Ron Paul takes a question while speaking to voters at Liberty Financial in Concord, N.H. Photo by Gregory W. Wallace.
@gregorywallaceSept 30 2:57 PM
Paul further explains his issue with compromise: too often, there is "bipartisan support of bad ideas"
@gregorywallaceSept 30 2:55 PM
Paul says DC compromises too much: "bipartisanship has been our problem." Says Pres O has adopted Pres GWB's foreign policy/wars.
@gregorywallaceSept 30 2:33 PM
Paul's sole applause line here so far: stop giving foreign aid because "we're broke," why not keep that aid domestic
@gregorywallaceSept 30 2:27 PM
Paul, arguing for limited federal gov't: "if you love regulations, talk to your state legislator, let them regulate you."
@gregorywallaceSept 30 2:23 PM
Paul says if a family were in debt, "the only thing that would count is next month" but Congress is not responding w/ urgency
@gregorywallaceSept 30 2:21 PM
Paul on DC: "there is no serious concern about the debt, no matter how much they talk about it" #fitn
DERRY, N.H. — Rick Perry took a dose of skeptical New Hampshire Republicans tonight, who challenged the Texas governor’s views on Social Security, the environment, and other issues at his first Granite State town hall-style meeting.
As he has in recent weeks, Mr. Perry stood firm behind his characterization of Social Security as “Ponzi scheme” and told an audience of 150 that he is skeptical of claims that climate change is “man’s fault” based “on science that frankly is not proven.”
The candidate’s appearance was steeped in New Hampshire primary tradition: the candidate, for starters, appeared at the Derry opera house which has been a campaign stop for decades. After delivering prepared remarks from a lectern, Mr. Perry strolled the floor with a wireless microphone and took questions from the audience—seven of them—to round out his fifty minute appearance.
And he paid homage to the son of late Governor Meldrim Thompson, Tom Thompson by signing his Americans for Prosperity presidential pledge. The pledge calls on candidates—if elected—to lower taxes, reduce the national debt, and cut government, as well as secure the nations’ borders, become energy independent within eight years, and uphold the constitution.
To applause, he wielded Mr. Thompson’s oversize prop axe, promising him, “I know how to use it, sir.”
Without using tools like the axe for cuts and other tools to reform Social Security, Mr. Perry said
Without using the axe to make serious government cuts, and other tools to reform programs like Social Security, Mr. Perry said the federal government would continue to swamp and burden the U.S. economy. “The key to prosperity is liberty and the larger government grows, the smaller our circle of freedoms,” he said. “It’s time to set American free again from the burden of big government.”
Citing strong job growth numbers—40 percent of all new U.S. jobs in the last two years were created in Texas—he pledged to bring the principles he has employed in Texas government for over a decade: utting government, spending, borrowing, and regulation. “The fact is there is nothing ailing America that the rebirth of freedom can not cure,” he said.
After Mr. Perry outlined those guiding principles, the audience looked for more detail as to how he would impact programs like Social Security. He has recently dialed back on suggestions that the program is unconstitutional and instead says that sharp corrections are needed to maintain solvency.
“Those two young ladies that are sitting right there,” he said, pointing to the audience to his right, “I’ll guarantee they know instinctively that when they get into the workforce and if we have not addressed this issue of Social Security it will not be there for them.”
“We’ve got to fix this for our children,” he continued. “We can not allow this to go on, kick the can down the road; let the next president, the next congress deal with it. We’re Republicans. We fix things, and lay out the ideas.”
He offered no new details about his fix, but suggested a staggered increase in the eligibility age, as well as a program which looks different for today’s young adults. “For the 25-36 year old we’re going to have a new program created for them so they know they’re going to have a retirement program,” Mr. Perry said.
He warned seniors to be wary of “any individual’s scare tactics” and affirmed that “those payments will be there.”
Cindy Brasier of Salem told reporters after the event that she is fazed with Mr. Perry’s answer to her Social Security question. “I don’t know if I’m going to know what any of the candidates think,” she said, adding, “Sometimes I go home and think, ‘What did they say?’ ”
Mr. Perry also faced tough questioning on climate change science, which he has said is not convincing. He pointed to unnamed scientists — though he pointed out one is “a Nobel laureate of some acclaim” — reconsidering their own work and that of their colleagues.
“I’m not afraid to say that I’m a skeptic about that,” he said.
He went on the skewer the Environmental Protection Agency and said that his state—without the federal government’s help “cleaned up our air in Texas more than any other state in the last decade since 2000.”
