According to the media after yesterday's Iowa primary, all the women and youth votes have gone to Obama, with the diversity vote soon to follow. Well, apparently no one told the throngs of people lining up at Grand Central with pillows and sleeping bags, waiting patiently in the cold to get on a bus to New Hampshire to go wherever they're needed and sleep wherever there's room.
The call went out two days ago in an email appeal seeking volunteers to bus to NH to stump for the cause. It was that easy -- sign up, show up --and spend six hours in close quarters as part of an impromptu army as diverse as you wouldn't expect: young, seasoned, professional, creative, black, white, asian, east asian -- plus the first Dominican elected official in the US, NYS Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, from Washington Heights. He brought the sandwiches.
We're here on a bus to Manchester, packed to capacity, as 'embedded reporters' for HuffPost, seeing how Hillary hopefuls are feeling after yesterday's disappointing result in Iowa. As it turns out, surprisingly upbeat.
"Those 150,000 people don't get to decide for the 40 million people in New York, Michigan and Florida," says David Ira Wilson, a talkative, passionate real estate broker from Harlem. "We're part of the movement. Hillary's our girl."
Wilson, a black American, supports Hillary because he says she supported him, and his family, and his people. "The Clintons stood with us for 8 years," he said. "We're standing with them. We're standing with Clintonism. And she's the leader of that now."
Sitting in front of us is Larry Hirsch, the curly-haired, cherubic public-affairs consultant and founder of Westsiders for Hillary (Upper, natch). "She's someone who fits the bill in every way," he says. "Iowa happened, but the real voice, the majority of this country, thinks that Hillary should be president.
He offers us Doritos and points out who's who running things: the white-haired woman in the t-shirt silkscreened with Hillary's face and bags of buttons (Trudy Mason, State Committeewoman from the Upper East Side) and the woman busying herself with the New York Times crossword puzzle beside him, who snaps up into the conversation when it turns to politics (Cynthia Doty, Dem District leader, Upper West Side). She's now chatting diagonally across the aisle with Sophie Donelson, formerly of Blueprint, now of a sudden glut of free time and, ergo, the freedom -- and desire -- to grab a pillow and see how she can help. "I'm here as a girl on a field trip," she says cheerfully. "I am supporting Hillary, but I didn't really know the platform. My goal this year is to learn more about the political process. So I thought this would be a good experiment." (Sophie left her new husband, Greg, at home -- he likes Obama. "He's my first project.")
Behind us are a bunch of people from the Bronx, some of whom are state employees (but they're being cagey with their embedded pressfolk). Chatter turns to Congressman Anthony Weiner, mayoral hopeful in the model of Mike Bloomberg (read: Jewish and single), and Councilman Eric Goia (who ripped ConEd after the Queens blackout), both of whom are joining via car. Everyone's coming from somewhere -- New Yorkers of all stripes who believe in this candidate (and don't believe she's down for a second....but they're going to New Hampshire just to make sure. "The cavalry to the rescue," says Wilson with a grin. Hillary's his girl.
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Here's a quick video snip introducing the ride and showing how Glynnis and I encountered Sophie Donelson. You just never know who you're going to run into embedded on a Hillary Clinton bus to New Hampshire!
Re: Bright Idea
Why don't you confound all those cynics who think you're nothing but a corporate shill and tell th etruth.
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Report this (3/2003 to present
(http://tinyurl.com/2teqly)
Iraq 26,800,000 total population
Dead civilians: 1,200,000
Injured civilians: 1,100,000
Orphaned: 5,000,000
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All on account of this insane war. I realize that the "inside baseball" of the camnpaign, the spin, the brave face hiding the faces of frightened foot soldiers is so very important.
But how about telling the truth about the killing and then doing something to stop it.
Who do you admire less? The arsonists who set the fires or the firemen who, knowing the city burns, choose to do nothing? Ultimately, is there a difference?
Just asking...
The media never said that "all" the women and youth votes went to Iowa. They just said most of them, and that is an accurate fact.
What you have to understand is that we have the right to not want Hillary in office or positive want someone else as our nominee and not have to get called a "hater." If you don't understand it, you probably shouldn't be reporting.
WE NEED CHANGE. WE NEED A NEW DIRECTION.
WE DO NOT NEED HRC AND MORE OF THE SAME!
We need change and we need someone who puts the country ahead of getting elected.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DickMorrisandEileenMcGann/2007/11/23/president_bush_supports_hillary_clinton
President Bush Supports Hillary Clinton?
In an interview, Bush said of Clinton "No question, there is no question that Clinton understands pressure better than any of the candidates, in the race because she lived in the White House and sees it first could see it first-hand."
Bush lent credence to Hillary’s campaign assertion that she could “hit the ground running” if she were elected president.
This is not the first time Bush has rescued the Clintons. After they left the White House, Beset by scandal the White House gifts, the pardons-for-sale, the payments to Hillary’s brothers for pardons, the Hasidic vote-for-pardon scandal, and Bill’s nolo contender plea to obstructing justice.
Bush picked the former president off the ash heap of history and elevating him to parity with his father in an effort to raise funds for the tsunami victims.
Bush let his justice department drop the investigations of the pardons, the gifts, the payments to Hillary’s brothers and the Hasidic vote scandal with no prosecution or plea dealings.
Then when the former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger was caught smuggling classified documents relating to 9/11 and the war on terror out of the National Archives in his pockets and socks, The Bush Justice Department accepted a plea deal with Berger which did not require him to say what documents he had taken and why he had swiped them. we never knew what aspect of the Clinton record on terrorism Berger was so anxious to cover up.
All of this kid glove treatment led to jokes about how George W and Bill are the two children of President George H.W. Now the president is going easy on his putative sister-in-law, Hillary.
When she was really involved in public policy during the health reform debate her insistence on the secrecy of the proceedings led to a federal court order and judgment against her.
Who will benefit if she becomes President? The same situation exists with Obama's candidacy, although he only gets 95% as much from the drug industry as she does.
Idealism is only for the supporters, not the candidates.
It's hilarious having people spew the argument "those 240,000 people shouldn't get to choose the president for the rest of us" when it's quite clear that "the rest of us" were quite pleased with whom Iowa chose. To deny the positive reaction that is echoing across the country because Obama won the Iowa caucus is to cover your ears and tightly shut your eyes.
Make no mistake; the rest of the country is proud of what the 240,000 citizens of Iowa accomplished last night.
Hilary's a winner even if she's just the Junior Senator from NY.
Spare us the drama, Rachel.
so much could happen in the next couple months
Hello from The MacDowell Colony!
Everyone should be reading Glenn Greenwald on Salon the last FEW MONTHS!
Nothing builds faith and solidarity like being the underdog. It gives you time to re-assess and remember what motivated you in the first place: her intelligence, her tireless work ethic, her proven record, her commitment to the middle class, to diversity, and to a better America.
Hillary has my heart... and my vote!