The First in the Nation Primary is over. The candidates and the media have moved on to Michigan and South Carolina, and New Hampshire seems suddenly very quiet.
New Hampshirians are very schizophrenic when it comes to our primary. One part of us takes great pride at being the first true test the candidates face, forcing the candidates to get up close and personal before we hand them our vote. We also enjoy not being predictable, as was demonstrated with the “comeback” wins by McCain and Clinton. The other part of us quickly grows tired of the media army that invades our favorite haunts to ask us stupid questions. There is a sense of relief when the phone stops ringing off the hook, our mailboxes stop being flooded with political junk mail, and you can once again visit your favorite small diner to eat without suddenly being part of a “photo opt.” But after all is said and done, we can’t wait to do all over again in another four-years!
Democracy in New Hampshire is our preferred past time, and politics is our favorite sport. New Hampshire has the fourth largest, freely elected, government in the World; which means your neighbor is probably your State Representative. The flow of discontent or pleasure is as simply as walking next-door, as if you were borrowing a cup of sugar. Being spoiled like we are, we expect the same from our Presidential Candidates. Without a doubt, America is served well by having the First in the Nation Primary occur in New Hampshire.
Democracy doesn’t care who you vote for, it only cares that you cast your ballot with conviction. How great is our country that we have the ability to pick our leaders, and if need be, to replace them when/if the time comes. We should always remember that bad politicians are elected by good people who do not vote. Unlike many countries around the world, New Hampshire demonstrated that the ballot is mightier than the bullet. In a State with little more than 1 million citizens, an estimated 500,000 participated in the First in the Nation primary….outstanding! The hope is that the record number of voters seen in New Hampshire will continue throughout the primaries and the general election.
In America the integrity of the voting booth is singular, but will only remain strong if “WE the People” exercise our God given right to choose our providence. However, we should remember that we are Americans first, and that within a democracy the political parties will always devote their energies in trying to prove that the other party is unfit to govern, and they usually succeed. The Democratic and Republican Parties talk about winning or losing elections, but as long as the everyday citizen has the right to walk freely into a voting booth, and cast their ballot without interferences, democracy and America will always be the winner.
And what about the candidates running for President? Whether you agree with them or not, they are shining examples of what makes America so great. We have a candidate whose grandmother was Kenyan (Obama), another whose parents were Italian immigrants (Giuliani), and another whose first real job was a milkman and whose father was a German immigrant (Paul). One candidate spent his early years in a shack with a dirt floor and later served as the Governor of Arkansas (Huckabee), while others enjoyed suburban America (Romney and Clinton). Still another candidate married and had children right out of high school, yet managed to get a college education and eventually become a US Senator (Thompson). There’s the son of a textile worker, and the first in his family to attend college (Edwards) running for the leader of the Free World along side a former Navy Admiral and third generation Naval Officer – War Hero turned Senator (McCain).
New Hampshirians are very schizophrenic when it comes to our primary. One part of us takes great pride at being the first true test the candidates face, forcing the candidates to get up close and personal before we hand them our vote. We also enjoy not being predictable, as was demonstrated with the “comeback” wins by McCain and Clinton. The other part of us quickly grows tired of the media army that invades our favorite haunts to ask us stupid questions. There is a sense of relief when the phone stops ringing off the hook, our mailboxes stop being flooded with political junk mail, and you can once again visit your favorite small diner to eat without suddenly being part of a “photo opt.” But after all is said and done, we can’t wait to do all over again in another four-years!
Democracy in New Hampshire is our preferred past time, and politics is our favorite sport. New Hampshire has the fourth largest, freely elected, government in the World; which means your neighbor is probably your State Representative. The flow of discontent or pleasure is as simply as walking next-door, as if you were borrowing a cup of sugar. Being spoiled like we are, we expect the same from our Presidential Candidates. Without a doubt, America is served well by having the First in the Nation Primary occur in New Hampshire.
Democracy doesn’t care who you vote for, it only cares that you cast your ballot with conviction. How great is our country that we have the ability to pick our leaders, and if need be, to replace them when/if the time comes. We should always remember that bad politicians are elected by good people who do not vote. Unlike many countries around the world, New Hampshire demonstrated that the ballot is mightier than the bullet. In a State with little more than 1 million citizens, an estimated 500,000 participated in the First in the Nation primary….outstanding! The hope is that the record number of voters seen in New Hampshire will continue throughout the primaries and the general election.
In America the integrity of the voting booth is singular, but will only remain strong if “WE the People” exercise our God given right to choose our providence. However, we should remember that we are Americans first, and that within a democracy the political parties will always devote their energies in trying to prove that the other party is unfit to govern, and they usually succeed. The Democratic and Republican Parties talk about winning or losing elections, but as long as the everyday citizen has the right to walk freely into a voting booth, and cast their ballot without interferences, democracy and America will always be the winner.
And what about the candidates running for President? Whether you agree with them or not, they are shining examples of what makes America so great. We have a candidate whose grandmother was Kenyan (Obama), another whose parents were Italian immigrants (Giuliani), and another whose first real job was a milkman and whose father was a German immigrant (Paul). One candidate spent his early years in a shack with a dirt floor and later served as the Governor of Arkansas (Huckabee), while others enjoyed suburban America (Romney and Clinton). Still another candidate married and had children right out of high school, yet managed to get a college education and eventually become a US Senator (Thompson). There’s the son of a textile worker, and the first in his family to attend college (Edwards) running for the leader of the Free World along side a former Navy Admiral and third generation Naval Officer – War Hero turned Senator (McCain).
God, I love America and everything it stand for!
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