Last night, more than 10,000 people logged on to www.earthdaytv.net to watch the Focus the Nation webcast, sponsored in part by the National Wildlife Federation. How do we know how many? Well, 10,000 was the bandwith of the website, and the website crashed.
No worries! You can still watch the webcast by going to www.earthdaytv.net and clicking on "The 2% Solution - Focus the Nation."
You can also find out more about Focus the Nation, a national teach-in happening TODAY and engaging millions of students and citizens with political leaders and decision makers about global warming solutions.
A wonderful Squidoo site on polar bears has been nominated for Squidoo's prestigious Lens of the Year, 2007 award. The site, along with 10 others, was nominated out of more than 300,000 Squidoo lenses. Voting ends January 31, 2008. We are really routing for this Squidoo site and we need your vote!
On the site, you'll find information ranging from polar bear art, facts and photos, as well as links to wildlife, endangered species and environmental organizations. It also features links to videos and live polar bear cams, a weekly cartoon, and of course videos and photos of polar bear celebrities like cute Knut, Hudson and now Flocke.
You can tell the creator, Frankie Kangas, pours her heart and soul into the site. She donates all income generated by the site to the National Wildlife Federation. Frankie is a sculptor and sculpts polar bears and other animals. She also donates a portion of her sculpture sales to NWF. She's incredibly generous and a wonderful advocate for polar bears! Her blog at www.polarbearnews.com is a great resource to learn cute and cuddly facts about our polar friends.
Tonight, President Bush delivered his final State of the Union address, continuing--in his own way--to call for solutions to confront global climate change. Nowhere, however, did he mention passing federal legislation to reduce America's global warming pollution.
"I welcome President Bush's call for action on global warming," said NWF President and CEO Larry Schweiger. "While the White House stance on global warming has thawed, the real test of his commitment to advance U.S. leadership is to work with Congress to pass the bipartisan Climate Security Act." -- Read NWF's official statement.
President Bush on Energy, Environment and Global Climate Change:
"To build a future of energy security, we must trust in the creative genius of American researchers and entrepreneurs and empower them to pioneer a new generation of clean energy technology.
"Our security, our prosperity and our environment all require reducing our dependence on oil. Last year, I asked you to pass legislation to reduce oil consumption over the next decade, and you responded.
"Together we should take the next steps: Let us fund new technologies that can generate coal power while capturing carbon emissions. Let us increase the use of renewable power and emissions-free nuclear power. Let us continue investing in advanced battery technology and renewable fuels to power the cars and trucks of the future. Let us create a new international clean technology fund, which will help developing nations like India and China make greater use of clean energy sources. And let us complete an international agreement that has the potential to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases. This agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy and gives none a free ride.
"The United States is committed to strengthening our energy security and confronting global climate change. And the best way to meet these goals is for America to continue leading the way toward the development of cleaner and more energy efficient technology."
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR -- What did you think about the energy and environment part of President Bush's speech?
EMAIL YOUR SENATORS -- The Senate has the opportunity to pass a strong global warming bill that protects wildlife. Ask your senators to support this Climate Security Act.
Check out Kari Lyderson's article in today's Washington Post for a look at how decreased ice cover on the Great Lakes is impacting the shipping industry, outdoor recreation opportunities and wildlife and habitat.
"A decade ago, Chicago winters meant monumental ice hillocks and caves forming along the lakeshore, skirted by interlocking ice sheets like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
"Today, it is rare to see more than a thin frozen shelf or a few small ice floes sloshing in Lake Michigan below the city's skyline."
The article is a scary look at how changes in the climate are having repercussions throughout the region. Low water levels are changing shipping routes and forcing freighters to be loaded "inch by inch." The water is so low that Lake Superior broke its 81-year-old low-water record by 1.6 inches in September.
Reduced wetlands are altering wildlife habitat and weakening the Great Lakes ecosystem. Jeff Skelding, senior manager of NWF's Great Lakes Restoration Campaign is quoted in the article:
"We firmly believe the changes we're seeing are impacting fisheries, possibly in a dramatic way," said Jeff Skelding of the National Wildlife Federation. "Disruption of habitat will impede fish species from being able to reproduce."
"Really?" I could see this question in the eyes of many in the room. Could this new global warming bill--the Climate Security Act--really be as big as the Endangered Species Act...or the Clean Water Act...or the Clean Air Act? How?
"Well," said John, "Global warming has the potential to wipe out all of the conservation victories of the last century." Endangered wildlife on the road to recovery could face new challenges as global warming alters their habitat and way of life. Waters that we once fought to protect could dry up from extreme drought.
Not only does the Climate Security Act take big steps to cut the pollution that causes global warming, it also provides billions of dollars to help wildlife survive a changing climate.
