It’s an odd feeling for me to hop in my car here in Winston-Salem, turn on NPR, and hear voices from my childhood days. Old neighbors, friends of the family, etc. — they’re all being interviewed. "Oh, I remember her," I say to myself. "She still alive? I guess so."
And then you hear about the places. Obama at my alma mater, Concord High School. (Did he come down School Street or Warren Street to get there? What about parking?). Clinton at a familiar resturant (did she sit in my favorite booth?).
Truthfully, this happens every four years, and I don’t know why it continues to surprise me. It’s not hard to get interviewed in Concord New Hampshire when the primaries come around. It’s a small town — about half the size of Winston-Salem, and there are literally thousands of reporters around there.
Still, it’s not like the old days. There was a greater period of time between Iowa and New Hampshire, and the candidates would be around for weeks. They would be in your living room. Or walking about and down your snowy streets, going door to door. Now though, it’s all "events" and "town hall meetings". You still get to see them and hear them, but you can’t actually talk to them as much.
It’s like the old joke about a typical New Hampshire voter: "How can I vote for him? I’ve only met him twice!"
Anyway, that lunacy ends today. New Hampshirites go to the polls. When I talked to Mom at Christmas, she was still undecided. If she could cast a vote against Hillary, that’s what she would do. But unfortunately for her, you have to affirmatively pick someone, rather than vote against someone. My guess is she’ll vote for McCain, but she’ll probably hold her nose.
Dixville Notch voted. They went with Obama and McCain. I suspect that’s how it will be throughout New Hampshire all day. In fact, I’ll make a prediction: Obama over Clinton by 9 points; McCain over Romney by 6 points.
Pictured above: Edwards, Obama and Clinton in their younger days (H/T: Tbogg)
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