Clinton Goes To Concord

Today, about 1,300-1,500 people filled Concord High School gymnasium to hear Hillary Clinton. Hillary was introduced by Congressman Paul Hodes. Once Mrs. Clinton took the stage she experience some technical difficulties which resulted in the New York Senator saying, "I am turned on" and "I am wired." The crowd was laughing during the episode. Moments later she talked about being a Girl Scout and the audience joined her in singing a Girl Scout campfire song. Here are some more tidbits from the event:

-Said that she wanted to compete in the primary in the "New Hampshire way." That is, going to house parties, restaurants and other intimate settings.
-Mentioned universal health care numerous times
-Stressed the connection between energy independence, the environment and the economy
-Iraq: a "painful challenge," wanted a Senate vote on the surge plan and proposed cutting off funding for the Iraqi security forces
-She also stated that she is "the most qualified and experienced person to be president." Taking head on the questions over whether or not the American people will vote for a female president.
-Only mentioned Bill Clinton twice.
-Also, for the fashion readers, she was wearing a gray suit with an orange turtle heck and giant brown belt.

Huckabee Brings Hope To The Granite State

Last night, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was at the Merrimack Restaurant. He spoke for about 15 minutes to a crowd of about 50-60 people, most of whom were media or members of the group VictoryNH. Here is a summary of his remarks, provided by Green Mountain Politics1:

"Besides discussing his record as Governor, Huckabee spent time talking about his modest upbringing, the role that faith plays in his life, the importance of healthy American schools (which he ties into his pro-life beliefs) and his struggle to lose weight.

The former Baptist minister even threw in a quote from the Old Testament for good measure."

For the full article, use this link: http://greenmountainpolitics1.blogspot.com/2007/02/mike-huckabee-brings-hope-to-new.html

***The Photo is ©Chris Fitzgerald/CandidatePhotos.com***

Where In The World Is Cosmo??

Some of you might be wondering where I will be this week. Well, tonight I will be at the Huckabee event at the Merrimack Restaurant. Tomorrow, I will be in Concord to see Senator Clinton. I will post about both events.

Huck Hires

Today, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee announced that New Hampshire State School Board member Fred Bramante and ex-Manchester GOP Committee City Chair Cliff Hurst will serve as the NH Co-Chairs of his exploratory committee.

Clinton Public Schedule

Don't forget about Senator Clinton's trip this weekend. Here is a list of the public appeareances for the Clinton trip.

Conversation in Berlin
Date: Saturday, February 10
Location:
Berlin City Hall
168 Main Street
Berlin, NH
Time: 8:30 a.m.
RSVP for this event now

Conversation in Concord
Date: Saturday, February 10
Location:
Concord High School
170 Warren Street
Concord, NH
Time: 1:00 p.m.
RSVP for this event now

Conversation in Keene
Date: Sunday, February 11
Location:
Keene High School
43 Arch Street
Keene, NH
Time: 4:00 p.m.
RSVP for this event now

To RSVP for these events go to this website: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/events/20070210/?sc=1106

Obama Event: No Vacancy

There Barack Obama event on Monday is already sold out. The event is taking place on the UNH-Durham campus at the Lundholm Gymnasium. The gym has a capacity of 3,500, although it is not clear how many tickets were sold. As a result, Obamaniacs are searching for tickets to the event. Here is a press release from the Draft Obama folks:

"Fellow Obamaniacs,

As many of you may know by now, the Senator's Town Hall Meeting being held at UNH on Monday night no longer has tickets available. It's exciting to see an Obama appearance sell out within hours and we want to make sure he has as many supporters there as possible. If any of you have extra tickets, please let us know ASAP, as many of NH's DraftObama members would like to attend but were shut out. If we hear from any of you, we'll put you in touch with those looking for the tickets.

Thank you very much.
NH Draft Obama
nh@draftobama.org "

Hunter's Next Trip

Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) will return to the Granite State from February 19th-21st. The Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee will speak to employees of Tele Atlas in Lebanon on Tuesday the 20th and will make other appearances throughout the state. For additional information, contact Ken Gorrell at (603) 369-3043 or kengorrell@usa.com.

