GOP candidates are converging on New Hampshire.
The 17-day window to file as a candidate for president opens Wednesday.
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| New Hampshire Statehouse |
Mike Pence will be the first to file. He will be on the second floor of the NH State House building at 8:45 on Friday, October 13. I hope to be in the room with him. Four years ago, when he filed on behalf of the Trump-Pence ticket, citizens could not get near him. Secret Service had everything blocked off with police cars and barricade fencing. He came up the back stairs and was in and out in five minutes. It might be that way again. As a former VP he has Secret Service protection and the threats on him from fellow-Republicans are more salient now than they were four years ago when he got cheers. Trump is calling Pence a RINO, a traitor, and an enemy of the people. I am curious to see how Pence is handling his personal safety. Attending the Pence filing -- whatever it turns out to be -- is easy. There is plenty of free parking on the street right at the Statehouse. The state capital, Concord, is an easy freeway drive from Manchester, the population center of the state.
In previous cycles the candidate showing up, paying $1,000, and signing the affidavit stating that he is a member of the party in which he is running -- the requirements for being on the ballot -- is an excuse for a media event. There is typically a crush of supporters and media at the tiny corner office and the hallways outside it. Then the candidate gives a speech either on the Statehouse steps or the front lawn. Then supporters gather across the street at a restaurant.
Here is what Amy Klobuchar's filing crowd looked like four years ago. It is typical for what I have seen in prior cycles for John Kasich, Chris Christie, Bob Bennett, Hillary Clinton, Carly Fiorina, and Bernie Sanders.
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| The desk where candidates sign. |
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| The jammed hallway outside the office |
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| Setup for speech |
There is a "First in the Nation Summit" event taking place on Friday and Saturday. This event, and the filing window, draw a concentration of candidates to New Hampshire.
Nikki Haley has scheduled town Halls in Rochester and Exeter. Doug Burgum has a speech at Dartmouth College. Asa Hutchinson will address a school assembly at Manchester Central High School. Vivek Ramaswamy has several Town Halls and then a "Vektoberfest" rally at the Bedford Sportsplex in Bedford. Chris Christie has a town hall at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Merrimack. I will attend all these. I expect more events to fill in. Trump is not on the schedule for the Leadership Event. He will speak at a rally in Wolfboro later today. Trump avoids multi-candidate events. He is the GOP star, and he doesn't want to share his audience. No need to give media oxygen to opponents.
I wear a "Media" lanyard around my neck sometimes at events. Media always gets a seat, but those are at the back at events, so they can view both the candidate and the audience. The best seats are for voters. People arriving early can sit up front. I am a voter and I fit the profile and demographic of a stalwart Republican voter and Fox viewer: White, male, a senior. I fit in. I get better conversations with Republicans if they think of me as a fellow citizen and kindred spirit, not "media." I listen and nod.
My posts for the next two weeks may be ragged and inconsistent. I will have lots to describe but may not have time to get a post written.
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10 comments:
The candidates of both parties tend to tell voters what they think people want to hear, but that can be telling. Voters have a lot of gripes but generally speaking, Democrats are upset about Trump’s coup attempt and Republicans are upset that it’s being prosecuted. Anyway, we already know Trump's their guy. Rs like the way he just makes up stuff that incites anger, hatred and violence.
But isn't a Republican leadership conference an oxymoron?
I hope you don't catch COVID or influenza while traveling and attending all of the events. Maybe you should wear a mask with the state motto "Live free or die." People won't know what to think.
I fully expect that this New Hampshire event will be a replay of the last Food Fight disguised as a Debate, with all these wannabes flinging poo at each other like a cage full of Macaques, trying to prove themselves better than the elephant in the room, without ever mentioning him.
Peter will be “on the ground,“ but hopefully only metaphorically.
This does not sound like fun.
Thank you Peter for this marvelous service you provide. I am very grateful for your political tourism efforts. No national candidate will ever visit Ruch OR.
Holiday Comment: In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day, I highly recommend the documentary "Home from School: The Children of Carlisle" (or very close to that title).
The documentary premiered in 2021. It is about American Indian children that were sent to an Indian "industrial" boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. They were given new names, taught English and stripped of their Native American culture and traditions.
Many of the children died and were buried at the school. The film documents the efforts of their families to return the remains of the children back to their families.
The film is excellent. It is sad but also very informative. Fortunately the U.S. Army finally "allowed" the remains of the children to be reburied where they rightly belong, near their families. The film follows the family members who made it happen.
You will not be sorry if you take the time to watch this film.
"Home from School: The Children of Carlisle" - forgot to mention that I saw it on PBS.
I do remember John F. Kennedy being here, and I remember seeing Darth Cheney being here, and seeing the 747 flying out of Medford Jackson County Rogue Valley International Airport. A most pretentious name for an Airport which as I recall didn't even have a sandwich bar at the time of Cheneys visit.
I saw Home from School some years ago. It's heartbreaking, and engaging at the same time.
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