New Hampshire

NOTE: This was posted earlier on the web page of Fred Thompson for President website. I am cross-posting blogs because … well, just because.

If you came in late, I am a paid consultant to the Fred Thompson campaign.

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On Saturday night, we flew into Portsmouth, New Hampshire just after a huge storm had blown through. And when I say “a huge storm” I mean “A HUGE STORM!”

It blew trees over and blew two fully loaded hay wagons about four feet driving the tongue of the wagon through the side of a car. It blew over tents and soaked just about everyone at the Chili Cookoff which was a fundraiser for the Republican Women’s organization.

Remember, this is New Hampshire. Home of the first-in-the-nation primary. Also the site of the most recent debate which Fred missed because he happened to have been on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno.

There had been much handwringing among the national punditry class about the blow to New Hampshire’s pride that miss had been, and how voters in New Hampshire would surely punish Fred for the slight.

Undaunted we hopped in the bus and drove over to the farm where the event was being held and saw that the 200-or-so people who had hidden out in the barn for Fred Thompson to arrive poured out to greed Fred, and when he hopped up on the stage in a steady drizzle the voters (who, remember, were going to punish Fred) rallied ‘round the stage to listen.

I wondered whether this campaign was going to go up in a blizzard of white sparks and a cloud of blue smoke as Fred was electrocuted by the rain hitting his wireless microphone but, in the end, it all worked fine.

After the speech, while Fred shook hands and posed for pictures, I drifted around to listen to reporters looking for someone who hated the speech and whose support for Gov. Romney or Mayor Giuliani or Sen. McCain had only been increased after listening to Fred.

One reporter, rather than asking “what did you think of the speech?” asked: “Don’t you think he is missing his opportunities by not having more red meat in his speech?”

The man the reporter was talking to, an actual voter from New Hampshire, said that he thought the speech was just fine and, further, while he hadn’t made up his mind, he was now leaning toward Fred.

Unable to stop myself, I dove into the conversation.

“First,” I said to the reporter, “you are requiring Thomson to reach a standard which (a) you, not this man, set and (b) doesn’t make any sense in the first place.”

“Look at all the people who waited through the storm to see him,” I said waiting until he actually turned around to look. “And they’re STILL here,” I said noting how many were swarming around Fred.

“You guys complain (I didn’t actually say “complain” but this is a family blog) about candidates who speak in sound bites and bumper strips. Then when a candidate comes and gives you 20 minutes of substance you tell me you’re looking for someone wearing a red nose and clown hair.”

“You can’t have it both ways.”

I doubt that I made that reporter throw away his “Hillary for President” card, but he agreed with me.

I was hoping for a headline in the Sunday Portsmouth paper which read: “Thompson Takes NH by Storm” but while the story was a fair representation, the headline didn’t reach my standard.

Rich