New Feature!!

A new feature has been added to New Hampshire Presidential Watch. You can now keep track of which prominent Granite State politicos work for presidential campaigns. The feature is on the right side, under the number of visits. Only the higher-ups of the campaigns will be mentioned. If I am leaving anyone out, please e-mail me at nhprezwatch@yahoo.com Hope you enjoy!!

Clinton Taps Clemons

On the eve of her first trip to the Granite State, Senator Clinton has picked up a pretty big fish. Clinton has hired Democratic Party executive director Nick Clemons to be her state director.

From The Hotline:

"Sen. Hillary Clinton has chosen NH Dem Party exec. dir Nick Clemons as her state director, capping off an intensive search-and-interview process by snagging the most in-demand operative in the state.

In 2006, Clemons supervised the political and field operation that helped Democrats take over both New Hampshire legislative chambers and gain control of its two House seats. He’s in near-daily contact with key county chairs, and knows all the major organizers.

Many New Hampshire Democrats loyal to Clinton were active in the party more than a dozen years ago, and others have migrated to opposing campaigns. Clemons brings both youth and experience, an eagle’s eye for talent, and an insider’s perspective on more recent elections in the state."

Downey On Board With Dodd

From The Granite Status:

"Dodd's budding New Hampshire campaign has hired Democratic activist Sean Downey as the state political director.

"He knows New Hampshire well," said senior campaign adviser Maura Keefe.

Downey most recently was state political director for Sen. Evan Bayh's political action committee and finance director for the state Senate Democratic Caucus PAC. He formerly worked for Joe Lieberman's Presidential campaign and in Massachusetts Democratic politics.

Also joining the local Dodd campaign are field organizers David Osborne and Scott Stephanou, both from Connecticut."

Romney To Hopkinton

Mitt Romney will be Hopkinton the day after he announces his presidential candidacy. Here are the details of the event:

What: Gov. Romney Meets With Local Residents
Time:4:30 p.m.
Where:
Hopkinton Town Hall
330 Main St.
Hopkinton, NH

Dodd In Concord For St. Paddy's Day

Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd will celebrate St. Paddy's Day in Concord. Dodd will be at the IBEW Hall for the Merrimack County Democrats St. Patrick's Day Dinner. How much do you want to bet that he will wear green??

Contact: Rob Werner, rwerner@totalnetnh.net

WHAT: Merrimack County Democrats St. Patrick’s Day Dinner with Sen. Chris Dodd
WHEN: Saturday, March 17th, 5:30 PM
WHERE: IBEW Hall, 48 Airport Road, Concord, NH
COST: $20 regular admission, $15 for students and seniors

Union-Leader Monopolizing Debates?

From The Union Leader:

"ABC News, WMUR-TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader will produce four live presidential candidate debates -- two in October 2007 and two in January 2008.

George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent and anchor of "This Week," will moderate the October 2007 debates. The Union Leader's senior political reporter, John DiStaso, and Scott Spradling, WMUR's political director, will also question the candidates.

The Republican debate will be held on Sunday, Oct. 14, and the Democratic debate will be Sunday, Oct. 21, both in Manchester. The October debates will air nationwide as special editions of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

The January debates, also in Manchester, will be held the week before the New Hampshire primary. Detailed information on the dates, locations and formats of the January debates will be forthcoming."

This news comes on the heels of yesterday's article in The Politico. The article argued that Clinton and Obama might pick-and-chose which debates they want to participate in.

