Flight Day

Today was the day we were leaving New Hampshire. It was a very intensive and fun trip. I loved meeting new people as well as learning what New Hampshire had in its past. The day was very sunny, which was unfortunate because the day before was overcast. The good thing about the morning was that we got to sleep in. We left for the airport a couple of hours before our flight because some people had different flights and they had to turn in the vans with gas. I decided to get lunch at Friendly's, which was surprisingly very good. I had never had actual food from there, and they gave me a good burger with a lot of fries. I went back there to get dessert, which was also delicious. The flight back was close to 3 hours. What shocked me the most was that when we left it was cold and around 40 degrees. Once we landed, it was close to 80 and very humid. That change was nice in the sense that it was familiar, but I do not like the heat too much.

Primary Day

House in Bedford

Another House in Bedford 

Today is the day that many have waited for. The Biden people had to get up around 4 so that we could leave at 5 in the morning. I did not get much sleep, possibly between 4 to 5 hours. When we got to the HQ, we waited for an hour until we were dropped off in the very beautiful neighborhood of Bedford. If I ever move to New Hampshire, I will try my best to go here lol. Although the scenery was beautiful, this was the most difficult spot to canvass along with the downtown Manchester area. Since the houses were so far apart, we had to walk big distances. The overcast weather did not help with the cold, and the hills made it very tiring to travel on foot. Once we finished up canvassing, we ended up going to a Target to get a good breakfast at Starbucks. We were picked up later on and dropped off at the HQ. There, we did a couple hours of phone-banking. As the day was turning dark, one of the supervisors took us to Nashua so that we could do our last canvass in a neighborhood. By time the polls closed, we were taken to the Radisson as part of an afterparty as we watched the polls come in. Biden could not be there because he wanted to focus on South Carolina and Nevada, as he knew he had to because those are the states he has good ground in. As it turns out, he was correct. he placed 5th in number of delegates received. It was a good party, and we said goodbye to many friends we made. They were very grateful for the time spent there. I was extremely tired, so once I got to the hotel I immediately went to sleep.

Jill, Hannity, and Joe!

Dr. Jill Biden

Sean Hannity

2nd Biden Selfie

Woah. What a way to spend my birthday. First, we went to the second Biden HQ in Manchester and there we were expecting a visit from Dr. Jill Biden. She came in and gave us a pep-talk on the importance of volunteer work. She has done some amazing work on the public school system. I wish I had more time to talk to her because I come from a family of public school educators. Once she left, we went canvassing again until it was time to go to the Biden event at the Greek Orthodox church in Manchester. We got to the church and went to work pretty quickly. Our job was to get a head count of the people coming in as well as to make space for people with physical needs to sit in a designated area. While all of this was happening, Sean Hannity from Fox News shows up and starts interviewing people. No one knew he was going to be here, so it was a surprise for everyone. He asked some pretty fabricated questions that was not pleasant to hear. I would later go on to see his program because someone had told me I was on Fox in the background. Not only was I not able to find where I was, but I had to listen to a very biased news program about the event that I can tell you was very different from what actually happened. Once Biden got there, a protester started yelling that Biden touches women and children. I was disappointed that he came here to do that, and I was surprised that Jill shot up and went to the protester. He was eventually escorted out of the building, and Biden gave a passionate speech on the need to restore the soul of this nation. I went with Fallia to the Biden line and we both got selfies with him. I wish I could thank him for his work on cancer research, but there were so many people that his group kept pushing him down the line. I was very happy I got to see him on my birthday.

Canvass Day

Canvassing

Today was a chill day. First, we had a guest speaker and a friend Dr. McLauchlan come in to speak to us. He is the senate minority leader in the Tennessee senate. His name is Jeff Yarbo, and he spoke about how he worked with Dr. McLauchlan on the Gore campaign in 2000. He told us about how Tennessee was a swing state not too long ago. Candidates would have to go to the state to try and win it from both sides, but now it has voted Republican in the last few presidential elections. Once we left the hotel, we were dropped off at our respective headquarters. The Biden students spent the day out canvassing. We were first in downtown Manchester, which put us in a difficult place because there were many apartments and it was hard to contact the voters. There were 3 full pages of names in my packet that were not accessible because they lived in luxury apartments. I needed to eat something delicious, so I wanted to go to the gyro place we had been eating at basically every day. Unfortunately, it was closed on Sundays so we went to a Vietnamese restaurant. After a VERY long time, we went back to the HQ and got another packet. One of the Biden students had to leave early, so Fallia and I were the only ones left. We went canvassing in a neighborhood when it started snowing. I thought it was beautiful to be outside and it was not as cold as I thought it was going to be. Anyway, we got back to the hotel at night and went to bed. Oh and also, I'm very glad Joaquin Phoenix won the Oscar for best actor.

