'Ding, dong, Clintons calling!'

Manchester, N.H. -- The Clinton campaign had a couple of extra volunteers today for last-minute canvassing: Hillary Clinton herself, and her daughter Chelsea. The mother-daughter tag team went door-to-door on Ash Street, making the New York senator's case directly to voters. And in a direct reflection of the overall campaign here, she met with mixed success, as our colleague Peter Nicholas reported.

It's a nice day here, in the low 40s and overcast but the snow pack is melting, so let's walk part of the the street with the Clintons, as related by Nicholas.

At the end of the visit to first home, the woman who answered the door told her: "Keep Gov. Richardson in mind." Clinton sang the praises of the New Mexico governor -- and one of her low-polling rivals who served as United Nations ambassador and energy secretary in the Bill Clinton administration. "I like him a lot," Clinton said. "He's been a friend of mine for a long time. Of course, my husband gave him two good jobs.''

After leaving another house, Clinton was asked by a TV reporter how she felt about the Democratic debate Saturday night. "Really good,'' Clinton said. "We're starting to draw a contrast for New Hampshire voters between talkers and doers.''

The debate performance may have helped her in a couple of houses. Clinton sat down at a table with first-grade teacher Maura Labrie, her 4-year-old son Nathan ...

playing nearby, as Labrie said she remained undecided but liked Clinton's performance.

"I liked how you said it hurt your feelings,'' Labrie said, referring to Clinton's response when asked about a poll that found voters liked her top rival, Barack Obama, more. "It's a tough business," Clinton said. But Labrie wanted to talk more about her job, saying she objected to requirements that teachers assess their students.

Clinton commiserated. "All these other factors play such a big role [in educating children]. You've got disorganized families. You have violence. You have malnutrition. Untreated health problems. The school just can't treat the child like a little curriculum package. You have to look at the whole child, because kids progress at different levels.''

She added: "If you're a teacher and you're under all this pressure to assess, assess, assess, you're not going to have the time to pay a lot of attention to them.''

Afterward, Labrie told reporters she was still undecided. And still thinking about the debate. "I liked how Bill Richardson sounded last night, and I was also struck by the fact that Obama and Edwards had tag-teamed and decided they were going to support one another.''

At the next house, Wayne and Mary Johnson had an Obama sign posted in the snow out front and several neighbors inside. The main topic: "No Child Left Behind,'' the federal education law that has been vilified during the Democratic campaign almost as much as the Iraq war. Clinton was sharply critical and noted that virtually every family on the block seemed concerned about the program.

"It needs to be ended,'' Clinton said. "It is undermining teaching and learning.''

Afterward, Mary Johnson, 60, a retired schoolteacher, said Clinton's visit was "a wonderful surprise. I'm leaning toward Obama but after last night's debate --'' she paused, "-- Obama was looking very tired last night. He didn't impress me. So we'll see.'' And Clinton, she said, "has always been my second choice.''

Her husband said he still liked Obama because he wanted "a fresh face -- someone who isn't a deep part of the system.''

The next house looked like it would be a tough sell. A McCain sign was posted out front and a picture of former president George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara,  hung in the entryway. Clinton told the couple, Rosalyn and William Golding, that she would "appreciate your consideration.''

Afterward, Rosalyn Golding said she is a Democrat, her husband a Republican. "She's a lovely person and I loved meeting her,'' Rosalyn Golding said. She would not reveal her choice. But she was happy to reveal her husband's, at least by party. He would be voting Republican.

So there you have it, the lay of the political landscape -- at least on Ash Street.

-- Scott Martelle

Comments

[robert No longer in L.A.]

You sure got the 'Ding Dong' part right...but wait, the freak, rabid fringe of the far left Dems will find a way to shove Hellary down this Nation's throat....just wait 'n watch! And without Bloomberg, we might well have Clarabelle and Flubadub in the homestretch ...and it WON'T be any better than Gomer Bush.

[Pat O'Buck]

I am 81, Caucasian, and an Independent. In rural Montana we are a ways from the action but we try to glean information about the candidates from sifting through newspapers and television with a mental sieve. I like both McCain and Romney but, guess what! If Obama is the Democratic choice I shall vote for him. His selection of a cabinet will make or break him if he wins the election. But with him in the driver's seat, going in the direction he says he will go, I have some hope for this country's destiny, albeit survival -- for the first time in many a year.

[Ronald Loui]

This walk/talk thing is quite silly. If anything, Obama is MORE impressive when he is taking action than when he is speaking to groups. For example, he actually gets bills passed (ethics reform, funding transparency, veterans health benefits, immigration control), whereas Clinton likes to sit on committees and tongue-lash people like General Petraeus. People coming out of Washington have the most critical things to say about HRC's actions (I can't quote them, but let's say I know people who worked in Bill Clinton's admin, and people who work for current senators).

