California Hippies Meet New Hampshire Voters

AMBI 1:13 Bongo drums on street

It was two degrees Fahrenheit in downtown Portsmouth, but these Kucinich supporters were still dancing in the streets.
AMBI More drums? ?Oh yeah!?

They came from Santa Cruz, California last week in a bio-diesel powered bus painted in riotous colors. It?s home to 14 young political activists with brightly embroidered ponchos, long flowing hair, and dangling earrings on both the women and men.
AMBI more drums

[Traffic slowed on the narrow street, and from the looks on the drivers faces, the campaign?s excitement wasn?t exactly contagious.]
XFADE drums with inside ambi
Inside Kucinich?s campaign office, Annie Schlesinger explained their California approach to the New Hampshire Primary. The plan? To organize raves and jam sessions at college campuses.
SCHLESINGER :30 We?re the Democreation Project, which is the fusion of democracy and creation, activating youth, educating them about Dennis, progressive politics, registering them to vote. ? all sorts of performing arts, street style performers, percussionists, acrobats, break dancing, hip-hop artists, we?ve been traveling across the country now, we stopped in Iowa, Cleveland we?re gonna focus on NH for 2 weeks. Our goal here is to activate the underground, get the youth out and registered, just aware of Dennis? presence here in NH.

The Democreation bus doesn?t have any heat. So they bought a space heater and a propane stove for cooking. Schlesinger says condensation freezes on the ceiling at night and drips down onto their sleeping bags.
[It was definitely not your typical campaign bus. But Dennis Kucinich is not your typical candidate.]
KUCINICH :09 my first act in office will be to cancel NAFTA and the WTO go back to bilateral trade conditioned on workers rights, human rights, and the environment. FADE APPLAUSE

He promises to fund a universal, single-payer healthcare, cut to the Defense Department budget, and bring home American troops from Iraq within 90 days. Kucinich is the only candidate to set such a hard deadline.
KUCINICH :10 We have to believe in our capacity to create a new world which embraces the possibilities of peace courageously and joyfully.

It?s not just California hippies and artists coming to campaign for Dennis Kucinich?
MULLINS :05 my name is Jim Mullins I?m a professor at the U of Washington in Seattle and I?m here for the week.

Kucinich?s positions may seem politically unwieldy or very expensive, but Mullins says he agrees with him about everything.
MULLINS :14 I?ve been fairly depressed about the state of the world for some years. but when I found out about him it changed everything. ? The solutions that he has would make the world such a better place and it would not harm people?s income.

Mullins wants to support ?a real peace candidate? because ? he says ? the country is at stake. So he?s making CD copies of Kucinich?s speeches and handing them out around New Hampshire.
MULLINS :12 I can make 100/hour. I brought 2000 with me I bought another 1000 last night so I hope to leave 3000 CDs when I leave.

Kucinich?s uncompromising proposals and optimistic message seem to inspire a special kind of allegiance. His supporters don?t seem to care that most polls count Kucinich as less than a long-shot. That political pundits often dismiss him as ?not a serious candidate.?
KUCINICH :26 let?s look at what?s serious. It?s pretty serious that we have a president who?s taken us into a war we didn?t have to go into. It?s very serious that the admin has given tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans when they didn?t have to. It?s very serious when we spend 50% of the discretionary budget for the Pentagon at the expense of health, education, jobs, housing. That?s all very serious.

Kucinich grew up poor and now he?s running for president. He says that?s given him an enduring sense of possibility and hope about making the world better. And among some left-wing Democrats that spirit is catching? even with Howard Dean supporters.
AMBI house party hubbub
A handful of Dean supporters in East Plainfield organized this house party last week. John Donahee came wearing his Dean for America pin. But Kuinich was the guest of honor!
JOHN :18 I?m very interested in him, I love his environmental policies, sweeping vision for health policy. Mainstream media brands him a flake for wanting to have a Dept of Peace but why not? We?ve seen where the dept of defense has gotten us!

Kucinich?s message resonates with progressive, anti-war Dean supporters like the Donahees. So Kucinich supporters used Dean?s substantial organizational network in the Upper Valley, to invite like-minded Democrats to hear Kucinich. 40 people showed up on a bitter cold night to hear a candidate who?s polling numbers are at one percent. Anne Donahee:
ANNE :17 I heard him on Laura Knoy. And that was great really great. Everything he said, I couldn?t believe this was a candidate saying these things. Finally someone?s talking about healthcare? it sounded doable the way he said it!

Kucinich told them universal healthcare is doable.
KUCINICH :04 I?m a practical politician!
Audience giggles?

He recited his impressive resume, which is full of practical experience in government. He was mayor of a major metropolis at age 31. He won a seat in the Ohio Senate, and defeated an incumbent Republican to win his seat in Congress. He was elected to his fourth term with 74% of the vote in his district. Afterwards, a few voters they were reconsidering and might vote for Kucinich.
ANNE :08 I would! I was inspired, he was just great to listen to? It was very informal and warm.

Her husband was more cautious.
JOHN :06 I?m much more of a pessimist than he is. My heart?s with Kucinich but I?ve vote for Dean.

Both Donahees found Kucinich engaging, witty, and thoughtful. Most importantly, they said he reflected their values.
ANNE :19 it would be great to vote for somebody? all the time we vote against people.
JOHN you can vote your conscience in a primary, after that the Naderites learned last year? You have to make compromise. government?s about compromise. I?d vote for anyone over GW.

That?s a familiar refrain this primary season. But Kucinich is counting on a few New Hampshire Democrats to vote their hearts.
For NHPR News, I?m RMD in East Plainfield.