal coverage, mandate subsidies for premiums, no pre-existing condition clauses, take it with you if your laid off. Paid for by taking back the Bush tax cuts for the rich. Then he told a personal story of a 50 year old man in Appalacia who had a cleft palette and couldn't speak his whole life until last year because he didn't have good health care. In the US. Edwards was outraged by this. He said the people need to rail against this and stand up to lobbyists.
- Global warming. Companies don't want change... they're doing well, they don't want to shake things up. We need to make laws to do it, cap carbon emissions 80% less by 2050, auction the rights to produce carbon and use that money to invest in renewable energy. No nuclear pants. Ask for patriotism and sacrifice of the american people in not being dependent on oil. And also, we have to lead. We need to be able to ask China and others to treat the environment right, but not until we're doing it.
- Economic inequality. The 2 americas is not rich and poor. It's the multinational corporations and those wealthy folks, and everybody else. He wants to speak for the Americans who can't feed and clothe their children. Need a higher minimum wage and one that is indexed to go up automatically.
- College for everyone. Everyone should be able to go to college. If you graduate high school and want to go, work 10hr/wk your first year and get college paid for [maybe I missed something about how this is supposed to work]. He's done it in a low income section of NC and says it's working well.
- Tax system. Make it fair for everyone. Go after Romney and Guliani (who he says are like "Bush on steroids" [I'm not sure what that means]).
- Take care of what has been the destruction of American leadership in the world. Stop the war in Iraq. Close Guantanamo. No torture. No illegal spying on citizens. No secret Prisons. Then he stopped to say, "Why do I even have to say this? What kind of shape is our country in if these things have to be spoken out loud in comparison to the existing policy?" It was a good moment.
- Do the world good. Stop Darfur. Help world provide clean water and sanitation. Educate the children of the world.

Then he said, "I cannot change all problems by myself. I'd like to make that promise, but I can't because a single person, even in the Oval Office can't do it. But you all are the movement. The Civil Rights movement started with individual people standing up for what they wanted and that's what we need now."

And then we got to questions:
- Campaign finance? A: The only way to do it is to publicly finance campaigns. These things should not be money-raising events.
- Subsidizing health care premiums (something about single payer versus something...)? A: Cap the overhead for premium-based ones and then offer government-sponsored that is single-payer.
- Foreign policy and China (the big bad is not our friend)? A: They're full of messes with human rights and environment and such. They support Sudan against Darfur region, lots of bad stuff. Need to put pressure on them to do right and work with them.
- Iraq war and vet care? A: Start taking people out ASAP and finish over a year or so. Get Sunni and Shia together to negotiate. Work with surrounding countries since they want stability. Have rapid deployment teams in Kuwait and the gulf, and put more in Afghanistan. This is where it got interesting. He said we need to be prepared for a civil war on the light end. And then he said we also need to be prepared for the worse, which nobody is talking about: Genocide. Sunni may try to wipe out the Shia. In that case it becomes int'l effort for human rights. On vets, he goes on about taking care of them as individuals and good funding and such.
- College loans out the wazoo? A: Skip the middle man, make them government based so there's not extra costs.
- Art teacher asks about No Child Left Behind? A: It's a mess. Lots of good description of why it's a mess. But he doesn't say he's getting rid of it. Just that each child needs to be assessed at the beginning and end of the year and assessed in ways that are meaningful for them (where they may be good at math or art or other stuff and that's how to lead them and assess them). And punishing the "failing" schools is the stupidest thing ever.
- Immigration and war on terror? A: No big fence, though a fence in certain places could be an option. Crack down on employers hiring illegals. No kicking people out or amnesty, but a path to citizenship. A smallish fine that could actually be paid. Must speak english.
- Population growth and economic dependence on Military Industrial Complex? A: Get rid of nuclear weapons and yes shifting to a peace-based economy would require adjustments in education and what we do with money and time.
- Global warming? A: Americans need to demand action. Politicians will follow.

Then he offered to answer all of our questions personally if we email them to him because he couldn't take all the questions. He talked about how great NH is for the ability to ask hard questions of candidates and any candidate not willing to stand and answer shouldn't be president.

General impressions:
The man is a good motivational speaker. I kind of rolled my eyes at his mentions of being not an insider, and some of the other rhetoric that sounds great but is lacking evidence of being doable. At the same time, he is very nice to listen to and absolutely seems earnest and honest. He may have the overshininess of a politician, but in no way do I get the impression that he doesn't care about the things he talks about. Still, it's a show me the money situation for me. I haven't seen any evidence that he has done the types of things he'll need to do as president. Maybe he has, but he didn't help promote that information in his speechifying. I got to shake his hand afterwards and he's got a firm handshake. He also seems skinnier in person than on tv. Or maybe that was the jeans versus a suit... :)

Bill Richardson - July 27, 2007

And so my little portion of Campaign 08 kicked off tonight with a house party in Derry, just a few miles away from my home. Bill Richardson was the candidate. Many of the folks I talked to had not ever been to a house party and neither had I (for those outside NH, house parties are a very common way to get these close contact events with candidates that you always here about... in NH you don't have to go far or do much to shake hands with candidates or ask them questions).

