College Republican Round-Up

By Gregory Boguslavsky | Sunday, August 5, 2007

New Hampshire’s jealously guarded status as the first-in-the-nation presidential primary has wonderful spillover effects for politically active students studying in the state. New Hampshirites expect constant attention from the primary contenders, and they get it. Candidates love to tell anecdotes about locals who politely demur when asked to pledge their support, citing the fact that they have only met the candidate twice. The result is a political circus in which campaigns and the media constantly flock to the state and endorsements ring through the air. In this atmosphere, members of the Dartmouth College Republicans have attended a number of events throughout the spring and summer worthy even of New Hampshire voters.

McCain Kicks Off

Senator John McCain made his second announcement speech on April 25, 2007 in Manchester under an umbrella carefully held by an attendant while the gathered crowd stood in the rain. The Senator looked over the front rows to the cameras assembled in the back. He acknowledged being “mindful that I must seek this responsibility for reasons greater than my self-interest.” McCain cited his ceaseless service to the nation in the armed services and in politics, briefly referring to his time in a North Vietnamese prison camp as “an extended absence abroad.” The overall theme of the speech was that a McCain presidency would be an opportunity to rise above partisan bickering, fix the problems that the country faces, and re-establish America as the world’s guiding light.

Rudy Rides Over

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani took his local campaign bus from his hotel in Lebanon to White River Junction for a breakfast stump speech on May 23, 2007, and five members of the College Republicans were on board. At the Hotel Coolidge, Giuliani delivered a message focused on fighting terrorism and reducing taxes. He made an obligatory freedom nod to the mixed New Hampshire/Vermont crowd, saying that he wanted them to decide how to spend their own money. A question on immigration prompted Giuliani to criticize the McCain-Kennedy immigration bill being debated in Congress at the time, saying that even an experienced attorney (such as himself) had trouble completely understanding the convoluted piece of legislation.

Huckabee in the House

The College Republicans hosted former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee on June 3rd. The attendance of about seventy students was remarkable for finals weekend. Huckabee spoke on a range of issues, inserting lots of humor and self-deprecation along the way. One of his most interesting points was how he handled the issue of life. As an ordained Baptist minister, Huckabee is firmly pro-life, but he bypasses the abortion buzzword by describing America as having a culture of life. He noted the resources mobilized to rescue everyday people, whether climbers on Mount Hood or miners in Sago, and the continued respect for life beyond merely the gestation period. “We shouldn’t allow a child to live under a bridge or in the back seat of a car. We shouldn’t be satisfied that elderly people are being abused and neglected in nursing homes.” Huckabee contrasted this critical American mentality with the culture of death embraced by Islamic terrorists. He also discussed the FairTax, the plan that he supports for overhauling the tax code. In a nutshell, this would involve repealing the 16th Amendment, disbanding the IRS, and replacing the income tax with a consumption tax. Whether or not this plan is feasible, it demonstrates Huckabee’s commitment to the crucial issue of tax reform.

And Then There Were Ten

CNN, in partnership with WMUR and the New Hampshire Union Leader, held a Republican presidential primary debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester on June 5, 2007. It was moderated primarily by Wolf Blitzer, who was unable to adeptly control the flow or terminate long-winded answers. There was a glaring disparity between the amount of time given to the Top Three and the other seven candidates. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Giuliani, and McCain received disproportionate attention, while Tom Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, Sam Brownback, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore, and Ron Paul had to constantly clamor for an opportunity to speak. At one point, Huckabee said to Blitzer, “You said a moment ago that you were going to give us all a chance to deal with the issue of immigration…You’ve held us to it; I want to hold you to it.” Some highlights of the night were an inspired monologue by Tommy Thompson on the issue of healthcare, and Rudy Giuliani’s response to lightning strikes that were supposedly interfering with the sound while he was speaking: “Look, for someone who went to parochial schools all his life, this is a very frightening thing that’s happening right now.”

Tommy Thompson

The Grafton Country Republican Committee hosted a fundraising dinner with former Wisconsin Governor and Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson on June 25, 2007. Thompson, whose on-screen persona is at times disjointed, was much better in person, particularly when he interacted with attendees off of the script. During his prepared remarks Thompson noted his constant attention to Iowa and New Hampshire, including a plan for thousands of his supporters to ride down from Wisconsin to Iowa for the Ames straw poll in August. He is an avid enthusiast of Wisconsin-made Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Thompson touted his strengths, notably his record of solving complex problems and winning elections against seemingly impossible odds.

And Fred, of Course

Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, of Law & Order fame, made his first appearance in New Hampshire on June 28th. He was in Manchester for a fundraiser benefiting Republican state senators. When he arrived at the Manchester airport, Senator Thompson was greeted by local supporters calling themselves FredHeads. Some of their signs read “Run Fred Run,” “The Hunt 4 Fred November,” and “Law & Order at the Border.” Thompson spent some time greeting all of those assembled, taking pictures, and signing autographs. He seemed particularly impressed by a supporter who brought an old copy of Barry Goldwater’s The Conscience of a Conservative, which he gladly autographed. Though Thompson did not make an address, he took advantage of his presence and genial attitude to work the crowd.

GOP Feast

The following night the New Hampshire Republican Party threw its annual gala dinner, with a host of presidential candidates in attendance. The event was a who’s who of Republican officials, politicians, operatives, and campaign staff. After opening remarks by party chairman Fergus Cullen, the stage was witness to a parade of candidate speeches. Mitt Romney invited his wife Ann to the stage, and she delivered a usual campaign joke. Ann set up the bit by describing how her husband had asked her if his presidential campaign was ever in her wildest dreams, to which she replies: “Mitt, you weren’t in my wildest dreams.” Representative Duncan Hunter, former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, took a page from the Romney playbook and invited his own wife Lynne to the stage. The proud parents used the opportunity to campaign for another Duncan Hunter, their veteran son who fought in the Iraq war; Duncan will be running for the Congressional seat his father is vacating in 2008. Sam Brownback was absent due to a concurrent Senate vote on his proposal to partition Iraq into three semi-autonomous ethnic states. The assembled audience also heard from two virtually unknown candidates who have not participated in any primary debates, John Cox of Illinois and Daniel Gilbert of North Carolina.

Huckabee the Bassist

Capitol Offense, Mike Huckabee’s aptly named band, performed in Concord on July 7, 2007. The pig roast and concert drew supporters and their families despite the threat of rain. The Governor wore jeans and urged the audience to stay positive and ward off the bad weather. The band covered a variety of classic rock staples including Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” and Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven.” The rain finally arrived during a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” Huckabee dedicated the song to New Hampshire and played it to the end. The event was relaxed and Huckabee was a genial host. He took advantage of the rain to personally engage with his enthusiastic supporters.

Down to DC

New Hampshire sent three delegates to the biennial College Republicans National Convention, held July 12-15 in Arlington, VA. Other than addressing administrative issues and electing national officers, attendees heard from a variety of conservative luminaries. The Lee Atwater Leadership Gala featured an inspired speech by Dr. John M. Templeton, Jr. and a keynote by Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform. The speaker series included politicians such as former House Majority Leader Tom Delay, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott, and presidential candidate Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas. Among the other speakers were Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan, Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund, and Leadership Institute president Morton Blackwell.

College Republican Round-Up

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