January 5, 2008

It's All Over

Well, the debates have come to a close and the Obama supporters at Murphy's Taproom are having their last drinks. After the nearly 4 hour debate, it's time to turn in and get ready for another day in New Hampshire.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 10:39 PM | Comments (2)

Regrets, We Have Many

Gibson gave the Democrats the chance to take something they've said during a debate back. Here's what they said:

Clinton and Obama: Both avoided the question and said there is a stark difference between the tactics of the Republicans and the Democrats.
Richardson: He was asked who his favorite supreme court justice was in a past debate. He said Byron Raymond White, who was against Roe v. Wade.
Edwards: He regrets teasing Hillary about her jacket and he told her she looked great.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 10:24 PM

Is Change Possible in Washington?

Chales Gibson, the moderator of the debates, is not afraid to really give it to the candidates.

"I've covered Washington for a long time and I know President Clinton came to Washington talking about change. President Bush came to Washington talking about change. So many people in the administrations and in Congress say Washington is set up to resist change," Gibson said.

In response to Gibson's assertion that her husband's campaign didn't change the problems in Washington, Clinton quickly pointed to her husband's two terms in office - particularly his balanced budget - as an example of change.

Edwards responded: "If it is personal for you -- and this is extraordinarily personal for me -- if it's personal for you, then you can be successful bringing about the change."

Edwards said Washington needs another Teddy Roosevelt, who, he said, didn't make deals with the trusts and monopolies in Washington. Edwards isn't the first person to allude to Teddy Roosevelt this week. Joe Lieberman said John McCain would be the best president since Roosevelt on Wednesday at a coffee shop meet-and-greet in Concord, N.H.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 10:16 PM

Edwards as the People's Candidate

John Edwards continues to position himself as the candidate of the people, of the working class. He carefully inserts that his grandparents "went off to the mill everyday."

On Friday, Edwards held an early morning rally in a former mill in Manchester, N.H. The location further emphasized his support of working class America.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 10:14 PM

Clinton's Feelings

Clinton admits that Obama is very likeable, but she'd like to think that she has some charisma as well.

"Well, that hurts my feelings," she said. "He's very likeable. I agree with that, but I don't think I'm that bad."

Polls conducted by the Univeristy of New Hampshire Survery Center show that voters see Edwards and Obama as agents of change. Obama is the most likeable candidate, they say.

Clinton disagrees. "I stand on my records of experience," she said. "I think I am the agent of change. I think having the first woman president is a huge change."

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 10:10 PM | Comments (2)

Has the Surge in Iraq Been Successful?

Clinton said the surge was meant to give the government of Iraq an opportunity for progress and "political reconciliation."

"I don't see any reason why they should remain beyond, you know, today. I think George Bush doesn't intend to bring them home, but certainly I have said when I'm president I will. Within 60 days, I'll start that withdrawal," she said.

Bill Richardson said there has been little progress in Iraq and the war needs to end. "This is why I'm running for president; because until we end this war, we cannot talk about the issues that need to be dealt with here -- universal health care, improving schools, bringing people together. You can't have change until you end the war, and that means bringing all of our troops home," he said.

Obama said, "It was a mistake to go in from the start and that's why I have opposed this war from the start." Much of the violence has been reduced in Iraq, where, he said, violence was reaching incredible levels a year ago. "We have gone full circle at enormous cost to the American people," he said.

Gibson posed a slightly different question to John Edwards. If his generals told him that he shouldn't leave Iraq, would he still do it? "There will not be political progress until we make it clear that we're going to stop propping the Sunni and Shi'a up with American lives and with the American taxpayer dollars," he said. Edwards will end the war in Iraq within a year, he said.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 9:42 PM

Change, Change, Change

The two leading candidates are going after each other and, right now, John Edwards is letting them.

They are arguing about their health care proposals. Hillary Clinton said Obama has changed positions on health care over time, from a single-player health care system, to universal health care, to a program that doesn't cover everybody.

She later pointed to an Associated Press story. In that story, Obama said John Edwards was unelectable because he changed positions too many times on issues. Clinton was trying to say that Obama did the very thing he criticized Edwards for.

