Campaign Report: Mitt Romney, Fri. Jan 4

I got to see Romney on Friday night, an "Ask Mitt Anything" event, which means town hall format (short speech, answering questions). He has proven to me that even politicians I dislike are much more palatable in a live in-person situation.



Now that it's the weekend before the election, every event is packed and there's a ton more media. The Romney event was at a community center in Manchester, and I was glad I got there almost an hour early, because there were still plenty of seats to be had.

The media:


The older couple next to me had lived in NH for ages, and were mostly decided for Romney, but not positive. The people behind me were a family from Baltimore who come up to NH for a weekend every 4 years just to see the candidates. The one woman said, "Huckabee is not conservative enough for me," and her father said, "I'm still looking for the next Ronald Reagan." Okay...

When the event kicked off, the Chair of the NH campaign welcomed us. He brought up Mitt, who also had his wife Ann, and their 2nd oldest son Matthew, plus two of his children. Ann spoke for a bit about how wonderful she thinks her husband is and getting through tough times. Also, they were high school sweethearts, which is always a nice story. Then Mitt took over.

Mitt's speech

He started with a joke about how unbiased his wife is. Then he thanked us for coming out on this cold NH evening.

He starts with how he got into the race. Ann and he thought about it and talked to some in-the-know friends and they said that he didn't have to decide early if he was actually going to run, but he did have to decide early if he wanted the possibility of running. He did, so they did the prep work for it. But it was a year ago around Christmas that the family was together and he asked them what they think. He went around to each child, and although everyone had personal concerns, they felt that his experiences and values meant he should do it. He had a responsibility to run.

He thinks it may seem odd to people that an "unknown" would run, a Republican from MA (and how odd is that). But he's been going around the country and hears similar themes. People are angry, and frustrated with Washington. And it's not just the president or congress, it's all of it. People are asking the same questions they've been asking for the last 20 years. Washington has failed to DO something about these issues for all this time. Health care, gas prices, etc... all the same issues.

He's not a politician, he's a business man. Washington is broken and it needs to be fixed. In MA he was able to bring Democrats and Republicans together to get a balanced budget. They solved a budget gap, didn't raise taxes, put a billion into the rainy day fund. States are able to do all of these things, but Washington is broken. And sending the same people to DC, just to different chairs, won't change a thing.

He knows how to change things. He doesn't know every answer, but he knows how to get answers and use organizations to get things done.

His background is unusal. He didn't know he was going to get into politics. He started in the private sector. He met up with somebody who had an idea for a discount supply store for office supplies. Most people he talked to hated the idea. But they did it and Staples is gigantic now. One idea can change an industry.

A few years later, the Olympics committee called him. They were losing money and not on schedule and asked for his help. He didn't know sporting events, but he did know how to tackle problems. He figures out a problem, decides what's in/out with the resources available to solve that problem, establishes benchmarks to be met, and gets it done.

Later the man who he established Staples came to him and said that everyone should have health insurance. Mitt's first reaction was "impossible". But then he started to think about it, how it would help people, and he got together a team of people to discuss it: an MIT professor, a consultant, actuaries... and he brought in the democratic-run state legislature to work together. They passed the law 198-2. They used concensus to get things done. When they created the bill, 460,000 people were uninsured. Now at least 300,000 of them have signed up for health insurance in MA.

The others talk and talk and it doesn't happen. I will solve the problem of illegal immigration, bring taxes down (and simplify the tax code), shrink spending, improve schools, get health insurance affortable and portable for everyone, complete Iraq and help Muslims reject the extremism that breeds terrorism.

Here's what I see from Iowa... McCain, Thompson, and Guiliani are big, big names and they were all beat. McCain and Clinton were rejected because they were the "same old". The caucuses were about change. People want to bring change and solve the problems. After four years in the white house, people won't say "Why didn't he get anything done" they'll say, "How did we get so much done?"

Questions and Answers
Q: [Prepared statement by a doctor and his doctor wife] We need to strengthen families by helping mothers... there's a loophole where women can't stay home to take care of kids because of how Social Security disability works. Will you close this loophole?
A: I need to see the plan first! I can't just stand up here and say, "ooo, the audience likes this so I'll say yes." What's the cost? What are the alternatives? Can private solutions help? We need to shy away from federal government stepping in when the private sector can help. It's an issue I'll need to look at and study the need. If there is a gap, once we have the solutions then government can step in to fill in those gaps. For example, the biggest gap right now is the veterans. There's a lot of catch-22's. The National Guard has people who aren't on active duty, but they're not considered vets. We don't want European-style socialized state happenings. But we do need to fill anomolies and gaps with gov't assistance.

