ain't that america
countdown to New Hampshire: 1 day

Mon., Jan 26th, 1:38. JD's Tavern, Holiday Inn, Manchester NH--
Just came from a Dean town hall meeting in Manchester. Quick notes:

1. the mood was definitely subdued, at least through most of the talk. probably due as much to general exhaustion as to Dean's standing in the polls.
2. Martin Sheen is one of the few people left in this country who can credibly deliver powerfull oratory. I mean, damn, dude can talk. I really liked Gore's eventual concession speech in 2000, it was well crafted and well delivered, but Sheen blows him out of the water. Of course he's an actor, so it follows that he can deliver a line, but he's put in enough time as an activist that you can tell he both understands and believes in what he's saying.
3. The content of the talk was a standard stump speech. Same lines, same delivery. The only aberration was during the question and answer preiod. The last question was about Iran, and the waysin which the US can support the student/democracy movement there. As the question was being asked, a bunch of LaRouche-ies started shouting. First one, then, after he was silenced, another and another. The commotion drowned out most of the relatively nuanced response to the question, the gist of which being that the US can't really vocally support the students, as we would open up the students to charges of being anti-Iranian.
4. Edwards can work the hell out of a room and say nothing. Dean has a LOT of meat in his stump speech, but he doesn't have the charisma to take a crowd where politicians need to take them. Clinton had both.
5. WiFi in the Holiday Inn is greedy.
6. Judy Dean is great. The image of a working wife, a two career family, is more powerful and progressive in person than I had imagined.
7. Kerry/Edwards is the ticket. That's where I'd put my money. Anyone want some of that action?

Tonight, visits to some more campaign HQs. Visited Kerry and Dean's HQs last night. Max Weinberg was kicking it at Kerrys. At Dean's there was this hippy who accidentally spit a huge chunk of donut onto Cem when he came in to tell his supervisor that he'd forgotten why he went into the other room. Cem still has donut powder on his shirt. Later, at 6, to see edwards at his town hall meeting at the palace. Tomorrow, hang out with the kucinich team and try and see the Kerry post-election party. cheers.