Now it was time for Edwards to strike. He chided Clinton for attacking Obama. He and Obama, he said, want change and Clinton is part of the old system that has resisted change for so long. "We have a fundamental difference about the way you bring about change. But both of us are powerful voices for change," he said.

"Any time you speak out powerfully for change, the forces of status quo attack. That's exactly what happens. It's fine to have a disagreement about health care. To say that Senator Obama is having a debate with himself from some Associated Press story, I think is just not -- that's not the kind of discussion we should be having," he said.

In a reference to her third place finish in Iowa, Edwards said, "I didn't hear these kinds of attacks from Senator Clinton when she was ahead."

Clinton, who appeared slightly suprised by the remarks, replied with a phrase she has been repeating in speeches all over New Hampshire. "The best way to measure change is to look at the changes we've already made," she said, referring to her record as a senator and during her husband's two terms.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 9:26 PM | Comments (1)

No Safe Havens

Hillary Clinton said there will be no safe haven for terrorists. Any state that is harboring terrorists is a threat to the United States, she said.

"There can not be state havens for stateless terrorists," she said.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 9:23 PM

A "Calming" Response to the Nuclear Threat

Charles Gibson made a very blunt statement: "The next president of the United States may have to deal with a nuclear attack on an American city."

In response, Edwards said we are faced with "a very, very serious threat" of nuclear weapons getting into the hands of terrorists. He said it is important for a president to react. But it is important for a president "to do it in a way that's calming for the American people."

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 9:13 PM

No Softballs

No softball questions from Charles Gibson. He jumped right in with a question about the threat of nuclear terrorism.

The first question went to Obama. Would he go into Pakistan to stop Al Qaeda? Yes, Obama said, if he knew they were a threat to the United States.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 9:04 PM

Clinton and Obama

Going into the Democratic portion of the debate, Clinton and Obama are about tied in New Hampshire voter polls. Look for the two candidates to try to make themselves stand out.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 9:01 PM

McCain vs. Romney

John McCain and Mitt Romney are likely the top two contenders to win the Republican primary in New Hampshire.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, remains a few percentage points below McCain in polls. McCain, who came in fourth in the Iowa caucuses, is rallying in New Hampshire. He all but skipped the fields of Iowa to campaign in the Granite State.

Romney has run a series of ads attacking McCain and he kept at it tonight, suggesting his plan for illegal immigration gives an illegal immigrants amnesty.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 8:50 PM

A Changing of the Guards

At Murphy's Taproom in Manchester, N.H., the Ron Paul supporters are filing out. About 75 Barack Obama supporters are taking their place.

Soon the mood in the room will change dramatically, and, hopefully, I can grab a better seat.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 8:46 PM

The Republican Debate is Over

With energy efficiency as its ending note, the Republican debate is over. Next up, the Democrats. Murphy's Taproom is becoming rowdier, as the drinks continue to flow.

In a rather strange moment, the Democrats and the Republicans meet on the stage for a moment. They exchange smiles (some are a little too wide to be real) and shake hands. Hillary Clinton and John McCain chat for a second. Barack Obama and Giuliani exachange a few words.

Back with the Democratic debate in a flash.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 8:35 PM

Change

When it come down to it, Mitt Romney said, Barack Obama’s message is about change.

In an unusual maneuver, Romney compared himself with Obama. “I’ve brought change,” Romney said.

This was followed by a sarcastic comment from John McCain. “I agree,” he said, laughing, “you are the candidate of change.” McCain was surely referring to to a common criticism of Romney. Many say he changed his positions on issues dramatically after joining the presidential race and ending his term as governor of Massachusetts.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 8:30 PM

Tamper-Proof ID

Ron Paul said that a tamper-proof ID for immigrants will eventually lead to a national ID. The government would have to provide people who look like immigrants with an ID because there is no way to tell who is and who isn’t an illegal immigrant in the first few years of the program. Since the government wouldn’t want to get into ethnic profiling, soon everybody, legal or not, would have to have an ID, he argued.

“I think it opens the door for the national ID and we should be very careful about that.”

