January 26, 2004
...on the New Hampshire Primary.
1 p.m. - Dean Hits Sweet Spot in Strong Manchester Performance
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE - Howard Dean hit his stride Monday morning at the Palace Theater in Manchester. Aided by an audience member who, hollering from the balcony, praised Vermont's healthcare system and from a husband and wife doctor couple who presented the former governor with a stethoscope, Dean deftly walked the fine line between intensity, sincerity, and humor.
While he took a couple of shots at his Democratic opponents, most of his criticism was aimed at President Bush. He once again portrayed himself as a political outsider who would "change government." His presentation was direct, controlled, and engaging without being loud or angry.
Recent polling continues to show Sen. John Kerry leading in the race but Dean's supporters note a large undecided and insist the race remains fluid.
8 a.m. - Chasing Kerry
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE - Just three weeks ago, most of the Democratic Presidential contenders were jockeying to become the "alternative" to former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, the presumed front runner in the party's presidential contest.
Now, with Sen. John Kerry apparently about to win the New Hampshire primary and to be anointed as the new front-runner, Sen. John Edwards, retired General Wesley Clark and Dean are jockeying to become the "other" candidate in the race as the field thins over the next 10 days.
Dean, Edwards and Clark all drew large, enthusiastic crows on Sunday. But that's where the similarities ended.
Dean, speaking at the Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, spoke primarily about "women's issues" and sounded like a policy wonk.
Joined by his wife, Judy, the former governor showed relatively little of the fire that so defined his campaign prior to his loss in Iowa. Instead, playing to a heavily female crowd, Dean made a sharp left turn away from his "outsider" message and toward traditionally liberal positions on affirmative action, choice/abortion rights and Title IX funding.
Judy Steinberg Dean, the candidate's wife, read from a prepared text as she introduced her husband. The "doctors Dean" also exchanged a brief kiss, though it was a far cry from the passionate kiss that Al Gore and wife Tipper exchanged at the Democratic Convention in 2000.
The governor hit enough hot button issues to keep the crowd excited, but his remarks were a far cry from his comments in 2003, when he regularly took on his own party's leadership, lambasted his opponents on the war in Iraq and emphasized that he was leading a "movement," not just his candidacy.
Dean began his comments by telling his audience that tracking polls showed the race closing, as he tried to encourage his supporters to go to the polls Tuesday and bring other pro-Dean voters with them.
Speaker shortly after noon in Nashua, Edwards was electric. He offered the crowd of about 600 onlookers (plus hundreds of others in an overflow room) his usual dose of economic populism, and they ate it up.
Edwards relied on his "two Americas" image that has been so successful, focusing on poverty, racial discrimination and special interests/lobbyists, in addition to his usual comments about education, health care and taxes.
He continues to borrow an outsider message first used by Dean.
"Do you believe who has been in politics for decades, in Washington, can bring real change?" he asked, knowing what answer the crowd will give.
"You give me a shot at George Bush, and I will give you the White House," he promised.
Edwards is clearly the best speaker of the top tier Democratic hopefuls. He draws the crowd to him, even interacting with them in a way that most of his fellow candidates can't or don't. His audience seems to have more pure fun than those that turn out for Kerry or Dean, and he too is clearly enjoying the moment.
Clark's late afternoon rally in Henniker, at New England College, was loud and energetic, a reflection of the candidate.
Repeatedly talking about "leadership," Clark talked about his background (from his interests as a child to how he became a Baptist), the nation's problems and his proposed solutions. Clark almost seems to try too hard, and he can seem awfully superficial. But he showed considerable skill answering questions from the audience, including one from a skeptical questioner who wondered about his Democratic party credentials.
Clark was preceded by a number of other speakers, including former New York Mayor David Dinkins, former South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges and New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel.
Meanwhile, Kerry appears to be focusing on Missouri, as his aides try to raise questions about the upcoming South Carolina primary. South Carolina remains a key test for both Edwards and Clark, and Kerry could go a long, long way toward locking up the nomination with wins in both New Hampshire and South Carolina.