And since people had liked my reports the last time I did the round of candidates, I went so far as to take notes this time. I guess I'm a bit of a reporter... who forgot her camera, so you get the crappy phone pic:


The setting: a very nice home, the living room, about 15 people sitting in the room with another 20 or 30 standing in the attached open kitchen space.

The event was scheduled 7-9 and I wasn't sure what time to get there so I got there about 6:50 and was one of the first. I chatted with some nice people from Derry, mostly older, a developer, a marketing guy, an environmental scientist... the crowd was quite a mix, though most of the few people in their 20's and early 30's were part of the campaign. Those whippersnappers!

Richardson arrived around 7:30 and got right to talking. He gave what he told us was the shortened version of his stump speech (15 minutes. he says the long one is over an hour). Immediately he hit on several issues that mattered to me and he seemed quite quick and witty (woot! I like witty).

For those that don't know, the man has extensive diplomacy experience with places like Syria, Iraq, and North Korea. He grew up in Mexico City and New England, he was in Congress, he was Ambassador to the UN, he was Secretary of Energy (and really believes in renewable energy), and as governor of New Mexico he's lowered taxes, made education a priority, and promoted business innovation by having tax breaks for tech companies. The dude has really done stuff, not just argued about it on a floor of a building. I'm sorry if this sounds like an endorsement, it's just really refreshing to see somebody who actually has a track record of doing the things you would like to see done.

So he structures his speech as "Here's what I'll do in my first 6 days", because he says, "I'm a man in a hurry" to get things done.

Day 1: The middle east. It's all about negotiation and diplomacy. He will make Iraq and the region work by talking to parties, appealing to everyone's own needs in negotiation, pulling out of Iraq, putting in a Muslim peacekeeping force, and then spend some time on environment stuff to get us on the path of stopping oil dependence.

Day 2: Education. Teachers are not paid enough and don't get enough respect. There should be a minimum wage for teachers ($40K). We needs stronger science and math education. We need more civics and language. The math and science education would be greatly helped by a national "arts in the schools" funding. He's done this in NM and says it's doing great things. Kids into sculpture and music excel in math and science. Also for the student loans that go on forever, people should be able to work them off with a year of service... doesn't have to be military, just something for the betterment of the country.

Day 3: The economy. The country became great by being entrepreneurial. Now we need to do that again in things like renewable energy and biotech. Make new industries out of emerging fields and create good companies and jobs. Make tax incentives for these types of companies to do their thing.

Day 4: Healthcare. Put limits on HMO's and Insurance ability to shaft us (my words, not his). Also let's do a little more to prevent obesity! Stem cell research! Give our vets a heroes healthcare and let them get care wherever they want.

Day 5: Energy. JFK talked big to get big things done. Let's think of the legacy of the country, not just our immediate needs. First thing: energy independence. Reduce greenhouse gases, go to renewable energy, get back in on Kyoto, and actually ask our citizens to sacrifice a little.

Day 6: Reinforcing what we were and what we should be. Close guantanamo. Bring back habeas corpus. No torture. Kyoto. International coalitions to get things done. Stand for democracy and human rights.

Then it was to questions and answers... He was really big on reaching out, bridging gaps, promoting diplomacy to solidify coalitions among countries we agree with, and also diplomacy to negotiate with countries how are doing things we don't like. He was very good at responding to the issue, didn't seem to sidestep, and on something like Immigration, was willing to step up and take a side that not everybody likes (no building a wall, allowing for a path to citizenship with strong fees and structure). In the question about "how the heck can we believe any politician about energy since ya'll have been promising energy independence for decades", he said that not only was he Energy Secretary so has experience from that end, but NM is in the top 2 states for clean energy.

Another thing he said (which happened to be about immigration and he was referring to speaking with the Mexican pres, but I loved the comment in general): "Diplomacy is talking straight to your friends". Meaning that if your buddy is doing something that stinks, you have to just tell them you feel that way, so for Mexico giving them some instruction for how to maybe keep their citizens on their side more might be a good step.

Favorite silly comment of the night (when talking about the environment and the need for concern about global warming): "Al Gore has it right! I just hope he stays out of the race!" LOL

I did get in a comment which also resulted in me being a goof... In a flurry of final questions, he called on me I said that I think the education of our kids in math/science and making a base of future innovators is critical to the success of our country in the future. By the time 8 people asked questions and he got back to answering them all, my comment was mistaken as a question and he started repeating what he had said earlier. After 30 seconds I said, "Oh no, you don't have to repeat yourself about your education plan. I just wanted to bring up the issue because your campaign manager over here has been writing down the issues that came up and I didn't want this issue to get lost in the shuffle." only I said it more like "I just wanted to make sure he wrote it down in his little book." :P

So at the end of the time he walked through and shook hands. I would have shaken his hand but he was reaching for some shrimp cocktail. So rather than saying anything productive or sticking my hand out, I looked at him and said, "Did you get anything to eat?" He said, "No. I don't need to eat." I believe that last part was facetious.

General impressions:
I really like this guy's record of actually doing things. He also committed to stating his cabinet before the election and including independents and republicans in his circle. He's very well-versed and did not seem to be spitting out canned responses (though I'm sure a bunch of it was repeated stuff). He was personable and seemed like a very nice man. By the time I was face to face with him at the end he seemed a bit dazed, but this is 9pm on a Friday when he's been talking all day long, so I suspect that was where that came from, rather than a deer in headlights or dopey type thing.