Biden event #2 and Dem. Dinner

Biden Event in Rex Theater in Manchester

Biden with the press

Amy Klobuchar at Dinner

Elizabeth Warren at Dinner

Today was another big day. In the morning, the Biden people had to leave early from the hotel so that we could to the Rex Theater in Manchester for a Biden event. We could not see Dante Scala, who wrote a book on New Hampshire politics that we had to read for class, but I was not that disappointed because I actually enjoy working at the Biden events. The Biden students were in charge of getting a head count every 15 minutes so that the people inside could get an idea of how they were going to accommodate people. Once the doors opened, we had to bring people in groups of 10 so that they would not cluster inside. I The place was packed, so people had to start filling the lobbying and could not get a seat. The people who were still outside were moved to a cantina across the street. Since they could not attend the event, Biden went to the cantina first so that they could get a chance to meet him. I thought that was very sweet of him to do that, which is another quality of him that I find inspiring. Then he went to the theater and did his thing. He was introduced by Michelle Kwan, who is a surrogate of his and did a good job of explaining her support for him. Once the vent was over, the Biden people grabbed lunch at the cantina and then went to the HQ. Once the afternoon kicked in, we were picked up by our van driver and we headed to the SNHU arena where there was a Democratic fundraising dinner for all the candidates. Many well-known people were there, including Michael J. Fox, Michael Moore, Michelle Kwan, and more. Rep. Pappas spoke at the beginning of the event. Also, both New Hampshire senators spoke about the need to win the Senate and the White House. The candidates that were there had their supporters in the arena seats with shirts and banners. The biggest crowds were the Buttigieg people and the Warren people. Needless to say, I really enjoyed the night because I could se all the candidates speak about the importance of this election.

Debate Visibility

Tonight is the debate. Although we were not able to get inside, we were part of the debate visibility. This means that we congregate with our campaigns and we cheer for our candidates. Since the debate was at Saint Anselm college, the people at the debate visibility got together along the street. People made up chants as they waved their signs to mark their candidate's presence. As cars would pass by, they would honk and cheer for their respective candidates. Our professor told us that it isn't a real debate visibility if there isn't blood shed. I do not think she meant this literally, but I understood what she was trying to say. I can definitely say that there was no blood shed, but I can bet that there were tears shed. This was a peculiar day because it was a cloudy day. We knew it was going to rain, but I did not expect to see what happened there. In the 3 hours that the Biden students were outside, we got to see the precipitation in front of us turn from rain to sleet and finally to snow. I was not crying on the outside, but I sure as hell was on the inside. I'm not one to complain too much, but that was a rough day.

Saint Anselm tour

Saint Anselm

View outside of hotel

Today was not as packed but still a lot of fun. We woke up to snow, which I cannot say has happened to me very often since I am from Florida. It had apparently been snowing during the night, so we woke up and there was a blanket of white outside. Once the van drivers got snow off of the vans, we headed to Saint Anselm college. This is a private school outside of Manchester. There, we were given a tour by a very knowledgeable man. He showed us where the candidates were going to be for the debate that would happen the 7th. Also, he told us that all the candidates get make-up, even if you would not expect someone to have it on. Apparently, he told us that many of the students are involved in polling data and a good number of students end up working in the political realm, whether in the news or campaigning. He also showed us a podium that JFK spoke from when he was in New Hampshire. The college was awesome because of its involvement in politics.