Richardson Returns Next Week

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson will return to the Granite State next weekend. He will be in the state from Friday, February 16 and Saturday, February 17. Events are planned in Tilton, Plymouth, Manchester, Concord, Portsmouth and Hampton. Here are the details for Richardson's trip:

Friday Feb. 16th
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
House Party with State Senator Kathy Sgambati
25 Pine Street Tilton, NH 03276
RSVP to (603) 286-8931

7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Plymouth, NH
Details of Plymouth stop are forthcoming

Saturday Feb. 17th
9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Breakfast with the New Hampshire Young Democrats
Jewell and the Beanstalk
793 Somerville Street
Manchester, NH 03103

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Keynote speech at Concord City Democrats Event
IBEW Hall 48 Airport Road
Concord, NH 03301
RSVP to (603) 228-0048

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Meet-and-greet at RiverRun Bookstore
20 Congress Street,
Portsmouth, NH 03801

2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
House party with Gary and Lenore Patton
78 Hayden Circle
Hampton, NH 03842
RSVP to (603) 926-9358

For details and more information on all of Gov. Richardson's visits contact Pablo Duran at 505-363-5305.

Clinton Trip Details

Here are the details for Hillary Clinton's trip to New Hampshire. She will be in the state on Saturday (2/10) and Sunday (2/11). This is her first visit since 1996.

Saturday (2/10)
- 8:30 am, town hall-style "conversation", Berlin City Hall
-2:00 pm, town hall-style "conversation", Concord High School

Sunday (2/11)
-Invitation-only house parties in Manchester and Nashua, at the home of Executive Councilor Debora Pignatelli,
-4:30 p.m, town-hall style "conversation", Keene High School.

Several private meetings are also planned.

Call the New Hampshire Democratic Party at (603) 225-6899, for more information.

Fiscal Wake Up Tour Visits St. Anselm's

Interested in how economic policy will affect the presidential campaign? If so you might want to attend the Fiscal Wake Up Toure. Here is a press release on the event:

"On Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m., the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College will host a panel discussion entitled, The Fiscal Wake Up Tour. This event is free and open to the public.

A joint public engagement initiative by The Concord Coalition, the Budgeting for National Priorities Project at the Brookings Institution, and the Heritage Foundation, this tour explains in plain terms why budget analysts of diverse perspectives are increasingly alarmed by the nation’s long-term fiscal outlook. U.S. Comptroller General David Walker is an advisor and will participate in this event. John Romps, Assoc. Professor, Economics and Business, Saint Anselm College, will moderate the discussion.

For more information, please visit www.anselm.edu/nhiop. "

For Hillary The Times Are A-Changin'

Kevin Landrigan from The Nashua Telegraph had a great piece this morning about Senator Clinton's upcoming trip to the Granite State. Here is the first paragraph of the article:

"The last time Hillary Rodham Clinton made a political trip to New Hampshire was in October 1996, and Hurricane Fran, a Category 3 storm, had just devastated coastal North Carolina and blamed for 26 deaths and $3.2 billion in damages; Sabrina the Teenage Witch was a new network TV hit, especially among audiences younger than 11; and the New England Patriots were more than four years away from winning the first of three Super Bowls. A lot has happened in New Hampshire, and the world, over those more than 3,700 days between that visit and the campaign stop she has scheduled for this weekend. In politics today, absence usually makes the heart stop beating, not grow fonder."

For the full article check it out here: http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070206/NEWS01/70206001

Romney To Announce Next Week

From CNN:

Republican Mitt Romney will formally launch his presidential bid next week in Michigan.

According to a Romney campaign source, the former Massachusetts Governor will make the announcement on Tuesday (2/13) in Michigan, the state where his father once served as governor.

Romney will then fly-around to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, all early nominating states, and finish-up in Boston on Thursday with what the campaign is calling a "major fundraising gala."

CNN/WMUR Poll

Here are the results from another New Hampshire poll. This poll was conducted by WMUR/CNN. It has a margin of 5.6%. McCain and Clinton continue to lead the field.

Dems:
Clinton-35%
Obama-21%
Edwards-15%
Gore-8%

GOP:
McCain-28%
Rudy-27%
Romney-13%
Newt-9%

Al Gore Calls New Hampshire

Former Vice-President, and Oscar nominee, Al Gore recently called a high-profile New Hampshire Democrat. The Granite State Democrat said that he and Gore recently had "a long conversation." The call took place over the weekend and was initiated by Mr. Gore. This Dem is a hot commodity since questions have arisen has to whom they would support in 2008. Is Gore preparing for a possible run?

