Congressman Dick Gephardt held a town meeting before a small but enthusiastic crowd in Berlin yesterday. Gephardt has strong ties to the Berlin area, and he has key backing from the local mill workers' union. But rivals like John Kerry and Howard Dean are challenging him for votes. NHPR?S Trish Anderton reports.
AT TEN BELOW ZERO, IT WAS A BITTERLY COLD MORNING IN BERLIN. DICK GEPHARDT MIGHT HAVE HOPED FOR A WARMER WELCOME WHEN HE PULLED UP TO THE NEW HAMPSHIRE TECHNICAL INSTITUTE. JUST THREE SUPPORTERS STOOD OUT FRONT WITH SIGNS, WAITING TO GREET HIM.
here?s our next president! here?s our next presidnet! mr. gephardt!
EVEN THOUGH THE CROWD WAS RELATIVELY SMALL, FOR GEPHARDT ANY VISIT TO BERLIN IS A LITTLE BIT OF A HOMECOMING. PAUL ROBITAILLE CHAIRS THE COOS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE. HE?S ALSO WORKING FOR ONE OF GEPHARDT?S RIVALS, JOHN KERRY. ROBITAILLE SAYS GEPHARDT HAS NURTURED CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS HERE, ESPECIALLY DURING RECENT HARD TIMES WHEN THE LOCAL MILL COMPLEX WENT BANKRUPT.
he?s been coming here off and on since 1988. even when he was house majority leader he came here. and I?ll say this even though I?m a kerry person, he kept a very close eye on what was going on with the mill closing and he was in touch with some of us who were involved every day.
STAYING IN TOUCH MAKES GOOD POLITICAL SENSE. BETWEEN THEM BERLIN AND ITS NEIGHBOR GORHAM OFFER MORE THAN 2-THOUSAND DEMOCRATIC VOTES, THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION NORTH OF THE NOTCHES. WITH THIER LARGE UNION PRESENCE, THEY ARE TAILOR MADE FOR THE GEPHARDT CAMPAIGN. AT THE MEETING, ABOUT THIRTY ADULTS AND TWENTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GAVE THE CANDIDATE AN ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION. GEPHARDT WASTED NO TIME LAUNCHING INTO WHAT HE CALLS THE THREE GOALS OF HIS CAMPAIGN: JOBS, JOBS AND JOBS. HE UNDERLINED HIS FAMILIARITY WITH BERLIN?S ECONOMIC STRUGGLES.
we just came from the paper mill. as you know people were out of work for a long time. now many are back. still people are being laid off because of foreign competition.
GEPHARDT EMPHASIZED THAT HE?D VOTED WITH ORGANIZED LABOR AGAINST NAFTA AND OTHER MULTINATIONAL TRADE DEALS. HE VOWED TO OVERHAUL TRADE POLICY TO HELP AMERICANS COMPETE FOR JOBS. AND HE TRIED TO AROUSE A KIND OF GLOBAL WORKER SOLIDARITY. GEPHARDT SAID HE?D WITNESSED FACTORY WORKERS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES LIVING IN THE CARDBOARD BOXES USED TO SHIP THEIR PRODUCTS.
no water no sewer no electricity. raw sewage running down the street. they live in worse conditions than most animals in the united states. and this is progress? this is the world we want to leave to our children? I don?t think so.
GEPHARDT SAID HE?D PROPOSE A WORLDWIDE MINIMUM WAGE TO RAISE LIVING STANDARDS FOR WORKERS EVERYWHERE. THEN, SHIFTING HIS FOCUS TO ANOTHER POWERFUL CONSTITUENCY HERE, HE MADE A PROMISE TO VETERANS.
when I?m president I?m going to get the budget director and say bring me the veterans budget first. alone. we?re gonna decide it first for what?s good for the veterans. and then we?ll take care of the rest of the budget. and that?s the way I feel about it. if you put your life on the line for your country, you deserve first priority.
THOSE THEMES SEEMED TO GO OVER WELL WITH THE CROWD. GARY ROY IS A DISABLED VETERAN. HE WAS IMPRESSED WITH GEPHARDT?S PLEDGE TO SERVICEMEN AND SERVICEWOMEN. BUT HE WAS EVEN MORE IMPRESSED BY HIS SENSE OF THE CANDIDATE?S CHARACTER.
22 300 I?m not really decided, but after hearing him and looking into his eyes as he talked, he?s got a strong hold on me now
FELLOW UNDECIDED VOTER DAVID THOMPSON AGREED, SAYING GEPHARDT SEEMED TO HAVE STRONG CONVICTIONS. HE LIKED THE MISSOURI CONGRESSMAN?S HUMANITARIAN APPEAL.
it was all pro human. not just pro united states.