State House pt. 2

Governor with the Executive Council

Secretary of State with the class

This was part 2 of the 5th. Once we left the climate event in the morning, we headed back to the State House. There, we got to see the Secretary of State (or maybe it was the 4th, but I am not sure) talk about the history of what makes New Hampshire so special in the nominating process. He had so many stories that it was hard to keep track of them sometimes. We headed back into the Senate chamber and heard from people in the Executive council about the importance of politics in our lives. Since the meeting with the Governor was delayed, we had to wait until they went back into the room. We stayed there for a couple of minutes to see them conduct business and then headed down to the lunchroom. The next thing we did was go to the New Hampshire Democratic Party HQ. The chair of the NH party was there and he was very funny. He explained the beef they have with the GOP there with detailed stories on their encounters. The HQ was like a walk-in museum, where there were so many artifacts and memorabilia from past campaigns. 

NH Democratic Party HQ

Climate Town Hall

Climate Town Hall

Amy Klobuchar

Tom Steyer

Andrew Yang

 Today was another big day. We had to wake up earlier than usual to get to the climate town hall in Concord. There, we heard Amy Klobuchar speak first. She spoke really well about her ability to pass many legislations regarding the climate. Her background from the Midwest gives her an ability to speak about the issues facing the farmers of the country. The class had to go somewhere for an event, but we ended up going back to the climate forum and heard the last couple of minutes of his speech. The class could not get a photo with him, but some did get a picture with him. The last person we heard speak was Tom Steyer. He spoke about the struggles of the people in southern California dealing with the climate. Out of all the candidates, he is the one that spoke with the most passion about this topic.

First Biden Event and NH GOP HQ

NH GOP HQ

2nd Biden HQ

Selfie with Biden students

  This was an afternoon that I would never forget. On this afternoon, we went to the NH GOP HQ and they told us how they strategized getting out the vote using Facebook. It was a change of scenery to be sure, but it was not bad. After that we were dropped off at our second HQ in downtown Manchester. We were in charge of decorating the place and I must say we did a pretty good job. We had to wait until we were picked up because we had out first event in Concord. When we got to Concord, we were split up and in charge of different things. I had to put of the signs that would go out front as well as give each person waiting in line a Biden sticker. It got really chilly outside so I was shivering underneath the night sky. Once we did end up inside, we had to direct everybody to their seats and make space for the press. Biden was late to the event, and I was getting antsy. Once he did get there though, it was awesome. First, the person who introduced him told people that she was extremely grateful for the Violence Against Women Act because it helped her through tough times. He got out and gave an energetic speech on what it is going to take to defeat Trump in 2020. After the event ended, we waited in line to see him. Once I shook his hand, I got super nervous and did not say a lot. He did ask me what my name was and I responded with Manuel. He called me Ben, so he must of not heard me which was hilarious. Anyway, it was an amazing night because I got to meet my political hero and now I am changing my name to Ben. 

Dr. McLauchlan, Biden, and students with RTWH2020 shirt

State House pt. 1

State House in Concord

State Senate

State House of Representatives

 

Governor's Table 

 

Class with the NH Secretary of State

Today was a big day. The first thing we did was go to the State House in Concord. Our tour guide told us about the historic building that has so many stories. There the tour guide gave us a view of the inside of the room where the House of Representatives meet. We learned that each Representative and Senator earns 100 dollars a year! Then we went inside the Senate chamber to see their meeting place. We also got to go inside where the Governor meets with his Executive Council. And all of this was just in the morning. 

Iowa Results

 

Iowa results 

Tonight was the night that we were supposed to hear about the results from the Iowa caucuses. We were at this Mexican place called Margarita's on time to see CNN show the results. I always thought that the time the news would put up as the countdown was definitive. Once the timer was over, minutes would pass and the results would not come on. I would later learn that they do it by section of the state, so it is a build up count and not a 100 percent reporting all at once. Even though this is true, the results of the Iowa caucuses were delayed for a while as there was something wrong with the reporting. When I got to the hotel, I turned on CNN and went to bed, but I quickly turned it off because I was not going to waste any sleep worrying who "won Iowa". I would have to find out in the morning.

