In the final weeks leading up to the New Hampshire Primary, long-time registered Democrats are a hot commodity. Serious candidates know that the effort to woo these much coveted voters begins very early in the campaign. Most of these voters have met nearly all the candidates in person. These are the voters who carry signs; make phone calls; lick envelopes � and perhaps most importantly � try to influence how their friends and neighbors will vote.
With five weeks to go before voting day, few of these voters are uncommitted. As part of our series of regional reports about the primary, New Hampshire Public Radio�s Doug MacPherson sought out Seacoast-area supporters for each of the nine democratic candidates. He asked them what draws them to their respective candidates. He filed this report.
NOT ALL THE MAJOR DEMOCRATS ARE REPRESENTED IN THIS STORY. CALLS TO AL SHARPTON�S CAMPAIGN WERE NOT RETURNED. THE LOCAL LIEBERMAN AND KUCINICH CAMPAIGNS COULD NOT IDENTIFY SUPPORTERS IN TIME TO BE INTERVIEWED. BUT ASK FOR NAMES OF VOTERS AT FORMER VERMONT GOVERNOR HOWARD DEAN�S PORTSMOUTH OFFICE, AND A DEAN SUPPORTER RETURNS YOUR CALL RIGHT AWAY.
RYE IS A WELL-HEALED, SOLIDLY REPUBLICAN TOWN, BUT NOT EVERYONE VOTES FOR THE G-O-P. RONNIE WERNER LIVES JUST ACROSS FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL. LIKE MANY DEAN BACKERS, SHE�S ANGRY ABOUT PRESIDENT BUSH�S DECISION TO GO TO WAR WITH IRAQ.
TAPE WERNER 368 I�m not only angry, I�m scared. I think acting the way we did outside the definitions and the purview of the U.N. -- going to war the way we did -- is incredibly dangerous. I�m a parent of two kids and I�m very frightened for what their future -- I haven�t been this stirred up since Vietnam. :20
WERNER SAYS SHE RESENTS BEING DEPICTED AS ANTI-PATRIOTIC FOR OPPOSING THE WAR WITH IRAQ. SHE BELIEVES HOWARD DEAN SPEAKS TO HER CONCERNS AND THOSE OF HER FRIENDS, WHOM SHE DESCRIBES AS �MID-LIFE PEOPLE� SHAPED BY WATERGATE AND VIETNAM. A FORMER SOCIAL WORKER WHO WORKED WITH TEENAGE PARENTS, WERNER BELIEVES DEAN WOULD DO THE MOST TO SAFEGUARD ABORTION RIGHTS.
TAPE WERNER. I know that he talks the same language that I talk. That he understands what it takes to reduce child abuse. And that he understands the health issues that affect poor, disenfranchised women in this country. :16
ON THE SAME STREET AS THE WERNERS, A BIT CLOSER TO THE OCEAN, IS THE HOME OF JACKIE AND OTTO GROTE (�GROW-tah�). JACKIE GROTE TICKS OFF THE REASONS WHY SHE AND OTTO ARE SUPPORTING NORTH CAROLINA SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS.
TAPE JACKIE GROTE I think his energy. I think his ability to face reality. I also don�t think that he necessarily feeds on the anger and the passion that the democrats have to beat bush. /// and that�s a good thing. b/c I think you can get carried away with it all. :17
THE GROW-tah�s BELIEVE IT�S IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT A CANDIDATE WHO CAN WIN IN THE SOUTH. OTTO GROTE, A RETIRED WALL STREET INVESTMENT BANKER, SAYS HE�S IMPRESSED BY WHAT HE CALLS EDWARD�S COMMAND OF THE DETAILS.
TAPE OTTO GROTE And the one thing you have to ask yourself � everybody�s got a lot of ideas about what they�d like to do, but the question always comes back to, how are you going to pay for it. That�s always an issue that keeps people from voting democratic. Cause they always say, oh, he�s going to have to increase my taxes. And he has, Edwards, he has this big issue on tax reform. :24
JUST AS RYE IS SOLIDLY REPUBLICAN, PORTSMOUTH IS SOLIDLY DEMOCRATIC. ANN WALKER RECENTLY RETIRED FROM TEACHING SCHOOL IN PORTSMOUTH FOR 30-YEARS. WALKER SAYS SHE LISTENED CLOSELY TO ALL THE CANDIDATES BEFORE SHE DECIDED TO GO WITH MISSOURI CONGRESSMAN DICK GEPHARDT.
TAPE ANN WALKER He has a long steady record of supporting education and educational issues. He�s a person from working class family who�s aware of the struggle people go through to get their children educated, and he�s aware of health care issues. :19
OF HOWARD DEAN, WALKER SAYS �SOME PEOPLE THINK NEW IS BETTER. I DON�T.� SHE�S IMPRESSED BY GEPHARDT�S 27-YEARS IN CONGRESS. AND SHE BELIEVES HE CAN BEAT GEORGE BUSH.
TAPE WALKER I think I�d do a deal with the devil if he could beat bush. :03
WALKER LAUGHS WHEN SHE SAYS THAT. BUT A MOMENT LATER SHE TURNS SERIOUS.
