Official game of NH politicians?
[UPDATE] GraniteFrok cameras will be on the scene for this, along with other media including WMUR, apparently. Hopefully this represents a new trend of welcoming those who wish to cover politicians and events for people who cannot attend. The technology is here to stay. Get over it!
Cross-posted at NowHampshire.com:
The Silence of the Politicians
New Hampshire. The Granite State. Where Jimmy Carter famously slept at supporters’ homes during the 1976 Democratic presidential primary. Where Ronald Reagan told John Breen, “I paid for this microphone, Mr. Green.” Where Bill Clinton became the “Comeback Kid.” Where John McCain spoke seemingly to every voter in the state and upset the GOP establishment to beat George W. Bush. Where John McCain downsized his Straight Talk Express to an Econoline van to cut costs and mount his comeback-from-the-grave to defeat the Candidate from Central Casting, Mitt Romney. The land of 400 state representatives.
It is American political legend that New Hampshire is different. We’ve built a presidential nominating monopoly around the idea that we deserve primacy on the presidential primary calendar because here people don’t just know politics, we live it. We can smell a slimy politician a mile away. We know what to ask for, what to look for and how to give ‘em the what for.
As the old joke goes: You voting for What’s His Name? I don’t know. I’ve only met him twice.
No longer, apparently.
In a distressing new development the politicians in New Hampshire no longer seem interested or willing to talk to the people. New Hampshire’s congressional delegation has exactly zero town hall meetings with constituents planned for the August recess.
Cowed by news stories of town “hells” in other states, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes (who is running for U.S. Senate) have apparently opted to take the idea of a summer break literally and avoid direct personal engagement with the people who voted them into office—and, it must be said, reserve the right to vote them out if necessary.
And this isn’t just a Democrat thing. Sen. Judd Gregg has no town hall events planned, either. As a key Republican player on the Senate Finance Committee Gregg plays a major role in shaping the health care legislation, which is the cause of all the bother this August recess.
But Gregg is retiring at the end of his term. He may very well be unmotivated by what’s on the minds of voters. He’s got a legacy to consider. More distressing is that his hand-picked replacement Kelly Ayotte has yet to hold a single public event with voters or articulate herself on a single issue of import. Despite this, Ayotte has managed to pull off the near impossible. She has somehow earned the endorsement of the entire Republican establishment in Washington, DC.
Ah, but her silence will soon be broken, right? She’ll be the featured guest at the August 11th Winnipesaukee Republican Social in Wolfeboro. She’s finally ready to face those inquisitive New Hampshire voters, right?
Think again. The Concord Monitor reports on Sunday that “Winnipesaukee GOP Leader Chris Ahlgren said that while reporters and photographers are welcome to their meeting with Ayotte on Tuesday night, he wants to keep out video cameras.” Interestingly, Ann Romney will be the guest of the the “Winnipesaukee Republican Social” on August 14th and–surprise!–there is no ban on video cameras for that one.
It may not matter anyway. NowHampshire.com has learned from a highly placed Republican source that Ayotte won’t be taking questions about issues at the event in Wolfeboro. She’s just going to socialize.
It remains to be seen if this new velvet rope strategy will benefit the politicians or further enrage a disenchanted public. But one thing is for sure. When state party leaders dust off their talking points to lobby the national parties to preserve our First in the Nation presidential status, they might as well bust out the White Out while they’re at it.
“[T]he unscripted, face-to-face grass-roots campaigning that has been the trademark of the first-in-the-nation primary for generations,” as former state Democratic Chair Kathy Sullivan once characterized it, no longer passes the giggle test.