Also, this 35 years experience/agent of change thing is silly. 35 years ago was just after HRC graduated from Yale Law and was taking an extra year to write a paper on children's education. She would not even be the wife of an Arkansas attorney general for 3 more years. So how does one calculate 35 years? From the day she arrived in Arkansas? From the day she passed the bar exam? By the same calculations, Obama should be able to count his community work, which yielded more impressive achievement, starting in 1983. That's 25 years of equivalent or better experience. Lecturing on constitutional law while at the same time being a stellar state senator doesn't count, but being a junior partner at the Rose Law firm in Arkansas sitting on the board of the art museum does? Let's not forget that the GSP for Illinois is $589 billion, while that of Arkansas is $87 billion. Bill Clinton was not even re-elected in 1980, losing to Frank White 52-48. What exactly is being claimed as an achievement during those 35 years?

Furthermore, either during 35 years, something was achieved, which is now the status quo and subject to change, or else, during 35 years, little was achieved, in which case, one hardly deserves a chance at four more years of ineffectiveness. How is the experience+change argument supposed to work, logically?

Finally, I want to make an appeal to LA Times ownership. The NY Times has been clearly biased in its reporting -- one need only count the puff pieces for Hillary during the past 8 months, the number of large color column-wide photos that are several years old, and currently, the constant inclusion of Chelsea Clinton in photos of Hillary. No problem, since this is their home NY senator, and other establishment news sources, such as CNN, are similary biased for similar reasons. To be fair, I am a bit embarrassed that MSNBC, Chicago Tribune, and smaller NY dailies like Obama so much -- there are many places where one can get the news with one's favorite slant. But here is an opportunity. I understand that the LA Times is fairly conservative, like the NY Times used to be in the 80's. But your stories do tend to have intelligence and fairness, or at least not an outright transparent and offensive agenda. Also, California conservatism is more like political centrism in the rest of the country. Based solely on the quality of the product, during the 90's, I predicted that the LA Times would soon become the premier national paper in the US. I was shocked to hear the recent decision of the paper to concentrate on local news and the entertainment business. No one is asking the LA Times to pay for a big bureau in Karachi. But if the NY Times is wounded by betting on the wrong horse in this election, and consequently printing a lot of bad ink, then a lot of intelligent young people and national intellectual elite will be looking for another place to do their daily reading. It's more about trust than bias. Would the LA Times at least consider maintaining the high standards that it has already achieved for itself? Sometimes you find yourself in the lead just because you actually deserve to be.

(Thanks for being a regular reader, Ronald, and leaving another thoughtful comment, though it has little relevance to the item. Not speaking for the paper but think you've misconstrued what was said about the LATimes. It was to emphasize local reporting more. Nothing about cutting back our superior national and foreign coverage. And this blog, which is a new venture since June, is hardly cutting back by investing two staffers fulltime in chronicling the interesting and breaking news stories of the American political years and drawing on our talented political staff. Thanks again for reading.)

[Fernando Chavarria]

On Thursday, Barack Obama made history by winning the Iowa caucus and beating Hillary Clinton. On Thursday night during her speech, Hillary tried to not appear dazed by the results but, unlike Fred Thompson, she’s not an actor, and we could all see that she was stunned and ruffled. In fact, she seemed a little like a boxer who, having just been knocked down to the canvas at the end of the round, manages to get back up and stumbles toward the corner while pretending that the knock-down was no big deal. But everyone in the arena knew otherwise, including her trainer and cut-man, the former two-time heavyweight champion of the free world, Bill “the Comeback Kidd” Clinton. And so, Hill and Bill went back to the gym in between rounds to develop a new fight plan. And everyone wondered what it might be?

On Friday morning, we got a glimpse of it. As soon as the second round bell rang, Hillary began telling all the judges from New Hampshire that the first round didn’t really matter. Similarly, Bill tried to dissuade uncommitted judges, (sometimes thought of as gamblers because betting on Barack is like “rolling the dice”) by telling them that he’d lost the first round too and that he came back to win the fight. (That’s true, but President Clinton failed to mention that his opponent was Paul Tsongas, not Barack Obama. And that’s important to note because, “Mr. President, I knew Paul Tsongas. Paul Tsongas was a good friend of mine, but Paul Tsongas is not Barack Obama.”) So, the first part of the fight plan was to gently persuade the judges from New Hampshire that the judges from Iowa chose, at best, a contender, but certainly not a champion.