The National Wildlife Federation will be working on all fronts to pass this legislation. Please stay tuned to find out more about the Act and how you can be a part of the campaign.
The Times reports that a Montana high school has canceled a speech by Nobel laureate climate researcher Stephen Running because "no opposing view would be offered". From the article:
Dr. Running was surprised.
“Disbelief was the primary reaction,” he said in a telephone interview. “I’ve never been canceled before. But it was almost comical. I had a pretty candid discussion with the superintendent and the school board, and they said there were some conservative citizens who didn’t want me to speak.”
The irony here is that the superintendent, who canceled the speech, claimed that the reason he had to do so was the lack of time to explain the situation to those who complained. To appease the concerns of the complainants, they could have easily brought on a global warming skeptic scientist, to speak alongside Dr. Running. The question then is, how easily? Perhaps its as hard to find a skeptic scientist in Montana as it is in Texas.
Fortunately, a student at the high school is fighting back.
The controversy here intensified when a local student’s article criticizing school officials was published Monday on the student-created “Class Act Page” of The Great Falls Tribune, a statewide daily.
“I was insulted as a high school student prepared to enter the world I need to hear both sides of the story,” the student, Kip Barhaugh, 17, said in an interview Tuesday. “I don’t feel there is another side. Global warming is not a controversial issue, it’s a fact. We need to be prepared to deal with it.”
Kudos, Kip. I think its pretty impressive that a high school student would step up like that.
With several primaries and caucuses coming up, I thought I'd give an overview of what the candidates are saying about global warming and other environmental issues on the campaign trail. But first, here are the important dates coming up.
Republicans 1.15.08 - Michigan primary 1.19.08 - South Carolina primary 1.29.08 - Florida primary 2.5.08 - Super Tuesday
Democrats 1.19.08 - Nevada caucus 1.26.08 - South Carolina primary 2.5.08 - Super Tuesday
Here is what some of the candidates are saying on the trail:
McCain said retraining programs in Michigan can help the nation address global warming and dependence on foreign oil, through research on such items as hydrogen- or battery-run cars.
"Michigan can lead the nation and the world again," he said after a town hall meeting in Howell. "We've got the technology here. We've got the academic base. We've got the ability to bring green technologies to the world."
But McCain, the Arizona senator who won the Michigan primary in 2000 and is trying to build more momentum after winning in New Hampshire last week, is drawing large crowds and makes no apologies for his stance on immigration or on another issue that sets him apart from some conservatives: global warming.
It was one of the issues McCain emphasized yesterday in a stop at Michigan State University in East Lansing, where he told the students that if global warming is not occurring, it still would be better to reduce emissions and leave a healthier planet to future generations. "It's going to be your planet, not mine," the 71-year-old said.
Mentioning
the North American International Auto Show, which opens this week in
Detroit, McCain pointed to several new models of hybrid vehicles,
electric cars and flex-fuel vehicles as evidence that U.S. auto
industry is meeting foreign competition head-on through
environmentally-friendly technology.
"I believe Michigan can lead the nation in this new green tech," he said.
McCain said the world is in the midst of a climate change, partially
due to man-made pollution, and he urged greater development of "clean"
technologies.
The Free Press sent questions to eight top candidates asking their views on tackling invasive species, fixing global warming, diverting Great Lakes water to parched states and supporting $20 billion in funding to restore the lakes, from rebuilding sewers to repairing wetlands.
Only Republican Mitt Romney, a Michigan native, responded.
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Monday said a proposed coal-fired power plant shouldn't be built in northeastern South Carolina, continuing his call for a ban on those facilities.
"My view is that needs to stop," Edwards said of the $1 billion, 600-megawatt plant set to be built along the Pee Dee River in this early voting state. Santee Cooper officials are awaiting a final permit from state environmental regulators.
He also said he was opposed to new nuclear power plants and that the U.S. has no credibility in global warming discussions. "We are the worst polluter on the planet," Edwards said.
Have you seen other quotes from candidates about global warming? Post them in the comments here.
The climate crisis
will be one of the biggest challenges facing the next president. But the top
Sunday hosts don’t seem to think so. In 2007, they asked 2,275
questions, but only three mentioned global warming. Our friends at the
League of Conservation Voters have done the analysis and compiled all
of the facts in video below.
Sign the petition and tell the reporters to focus on the human race, not just political horse race.
Some news organizations have no problem mentioning climate change, like this recent article about the escalation of ice loss in Antarctica. Why then, when it comes to presidential candidates, do they find themselves tongue-tied?
Now we want to know what you think. Do you think the media have been ignoring global warming during the Presidential campaigns? Do you think they have been doing a good job covering the issue and informing voters on where candidates stand? Let us know in the comments!
NWF's National Outreach Director, Claudia Malloy, is in South Carolina for the South Carolina Wildlife Federation's Annual Meeting. She provided the following update.
