As many of you know John and Elizabeth Edwards are on a bus tour through New Hampshire. Fourteen stops in four days or something like that. I’m located in the Lakes Region, which is in central NH north of Concord. This area is so traditionally Republican that it has always been difficult to collect enough Democrats to have a decent event. As an early Edwards supporter and local activists I have been helping to "build" a couple of the Lakes Region stops. Today Tilton and Wolfeboro, tomorrow Plymouth. Mostly I have been making phone calls to Democrats and Independents in the nearby communities inviting them to the events and asking them where they are in the decision process. Nearly everyone I spoke to is still undecided about the election. I can tell you that during the last election cycle when Carol Shea Porter was running all indicators were that she could not and would not win. I thought she had a shot based on what I was hearing on the street but suspoected it was just wishful thinking on my part. It wasn’t, she won. This feels the same. The race is wide open and no one has it locked down. Not in the Lakes Region anyway.
So, today’s event in Wolfeboro was planned for the waterfront park in front of the Gazebo. Wolfeboro is very Republican and a summer resort town. I thought if we could get 150 people to come down to the park on a Friday afternoon it will be a great event. My husband and I arrived at 2:30 and there were already people sitting in the park for a 3:15 start time. The crowd continued to grow and grow and grow even as the start time was delayed. I tried to do a head count but kept loosing track. I was later told that there were more than 440. Unbelievable! I spent the time chatting with people I knew and handing out stickers. Finally the bus arrived. I haven’t been to an event with John since last year. I know a couple of Hillary supporters who have mentioned to me that John seemed "tired and low energy". They suggested that he was fading and "isn’t that a shame". I wanted to judge that for myself, particularly since I heard almost the same thing from both of these people within a few weeks so it sounded like a talking point.
Elizabeth spoke first. She looks terrific, fit and healthy and happy. This is where she wants to be and what she wants to be doing. She addressed her cancer right away and pointed out that they were no different than many other families across the country who had to deal with the same diagnosis and decided to spend their time doing what they thought was important. There was extended applause and cheers for this statement. She continued to explain briefly why she supported John and believed he is the person the country needs. Then she asked the first question which was about healthcare and handed the mike to John.
Saying John was on fire is almost an understatement. Now the crowd helped because they gave him a lot of positive feedback and he has a message to deliver. A crowd of this size is a good opportunity and he was ready. After describing his healthcare plan and why it is the best he asked for questions. This takes a lot of courage because these events are magnets for people who have issues to air. At the recent Clinton event I attended Hillary did not take any questions. John took the questions and he had excellent answers. Why? Because he’s thought about these things he’s done the work and he know what he is doing. The questions ranged from the immigration problem (I told you this was a Republican town), to the estate tax, to the justice department. The question and comment that epitomizes who John Edwards is to me was the final questioner who identified himself as the head of the "pro-life" committee and a "pro-life" activist. John first acknowledged his respect for this person and his beliefs. He then said that he believed that this was an issue that did not fall into the purview of the government and that he supported a woman’s right to choose. This statement was greeted by thunderous applause and cheers. At that point, instead of rolling with the accolades John looked at the questioner and said "I respect your opinion and will fight for your right to express it". He has respect for every individual and acts on it always. Elizabeth asked the final question which was about the war and he answered it well and fully. The applause was loud and long. So if anyone tells you that John looks and sounds tired ask them John who because John Edwards is at the top of his game, he is itching to take on the special interests and free us all from this system which is keeping so many of us down.
After the event my husband and I had a chance to chat with Cate who we have met before. What a delightful young woman. I am an expert of the subject since both of my daughters are around the same age so I have lots of 20 something young women to compare. She is smart and confident and unabashedly proud of her parents. She is also polite and sweet. I say this because she spent at least fifteen minutes chatting with us and how much fun could that be. Then it was over and everyone went on their way. I overheard lots of positive comments and people were glad they had a chance to be a part of this event. My husband and I helped fold up the chairs then went for an ice cream and headed back to the office to make a few more calls for the Plymouth event tomorrow. It’s hard to imagine that it will be able to compete with this event. So far every stop has had much larger crowds than expected. Sunday is our 35th wedding anniversary and we will spend it in a park in Portsmouth supporting John Edwards on his final stop of this tour. I can’t wait!