2/4 & 2/5: Trips to the State House, Executive Council, & Milford Town Hall

Us at the State House with
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardener.

We've visited the State House twice the last couple of days to attend the executive council meeting with governor Chris Sununu. The executive council meeting deliberated over all sorts of statewide decisions being made, from awarding government employees promotions to approving the use of electroshock therapy in New Hampshire (this was a real topic on the agenda!). Though admittedly the meeting was not the most exciting event to watch, I appreciated everyone’s passion for the proceedings and the ceremony/tradition involved, with traditional New England musicians as entertainment and jokes from Governor Sununu.

Couldn't resist a photo op in front of the State
House's famous wall of presidential memorabilia.,

Visiting the NHDP with Raymond Buckley.

 It felt like the epitome of democratic organization to have a board of officials charged with checking the governor’s decisions, assigning a level of accountability to the office in a nation where the sweeping decisions of many government officials proceed without question or consequence.

     Following the executive council meeting on Wednesday we visited the democratic headquarters. It was much nicer here than at the GOP headquarters with a very impressive and inviting NHDP setup. Chairman Raymond Buckley, involved in New Hampshire politics his whole life, spoke to us about New Hampshire's unique

political system and how campaigning never really ends in New Hampshire. This visit complemented the visit we paid to the NHGOP headquarters the day before after our first trip to the State House, where we heard from several local GOP officials about the use of social media to impact elections and target youth (I found this to be a bit pandering to me)

The WiFi info at the NHGOP was telling.

Us hearing from the NHGOP officials.

     Today was also particularly exciting because Mitchell and I got to attend our first town Hall in Milford. I date guys in bands, so I’m well accustomed to being the “merch girl” at chaotic events filled with difficult-to-manage crowds and overenthusiastic supporters. As it turned out, this town hall turned to be even calmer than that- unlike the crowds I’m used to, without cheap alcohol being sold to incite riotous calamity, town hall attendees were friendly, polite, and engaged. It probably didn’t hurt that they had to be nice to me to get the shirts I was handing out, but I choose to believe it’s because of the democratic unanimity of New Hampshire’s voting populace and/or that I am extremely beautiful (either reason is acceptable).

My closest thing to a picture with Andrew Yang.

This Boston Globe article pegs Mitchell and I as Boston-dwelling conservatives.

     Hearing Andrew Yang speak in person was inspiring and attention-grabbing, and a completely different experience than I expected from seeing him online previously. His speech communicated the image of a candidate who is unpresumptuous, neighborly, solution-driven, and most of all, genuine. I can see immediately why Yang appeals to so many lower to middle class Americans- when a politician drops the characteristic bush-beating and euphemizing language that leads people to distrust politicians in the first place, it is difficult not to feel drawn in and understood by them. 

     Yang, a self-described “numbers guy” clearly recognizes the large percentage of Americans who feel disenfranchised by the current establishment system, and this strategy seems to be working: situated at a table on the way out of the town hall, I was swarmed by a barrage of new Yang converts after the town hall ended who wanted nothing more than to start a revolution, institute UBI, eat the rich, and beg me for one of my Yang hats (occasionally, all 4 at once).