Q: My 9 year-old talks about you all the time. I'm an undecided voter and I would like to know, if you had the chance to vote for somebody who agreed with you 100% religiously or a candidate that didn't agree with you religiously 100% but was a strong candidate, who would you vote for?
A: [If I were him I would have said, "I'd vote for me!" :)] Joke about how this is a "very theoretical discussion, right?" The history of our country is filled with presidents of different beliefs: Unitarians, Quakers, Deists... everyone has a Judeo-Christian set of values. And by that I mean we all have the same maker, and we all believe we are brothers/sisters who care for one another. This is what the American culture is founded on. The creator gave us all rights. The right of liberty comes from the creator, not from government. And so I would ask, how has this candidate manifested these values? The details about the timing of the second coming, or what color so-and-so is wearing at the second coming are not important. In fact, if we start focusing on that kind of thing, we'll end up like Shia/Sunni. We don't judge based on religion here. Article 6 of the constitution says there is no religious test [Applause]. And the founders beliefs are right for me.

Q: Energy sources that are clean?
A: Jimmy Carter said something about this all those years ago. We ned to make sacrifices to get there. But that's not going to solve everything. And we can't have 60% of our energy coming from other nations. $1 billion/day is going to Iran/Venezuela/Russia/Saudi Arabia. We don't want to stake our kids future on the good will of these countries! Also, we're warming the planet this way. We need to develop our own sources for clean energy. Look into nuclear. We'll probably have to hire French because 80% of their energy comes from nuclear and we no longer have the expertise. Clean coal, using coal to pump CO2 into the ground to get oil out. Renewable things like hydrogen cell. We need far more efficient cars/homes/lighting fixtures. 1% of the fuel used for a car is actually for moving the car forward, the rest is getting the car pieces working. We need a national effort on all this. Also, we need more money to go into the sciences. Investment into the public and private sectors for technology.

Q: College student is worried about being able to get a job when he graduates.
A: This is a generational question. In the "Greatest Generation" by Tom Brokaw, you hear about that age of people. It makes me ask, "what will they say about my generation?" I want us to leave behind a strong and vibrant economy and I know how to do it first hand. 25 years in private sector, working around the world... I'm the only candidate who has actually signed employment checks. I know how to strengthen the economy, I didn't raise taxes, and bring the burden down on regular people [Applause]. We need to make immigration work FOR us. Welcome those who come legally, and no more illegals. We need energy independence. The democrats will say that a trade barrier is needed because we can't compete with China and India. But our goods need to go there for us to compete. Otherwise we'll fall behind and our products will be like the Yugo. We need to invest in brain power and technology. Sometimes things aren't fair, like China's currency standard, and we need to be tough and aggressive to handle those issues and make sure it's fair. Also we need to have the best schools and invest in education and higher education.

Q: Nat'l security. Al Qaeda is planning 5, 10, 15 years ahead and we're firing interpreter because they're gay. Why?
A: The military is using don't ask, don't tell. I agree with this policy. It's working. On the subject of Iraq, the dems just want to take the troops out. But it's not just iraq that we need to worry about. Taking troops out will lead to Al Qaeda dominating Iraq. We need to secure Iraq agains Al Qaeda or Hezbollah taking over. Bush and we know that mistakes were made in Iraq, but he has kept us safe and we owe him a debt of gratitude.

Q: Term limits in Congress... will you support them?
A: Yes. There are pros and cons but we can't have the sense of royalty that some have. it leads to a lack of progress, egos, and not looking for a common ground. In MA, I worked closely with the state legislature (Tom Finneran, Bob Traveling (sp?)) and we all wanted to do good things. We had common ground to get things done and make this better. I respect all democrats and republicans. Hey, democrats love America to. Reagan joke about liberals "what they know is wrong". Story about in MA they had to do either a tax hike or refund, so he pulls some shenanigans to make sure it was a refund.

He knows how to solve the challenges he will face. Doing the same thing expecting different results is the definition of foolishness, and that's what electing the same people will be. I am not furthering my political career. I don't have a political career. I want to leave my children and grandchildren with a better country.

My take
Okay, given that I would never vote for him because of our difference in beliefs on issues, here's my mostly non-partisan feel about how he is. His pitch about knowing how to problem-solve is quite compelling when you're sitting in the room with him. And his experience on big problems in the private sector adds a basis for believing what he says. But I'm not sure I believe "I'm not furthering my political career" and I don't really think there's any reason to thank Bush. I'd argue that the reason Al Qaeda is in Iraq is because of what Bush has done there... they weren't there before!

But Romney is far more of an agreeable personality in person than he is on tv. No doubt about it, I think people who lean his way and then see him in person will absolutely be swayed, as the older gentleman I was sitting next to was. On our way out he said, "Where's my ballot!"

On a more personal note, I always found Romney really slimy before. I think mainly because he said/did many things to get elected as a governor of a very democratic state. And now he's seemingly on the other side of all these issues as a stand-up conservative. What's that about? How can you trust somebody who's switched so drastically? Maybe we'll find out.