I'm in Greenville, SC for South Carolina Wildlife Federation's annual
meeting. I have not run into any presidential primary candidates, but
Senator Graham was in the lobby of my hotel wearing a McCain for
President sticker. At first I wasn't sure it was him, so I ran up to
my room to look him up in my face book. (I'm such a geek traveling with
my face book.) Anyway, I ran back down to the lobby to say hello. He
was very nice and asked me where I was from. I said DC. He asked if I
was with McCain's people, I told him I was in town with the South
Carolina Wildlife Federation. He said what a great group SCWF is and
you could see he really admires them. I asked the Senator what he was
going to do on climate, would he support Lieberman-Warner? He said
yes, if it included nukes.
This fall and winter I was lucky enough to be a small part of an increasingly sizable contingent of conservationists who have tried to elevate global warming to Tier One status in the Presidential race. Seldom did we come away from a campaign event, rally or town hall meeting without a global warming question having been posed from the floor or, failing that, asked along the rope line. Often, the question came up spontaneously, not having been asked by members of our team at all. Our “stop global warming” signs, stickers and supporters were omnipresent and appear to have made a difference. As the Presidential candidates head now to Nevada, South Carolina, Michigan and Florida, here are ten parting reflections on what I think may have occurred in New Hampshire.
1. Cast then count. Cantankerous New Hampshirites indulge in a quaint habit of actually casting their ballots before counting them. TV anchors, however, love to count the ballots before they’re cast. In NH, Gallup, Rasmussen, Zogby, Pew and the media who feed on their stats forgot that polls are snapshots of a specific time and place, not crystal balls. Gee, did the public get sucker-punched into upside-down expectations about the Hillary Barack outcome. Proclaiming “hey, this is OUR Primary, not yours (media),”Granite Staters did what they did, giving Clinton a three point win.
2. Response rate. A corollary of Ogden Nash’s “if called by a panther, don’t anther”: if called by a pollster, ask em how many hang-ups or ‘no-responses’ they got before they got you. I’m told the raw “response rate” in the NH polling was weak, the number of undecideds was huge and persisted right into the voting booth, and the leaners were just that: “leaning, not settled”. Another, vaguely related, curiosity: if pollsters know that cellphones have replaced landlines for a significant number of voters, how come they still don’t acknowledge a cell phone factor in their margin of error caveat?
3. We don’t make things worse. The 63 % turnout (of registered voters) shattered the 2000 record. In spite of that, I met several people who didn’t vote in the Primary because they just couldn’t decide whom to pick. This had never occurred to me. These voters were so conscientious! They said the Primary was too truncated, too compressed this year. A few didn’t want to do damage by casting an irresponsible, unthoughtful vote. The selection was almost too juicy. All assured me they’d vote Nov 4th. Fascinating.
4. Toast. Beware, too, the glib prognosticator. How well I recall FOX news’ gleeful obituary for John McCain in mid-summer as McCain, out of money, fired his top advisors. “Stick a fork in him; he’s done,” crowed FOX. Well, McCain done well: finished first by 6 % in NH, pretty good for someone who was well done dead meat in July.
5. Apogee? Normally, I subscribe to the adage “trend is you friend” in politics. Momentum is huge for a rising candidate like Obama leaving Iowa. But at some point momentum peaks, then stalls. Hillary’s do-or-die get-out-her-vote juggernaut (abetted by balmy weather and the Shaheen machine), apparently had a momentum of its own, equal to or greater than Obama’s. Why is Hillary so perennially underestimated? A lot of women to cast a “shame on you” vote to rebuke male contenders and a media that appeared to be ‘piling on’ in celebrating Hillary’s predicted demise.
6. Double Digits. The media in asserting to attentive NH that Obama could win by double digits, became a player not a reporter. At all the Dem events I attended, people feasted on their bounty of available picks. They were genuinely torn. They liked em all. So when it looked liked Obama might have a big surplus, some of those votes may have strayed to Hillary to be sure an Obama win wouldn’t be interpreted as a humiliating repudiation of the Clintons. Similarly, some independents, originally expected to add to Obama’s surge may have chosen to help McCain in what was perceived to be an even closer Republican contest. Obama’s predicted coronation fell victim. There may have been animosity among the combatants, but for the most part, there wasn’t antipathy among their supporters. Look for that to change as the field winnows and the race gets more complicated.
7. Laundromat. One of the sweetest stories I heard came from an Edwards staffer who was gladdened to find John’s retired millworker parents at the Portsmouth Hilton’s front desk early one morning trading dollars for quarters. They insisted on doing their own laundry before embarking on another 18 hour day bolstering their ardent, albeit wealthy, son.
