Snow predicted for New Hampshire primary

[HazMat]

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) -- The New Hampshire presidential primary may be the first of the 2004 campaign, but the National Weather Service said Sunday it also may be among the snowiest, forcing some potential voters to stay home instead of schlepping through the snow to get to the polls.

Residents of Manchester and Concord -- in the southern part of the state -- may wake up Tuesday morning to as much as a foot of snow, according to National Weather Service forecaster Steve Flood. Heaviest snowfall, Flood said, likely would be in the hills west of there.

...

But it takes more than a foot of snow to discourage most New Hampshire voters, according to Kevin Landrigan, veteran political reporter for the Nashua Telegraph.

...

Campaigns with strong get-out-the-vote efforts like Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts won't suffer, Landrigan said, but other campaigns such as those of retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who rely on people to get themselves to the polls, may see a small decline in support.

...

more
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/01/25/primary.forecast/

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I wonder how this is going to affect the election.

[SpiralHawk]

1. Then, out of the swirling flakes, stepped the Ghost of the "Old Man"

The Old Man of the Mountain. His face has fallen, but his Ghost still roams the hills and valleys of the Granite State as Primary 2004 -- a veritable struggle for the soul of the nation -- looms.

Storm clouds have gathered to shroud the occasion.

High up on the flank of massive Cannon mountain in Franconia Notch, NH, the Old Man of the Mountain lost his face - literally - on May 3, 2003, the day after President George W. Bush paraded across the deck of the U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, and declared "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq.

I was struck by the sequence of events. Bush parades on Abe Lincoln deck, then the Old Man of the Mountain loses face immediately thereafter. What's going on here? Is the mountain trying to tell us something?

Bush Struts Carrier Deck in Flight Suit - May 2, 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2993415.stm

Old Man Loses Face - May 3, 2003:
http://gonewengland.about.com/cs/nhhistory/l/bloldmanofmtn.htm

For Granite Staters -- and for all who had ever seen him -- the collapse of the Old Man's face was a first-class tragedy because the Old Man was a symbol of honesty, dignity, and honor. He seemed eternal.

I always thought of the Old Man's profile as embodying the same qualities as Old "Honest Abe" Lincoln, whose profile is so familiar to us from the penny. So I was deeply saddened to see him "lose face," and could not help but note that it came right after Bush pulled what was basically a PR stunt on the deck of our nation's Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.

What right did he have to celebrate and "Declare Victory"? Hundreds of our soldiers have died and been grievously wounded since that day, not to mention the ongoing misery for their families at home and the families in Iraq. Mr., Bush's own personal military record, we are now learning, is highly questionable.

At the time it happened, I was inclined to take the monumental loss of the Old Man's face in the Granite State as some sort of cosmic sign that the heavens frowned upon Mr. Bush's hollow boasting.

After all, as we now know the Iraq war is based on made-up stories. Iraq had no WMDs, and no connection to the tragedy that befell America on 9/11. This is apparently a war of aggression and conquest. That's why our young men and women have their lives on the line in Iraq. it has little to do with our national defense or our true honor. It has a lot to do with power and oil.

Now that I have read Sevethson's essay about the candidacy of John Buchanan in the NH Republican primary, I see things in a different light. I see the loss of face of the Old Man of the Mountain as a possible omen that Bush may well lose face before the voters of NH.

Will Bush be surprised during the NH primary? We shall see.

Here's Seventhson's discussion thread on the NH Republican candidacy of John Buchanan against G. W. Bush.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=980708

Buchanan's campaign -- and his research -- are sincere, and worthy of every voter's consideration.

John Buchanan “Campaign Manifesto”
Issues, Questions & Answers -- January 1, 2004

Web site at http://www.johnbuchanan.org


(You are welcome to copy or forward this).

[Nicholas_J]

2. Iowa had the coldest weather of the year on the causus night

But it didnt keep the event from being the largest in years.

And oddly enough, the older folks turned out in higher percentages than younger ones (I guess being able to afford nice big warm comfortable vehicles makes it a bit easier than being young and strggling with a ten year old car that doesnt start if the temperature goes below 40.)

[robsul82]

3. How is old people coming to vote come Hell or high water "odd?"

Old people LOVE voting. It's one of their last pleasures left and a right that, unlike the whole driving argument, will never be taken away. Heh, you probably think it's odd that old people go to the mall at 6 in the morning on Black Friday too. Believe you me, whoever has the majority support of old people on Tuesday stands a HUGE advantage.

Later.

RJS

[OneBlueSky]

4. my hunch is that bad weather may help Dean the most . . .

the Deaniacs seem to be the most passionate about their candidate, and they may make that extra effort to get out to the polls in greater numbers that supporters of others . . . though I'm a Kerry supporter, I really hope that Dean does well in NH . . . the press really did a number on him, and I'd like to see him finish strong and move on to the next round with some momentum . . . still don't think he'll be the nominee, but I want the race to continue at least through Super Tuesday . . .

[SpiralHawk]

5. let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

"President Bush has said that he does not need approval from the UN to wage war, and I'm thinking, well, hell, he didn't need the approval of the American voters to become president, either." -- David Letterman

[Raven]

6. I'm in the Monadnock area of southwest NH.

We usually get these storms first and my forecast is calling for snow to begin Tursday afternoon. Hopefully people will get to the polls early but if it's ok in the morning people will go to work and vote on their way in or on their way home.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. Kerry's veteran brigades will turn out the vote

I'm not worried. It is very good for Dean though as he will look better percentage wise- and be much closer to Kerry's total.
A diluted turnout will isolate Dean and Kerry.

[SpiralHawk]

8. It's mid-day on Monday

Any updates in the forecast.

Love the Monadnock region. Lived there for 22 years in New Ipswich. Greetings to the Mountain.