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 8:26 PM

What is amnesty?

Giuliani says that it is not considered amnesty if you require illegal immigrants to pay fines and impose conditions.

Fred Thompson says that it must be considered amnesty if you reward illegal immigrants for illegal behavior. He considers allowing them to stay to be a reward.

McCain and Romney fought over this issue. Romney implied that McCain's proposal was akin to providing amnesty for illegal immigrants. McCain will impose a $5,000 fine on illegal immigrants. He will allow some to stay, though he said the details of his proposal are still under debate.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 8:15 PM

The Three Candidates You Won't See at the Debate

There are three presidential candidates that have been excluded from the debate tonight. I caught up with the spouses of two of the candidates this afternoon to see what they thought about their husband's being left out.

Here's what I wrote:

Only two presidential spouses participated in the “Women Working Together to Make a Difference" forum Saturday afternoon.

The two spouses had clearer schedules than many of their competitors on Saturday. Their husband's were excluded from the presidential debate that would take place hours later.

Elizabeth Kucinich, the wife of Democratic Senator Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, and Whitney Stewart Gravel, the wife of Democratic Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska, fielded more than a dozen questions over the course of an hour at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, N.H.

Invitations were extended to the spouses of all the candidates, said Cassandra Burckhalter, the moderator of the forum. Due to scheduling conflicts, the other spouses could not attend, she said.

The most obvious scheduling conflict is Saturday night’s ABC, WMUR and Facebook Presidential Debate. The debate begins at 7 p.m. with the Republican debate and will be followed by the Democratic debate at 9 p.m.

Neither Gravel nor Kucinich were allowed to participate in Saturday’s debate. ABC told the Associated Press that candidates had to meet a certain level of support in order to participate.
Kucinich filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission on Friday. “ABC should not be the first primary,” Kucinich said in papers filed to the FCC that were obtained by the Associated Press.

Republican Duncan Hunter, though he wasn’t at the forum, was also excluded from the debate.

“I think it’s appalling,” Elizabeth Kucinich said after the forum. “It’s on the verge of subverting the democratic process.”

Whitney Stewart Gravel agreed. She and her husband have been told they can’t participate in debates because they haven’t spent enough time in New Hampshire, they don’t rank high enough in polls and they haven’t raised enough money. “Should political speech be limited based on money?” she said.

Both Elizabeth Kucinich and Whitney Stewart Gravel said they meet polling requirements in some polls.

At the forum, both spouses stressed the importance of an equal playing field for all candidates. They advocated for publicly-funded campaigns. “The private financing of elections means the private ownership of government and elections,” Elizabeth Kucinich said.

They also asked voters to vote for the candidate that truly represents them, rather than the candidate who they think could win in a general election. “You’re not voting for a candidate, you’re voting for yourself,” Elizabeth Kucinich said.

The forum also touched on healthcare, the war in Iraq, education and obesity.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 8:03 PM

The Third Rail

Gibson just used the term “the third rail” to describe health care. Many times, that term is reserved for social security. Like a third rail on a train track, if a politician touches social security, he’s going to get zapped. A third rail is an issue that nobody wants to deal with because messing with it often makes Americans nervous and angry.

-Andrew

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 8:02 PM

Government-Run vs. Publicly Funded

“We don’t have to have government take over health care to get everybody insured, that’s what the Democrats want,” Mitt Romney said. It will be interesting to see how the Democrats respond to questions about whether government run health care is the way to go during the second part of the debate.

Some experts say associating the word government with health care is a way of scaring Americans into thinking that Big Brother will be in control of their care. Others prefer to use the term publicly-funded.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 7:53 PM

Health Care

A bold statement by Rudy Giuliani: “With all its infirmities and problems, we have the best health care system in the world.” Gibson, the moderator, asked him if he thought this was really true. Giuliani began to back pedal a bit. It doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be improved, he said.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 7:47 PM

Some responses to Bush's Question

“Everyone has kind of a wish list. I think it’s most important though that our first principles are based on the constitution of the United States.”
-Fred Thompson

“We should be bound down by the constitution. We ought to treat others the way we would like them to treat us”
-Ron Paul

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 7:42 PM

A Question From Bush

Charles Gibson broke a promise. Apparently, he told campaign people from all of the Republican candidates that he would not ask a question by video. But the president seems to be an exception. The president posed a question, via a prior press conference, to the candidates.

