The most recent GOP debate took place at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. ONE was invited to join in the pre-debate activities and to the main event, #EconDebate.
Here are my inner thoughts from the debate…
Pre-debate:
Politteratti? What do you call a room crowded with New Hampshire’s most well-known political movers and shakers? They were there: former United States senators, many of New Hampshire’s state senators, and a small army of consultants tested the room’s capacity. Just outside the room was the main lobby of the hotel where WBIN (the local station that teamed up with Bloomberg News and the Washington Post to host the debate and reception) were interviewing many of the VIP’s in attendance. The only reason I made it into the room was because of the high regard in which ONE members are held.
The long holiday weekend might be the unofficial end of summer, but it might also be the official start of the first-in-the-nation primary season.
Former Governor Romney with ONE Volunteers Jake, Salena, Brian, Megan and Louis
Like all Granite Staters, ONE members in New Hampshire enjoy amazing access to the presidential candidates. This gives us the opportunity to let the would-be presidents know that issues affecting global poverty and preventable disease are important to 10,000 ONE members in the state. That message is being shared again and again by volunteers and members from north to south and east to west.
Sister Sledge had it right, “Have faith in you and the things you do, you can’t go wrong.”
As a father I could not be more proud of my wife and sons as they have supported ONE for the last six years. Recently we had the chance to relive a moment from ONE Vote ’08, posing in front of Harvey’s Bakery in downtown Dover, New Hampshire.
ONE members from around New Hampshire are as active as the Republican candidates for president in the first-in-the-nation primary state.
ONE members Katie and Trey catch up with Rudy Giuliani on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.
The campaign trail is starting to heat up in the Granite State. While the candidates are vying for votes, ONE members are engaging them and supporting American efforts in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has made a number of appearances around the state. In July, he visited with voters in Wolfeboro. He indicated he had read that eradicating malaria would be No. 1 on the list of how we could best utilize our resources to save human lives. He went on to say that America is accountable to economic and political freedom around the world. This combination has, and will continue to, put millions in position to lift themselves out of poverty. Governor Romney also participated in a traditional town hall meeting in Derry. He said that promoting good governance and fair trade has a strong positive impact on the American economy.
Last night in Manchester, the New Hampshire Political Library held its annual awards dinner and among the honorees in attendance were former 2008 presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney and former 2000 presidential candidate Sen. Bill Bradley.
After the event, I was able to briefly speak with Gov. Romney who recognized me from his days on the campaign trail. I thanked him for his ideas about healthcare and education in developing countries and commented how in the closing days of the NH Primary, he would end his town halls by talking about the need to place regional coordinators in highly impoverished parts of the world to help with more aid and infrastructure and facilitate more trade. He graciously thanked me and ONE before heading out of the event.
In the lobby, I found myself next to Sen. Bradley and was able to offer him a ONE band while I explained that ONE is made up of more than 2.4 million Americans who want our country to better address the emergency crisis of global disease and extreme global poverty. I even mentioned to Sen. Bradley, who is supporting Sen. Obama, that at many town halls and speeches, Sen. Obama often talks about bigger and better US efforts to combat AIDS and malaria in Africa and help save lives of the poorest people on Earth.
Even though the NH Primary is over, ONE has made a lasting impression in helping to change the debate and shift political focus to the world’s poorest people. As we move to a general election, and at the same time advocate for the passage of PEPFAR in the Senate, it is your voice that is making the difference and making sure that our leaders put forward the resources to make extreme, stupid poverty history.
On the campaign trail here in Florida we caught up with Governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. We saw Mitt in downtown Orlando on a stop along the trail. After his speech we approached the governor and commended him for talking about his plans to combat global poverty.
After the meeting with Governor Romney we caught word that Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was having an impromptu press conference at the airport. ONE members were able to chat with the governor and thanked him for his support. Gov. Huckabee was nice enough to take a photo with us before jumping in an SUV and heading off to his next stop. Ready, set, all GOP eyes on Florida!
Gov. Mitt Romney was campaigning here in the Granite State right after Christmas. ONE’s Marine, Michael Castaldo and I caught up with him at Robie’s General Store in Hooksett, to make sure that he remembers the poorest of the poor.
When Gov. Romney walked into the crowed store, he immediately recognized us with our shirts and pins, and told us that “it is good to see ONE again”, in front of the crowd! Michael quietly snuck outside by his waiting car and asked if he could get a few moments of video with the Governor. Check it out:
As we near Primary Day – Jan. 8th – here in New Hampshire, ONE is hot on the campaign trail to make sure that the next president of the United States knows that fighting global disease and saving lives in Africa is not only possible in today’s world…it is a priority.
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
