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NH Town Hall

I went to a ‘town hall’ event for John Edwards last weekend. I have to admit I didn’t expect to be impressed, but I was. He came off as sincere and thoughtful. This is the second town hall event that I’ve gone to, the first being for John McCain. To me, this is what politics should be, and it’s too bad that more people aren’t exposed to these meetings. The main reason being the depth and range of questions asked of the candidates. People come into these forums with very specific very pointed questions. They can be particular to the state, the town, or even the individual circumstance, and one finds out quickly how deep the candidate’s knowledge of that particular topic is. I was very impressed with both candidates in their ability to field such a wide array of detailed questions gracefully. The topics range from Iraq, to health care, to housing, to faith.

The other part that is fascinating to see is how the candidates interact with the people. Not all the questions are gems, and not all the questions are favorable to the candidates and while they are probably well practiced at dealing with a question that is awkward or uncomfortable it gives an interesting glimpse into whom these candidates are that is not evident on television or in speeches.

My viewpoint changed the most in seeing the passion each candidate had for certain issues. For Senator McCain it was a commitment to making appropriate decisions about Iraq. For Senator Edwards it was a dedication to fighting poverty. What I was impressed by in this case was not necessarily the actual issue, but what appeared as a sincere commitment and belief in their point of view. While they weren’t able to fully wipe out my cynicism of politics, they did convince me to at least attempt to give individual candidates the benefit of the doubt.

Team Roster