A resolve to continue to discuss and debate the direction of policy decisions amidst a new atmosphere of unity and bipartisanship in Washington emerged from the annual gathering of the Upper Valley Democrats and Hanover Democratic Committee in the Campion Barn in Etna Friday night. Candidates spoke of the difficulty of campaigning during a time when many of their constituencies are still grappling with the emotional residue of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Barney Brannen, Master of Ceremonies and last year's unsuccessful Democratic Congressional candidate in the first district, opened the event by calling the events of Sept. 11 "one of the most tragic incidents our country has ever known."
Brannen challenged "the general sense" that the country cannot move forward from this tragedy and still have a place for "voices of dissent." Uniting behind the president does not mean one cannot respectfully disagree, Brannen said. He spoke of the need for a dialogue on whether national missile defense is the best way to protect America.
While much of Washington has been engulfed by immediate concerns with security and foreign policy, Brannen spoke of the need to continue to address national domestic issues, saying "education is still a crisis and we still have 40 million children with no access to health-care."
New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen -- who has recently formed a committee to explore a possible run for Senate -- said that while "serious effort" is underway to raise money for her potential campaign, she will not make a formal decision on her possible candidacy until next year. Her work as governor, she said, is her current focus.
Shaheen, who was in Washington on Sept. 11, saw the Pentagon burning from her hotel window. She believes the experience has brought about "a recommitment to pride in living in this country" for many Americans.
While she hopes "the response continues to be bipartisan" Shaheen said "we are going to continue to disagree."
She believes the United States should reclaim its role in the international landscape, a role which Shaheen claims the Bush administration began to back away from in its early days, prior to the terrorist attacks.
A military response is appropriate, but efforts to understand other cultures and "making sure everyone in the world has a better life" are long-term solutions in the fight to eradicate terrorism, Shaheen said.
The Governor also spoke of recent local issues, such as the Clean Power Act that will "soon make New Hampshire the first state in the nation to address all four major sources of pollution in one bill."
Another first announced by Shaheen is funding to cover every currently uninsured child in the state of New Hampshire. In addition, $100 million dollars of funding will go to science, math and engineering studies at higher education campuses statewide. Shaheen said the state's environmental accomplishments included reducing mercury emissions by 40 percent.
Peter Burling, the minority leader for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, described Shaheen as "immensely qualified," saying that every public policy debate "the fates could cook up has been thrown at her" during her service as governor. With Shaheen poised for a possible run for a national Senate seat, Democratic candidates are lining up to take her position in the state government. Burling has endorsed the candidacy of State Senator Beverly Hollingworth. While no candidates for governor spoke formally at the event, several were in attendance, including Mark Fernald, Assistant Democratic Whip in the New Hampshire State Senate and James A. Normand, the civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army. Congressional hopeful Norman Jackman was also present.
State Representative Martha Fuller Clark, who is serving her sixth term, was a featured speaker at the event. She told the crowd that she "wants to be the first woman U.S. congresswoman from New Hampshire." Clark's achievements in the state legislature include helping to repeal New Hampshire's antiabortion laws. Clark said she would work for "not only a secure world, but a just world."
Joshua Stern '04 attended as a member of the College's Young Democrats.
"It was made clear that, while it is too soon to begin campaigning again in the wake of such tragedy, the Democratic party will continue to ensure that its voice is heard and that work is done on issues of importance to the people of New Hampshire," he said.