THOMPSON AND ROY AGREED ON ANOTHER POINT. THEY BOTH HAVE A VISCERAL DISLIKE FOR THE CURRENT FRONTRUNNER, HOWARD DEAN. VETERAN GARY ROY SUSPECTS THE FORMER VERMONT GOVERNOR IS ALL TALK AND NO ACTION. THOMPSON STRUGGLES TO PUT HIS SENSE OF DEAN INTO WORDS.
it?s hard to say, it?s just ?. when you talk to someone ? you can ? it?s like ? a dog can sense a good person and a bad person, know what I mean? it?s that kind of theory I?m talking about.
GEPHARDT WOULD HAVE MORE OF A CHANCE TO REACH VOTERS LIKE ROY AND THOMSON WERE IT NOT FOR THE PRESSURE HE FEELS IN IOWA. HE AND DEAN ARE LOCKED IN A TIGHT RACE THERE. THAT?S KEPT FROM SPENDING MUCH TIME IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. RECENT POLLS HAVE GEPHARDT IN THE FIVE-PERCENT RANGE STATEWIDE. HIS RIVALS HOPE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE. COOS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CHAIR PAUL ROBITAILLE SAYS THEY?RE MAKING SIGNIFICANT INROADS HERE IN THE ANDROSCOGGIN VALLEY.
003 27 right now my sense is berlin/gorham would be split between gephartdt kerry and dean.
A HANDFUL OF KERRY LAWN SIGNS HAVE SPROUTED UP AROUND TOWN SINCE THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR HELD A FIREHOUSE CHILI FEED HERE THREE WEEKS AGO. IN MANY WAYS KERRY IS WORKING THE SAME TERRITORY AS GEPHARDT. KERRY TOO SPENDS A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT JOBS. WHILE GEPHARDT HAS THE FORMIDABLE, 500-PERSON MILLWORKERS UNION ON HIS SIDE, KERRY HAS AN ENDORSEMENT FROM THE MUCH SMALLER FIREFIGHTERS UNION. KERRY?S STATE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, MARK KORNBLAU, SAYS HIS CANDIDATE IS
EMPHASIZING ONE KEY DIFFERENCE: KERRY?S PLEDGE TO SUPPORT RECENT TAX CUTS THAT HELP WORKING FAMILIES.
john kerry often says he doesn?t think the problem in america is the middle class has too much money. so we want to roll back the high end of the bush tax cut but keep in place those parts that help the middle class.
GEPHARDT AND HOWARD DEAN HAVE PLEDGED TO ROLL BACK ALL THE TAX CUTS PASSED UNDER THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. THEY ARGUE THEY WOULD USE THE MONEY TO HELP THE MIDDLE CLASS IN OTHER WAYS. KERRY SUPPORTER PAUL ROBITAILLE SAYS POLICY DISTINCTIONS LIKE THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO HIM. BUT HE SAYS THE MAIN REASON HE CHOSE KERRY IS SIMPLE: HE THINKS KERRY CAN WIN.
003 208 don?t get me wrong, I love all these cands, I will work extremely hard for any of them in the gen elex. but I think sen kerry?s exper, his wisdom, makes him the one to beat bush.
MEANWHILE HOWARD DEAN SUPPORTERS BELIEVE THEY CAN WIN IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
hi I?m lala dinsmore and I?m kind of new at any sort of thing like this
DEAN ORGANIZERS SAY THEY PLAN TO DEFEAT BUSH BY BRINGING NEW VOTERS INTO THE DEMOCRATIC FOLD. THEY?RE TAPPING INTO THE ENTHUSIASM OF NEW VOLUNTEERS LIKE LALA DINSMORE.
and it?s been absolutely eye oepning and I am all for howard dean and I wish people would delve more and learn more and I think we?re all there and it?s wonderful. thank you.
DINSMORE WASN?T ALONE. JOHN DE CHAMPLAIN LIVES IN BERLIN. HE WAS DRIVEN TO DEAN BY WHAT HE SEES AS THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION?S ARROGANT FOREIGN POLICY.
when somebody doesn?t agree with the u.s. you don?t make fun of other countries. they have a right to disagree with us. that turned me off to the present administration. so I started looking elsewehere. I?ve even changed my registration so I can vote for dean. I was a republican.
DEAN?S OPPONENTS HAVE QUESTIONED HIS ABILITY TO WIN IN RURAL, WORKING-CLASS AREAS. A STRONG SHOWING HERE MIGHT HELP VANQUISH THOSE DOUBTS. DEAN MAY ALSO BE ABLE TO TAP INTO VOTES IN WEALTHIER SURROUNDING TOWNS LIKE RANDOLPH AND SHELBURNE. DEAN, GEPHARDT, KERRY AND JOE LIEBERMAN ALL HAVE OFFICES IN BERLIN. AND COUNTY CHAIR PAUL ROBITAILLE BELIEVES THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF VOTES IN PLAY. HE SAYS MANY PEOPLE HERE WON?T REALLY START SORTING OUT THEIR ALLEGIANCES TILL AFTER NEW YEAR?S DAY. FOR NHPR NEWS