What are the principles that you will stand for and are they constant?

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 7:32 PM

It's Debate Time

It is a rather unusual way to watch a debate, but here I am, reporting from Murphy’s Taproom in Manchester, N.H.

The bar is packed, standing room only. The room seems to be leaning toward Ron Paul (A Ron Paul volunteer told me there are a bunch of campaign workers here). But there are many other campaign workers represented.

The Republican portion of the ABC, WMUR and Facebook Presidential Debate is underway here in Manchester. Saint Anselm College, where the debate is taking place, is just down the street. More to come.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 7:30 PM

January 3, 2008

New McCain Ad in New Hampshire

Republican John McCain is running an advertisement in New Hampshire, which reminds voters that they chose him as the Republican primary winner in 2000 over George Bush.

In the ad McCain says, “Eight years ago, New Hampshire stunned the political world. You turned convention on its head because you didn't care what the experts or the media said. My friends, it's a different time, but it's the same place. You haven't changed and neither have I.”

McCain is hoping the “political world” will be stunned again this year with a win over Republican Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 4:46 PM

But What About Vice President?

Voters in New Hampshire will have the opportunity to choose a vice president when they go to the voting booth on Jan. 8. Only, it probably won’t count for anything. Presidential candidates choose their own vice presidents.

But just the same, three candidates are on the ballot for vice president in the New Hampshire primary.

The vice presidential candidates are:
John Barnes Jr., a Republican from Raymond, N.H.
William Bryck, a Democrat from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Raymond Stebbins, a Democrat from Weymouth, Mass.

All three told The Telegraph of Nashua, N.H., they know they won’t actually become vice president. But, they said, they act like third-party candidates in the race, shining the spotlight on important issues. In some ways, they’ve picked up where Ralph Nader left off.

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 4:38 PM

Lieberman Campaigning for McCain

Joseph Lieberman rallied John McCain supporters at the Brown Bag Deli in Concord, N.H., on Thursday morning.

“I don’t think there’s been a presidential candidate like him since Teddy Roosevelt left the Whitehouse,” Lieberman said as the crowd chanted McCain’s name.

Lieberman, a self-described independent Democrat and a senator from Connecticut, crossed party lines to support McCain, a Republican and senator from Arizona. Lieberman recently endorsed McCain. Both he and McCain support the troop surge in Iraq.

“Why did I cross party lines to support John McCain?” he said. “I did it because we all have a stake in this.”

Washington, Lieberman said, is being “washed down by partisanship.” McCain, he said, will “always put America first.”

McCain, 71, is the oldest candidate in the race for the presidency. If elected, he’ll be the oldest president ever inaugurated. At the Brown Bag, Lieberman had a chance to brush off concerns about McCain’s age, which has been the subject of a number of recent news stories. “This 71-year-old guy has more energy than anyone I’ve ever met,” he said.

The end of his short speech was reserved for some on-the-spot humor. Lieberman caught sight of a few signs behind him that said “Irish for McCain.” Laughing, he said, “Not only did I cross party lines to support McCain, I’ve become Irish too.”

-Andrew Restuccia

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 4:34 PM

McCain Drops, Clinton Surges

All eyes may be on the cornfields of Iowa today as that state prepares to caucus.
But a new poll from Suffolk University shows the Republican race in New Hampshire tightening between Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney, while Sen. Hillary Clinton has widened her lead.
The Suffolk tracking poll released this morning shows Romney gaining two points in the last day, while McCain has slipped 3 points. McCain still leads Romney 29 percent to 25 percent, while the other Republican candidates have dropped off.
The change is within the margin of error, but it points to a Granite State GOP primary going down to the wire five days from now.
On the Democrats' side, Clinton has opened up a 16 point lead over Sen. Barack Obama, both moving up in the poll conducted between Jan. 2 and Jan. 3.
Clinton lead Obama 39 percent to 23 percent,according to the survey.
But, of course, all the could change for either candidate with a momentum shift out of Iowa.
— Matt Murphy, Statehouse Bureau

