If the battle for the New Hampshire primary comes down to women voters, as some analysts say, Sen. John Kerry brought two big guns into Hanover Saturday: former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen and legendary singer-songwriter Carole King.
As a stop on what Shaheen calls "The Girls' Tour," the pair appeared Saturday night at the home of N.H. state Rep. Bernie Benn to tout Kerry's platform.
King and Shaheen spoke for about 20 minutes each on the virtues of Kerry's record and platform, both taking an angle of political practicality.
King referenced Kerry's years in the Senate, saying they were not "Washington insider" baggage but rather an asset for passing legislation.
"He has stood up to special interests and corporations, but he's respected on both sides of the aisle," King said. "There are years of relationships there. Not all people in Washington are bad people!"
Shaheen added that Kerry has the best chance of defeating President Bush in November.
"If you look at the map from 2000, every state that Al Gore took, John Kerry can take, plus New Hampshire, West Virginia and Ohio," Shaheen said.
The former governor also made it a point to cite Kerry's foreign policy record.
"He knows foreign policy, he has relationships all over the world, and he will get us back into the international community," Shaheen said.
She then contrasted Kerry to Bush by saying "'Yee-ha!' is not a foreign policy," a comment that provoked laughter and applause from the living-room audience of about 30.
Shaheen and King also discussed Kerry's proposed healthcare plan, a contentious proposal that would give all Americans the same coverage as members of Congress.
In spite of President Clinton's failure to ensure national coverage during his administration, Kerry would be able to get legislation passed, King said. "Bill and Hillary Clinton didn't know then what they know now and Sen. Kerry has that experience."
Shaheen echoed these sentiments when answering the question of why Kerry had not come out in favor of a single-payer health care program.
"Having been governor, I believe we won't have single-payer tomorrow," Shaheen said. "We have to be realistic, but that is the ultimate goal."
Later, while fielding a question from a Dennis Kucinich supporter asking why Kerry voted for the war in Iraq, Shaheen answered, "John Kerry knows that when practicing diplomacy, you must have the threat of force."
Shaheen also defended her own recent comments criticizing presidential hopeful Gen. Wesley Clark's record as a true Democrat.
"I don't think what I said was disparaging -- I think it was correct," she said. "Wesley Clark appeared at a GOP fundraiser praising President Bush, [Vice President] Dick Cheney, [Defense Secretary] Donald Rumsfeld and [National Security Adviser] Condoleezza Rice. For someone who supports Democratic values, I have real questions about his Democratic values."
The event ended with King leading everyone in an a cappella sing-along of two of her most well-known songs -- "I Feel the Earth Move," and Kerry's campaign theme song "You've Got a Friend."
She concluded the song with the line, "You've got a friend in John Kerry."
