Message From New Hampshire:

On the Campaign Trail:  My son, Will, and I spent this past weekend in Manchester, New Hampshire enjoying one of the most inspiring American civic experiences of our lifetimes.  More to come…

It’s amazing how one moment in a debate can define a candidate.

Tough Weekend for Rubio:  Marco Rubio suffered a serious smack down from New Jersey  Governor Chris Christie during the debate on Saturday night, causing
New Hampshire voters to wonder whether Rubio is ready to be President.  If you missed it, Governor Chris Christie didn’t waste much time before he went after Rubio, accusing of him of being too scripted, untested, and unprepared to handle the leadership required to be president.   Rubio responded by not answering the criticism directly, but instead delivered his talking point about Obama’s poor leadership.  When Christie fired back accusing him of his double speak, Rubio again talked about Obama, rather than talking about his own record and leadership abilities.   Worse yet, he continued to repeat, and double repeat, the same talking point later in the debate–verbatim.  Then Rubio began to sweat – not good form in a debate.  Water bottle, please.

Far more worrisome is that Rubio and his campaign knew the attack was coming.  Throughout the week, Christie had publicly called Rubio the “Bubble Boy”, stating that he was overly scripted. Christie practically called Rubio out to the proverbial debate playground and given him the time, date and weapon for the assault.  How could Rubio be so unprepared to respond at the debate?

On the lighter side, there may have been a foreshadowing of bad news for Rubio on Friday night.   At JD’s Tavern in Manchester, my son, Will, and I met three New Hampshire locals:  Ed, Mary Claire and Karen.  They told us that earlier that evening, Rubio had been sitting at a nearby booth with his campaign staff, and the waitress, not knowing who he was, asked him for ID when he ordered a beer.

Not a good weekend for Rubio, indeed.

Who Benefits From Christie’s Attack?   The three governors.  Christie might seem like the natural benefactor from his own performance, but there is a lot of concern among New Hampshire voters about his brash New Jersey style (apologies to my good friends and New Jersey homey’s, MaryAnn S. and Lloyd D.) He might, however, have an appeal to the Trump and Cruz voters who are looking for a different kind of candidate.  Either way, the Bush and Kasich folks are HAPPY because Rubio supporters are now taking a second look at them.   While Christie’s debate performance may not have been enough to get him a ticket out of New Hampshire, the Bush and Kasich teams would like to thank him for taking one for the team.

So, Bush and Kasich:  Don’t write them off – yet.  Both are seeing an uptick in New Hampshire polling since the debate.   They won’t top Trump, but they may perform better than expected.  If either Bush or Kasich finish in the top three, it will be a big story.  Regardless, Bush will definitely go onto South Carolina because he still has a healthy war chest.   Kasich, on the other hand, will continue only if he performs well in New Hampshire.

Who is Kasich?  John Kasich is the second-term Governor of Ohio who probably has the best legislative/governing resume of the entire field.  He served nine terms as Ohio’s U.S. Representative, from 1983 – 2001, including 18 years on the Armed Service Committee and six years as the Chair of the House Budget Committee, where he was instrumental in the passage of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.    New Hampshire voters find him to be a positive campaigner, folksy, smart and formidable.   But he hasn’t gained much traction on the trail.  

Be Good To Your Gal Friends:  While on the campaign trail for Clinton, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told the audience that, “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.”  Apparently the line isn’t new, and it always gets a lot of laughs.  I wonder how many more votes?  According to the polls, younger women are supporting Sanders over Clinton 2 to 1.

Feeling the Bern on SNL:  After Trump and Clinton had their turn, Sanders got his cameo moment with Larry David on SNL.  Not a belly laugh, but cute.  To watch click here.