With New Hampshire's Democratic primary just over three months away, there was more than the usual brightly colored leaves, apple cider and prize-winning pumpkins at this weekend's Warner Fall Foliage Festival.
As part of a weekend-long trip through the Granite State, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts stopped at Warner's Main Street Book Ends bookstore on Saturday to speak to a group of voters.
The visit to the Foliage Festival, held on a bright afternoon that brought scores of festival-goers to the small town for leaf peeping, fair food and carnival rides, underscored the importance that grassroots politics plays in winning the crucial New Hampshire Primary.
As Kerry's scheduled arrival neared, about 100 people crowded into the back room of Book Ends to hear him speak. The group was dominated by elderly and middle-aged people, though students made up a substantial portion of the crowd.
Kerry aides and supporters did their best to keep the atmosphere festive -- the Fountain Square Ramblers, a seven-piece Dixie band, played out front as arriving children flaunted "Kerry for Kids" balloons in a variety of bright colors. But as the appointed time came and went, the crowd began to grow antsy.
"Would you leave that door open?" an elderly woman asked a Kerry staffer as he emerged from outside. She and her friends agreed that a little air would be nice.
As it became apparent that Kerry was running quite late, aides became more inventive. "How are we doing on time?" a crowd member yelled as the hour-late threshold neared.
"He's jumped out of traffic and he's walking," an aide replied.
A little before 2 p.m., Kerry finally emerged from the street, shaking hands and waving to supporters as he made his way to the hastily-prepared staging area.
In a speech that outlined his basic policy positions, Kerry continually returned to themes of experience -- both personal and political -- to distinguish himself in the crowded Democratic field.
He directed the strongest of his attacks on George Bush and John Ashcroft, but he didn't leave without putting down a few of his primary Democratic opponents, including newcomer Gen. Wesley Clark.
Kerry began with a surefire crowd-pleaser -- making fun of George Bush.
"We should introduce George Bush to Book Ends," Kerry said, referring to the bookstore. "We should introduce George Bush to books."
He then expressed his approval for the sticker that a woman in the front row wore across her chest. It read "Dated Dean, Married Kerry."
But it wasn't long before he set his aim on Clark as well. While discussing his 35 years of experience in politics, Kerry said his was not "a two-week commitment" to the Democratic Party. Though not named explicitly, the jab at Clark was Kerry's most direct attack on a fellow primary contender.
"The gut, heart and mind of the president should be in the great tradition of Adams and Jefferson and Kennedys and Roosevelts -- based on you and your own experience," Kerry said.
He discussed his experiences serving on a gunboat in the Vietnam war and his subsequent leadership in the effort to bring the war to a halt as the spokesperson for Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
"I earned my way onto Nixon's enemies list at the ripe age of 27," Kerry said.
Kerry also sought to tie himself to both Bill Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain, who was mentioned more than any other politician -- a grand total of three times -- over the course of the speech.
As Democrats woo independent voters in New Hampshire's open primary, McCain's no-nonsense style and populist appeal has been sought by many of the candidates.
Kerry cited Bill Clinton's balancing of the budget in 1993 as proof that Democrats are true fiscal conservatives. He promised to repeal the portion of the Bush tax cuts aimed at the richest one percent of Americans if elected president, eliciting some of the most enthusiastic applause of the afternoon.
As he opened the floor to questions from the audience, Kerry remained unchallenged for his vote to authorize President Bush to use force against Iraq despite the liberal crowd.
Instead, activists voiced displeasure with his failure to vote for bills on AIDS funding in Africa and the import of low-cost drugs to Third World nations.
In the afternoon's only antagonistic exchange, Kerry explained to two audience members that he supported the bills in question, but only traveled back to Washington when his vote mattered during the course of the presi
dential campaign.
Though one crowd member complained that Kerry appeared "stilted" in his interactions with voters, the majority of those in attendance seemed pleased by what they'd heard.
Greg Leslie of Rhode Island, who drove up just to see Kerry and other Democratic candidates speak, said he was impressed with the candidate's stature.
"He's a very impressive speaker," Leslie said. "Very charismatic."
However, Leslie added that he remained undecided and still wanted to learn more about Howard Dean and Wesley Clark.
