Wednesday, May 5, 2010 - Dee Dee Myers from California became the press...
Dee Dee Myers from California became the press secretary, a job that would require her to handle more incoming fire than she possibly could have anticipatedThough she was very young, she rose to the challengeStephanie Solien, from Washington State, became our political directorShe was married to Frank Greer, but thats not why I hired herStephanie was smart, politically astute, and less hard-edged than most of the boysShe provided both the good work and the good chemistry every high-tension effort needsAs the campaign progressed, young people from all over America just showed up to pick up the extra load
On the financial front, we made do in the beginning with generous early help from Arkansans, Bob Farmers efforts in Massachusetts and with regular Democratic donors who would give just because he asked them, and donations from friends around the country that helped me qualify for matching funds from the federal governmentTo do that, a candidate must raise $5,000 in each of twenty states, in amounts not exceeding $250 per contributionIn some states, my governor friends took care of itIn Texas, my longtime supporter Truman Arnold raised a much-needed $30,000Unlike many wealthy people, Truman seemed to rock of love tiffany's necklace become an even more committed Democrat as he got richer
Somewhat surprisingly, a lot of people in the Washington, D area wanted to help, in particular Democratic lawyer and fund-raiser Vic Raiser and my friend from Renaissance Weekend Tom SchniederIn New York, I got invaluable early help not only from our friends Harold Ickes and Susan Thomases but also from Ken Brody, a Goldman Sachs executive who decided he wanted to get heavily involved in Democratic politics for the first timeKen told me he had been a Republican because he thought the Democrats had a heart but their head was in the wrong placeThen, he said, he had gotten close enough to the national Republicans to see that they had a head but no heart, and decided to join the Democrats because he thought it was easier to change minds than hearts, and luckily for me, he figured I was the best place to startKen took me to a dinner with high-powered New York businesspeople, including Bob Rubin, whose tightly reasoned arguments for a new economic policy made a lasting impression on meIn every successful political campaign, people like Ken Brody somehow appear, bringing energy, ideas, and converts
In addition to money-raising and organizing, I had to reach dior detective bag out to constituencies that were predominantly DemocraticIn October, I spoke to a Jewish group in Texas, saying that Israel should trade land for peace; to blacks and Hispanics in Chicago; and to Democratic Party groups in Tennessee, Maine, New Jersey, and California, all of which were considered swing states, meaning they could go either way in the general electionIn November, I spoke in Memphis to the convention of the Church of God in Christ, Americas fastest-growing black denominationI worked the South: Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana, and GeorgiaFlorida was important, because its December 15 straw poll at the Democratic convention would be the first contested votePresident Bush was beginning to slip in the polls and didnt help himself by saying that the economy was in good shapeI spoke to the National Education Association and the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in WashingtonI went south again to North Carolina, Texas, and GeorgiaIn the West, I made stops in Colorado and South Dakota; in Wyoming, where Governor Mike Sullivan endorsed me; and in the Republican stronghold of Orange County, California, where I picked up the support of Republican telecommunications executive gucci bags discount Roger Johnson and others who were disillusioned with President Bushs economic policy
While all this was going on, however, the main focus of the campaign was New HampshireIf I ran poorly there, I might not do well enough in the states that followed to last until Super TuesdayThough I was running dead last in the polls in mid-November, I liked my chancesNew Hampshire is a small state, less than half the size of Arkansas, with very well-informed primary voters who take seriously their responsibility to carefully evaluate the candidates and their positionsTo compete effectively, a good organization and persuasive television ads are necessary, but nowhere near sufficientYou must also do well in an endless stream of small house parties, town meetings, rallies, and unscheduled handshakingA lot of New Hampshire citizens wont vote for anyone who hasnt personally asked for their supportAfter all my years in Arkansas politics, that kind of campaigning was second nature to me
Even more than the political culture, the economic distress and the inevitable emotional trauma it spawned made me feel at home in New HampshireIt was like Arkansas ten years earlierAfter prospering throughout the 1980s, New Hampshire had the louis vuitton galliera pm bag nations fastest-growing welfare and food-stamp rolls, and the highest rate of bankruptciesFactories were closing and banks were in troubleLots of people were unemployed and genuinely afraidafraid of losing their homes and their health insuranceThey didnt know if they would be able to send their kids to collegeThey doubted Social Security would be solvent when they reached their retirement yearsI had known many Arkansans in similar situationsAnd I thought I knew what needed to be done to turn things around
The campaign organization began with two gifted young people, Mitchell Schwartz and Wendy Smith, who moved to Manchester and opened the state headquartersThey were soon joined by Michael Whouley, a Boston Irishman and world-class organizer, and my friend of forty years Patty Howe Criner, who moved up from Little Rock to explain and defend me and my recordBefore long we had a big steering committee co-chaired by two lawyers Id met through the DLC, John Broderick and Terry Schumaker, whose office, fortuitously, was in the same building that more than a century earlier had housed the law office of Governor Franklin Pierce
The competition was stiffAll the announced candidates were running hard in New chanel tote bags Hamps
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