Bingo!

I did it! I saw Mitt Romney last night and Mike Huckabee this morning, completing my dance-card of the top four candidates on both sides. Phew! How exhausting! I have not had a chance to write up everything for these two events yet, but I have posted all of my pictures from all of the events on flickr, so feel free to take a look. Some of my favorite latest photos are of the media and group shots.

Link to Flickr campaign group







I was also interviewed by a Seattle-based radio talk show, and I got a poll call from Gallup today. 3 days left before this place is a ghost town!

Rudy Guiliani, Wed. Jan 2, 2008

Guiliani is shorter than I thought he'd be.



I went up to a small American Legion building to see Rudy this evening. There was a fair bit of media:



I talked to a nice man from Auburn (hi Everett!) while we waited for the main attraction. The introducer showed the latest Guiliani ad, about 9/11, comparing our response to how the US handled WWII (don't mess with democracy, because we may disagree with each other, but we come together as a strong nation when threatened). When Rudy (I'm just calling him as his banners and signs do... "RUDY08") came in, he gave a bit of a speech, mostly about the war on terror and how to handle it, then answered some questions, a pretty standard format.

He began by thanking his worker-bees. Then he talks about his 12 commitments, and the 1st is to keep America on the offense against terrorism. He thinks its an important issue of the campaign and of today. We didn't ask for this, and it's an external threat, but here it is and we need to stand up tyrants and terrorists.

In our history, we've had times where we didn't see the threats coming. We need to learn from history. We need to have strength in the face of threats against us.

We need a strong military. Even stronger than we have now. They need to be able to face two challenges: 1) Islamic terrorists around the world 2) any nation that might challeng us (makes a reference to the cold war and how we basically "won" by outspending the USSR on military). We want to keep countries like China on "a peaceful rise".

We need to make up for the mistake in the '90's that Clinton did. The Peace Dividend. This cut the military... reductions in size, preparedness, cuts in intelligence. We've not made up for it yet. We should increase the Army by at least 10 brigades, the Marines should get up to 200,000 or more, the Air Force needs to have modern fighters, Navy 300+ ships, and we need to support the Coast Guard, who are now a main branch of homeland security. And Homeland Security really is a new concept for us, isnt' it?

We need to, in this country, set objectives and accomplish them. For Iraq, the goal is to have a stable country that is an ally. The Democratic plan of withdrawal would be a setback. We need to make sure Iran does not become a nuclear power. We need to complete the work of 2001/2002 in Afghanistan. We should increase the troops there (probably double them), and generally put more emphasis there. Why? Because we need to make sure Al Qaeda and the Taliban do not reimerge. Also, fixing Afghanistan will help with the stability in Pakistan. We need to be sure that Pakistan remains stable and moves toward democracy. The people that killed Bhutto were not just assassinating her, they were trying to thwart democracy.

We need to find out about attacks before they occur, and this means supporting the police. The police and fire fighters are the first responders to terrorist attacks, and the police also need to be "first preventers", being aware of suspicious activity.

We need to win this war on the power of our ideas. Our ideas are superior... freedom, choosing people who govern us, respect for women, human rights, life... This is not a war about boundary or territory. It's a war about ideas, and the ideas that the terrorists have perverted. What we stand for is in direct conflict to what they believe. The essense of this example is the freedom of religion, it's what our country was founded on [talks about history a bit].

We need to be open to business and cultural exchange with the middle east. We need to show them that we don't have narrow thinking about such things.

In NYC on 9/11, I told the city not to blame a specific ethnic/religious group. If we fall into that trap, we'd be practicing what we detest. We need to learn to reach out. We need to find commonalities. We have a lot in common as people!

America is not a country that likes war. We only do it if we are under attack or perceive a threat (then we'll do it preemptively). But America isn't about war, we're a country who wants to sell you something!

We need to show them that we are about greatness, love... we want to get past the grievances and move on to constructive engagements [talks about history again, building up with countries we formerly had conflict with].

Back to the cold war, when I saw that Soviets were buying US jeans, McDonalds, and Coke, he knew we were about to win. Human beings are all similar and we have to work on that commonality.

This issue is just 1 of his 12 commitments, but it is the topic for today. Of course he has things on immigration, health care, education... But now it's time for questions.

Q: Surge in Afghanistan. Is it just a police mission or an offensive method?
A: Get rid of them [Taliban and Al Qaeda]. Of course I'd defer to the defense experts for exactly how that would happen, but we need to root them out. This is based on reports that they've reimerged. And just like Iraq, Afghanistan needs to be stable and an ally, particularly with what's happening in Pakistan.