Biden HQ in Manchester, NH

                                                                                                                                   

Canvassing in Manchester, NH

The first thing we did today was eat breakfast at the hotel. There, our professors divided all of the campaigns into three different buses based on where the locations of the headquarters were. This would be something that would happen every morning before leaving for the rest of the trip. The Biden people were dropped off last in Manchester, which was not exciting given that I had a little too much water for breakfast and had to hold it in for a long time! Once we got there, we met with a guy named Sal DeFrancesco. He had been working for the Biden campaign since the summer and was from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He asked us if we wanted to try out canvassing for a little. Given by the words he used, I thought it would not take a long time. To my surprise, we were left outside walking around for 4 hours! I am certainly not complaining, but I would like to be told ahead of time how long these things would take. Given that this was my first time canvassing, I was a little worried about how I needed to interact with voters. As time went by, however, it got really easy for me to talk to strangers about politics. I learned that NH voters are very welcoming in hearing what people have to say, for the most part. I was alone in these 4 hours as was another student, but the two girls went in pairs after an unpleasant event that happened to them. After the canvassing, we went to the HQ and ate pizza. As we waited until our van driver got there, we did a little phone banking until we were picked up and went to this Mexican restaurant called Margarita's to await the Iowa caucus results.

First day/Boston

                                                               

 

JFK banner at Boston-Logan Airport

View from the plane as we are landing 

 This is the day I have been waiting for ever since I applied to the course! A lot of people are focusing on the Super bowl that is happening tonight, but for me this day is special because it is the start of something that I could not believe would be possible. I have a passion for politics that is truly inexplicable, and that would be put to the test today as we headed to New Hampshire. I arrived at the airport at 8:30 and checked my suitcase in. Then I swept through the TSA security and immediately headed to get my breakfast at Starbucks, which reminds me that I will be advising everyone to try their delicious red velvet pound cake. Anyway, most of the class met up by the gate and flew on the Delta flight. Our flight was shorter than expected and we arrived a half an hour early. I had never been to Boston and the little that we got to see was beautiful. Once we got to the hotel, we dropped our bags off and went to get dinner at a pizza place. I was very tired and went to bed early so that I could get a good rest.

Skype with Prof. Redlawsk

Skype with Prof. Redlawsk. 

Our second seminar paper that was due on January 23 was based on a book about the Iowa caucuses that was written by Professor David Redlawsk. We were supposed to read the first two chapters and write a 4 to 5 page paper on the book. We had to address his framework of the caucuses, how they worked, what is the differences between the parties, the sequential nature of the process, and how his analysis can be used for the 2020 race. He was very insightful on his conversation with us via skype. A couple of people asked him questions and he responded to each very well. I was kind of scared to tell him that he looks so much like Mark Hamill (because he does!) and I ended up not asking him anything. I highly recommend reading his book Why Iowa?. It was very good and explains well the process of the caucus with data from the 2008 primary.

Radio Interview

Interview with WMNF (Local Radio Station in St. Pete)

This was a photo taken of me (I didn't know it was being taken lol) being interviewed by the local WMNF radio station. I was asked why I was with the Biden campaigned. My answer was simple: he is trying to restore the soul of this nation. He knows how people work and how to bring them together for a common purpose. I was then asked a follow-up about how the impeachment of the President would affect Biden since his name has been thrown around by the Republicans. I told him that whatever the President does will not affect the majority of people. It just will be used as entertainment for his base. Biden can and I believe will convince the majority of voting Americans that he is best fit to be President if he is the Democratic nominee. The link to the radio station is here: wmnf.org

Professor asked us why we wanted to be in the class.

As part on an assignment about why I chose to apply for this course and what do I hope to get out of it, this is what I had to say:

I honestly do not know how I ended up signing up for the course. On top of this, I was very anxious because I did not think anyone would accept a freshman to such an advanced program. I cannot overstate my gratitude to Dr. McLauchlan for giving me an opportunity of a lifetime. Part of my interest in joining the class was because of my love for politics, and especially Joe Biden. I believe in him as a human being and as a leader, and if there was ever an opportunity that I could help him with literally anything than I would definitely take it. I hope that I will learn what it takes to campaign and all the excitement and stress that comes with it. I want to run in the future, so this will give me a solid foundation for future internships and positions. Thanks again! 

First blog!

Just created my first blog! I am not tech savvy so I hope it turns out fine.