8. Stamina. I was repeatedly amazed as I witnessed the freshness and resilience of virtually all aspirants. They were always “on”. No down time. Little sleep. Day after grueling day, they acted as if each event was their first, not the tenth, of the day. And they’ve been doing this for months straight.
9. Foreign press. I never attended a rally or town meeting where there wasn’t a phalanx of awestruck foreign correspondents or a European TV crew. The intense, retail aspect of NH’s every-voter-matters is a phenomenon. Warts and all, it’s envied around the world.
10. Heart. I was shameless in asking literally everyone I encountered if they’d voted yet, what their top issue was, and if they wanted to recommend anyone. The answers I got were almost invariably cheerful and respectful. Mostly, voters demurred on either revealing their choice of trying to influence mine. A toll collector counseled “Just do what your heart tells you to do.” I conclude there was a lot less “strategic” voting going on, and an awful lot of people just following their heart. What a privilege to see New Hampshire up close exercise our birthright with such enthusiasm, good will and deliberation. Bravo democracy. Bravo New Hampshire. But I hear South Carolina is a different matter.
Well, the circus has finally left town and New Hampshire can go back to normal. If downpours on January 9 is normal, that is...
Yesterday NH Voters surprised the country - not only by reviving their 2 favorite campaigns (I am assuming by now you all know who won ; ), but also by showing the country and the world that they want a President who understands the climate crisis facing us and has a plan to do something about it. At his final rally on Monday night in Concord, McCain actually took one of our signs out of a volunteer's hand and held it up when he passionately said "and we're going to stop global warming!" Quite a positive sign that someone seeking the Republican nomination would so boldly and visibly make this promise.
So today the election moves on, but I have no doubt that New Hampshire has had a significant impact on what is to come. The candidates are talking about global warming, the media is talking about it, and I am hopeful that it will continue to be a part of the debate as we move on to Super-duper Tuesday and beyond.
...and the polls will close in New Hampshire. Eric Orff and I spent the day on Elm Street in Manchester, holding global warming signs and talking to media, campaign supporters, and tons of people who are just here to take it all in!
And certainly there was plenty to take in. Our crew managed to build snowmen on many busy street corners of Manchester, including the big one pictured here in front of the Radisson where most of the media is headquartered. It was the perfect magnet, sparking conversations with countless reporters and passersby. The posted pictures will hopefully give you flavor of all the craziness here in Manchester!
Eric was reminiscing about his time on Elm Street in the 60s, when the 60s were "cool". Eric grew up in Londonderry, not 10 miles from here. He remembers when he first got his license and cruised Elm Street to be cool - not at all like today where temperatures flirted with the 60s and melting snowmen lined the street (thanks to us, of course!) Back in the 60s Elm Street was cool in January, but today temperature records were expected to be broken all across the state. And it is not just the temperatures heating up the streets of New Hampshire, this state is red hot with talk of politics and heated debates over what kind of leader this country needs.
You can feel the intensity increasing as the workday ends and more New Hampshire voters head to the polls and out to the streets to join the ranks of campaign supporters that are wildly cheering for their favorite. In just a few hours we'll see who wins over the guy pictured here - with perhaps the most relevant sign on the street today!
Energy Smart points us to a Time article called The eight keys to New Hampshire. The article lists global warming as one of the eight keys. As Energy Smart points out, none of the other "keys" are actually issues.
Nostalgia; Independent Voters; The Union Leader; Fire Marshals; Huckabee’s New England Appeal; The Ron Paul Effect; Romney’s Rebranding; and, Global Warming.
It may be Al Gore's ultimate political triumph: climate change as a key election issue. Everywhere they go throughout the state, candidates from both parties field questions about global warming from voters who are looking for more than just platitudes. They want to hear about cap-and-trade, carbon tax, hybrid cars, and woe to the candidate who tries to side-step the issue. Last spring, 180 out of 234 townships in the state passed a resolution asking the federal government to address climate change. That could result in some raised temperatures for Republicans who are still getting used to the idea that global warming might be real.
Let's hope that global warming turns out to be a bigger factor than nostalgia or fire marshals, when the votes are counted tonight.
Today's the day. I think everyone - campaign staff and voters alike - are ready for the NH madness to be over.
I am in Manchester today - media central - and the streets are gridlocked. It is pretty much like what it looks like on TV - just louder (you gotta love the Ron Paul army - they have actually shut down the main street thru Manchester on more than one occasion) and warmer! Not sure why the DC media folks need to be quite so bundled up - it's almost 60 degrees here! The locals would be in flip flops if the sidewalks weren't rivers of melting snow. Great day to talk to people about global warming.