Ron Paul's Trip

Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul will be in New Hampshire from February 24th-25th. Here are the details of his trip:

Saturday 2/24th:
9pm-10pm: Fundraiser in Pembroke
For more information contact: Jane Aitken at ronpaul@cnht.org

Sunday: 2/25th
10:30am: Closing Speech at the Free State Project 2007 Liberty Forum in Concord
For more information contact: Irena Goddard, (603) 821-1386 or e-mail igoddard@freestateproject.org

Rudy's In

In a sign that he's serious about running for the White House, Rudy Giuliani has decided to file a "statement of candidacy" with the FEC. "In the process, he was eliminating the phrase "testing the waters" from earlier paperwork establishing his exploratory committee, said an official close to Giuliani's campaign." Rudy recently hired former GOP chairman Wayne Semprini to run his New Hampshire campaign. No word yet on a possible visit from the former New York mayor.

Did Obama Snub NH Dems?

This is from The Hotline:

"On Friday, rumors began to circulate through Democratic circles that Sen. Barack Obama committed a high grade faux pas: he stood up New Hampshire Democrats.

Here's the real story: About 15 Democrats from New Hampshire expected to meet with Obama after he finished speaking Friday morning. They waited for almost twenty minutes; he never showed up. A few of the folks who waited felt stiffed. But it wasn't really Obama's fault. The DNC meeting started a half hour late, and the speeches all went long. So both Sen. Obama and the NH delegation were pressed for time. Obama had to cancel his meeting, and the folks waiting in the room for Obama weren't informed.

"We all thought he gave an excellent speech on Friday," NH Dem chair Kathy Sullivan says. As to Obama's non-appearance: "These things happen. It was a crazy day."
http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/

Obama=Superman??

Nice picture of Obama in front of a Superman statue. Is Clinton, Obama's kyptonite?? Additional Superman references will be added throughout the day.

-Will Obama be gain any of the following nicknames: "The Man of Audacity", "The Man of Hope", and "The Last Son of Hawaii"

Clinton, McCain on Top

The new ARG poll found that 39% of likely NH Dem primary goers would vote for Senator Clinton. While,f 19% would vote for Barack Obama. Meanwhile, 27% likely NH GOPers would vote for McCain and 20% for Giuliani.

Kucinich: I'm The King of The Granite State!!

Democratic House Representative Dennis Kucinich, and former 2004 presidential candidate, was in the state this weekend. In this photo Kucinich is standing on a swivel chair while a woman spins him. The Ohio Congressman was mimicking a puppet, without strings. He was underscoring his assertion that his campaign not beholden to special interest groups. The event happened at the meet and greet sponsored by Keene and Cheshire County Democrats.

Also, at the event 'Hemp Man' asked Kucinich about his views regarding laws regulating the use of Mary Jane/The Green Guy/Reefer. Kucinich said that, "I am, after all, running for a 'high' office. The remark was greeted with much laughter and pipe passing.

***The Photo is ©Chris Fitzgerald/CandidatePhotos.com***

Huckabee Schedule

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will be in New Hampshire on Friday February 9th. Here is Huckabee's schedule:

National Leaders Forum Luncheon
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will address business leaders at a Feb. 9 luncheon in Nashua . This event, hosted by Daniel Webster College from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., is part of the New Hampshire’s Chamber of Commerce and the New Hampshire Political Library’s newly created National Leaders Forum, and is sponsored by Lincoln Financial Group.

Daniel Webster College
20 University Dr . Nashua , NH 03063
$20 per person
RSVP to Katherine Tomlinson 603-224-5388 Ex. 116

------------------------------------------------------------
Meet Gov. Mike Huckabee
5:00-6:00
The Merrimack Restaurant
786 Elm St Manchester , NH 03101
Free hors d'oeuvres
Or for additional information call Cliff Hurst at 603-540-3390