Q followup: I'm concerned about policing there
A: I think the military needs to have a hybrid force, trained in reestablishing civil societies. The success in Iraq is 2003 is probably why Iran stopped their Nuke program. We need to learn from our mistakes [he says this alot]. For example, the surge in Iraq is working better than anyone thought, even the Dems admit that. And it's partly because we gained so much knowledge and learned from it.

Q: What's the difference between you and Sen. McCain in a nutshell?
A: I like John McCain... He's a friend, a hero, and a good man. But I have assets, too. I have experience in executive positions in goverment. I dealth with lots of crises in NYC (not just 9/11). I've dealth with foreign policy and negotiations. I am good at fiscal conservatism... I ran a gov't where grown was reducted, we increased police and teachers, and shrunk everything else. We also reduced taxes. NYC is the 17th largest economy in the world, so fiscal responsibility there is on a large scale. No more death tax, keep taxes low... the democrats want to increase them. I am equiped to handle a terrorist war and the national economy at the same time. And Americans really tend to prefer people with executive experience. The other Republicans are all qualified, but this is my pitch.

Q: (this is Everett!) Welcome to Red Sox nation! [lots of laughing] Talk about immigration, the people who are already here.
A: [he really skirter around this, sticking to "keeping people out" for a while before getting to it] Set up a fence (a high tech fence, not physical). Set up border statistics system to check patrol on success. Provide a tamper-proof ID card for legal immigrants (fingerprint and photo). [prodding about the people currently here] We can't take care of the people here until we stop the inflow. And of course we can put the criminal illegals out of the country right away. But once the borders are secure, then we ask the illegal immigrants here to get an ID card... then they pay taxes and are above-board. Anyone who doesn't do that, we kick them out. This will solve the problem of companies hiring people on phony identities, which is a big problem. Then, if the illegal immigrants are paying tax, if they want to be citizens, they wait at the back of the line behind legal immigrants, and they also must learn English.

[I like the way he said this point] In this way we can keep our heritage, uplift us with that history, but also assimilate people into our culture.

Q: Healthcare. He's a long term care worker and sees lots of poor care, but doesn't see how our country can pay for everything.
A: Everyone knows that health care and health insurance is too expensive. EVERYONE agrees on this. [That's just what Obama said!] The question is how can we get to a low price and keep or increase the quality of service? Not through gov't mandate or price control. It's like a puzzle, isn't it? I think it should be the consumer market... if lots of people want to buy it, the price goes down. There's no consumer market for insurance right now, it's only about 15 million people that buy their own insurance. If we increase that to 50-60 million, the price will come down and we'll retain quality. [Then he talks about cost and a tax break for paying for it and an HSA for the leftover money... didn't quite follow the whole thing]. And you should be able to buy it from anywhere in the country, not just your state.

Q: Energy plan? How would global warming solutions be a part of that?
A: The most important thing is energy independence... We should go after this goal like putting a man on the moon. Conservation is also a big this, but that only makes a dent. And India and China still need lots of energy so our being part of Kyoto treaty won't help when other countries still need all that energy. So biofuels, nuclear power (cites France), carbon sequestration, hybrid vehicles, wind, solar, hydroelectric... all that needs to go up a bit to help. Also we need more domestic oil, because we still need oil. And we need more domestic refineries so we're not stuck with pipelines. And clean coal.

Q: Military. people in their 40's and 50's want to sign up. Can we change the policy? I figure if you can do boot camp, you can do it.
A: The polics in NYC used to have that policy, and I left it up to them to determine their needs. That's something that the Army would have to decide. I would look into it, but I don't think I could make that judgement.

Q: Antiterror is big. Who's your secretary of state? Or which ones in the past do you admire?
A: George Schultz, Casper Weinberger, Henry Kissenger, Colin Powell, Cheney... too many names in the various cabinet positions, and I'm not declaring who I'd ask. But I'll start with what am I looking for in a VP? They need to be ready and able to serve as president. They need to be a partner in the administration. [Story about 9/11 and a phone call with Cheney and how he felt Cheney knew what he was doing]. For Sec of State/Defense, it's about balancing personalities and advice. Of course there's always Lincoln's way [Recommends a book "Team of Rivals" I think] of putting your same-party opponents in your cabinet! Honestly, I haven't thought about who would be in my cabinet.

And then he said thanks and shook a few hands on his way out.

My take:
The biggest thing I got out of this was an actual explanation of the health care solution being put forth. It was so refreshing to hear something besides "Socialized medicine is bad!" I actually had something for my brain to chew on in that one. And in general, I liked his logical, problem-solving manner of explaining things. I certainly see how moderate folks can lean his direction. I forgot to count the times he mentioned 9/11 but it was pretty numerous, which is one of the reasons my NJ cousins seem to dislike him. Still, he was well spoken and handled the questions with poise... I enjoyed the experience of seeing him.

Next up will be Romney and Huckabee, hopefully a Friday/Saturday combo! I'll try to take photos of Chuck Norris, too!

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.