The streets are crawling with media interviewing undecided voters and campaign supporters looking to change just one more person's mind. The Carbon Coalition - including staff from NWF, LCV, & the Granite State Conservation Voters Alliance and many volunteers - is working the streets as well, placing signs around the various media headquarters and trying to get our message into stories about this primary that is being so closely watched around the country ... and the world. I have been interviewed by the Italian and Danish press, as have many of my colleagues! It is quite interesting to see how many international media outlets are here. They are really trying to get a handle on what goes on in the minds of American voters when picking a President. Aren't we all...
For now, it is just one big waiting game. It's a great day for voting, so if nothing else I hope that New Hamsphire shows the world that Americans value our right to vote by GOING TO THE POLLS!
It is getting increasingly interesting to see just what the candidates will do to secure every last vote. I just left a very energetic crowd at the Elks Lodge in Dover, where John Edwards spoke for about a half hour. The crowd remained excited after waiting nearly 2 hours for the guest of honor to speak - but we were not bored. The Edwards campaign has quite an entourage, and we were treated to speeches by none other than actors James Denton (from Desperate Housewives - I confess I didn't know who he was either ; ) and Tim Robbins (I knew him!). Susan Sarandon was also there for good measure, but unfortunately she didn't speak.
When Edwards took the stage, the crowd was raging. He clearly has a solid, loyal following here in New Hampshire. I found myself next to an undecided voter who had recently started to lean heavily toward Obama. After hearing Edwards' passionate words, specifically how he will take back the country for the middle class and kick the special interests out of Washington, it looks like he has won her vote. Amazing what a great speech and a couple celebrities will do!
Despite the multitude of "Friends of the Earth Action Support Edwards" signs around the hall in the hands of children (and of course my "Stop Global Warming" sign), Edwards never mentioned climate change or the environment in his speech.
Earlier today, Eric Orff attended a Romney event in Salem where about 350 people gathered in another NH Elks Lodge to hear how former MA Governor will "change Washington". Apparently that is the theme of Romney's stump speeches these days, and it appears that all the candidates - from both parties - are offering change. Given the state of affairs in the country these days, that seems a good thing. The promise of change is far and away the loudest message NH voters are hearing, but the difference seems to be how, or if, each candidate can actually effect change.
Romney actually spoke about energy independence in his speech, but surprisingly John McCain - the most outspoken advocate for action on global warming on the Republican side - did not. I attended a brief rally in Exeter on the steps of the town hall this afternoon - and the message was all about the war on terror. McCain was running really late (another consistent theme of the day!) and again I found myself waiting for the candidate to arrive among a - mostly - patient crowd. While chatting with those around me, I think I uncovered the truly bizarre NH voter we all hear about. Standing next to me was a middle-aged undecided man, and I asked him who he was leaning toward - and why. He said quite confidently, "I'm probably going to vote for Romney, but I'm considering Obama." Yes, you read that correctly. So naturally I asked "what are you looking for in a candidate, because those 2 are pretty different!" He said "they are both brilliant, and I am tired of having a President who can't put a sentence together that makes any sense at all." So there you have it.
Tomorrow, the voters of NH will tell the rest of the country who they think should be President. And who knows if it will be issues, smarts, hamburgers, or celebrities that influences their decisions. Time will tell, and there's not much time left! Candidates are attending events well into the evening tonight (I think Edwards' last event starts at midnight) so they are using every last second they have to convince people that they should be the next President.
The candidates have one more day to win over NH voters, and they are surely giving it all they've got!
I just left a crowded Hillary rally in Dover, where about 500 people filled a community center (apparently over a hundred people were shut out, as is happening at both Clinton and Obama events across the state). Boy did Hillary come out swinging! She clearly understands that Obama is gaining momentum here, having already bypassed her in local polls by a sizable margin. She railed against his record on change, talked about the importance of experience in this unstable world, and again used the term "false hope" to undermine his message. This drew lots of cheers from the older voters in the audience, but clearly turned off the youth who were already thin in numbers to begin with. This was a stark contrast to the Obama events I have attended, and more and more it appears that the younger vote is going to make a significant difference in this election. If they actually show up to vote tomorrow, that is. It is supposed to be 50 degrees, though, so all voters are going to have to wade through what is sure to be a deluge of melting snow!!
The Republicans are also doing their part to persuade undecided voters. Eric Orff (pictured here!) attended a lunch in Concord with Huckabee and Chuck Norris - or "Chuckabee" as the NHites are fondly calling the pair - where they were providing free "Huckaburgers" to attendees (hmmm - Chuckaburgers?!). According to a very colorful cell message report, when Eric told the Governor that he was an Independent, undecided voter, Huckabee practically "sat on his lap and served him a burger personally!!"
The candidates on both sides are clearly using every trick in the book - from free food to all out attacks on their opponents - to win over NH voters. With just one day to go, who knows what they'll pull out of their hats!
On to events for Romney, McCain, and Edwards - at least - this afternoon...