The governor made a hasty exit from the venue, and did not stop to take any questions, pose for photographs, or sign autographs. The turnout for his event was smaller—and less enthusiastic — than that for a similar event held by former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts in July.
But supporters may have those handshake and photo opportunities tomorrow, when he attends the Manchester Chilifest, two town hall-style meetings, and a house party at the home of Republican gubernatorial candidate Ovide Lamontagne.
CORRECTED | After standing steady for several years, the New Hampshire primary began to be moved -- slowly at first -- forward to handle the now pervasive front-loading.
March 11, 1952
March 13, 1956
March 8, 1960
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March 7, 1972
February 24, 1976
February 26, 1980
February 28, 1984
February 16, 1988
February 18, 1992
February 20, 1996
February 1, 2000
January 27, 2004
January 8, 2008
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect an incorrect characterization of the New Hampshire primary date change.
DERRY, N.H. — Struggling for traction nationally but seeing double-digit poll numbers in New Hampshire, former Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. of Utah is moving his national campaign headquarters to the Granite State.
The candidate this week acknowledged what he has been telling voters on the Granite State campaign trail for months: that this state is a must-win for him.
“We’re going to focus singularly on New Hampshire,” he said on MSNBC. “The early signs are that we’re connecting with the people, they like the message. It’s got to be about vision. At the end of the day you’ve got to have substance, you’ve got to have real plans, you’ve got to have a world view, and the people in New Hampshire get that and are responding to it.”
After attending a televised debate in Iowa before the straw poll there, he flew to New Hampshire to campaign. Rather than attend a forum with Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina earlier this month, he shook hands with New Hampshire voters. And as he looks to stay competitive, Mr. Huntsman plans to continue campaigning in New Hampshire.
His campaign has gone through several phases, accompanied by rounds of staff turnover; earlier this month, the campaign laid off three Granite State hands and this move will reportedly result in more layoffs. In the early days — and before announcing his candidacy — Mr. Huntsman's schedule was stacked with VFW visits. This summer, he toured businesses and spoke to Chambers of Commerce and Rotary groups. This fall, his campaign announced his first town-hall-style meeting — though the several to date have looked nearly identical to the meet-and-greet events the candidate has hosted here since leaving his post as Ambassador to China in April.
At events across the state, Mr. Huntsman praises the first-in-the-nation primary and voters' interest in meeting and personally vetting the candidates. He is careful to let those voters put him through a few paces: he takes questions, shake hands, and promises to be back. After all, he is a candidate very aware of just how much every vote matters.
DERRY, N.H., Sept. 29 — Not even a torrential downpour could keep nearly 200 supporters of Texas Congressman Ron Paul from assembling under tents in this suburban backyard.
As the presidential hopeful spoke on economic discord and government failure — though he told his audience that he believes there are solutions — the sky was equally bleak. Sometime between the pelting rain and cracks of thunder, the house party hosts canceled the dramatic entrance: supporters trailing a pro-Paul banner were to jump from a helicopter and sky dive into the neighborhood.
Instead, the candidate arrived by minivan. And as rain hammered the roof between the attendees and the elements, Mr. Paul hammered the federal government for creating a crisis of confidence.
“The government hasn’t been honest with the people,” he said, citing the case for war in Iraq, Vietnam, and, in general, the Middle East.
“Right now the same people are building up war fever go to war in Pakistan,” he continued, “well, technically we are at war in Pakistan because we’re bombing that country. If somebody bombed our country, wouldn’t you think we’re at war?”
With that, he proposed his “Golden Rule of foreign policy: don’t do anything to any other country that you don’t want them to do with us.”
A state representative, Andrew J. Manuse of Derry, endorsed Mr. Paul and state House Speaker gave remarks on the past legislative session but did not offer an endorsement. A nifty projector flashed “Freedom is Popular” and “Ron Paul 2012” onto the tent roof. The candidate took the stage to a standing ovation and spoke the topic about which he is most knowledgeable: economic and monetary policy.
“We’re not in a recession; that was over in a year,” he said. “I don’t believe we’re not in a recession. A lot of people believe we’re in a depression. I think we are in a depression. At least all those people who are unemployed think we are in a depression.”
Though talking recession and depression is, well, depressing, Mr. Paul told attendees at several points to be optimistic, because “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think there are answers for this.”
“You could restore confidence immediately if the president would go into office and immediately show that we’re doing to have a different foreign policy,” he said.
And as he tours the state on Friday—speaking at Politics and Eggs, a Concord financial firm, and holding a town hall meeting in Concord—Mr. Paul will ask New Hampshire voters to put their confidence in him.
@gregorywallace Sept 30 2:57 PM