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 12:54 PM

December 27, 2007

Romney Responds to Bhutto Assassination

A little more than a week before New Hampshire primary voters cast their ballots, this morning's assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto pushed terrorism to the top of the agenda for many candidates.
After greeting breakfast-goers at a Nashua diner this morning where he oogled their pancakes and talked about the importance of controlling taxes, former Gov. Mitt Romney said the attack highlights the threat of “global, violent radical jihadism.”
“This type of loss of life points out again the need for our nation and other civilized nations of the West and Muslim world to come together to support moderate Islamic leaders and moderate Islamic people to help them in their effort to reject the violence and the extreme," Romney said.
Romney was back in New Hampshire after a brief Christmas break looking to beat back a surging Sen. John McCain in the Granite State.
He plans to head to Iowa after tomorrow in advance of the Jan. 3 caucuses, where he finds himself in a tight battle with Mike Huckabee.
Bhutto recently returned to Pakistan after a self-imposed exile in London, and has championed Democracy in that country.
Romney, who has been critical of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, told reporters he still believed it was a "mistake" for Musharraf to declare martial law in his country leading up to the elections, despite the obvious threat of violence.
— Matt Murphy, Sun Statehouse Bureau

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 12:29 PM

December 26, 2007

The Odd Couple

Sen. Hillary Clinton found herself today sharing the spotlight with an unlikely peer —President George W. Bush.
Both she and Bush were named as the most admired woman and man in the world by Americans polled in the annual Gallup survey.
Despite his abysmal approving ratings, Bush topped the list for the sixth straight year, while Clinton took the honor for the 12th time.
"Americans know Hillary has been fighting for children and families for 35 years," said Clinton Campaign Manager Patti Solis Doyle in a statement. "They admire her commitment and strength to make change."
The woman hoping to become the first female president of the United States barely edged out Oprah Winfrey for votes, finishing with 18 percent to Winfrey's 16 percent.
Oprah, a vocal supporter of Clinton's rival Sen. Barack Obama, recently drew rock-star-like crowds in New Hampshire stumping for Obama.
The second-half of the Clinton power couple, former President Bill Clinton, also almost managed to muscle his way into the top spot, falling to Bush by just 2 percent.
Bush, however, had an advantage over Clinton — It's his name on the door to the Oval Office.
The siting president has been the most admired man every year since 1981, according to Gallup.
The rest of the voting went like this:
Most Admired Woman (Top 5)
Hillary Clinton - 18 percent
Oprah Winfrey - 16 percent
Condoleezza Rice - 5 percent
Angelina Jolie - 3 percent
Margaret Thatcher - 2 percent

Most Admired Man (Top 5)
George W. Bush - 10 percent
Bill Clinton - 8 percent
Al Gore - 6 percent
Barack Obama - 5 percent
Rev. Billy Graham - 3 percent (tie)
Nelson Mandela - 3 percent (tie)
— Matt Murphy, Statehouse Bureau

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 5:13 PM

From Beacon Hill to the Granite State

State politicians are flocking to the Granite State for the next two weeks to help boost their respective presidential candidates.
Senate Ways and Means chairman Steve Panagiotakos plans to help New York U.S. Sen Hillary Clinton, Acton Rep. and former candidate in the 5th congressional election Jamie Eldridge will be helping out Illinois U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, and Rep. Robert Hargraves, R-Groton, is rooting for former Gov. Mitt Romney.
Recent polling shows Obama and Clinton neck and neck, Panagiotakos said, so he's hoping to do anything he can to give Clinton an edge for the Jan. 8 primary in New Hampshire.
Gov. Deval Patrick will make at least three stops for Obama, in Iowa on Dec. 29 and 30, in New Hampshire on Jan. 5 and 6, and later in South Carolina.
— Hillary Chabot, Statehouse Bureau Chief

Posted by The Sun Newsroom at 4:24 PM