I crossed into NH today from Mass on a rag-tag meandering secondary road. I knew immediately exactly when I'd hit pay dirt. I was jolted at the otherwise unannounced border by an assault, a visual barrage of Hillary, Mitt, and Rudy lawn signs stuck in every median snowbank. An orgy of patriotic red, white and blue. I expected Born in the USA Bruce Springsteen to personally jump out of my hybrid car stereo to tell me I'd arrived.
Three out of four winters, NH hardly has a pulse in January. Everyone's either trying to ice fish or cuddle with a wood stove. This year "Live Free or Die" Land is throbbing palpably. The state is about to blow its cerebral cortex picking the next President.
I just came from something billed as an Obama "Derry Stand for Change Rally". I expected big, and it was: 2,500 waited ... and waited. Obama, mobbed everywhere now, arrived in the Pinkerton Academy gym in the southeastern NH sprawl of Derry an hour and a half late.
"Change" is all the rage now. I was there for Climate Change. The Global Warming mafia got more stickers on more unsuspectings than all the AARPers, Single Payers and STOP THE WARriors combined. Derry toddler Connor Santora clutching his dad Franc's hand is proof.
What I found most surprising about the Obama rally (having attended a bunch all fall for pretty much everybody running), was that when he asked the question "Who's still deciding (on who you're gonna vote for Tues)?" easily, 40%, maybe 1,000 people (of every age, stripe and ethnicity) raised their hands. I was astounded. Granite Staters take their "front-porch-candidate-testing" wicked seriously. No one's gonna stampede New Hampshire into doing anything they don't decide to do for themselves. Attendees I met were there to listen, learn and kick the tires. Way to be, democracy!
I was lucky enough to have my son Sam agree to allow us to use his head for multiple messaging: Boston Red Sox logo and Stop Global Warming pin on his cap. Note Barack Obama on stage in background.
NH Secretary of State Bill Gardiner sez this is the weekend New Hampshirites settle and decide. But this year is more volatile and compressed (on both the R and D side) than anything I've ever witnessed. Stay tuned. Bill predicts Iowa-like huge turnout. I plan to attend a John McCain "Mac is Back" rally in Hanover at noon Monday to see if Global Warming comes up as an issue, and how McCain, now the alleged NH frontrunner, addresses it as he woos the base.
This on the ground update is courtesy of NWF's Don Hooper.
The intensity of the presidential campaign in NH has definitely gone up several notches! For the last 2 days my colleagues and I have been traveling around the state - attending candidate events, talking to voters and press, etc - and the energy on all sides is astounding. One thing is for sure, there are still a TON of undecided voters out there and over the next 2 days the people of New Hampshire will continue to grapple with their decision.
The Iowa Caucus clearly caught many of the candidates’ supporters by surprise, and while the winners are working hard to ride the wave of momentum, the others are tirelessly attempting to create a very different outcome here in New Hampshire.
My colleague Eric Orff attended Hillary’s “welcome back to NH” event very early on Friday morning, and the energy in the large hanger was vibrant, positive, and enthusiastic – clearly there are droves of Hillary supporters desperately hoping that what “happened in Iowa will stay in Iowa.”
Throughout the weekend, large, energized have gathered to see Obama, Clinton, McCain and Edwards. Giuliani and Richardson have not been so fortunate, at least from the handful of events we were able to attend (not a scientific analysis by any means!). We plan to get to see many more candidates before Tuesday, so I'll report more when I can.
This morning I went to an Obama rally at a high school in Exeter, and the excitement is palpable. Both the candidate and his supporters can taste victory, you can feel it. In addition to his other key issues (war, health care, education), Obama spoke eloquently and passionately about his intention to take on the oil companies and the need for clean energy development in this country. This drew big cheers from the crowd, especially when he talked about the potential for job creation thru a new green economy.
Of all the events we have attended thus far, without a doubt the most inspiring for me was a rally we organized outside the Manchester debate last night. Well over 100 people donned global warming shirts, signs, buttons, and costumes (I’m not kidding, there were 2 polar bears, a snowman, Santa, and even a CFL lightbulb!!) and rallied outside the debate site. We outnumbered all the campaigns! People of all ages (including a bus of 30 that came up from New Bedford, MA to join us) cheered and chanted various “STOP GLOBAL WARMING” messages in front of the circus of media and campaign staff that filtered by. Cool stuff. Maybe NH Public Radio was onto something today when they called energy policy one of the "hip issues of this year's primary"!!
After the rally, we all gathered in a bar in Manchester to watch the debate and our crowd multiplied to over 200. The room erupted into cheers when McCain brought up global warming (of course that was quickly silenced when he mentioned nuclear), and of course again when Al Gore got his shoutout during the Democrats debate. Clearly this issue is on many voters' minds in NH, and fact that it is consistently among the important issues each “would be” President mentions is encouraging.