TAPE WALKER he scares me, in that I think he does things very rashly. I think he lied about going into this war. He was determined to do it. I think he � our country has lost face in the world. :14
HIRAM CONNELL ALSO DISTRUSTS THE PRESIDENT, BUT HE�S THROWING HIS SUPPORT TO JOHN KERRY.
CONNELL LIVES IN SOMERSWORTH � A WORKING CLASS DEMOCRATIC STRONG-HOLD. CONNELL IS RETIRED FROM RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WORK IN THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY. HE MADE UP HIS MIND TO SUPPORT THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR AFTER HEARING HIM SPEAK A YEAR AGO.
TAPE HIRAM CONNELL he absolutely blew me away. everything I had thought was a good idea, he had as part of his standard procedure. Like making new friends. Fixing up the public schools, instead of vouchers. :12
CONNELL SAYS HE�S ANGRY AT THE MEDIA�S TREATMENT OF KERRY.
TAPE HIRAM CONNELL I mean the guy is as genuine as they get. He�s just as nice as can be. And then you watch the news and they say, well kerry�s arrogant. Or he just can�t excite people. I�m not looking after someone who can excite me, I want someone who can be president. :15
CONNELL THINKS VOTER SUPPORT FOR HOWARD DEAN IS WIDE BUT SHALLOW. FOR THAT MATTER, HE THINKS DEAN IS SHALLOW. HE DOESN�T THINK DEAN CAN STAND UP TO WHAT BUSH�S POLITICAL ADVISORS CAN DISH OUT.
TAPE HIRAM CONNELL when karl rove gets a hold of dean he�ll tear his head off. :03
NEWFIELDS RESIDENT BARBARA DENNETT, A MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER, IS SUPPORTING THE CANDIDATE SHE VIEWS AS THE ANTITHESIS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION � FORMER AMBASSADOR CAROL MOSELY BRAUN. DENNETT�S DECISION TO BACK MOSELY BRAUN WAS REINFORCED AT LAST MONTH�S DEBATE IN MANCHESTER, WHEN THE CANDIDATES WERE ASKED IF THEY WOULD EXTEND REGISTRATION FOR THE DRAFT TO WOMEN. MOSELY BRAUN CITED ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND RAPE AT THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY.
TAPE BARBARA DENNETT And she said, until we get that straightened out, we cannot mandate women to have to take part in this. And when she said that, the audience just exploded. //// 445 but what happened after the audience response, I think was the most telling. And that is, the men � the rest of the candidates on stage � had a very shocked look on their face. /// 448 and I said, oh my goodness. These guys look like they�ve just gotten a wake up call here, cause they don�t know the women�s experience. They had no idea that women felt this way. :35
DENNETT ALSO SHARES MOSELEY BRAUN�S BELIEF THAT THE UNITED STATES MUST MAKE AMENDS FOR WHAT DENNETT CALLS THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION�S ATROCITY IN IRAQ.
JEANNETTE HOPKINS CALLS GEORGE W. BUSH THE MOST DANGEROUS PRESIDENT OF HER 81-YEARS. HOPKINS, A PORTSMOUTH RESIDENT, STILL PURSUES HER CAREER AS AN EDITOR. SHE DECLARED HERSELF A DEMOCRAT IN 1932, AT THE AGE OF 10. BUSH, SHE SAYS, IS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF EVERY ISSUE SHE CARES ABOUT � THE ENVIRONMENT, EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, CIVIL LIBERTIES, FOREIGN POLICY. THIS IS NO TIME, SHE SAYS, TO PLAY GAMES.
TAPE JEANNETTE HOPKINS I cannot afford to be seduced by, for instance, howard dean�s anger. I�m too angry to be seduced by his anger. :07
HOPKINS WAS ATTRACTED TO RETIRED GENERAL WESLEY CLARK WHEN HE FIRST RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WISDOM OF UNILATERAL ACTION IN IRAQ.
TAPE JEANNETTE HOPKINS 156 And I thought it was fascinating that a general would oppose a war. I�d never thought of generals as someone I would support politically. I didn�t support Eisenhower. In fact, I�m a little afraid of generals. And to have a general who is both tough, but gentle, and a gentleman, and believing in war as a last resort, and intelligent, and a Rhodes scholar, I thought, my, this is a gift. This is a gift. :24
THE FACT THAT SEACOAST-AREA DEMOCRATS ARE EAGER TO ELECT A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT IS HARDLY SURPRISING. BUT WHAT IS STRIKING IS THAT NEARLY ALL THE DEMOCRATS INTERVIEWED FOR THIS STORY DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS ANGRY AT AND AFRAID OF THE REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT � AND OF WHAT HE MIGHT DO IF ELECTED TO A SECOND TERM. IN EVERY PRIMARY, IT�S COMMON TO PROMISE TO SUPPORT WHOEVER EMERGES AS THE PARTY�S NOMINEE. THIS YEAR, DEMOCRATS ON NEW HAMPSHIRE�S SEACOAST �NO MATTER WHO THEY SUPPORT RIGHT NOW -- SOUND LIKE THEY MEAN IT. FOR N-H-P-R NEWS, I�M DOUG MACPHERSON.
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