Sunday Kerry flew into Pease AFB, NH and Monday spoke with Michael J. Fox and others at high school in Hampton, NH. Stories from the front row. We are sooooo spoiled in NH! This was going to be a diary about both events but I'm too tired so I'll write about Hampton tomorrow.
SUNDAY NIGHT
I traveled from the Lakes Region to the Seacoast and joined 1000, 2000 or 3000 (depending on who you read) others to greet the Kerry/Edwards campaign plane at Pease. The tickets said gates open at 8:00. My husband had gone down earlier to work as a volunteer but I had to work so met with my sister-in-law (who lives in the area) around 7:00 and headed over to the event. The first thing we noticed was that there was virtually no traffic control. We came to an intersection, which had Bush supporters on the corners and were directed to "the stop sign down there and take a right". We got the feeling that it was a Bush supporter who had given the directions when we went 3 miles without coming to a stop sign. After turning around and driving back we parked in an empty lot about 1 block from the "Bush intersection". It's very funny because as soon as we pulled in to park, several other cars joined us. By the time we were headed up the road 20 cars had parked in that lot. The walk from where we parked to the event was about 1 mile, in the dark. No street lights and we had not even considered bringing a flashlight. The evening was clear crisp New England early fall with a sky full of stars and the crickets still able to sing. There were perhaps 3 volunteers along the way who confirmed that we were headed in the right direction. There was a tent set up with a couple selling buttons and lights, which flashed, red and blue, just before we came to the entrance of the event. We knew we were there because the big trucks with the satellite equipment and perhaps 10 busses were parked by a huge hanger.
There was a candidate running for the house passing out info to voters from Rockingham County and a group of about 12 young (20's to 30"'s) singing and handing out literature. The front piece of paper which, was on top of a perhaps 20 page stapled magazine type piece, said something about George Bush being mentally unstable. It certainly got my attention. When I looked at the magazine it was about Lyndon Laroche. Because I am conservation minded I tried to return the literature to the young woman who had handed it to me. It costs money after all. She focused her complete attention on me and questioned why I wouldn't open myself up to important information. I felt like one of those space ships on a computer space game I played that the enemy had "locked" on. This is a very strange group of people and they are clearly trained to be both confrontational and argumentative. They were right in front of the first place that we showed our tickets and went forward to stand in line. It was a very long line that didn't move. Volunteers were passing out clipboards with volunteer sign up sheets. There were lots of students as well as veterans and young professionals. Most of the people around me had not been involved in the primary but were working for the campaign now. An hour passed and we were not moving. I was concerned because my husband was inside and we were supposed to connect so he could go back with us. I spoke to a volunteer and he said that the Secret Service had promised that everyone would get in by 10:00. Another hour passed and people were starting to get restless. Jeanne Shaheen (former governor) stood on a table with a bullhorn and explained what was happening. It seems that the Secret Service only had 1 scanner and it was taking a lot of time to get everyone through. Although the NH Dems. didn't have a mike system like the one set up in the hanger they were going to try to give us the planned program. Paul Hodes, the candidate running against Charlie Bass(US House) gave a great little speech and talked about the "killer Bees" Bush, Bradley & Bass. His wife, a singer & entertainer, got up and had all of us singing "shine a light". I love to sing in a large group! Then Granny D was introduced. They said that they weren't going to ask her to stand on the table and she said, of course I'm going to get up there. She was wearing her signature hat and talking her signature "anti corporate" talk. This woman is amazing. I was surprised at the number of people around me who didn't know who she was or what she was running for. You would think that someone who was willing to stand in line on a brisk NH fall Sunday night to see John Kerry would know who was running for the Senate on the Democratic ticket. Not so!
At about 10:00 we heard the plane land and all thought that we were not going to make it into the hanger to greet John Kerry. Many people left. My sister-in-law talked about leaving to get the car etc., but we couldn't figure out where to meet so she stuck with me. About 15 minutes before Kerry came off the plane they let the entire line (what was left of it) into the area, which was separated from the runway by a fence. My husband was there directing people over to the fence. The secret service was still allowing people through the fence. I don't know how it happened but my sister-in-law and I made it through the scanner and headed to the hanger where the stage was set up for Kerry to speak. Pego Hodes was there leading the crowd in song. We sang the Star Spangled Banner starting nice and low. I think it sounded great! Did I mention that I love to sing in a large group? Jeanne Shaheen spoke again, as did her husband Billy. There was a platform in the back, which was full of cameras and reporters.
The campaign plane is gigantic. I've seen it in pictures and on TV but it's still overwhelming in size. The entire interior was lit. People in suits came wandering down the stairs. Bill Shaheen stood on the stage and told us that Kerry was going to go to the fenced area to speak first as those people were unable to get in and had waited in the cold. Finally John Kerry was on the stage and we all went wild. There were lots of people holding signs "Women for Kerry", "Firefighters for Kerry", "A Stronger America" ... He looked wonderful. He was wearing his LLBean Barn coat and a huge smile. His energy filled the hanger and electrified the crowd. He made a joke about us cheering because we now knew that John Kerry could complete a sentence using less than 15 words. He said it felt like coming home and he mentioned the chili. Note: the last time I saw him this close he was handing me a bowl of chili. When he finished speaking he came down into the crowd to shake hands. I backed off because I don't like the crush, have already shaken his hand and like to observe from afar. My sister-in-law was walking around with both hands in the air flashing the peace sign. I know she would be horrified but it reminded me of the Nixon photo. Although, I think he was flashing victory not peace.
Then, just like that the evening was over and we all returned to our cars. The music was still playing and the Larouch people were still pitching their thing and it felt a little like the end of the Woodstock movie as we all quietly returned to our homes. What a difference a year makes. I saw John Kerry several times during the primary and he was tense, irritable and aloof. That is all behind him. He is stronger than ever and will take back the White House and our Country for us. There is less than a month left and the game is all about turn out. Now is the time to take out all the stops and do as much as you possible can and then a little more to get out the vote and get Kerry elected. We deserve John Kerry as our next president and he deserves the job!