My apologies for this lengthy post, but it is amazing just how much happens in 1 day in New Hampshire right now! Over the next 2 days, my colleagues and I will attempt to provide a snapshot of all the craziness thru this blog. One thing is clear to me – the voters of New Hampshire are still making up their minds, and may well remain undecided right up until they pull the levers.
Like the rest of the media and politarazzi, I'm heading out of Iowa with no real idea when or if I'll be back. It's been fascinating and fun. I've enjoyed seeing the rise and fall of candidates, and the slow but steady rise of global warming as an issue.
I should probably have some profound final words, but the best I can muster is that final words don't seem appropriate because, despite nearly a year of campaigning leading up to the caucus, Iowa is really a beginning. Now is the start of the Election Year. Now is the start of the campaign season. We have our front runners and our long shots, but we don't have our candidates and we don't have our next president. So take heart, you political junkies, we have a fun year ahead. Stay tuned for my colleagues, Catherine Bowes and Don Hooper, blogging live from New Hampshire, starting this weekend.
Standing just feet from Obama at his victory rally, it was hard not to be inspired. A message of change and hope wrapped in a bond between candidate and his adoring supporters - and these Iowa voters, volunteers and organizers truly are supporters: the people that hold up, support, his candidacy. Three times in his victory oratory Obama wove in global warming and ending the "tyranny of oil" and applause rained down on each of them. Obama spoke one truth specific to me tonight at HyVee Hall: that years from now I will remember tonight.
I regret having to shortchange Huckabee, but his speech was just before Obama's and I missed it, but instead I will give one anecdote from a Huckabee event in Grinnell today. As Huckabee was leaving the event, a colleague of mine thanked him for his leadership on global warming - as a devout Christian, Huckabee has spoken frequently on the need to protect God's creation and not pollute our environment. Huckabee paused looked him in the eye, thanked him and said, "You know, our party needs to do more on the issue." I won't claim global warming propelled Huckabee to victory, but he gets the issue and gets that the status quo is unacceptable.
I'm inspired - and tired - in Iowa. Can't wait to see how the next month develops for the candidates.
In case you're so enthralled with my blog that you haven't looked at any other news media - Looks like Huckabee beat Romney, with Thompson and McCain behind and Paul and Giuliani a bit behind that. But precincts are still reporting. On the D side Obama is leading Edwards and Clinton but it's within 5%.
At the Caucus I observed Obama led with 186 people caucusing for him, Edwards had 116 and Clinton had 76 - translating to a breakdown of the 6 delegates from the precinct: 3 for Obama, 2 for Edwards, 1 for Clinton.
Quick thoughts: Turnout was huge! At my precinct they were expecting 250 or so and got 378. Also very few of the unviable candidate voters (caucus-goers who wanted a candidate that got less than 15% at the initial tally) had Clinton as their 2nd choice. After the initial tally, Clinton only grew by 6, Edwards grew by 36, and Obama grew by 50.
Nothing's final but looks like Obama and Huckabee are the "presumptive favorites."
I attended a Mitt Romney event earlier today. The second issue he referenced was energy, but no mention of global warming or climate change. He said we need more nuclear, liquid coal and much more efficiency. Oh, and ethanol - this is Iowa.
While waiting for Romney, I got interviewed by German Television and a reporter from University of Wisconsin newspaper, so if you're reading my blog in Berlin or Madison - keep an eye out! (Ok, so I'm working my way up... I'm sure Anderson Cooper will be calling soon.)
French toast, 2 eggs scrambled, hash browns and a side of presidential candidates, please.
If dining at a roadside diner while watching Bill Richardson, Fred Thompson and John Edwards be interviewed live on TV just 20 feet away is your idea of a good time, you should have joined me at Waveland Cafe in Des Moines at 7:30 this morning (you may also want to get your head out of the blogs and get your green hour).
My favorite (off camera) quote: After his 36 hour campaigning marathon, John Edwards was asked by twenty-something supporter, "What's the secret? Energizer batteries? Red Bull?" To which Edwards responded, "I don't know, drugs I think." Nothing like 36 hours with no sleep to take you off message, but everybody around him erupted in laughter.
I went to 2 campaign rallies tonight (well, three, but I got to the Obama rally right as it finished, so I don't count that) and I think momentum is building toward a conservation platform. Maybe not yet as a number one issue, but I think the era of candidates ignoring the environment may be over.
