OPINION
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
They say the game of politics is New Hampshire’s state sport, and as a Granite State native, I have to admit, I’m a sucker for the passionate, patriotic spectacle that is the presidential election. I love the debates, the rallies, and the drama of it all. Every four years when the media and campaign busses roll in and the lawn signs start popping up in preparation for New Hampshire’s “First in the Nation” Primary, I feel a sense of excitement that can’t be matched by any Super Bowl or World Series game.
I’m fortunate to live in such a small state with such huge importance in the Primary, because it means I’ve had many incredible opportunities to meet the candidates and the influential people who campaign for them. Over the past six months, I have been able to attend the Republican Voters First Forum, a Bernie Sander’s Rally, and a Hillary Clinton event hosted by Lena Dunham. Another incredible opportunity presented itself last Tuesday, when my dad called and invited me to attend the CNN Democratic Town Hall with him the next night.
“A producer called me this morning and invited me to ask a question to the candidates about veterans’ issues,” he told me nonchalantly over the phone. “I figured you’d love to come along.”
A resounding “yes!” was the only response I could muster. I was in awe at the notion of not only seeing and hearing both Democratic candidates up-close, but my own father having the opportunity to ask either Bernie or Hillary a question. Soon after getting off the phone with my dad, I received an email from CNN confirming my spot at the Town Hall. They warned that this was a very small event and if you were not on the guest list you would not be allowed in. I had a golden ticket.
When we arrived at the Opera House in Derry on Wednesday night for the event, a young, friendly CNN producer whisked us through the bustling crowd to our fifth row seats. He explained the process of asking a question to the candidates and told us to be engaged and prepared at all times because the cameras could be on us anytime during the show. Scanning the room, I was in dazzled by the complete transformation this small, historic theater had gone through overnight. With red-white-and-blue LED light projected across all the walls, and dozens of cameras lining the mezzanine area above, the space was now a pop-up CNN studio, complete with Anderson Cooper himself doing a live broadcast in the back of the room. With all the flashy excitement surrounding us, my dad and I felt there was nothing better to do than take a selfie in front of the stage.
When we returned to our seats and waited for the show to begin, we talked about whom we would be voting for on Tuesday. I had made up my mind to vote for Bernie long before this event, but still wanted to hear what Hillary had to say. My dad explained that he was still wholly undecided.
“I’m registered as Independent, so I could vote Republican if I want to,” he reminded me.
As the Executive Director of Liberty House, a Transitional House for Veterans in Manchester, my dad has heard from many of the Republican presidential candidates during the past few months. Many have stopped by Liberty House to make speeches about veterans’ issues and donate their money or time to help the non-profit. His question to the Democratic candidates had to do with just that: “Throughout this election cycle, we at Liberty House have been contacted by a number of Republican presidential candidates. To date, we’ve not heard from any Democrats. Have the Democrats ceded the support of veterans to the Republicans?”
It was Bernie who was given the task of answering my dad’s question once the cameras began rolling. He did so by forcefully listing off his accomplishments as the former chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
“It’s easy for politicians to give speeches,” Sanders said. “But what my work in the Senate has been involved in is, making sure that veterans in this country get the best quality health care possible, get their benefits when they need them, not wait years and years. And we’ve made some progress on that.”
Sanders moved on to the next question and my dad sat back down next to me, but I could tell he was not impressed with the Senator’s answer. “Even though he was able to point to real results in the Senate, he seems tone deaf and silent when it comes to Veterans issues in general,” my dad explained to me during a commercial break. As much as I love Bernie, I had to agree. His answer seemed defensive and lacked a sensitivity to the topic, when my dad and I have both seen the struggles that many veterans in our community face first-hand.
Bernie concluded his time on stage with a fun, relaxed moment with the audience when Anderson Cooper asked him what kind of car he drove.
“I have a small Chevrolet. It is one of the smallest Chevys that they make. It’s a red car,” he replied as the crowd chuckled at such a quintessential Bernie answer.
After Bernie left the stage, it was Hillary’s turn and she was pressed with her own set of tough questions from the audience, including from Jim Kinhan, a man facing terminal cancer who asked her about her views on assisted suicide.
“I don’t have any easy or glib answer for you,” Hillary explained, admitting she had never been asked this question before. “I think I would want to really immerse myself in the ethical writings, the health writings, the scientific writings, the religious writings.” Although she did seem to stumble over the sensitive context of Kinhan’s question, Hillary thanked him for bringing up such an important issue and promised to look into it down the road.
Overall, Hillary was warm, direct, and connected to the audience in a way I had never seen her come across before. Her response to Rabbi Jonathan Spira-Savett’s question about balancing her ego with humility showed a sensitive side to her as she talked about gratefulness.
“Regardless of how hard the days are, how difficult the decisions are, be grateful,” she said. “Be grateful for being a human being, being part of the universe. Be grateful for your limitations. Know that you have to reach out to have more people be with you, to support you, to advise you, listen to your critics, answer the questions. But at the end, be grateful. Practice the discipline of gratitude. And that has helped me enormously.”
At the end of the night, I left the Town Hall beaming with pride and excitement just to be a part of the political process. Something about being so close to the candidates as part of such an engaged and intimate audience made the election seem that much more important. I truly wish that everyone in the United States could have these opportunities to hear the candidates up close, because everyone deserves a voice in politics. My Town Hall experience also helped me to feel confident in the two strong, dedicated, and passionate individuals headed into primary season. I just hope our next president is one of them.