The first rally was for John McCain, which was overflowing. Held at their campaign office, it was wall-to-wall people with many standing outside and very few leaving despite McCain being a half hour late. With McCain surging in New Hampshire and being endorsed by the Des Moines Register, I think he could be the surprise of Iowa after being written off months ago. And I'm not the only one who thinks that: also at the event were Tim Russert, Brian Williams and George Stephanopoulis, as well as Sky News (U.K.) and the San Francisco Chronicle with whom I chatted while waiting for the candidate. McCain has not made huge issue of global warming on the campaign trail, but he is the only Republican candidate to regularly address the issue on the stump and is the only Republican candidate to have strong credentials in looking for solutions - 7 years ago he co-authored the first comprehensive global warming legislation in Congress.
The second rally was for John Edwards, and I'll be honest, I went because John Mellencamp was playing (and he played a heckuva set), but Edwards fiery rhetoric is always inspiring. Before John Edwards even got a chance to speak, Elizabeth Edwards praised her husband as a man that would not negotiate with Exxon and corporate polluters. John Edwards then hammered home his populist message of leaving America better off for our children than it is today. Not a bad turnout there either, well over a 1000 people in a packed ballroom.
Iowans think long and hard about their candidates, and it seems the longer and harder you think, the more you begin to recognize the environment - and global warming in particular - is an issue the next president better be ready to address.
Iowa's freezing, but the globe is warming and so I find myself in Iowa for the "First in the Nation" Presidential Caucuses, to help promote global warming as a presidential issue. I'll be reporting my thoughts here periodically over the next 48 hours, so if you care what a wildlife-loving, political junkie like myself thinks about the Iowa Circus (ahem, Caucus), check back frequently.
Right now, I'm typing away in the Press Center of the Iowa convention center. I'm about 50 feet from Ed Schultz's Radio Show. In the past hour, he's interviewed Sam Donaldson and Pat Buchanan, he's currently talking with Presidential Candidate - and internet sensation - Ron Paul. Within the next 24 hours, 2500 credentialed press members will show up here.
But why I am here? Well, becuase global warming has become an issue in these caucuses. But don't take my word for it, check out the Des Moines Register.
Want to know more about the caucus process? Click Here. Want to know more about where candidates stand on global warming? Click Here.
Stay tuned, reports on NPR issue forum, John Mellencamp for John Edwards Rally and, of course, the caucus itself, forthcoming.
You can tell the creator, 
"It's the most important wildlife conservation legislation in history,"
I crossed into NH today from Mass on a rag-tag meandering secondary road. I knew immediately exactly when I'd hit pay dirt. I was jolted at the otherwise unannounced border by an assault, a visual barrage of Hillary, Mitt, and Rudy lawn signs stuck in every median snowbank. An orgy of patriotic red, white and blue. I expected Born in the USA Bruce Springsteen to personally jump out of my hybrid car stereo to tell me I'd arrived.
"Change" is all the rage now. I was there for Climate Change. The Global Warming mafia got more stickers on more unsuspectings than all the AARPers, Single Payers and STOP THE WARriors combined. Derry toddler Connor Santora clutching his dad Franc's hand is proof.
The intensity of the presidential campaign in NH has definitely gone up several notches! For the last 2 days my colleagues and I have been traveling around the state - attending candidate events, talking to voters and press, etc - and the energy on all sides is astounding. One thing is for sure, there are still a TON of undecided voters out there and over the next 2 days the people of New Hampshire will continue to grapple with their decision. 
This morning I went to an Obama rally at a high school in Exeter, and the excitement is palpable. Both the candidate and his supporters can taste victory, you can feel it. In addition to his other key issues (war, health care, education), Obama spoke eloquently and passionately about his intention to take on the oil companies and the need for clean energy development in this country. This drew big cheers from the crowd, especially when he talked about the potential for job creation thru a new green economy. 
The first rally was for John McCain, which was overflowing. Held at their campaign office, it was wall-to-wall people with many standing outside and very few leaving despite McCain being a half hour late. With McCain surging in New Hampshire and being endorsed by the Des Moines Register, I think he could be the surprise of Iowa after being written off months ago. And I'm not the only one who thinks that: also at the event were Tim Russert, Brian Williams and George Stephanopoulis, as well as Sky News (U.K.) and the San Francisco Chronicle with whom I chatted while waiting for the candidate. McCain has not made huge issue of global warming on the campaign trail, but he is the only Republican candidate to regularly address the issue on the stump and is the only Republican candidate to have strong credentials in looking for solutions - 7 years ago he co-authored the first comprehensive global warming legislation in Congress.
The second rally was for John Edwards, and I'll be honest, I went because John Mellencamp was playing (and he played a heckuva set), but Edwards fiery rhetoric is always inspiring. Before John Edwards even got a chance to speak, Elizabeth Edwards praised her husband as a man that would not negotiate with Exxon and corporate polluters. John Edwards then hammered home his populist message of leaving America better off for our children than it is today. Not a bad turnout there either, well over a 1000 people in a packed ballroom.