Later that day, Hillary more fully unveiled her plan. In fact, she took the gloves off, coded her punches and began hitting below the belt. (Which, some say, is something Bill has inspired Hillary to perfect over the years.) She suggested her opponent was more performer than contender. She suggested he’s more talk than fight. She suggested he’s all footwork. She suggested that he hasn’t really won fights but spats. She suggested he landed a lucky punch in Iowa. She suggested that he had a glass chin. (She even played the gender card, which is especially interesting.) And, finally, she suggested he couldn’t defend against or take the traditional right upper-cut. The truth is she all but scared folks into thinking that they shouldn’t bet on “the amateur,” on “the kid.”

But he took the punches. Sure, some stung, but he took them standing up, and walked elegantly back to his corner, looking not like an amateur but a champion. In fact, he even looked elegant when his hands were tied behind his back and was on the receiving end of the sucker punches the fight promoters (a.k.a. the media) allowed the six (6) republican contenders to land during the undercard match. In fact, even some of the fight promoters themselves, including at least one who formerly worked for Team Clinton, took a few thinly veiled shots at him.

So who’s going to take the second round? I don’t know. What I do know is that Hillary’s legs are wobbly, and her entire corner is looking a little nervous, including her trainer and cutman, because “the kid” may land yet another “lucky punch.”

[angelina_ MN]

I just want to ask all fellow Americans is what Hillary proposing change? please think carefully and handle with care, :

Clinton, Bush, Bush, Clinton?

Are we a third world country where family dynasty, governmental control and power is still handed down from one family member to another?

How long can we put up with the negative comments of Hillary, and her made up experience? 35 years? how long has she served in the Senate?
One thing I know for sure is that Obama has served in the Senate for as long as she has. If experience is counting what her ex husband did during his time, then I am sure that many Senators related and not related to Obama would be more than happpy to lend him those years so he can add them to his resume.

One more thougtht: the sense of entitlement Clinton shows when she talks "when I am president," or when she talks down to other candidates, _ this would not do any good to many world leaders friends and foes who have been already talked down...........not good for our foreing policy.

I hope we all support change.

[ArmyVet]

I think Hillary should abruptly concede to Obama, and quit the race. She might be a VP candidate, but I think she would have more stature being a former First Lady and former senator. Alternatively, she might be a good UN Ambassador. She is NOT what I think the country needs as a president.

[Crispin.P.Fordham]

As a former US Resident, now back in Europe, I have to ask what Mrs Clinton has achieved?? She is always talking about experience, what major changes has she made in NY State?? Obama and Edwards have charisma, intelligence and seem truely interested in the future of the USA , Mrs Clinton on the other hand, changes her opinions and directions as often as the wind!!

[Big Horn]

The 81 year old white guy in Montana that will vote for Obama must be way out on top of one of the mountains and is snowed in or he could be living in the liberal city of Missoula. He apparently has a bad case of "Cabin Fever".

[Jim H]

I keep on trying to get enthusiastic about Obama, but every time he differs from Hillary, I'm on her side: she's got a better health care plan, she's got a better green plan. When you ask what he's for, he says "change." Really? On almost every detail, he has the same idea as Clinton and Edwards. And he's young, and he hasn't had a campaign of lies against him for 15 years, repeated by some of the nastiest media I've seen since all the lies they told about Gore. The Clinton administration was the most effective presidency for the people in our lifetimes. Obama's run...his campaign. He makes a great speech, but I can't seem to locate anything he's for in particular. The worst thing is his attacks on Hillary, aided by Russert and Matthews, from the right, and his phony bipartisanship that will surrender before he begins. We need more partisanship, a Democrat who can make the wobbly Republican party scatter, giving us a solid majority to repair the country they've so misruled.

[SimpleRep]

Mrs. Clinton boasts about her thirty-five years or so, in the political arena.

So, did the Arkansas populace "vote" for her to become the first lady of the state?

Did the American public "vote" for her to become the first lady of our nation?

I'm being sarcastic, but the great state of New York "did" vote her into the senate. She's lucky she was "born" and "raised" in that great state. Otherwise, people might think she just "used" New York as a stepping stone for her own master plan.

I don't think the American people really appreciated her rise to power by virtue of freeloading off her husband's political aspirations.

This "arrogance" is leading to her downfall...And people across the land are singing "Happy Days are Here Again!" It's NOT what political party she represents, nor her domestic issues she chooses to champion, it is HER! She needs to understand that...HER !

Bill had to look elsewhere for satisfaction, as Iowa looked elsewhere for "another" candidate. How is she suppose to run the country, if she can't even keep her husband from running to other women?

[Regular Naive Citizen]

We live in a era where you cannot divorce one's popular "image" from facts- as hard as one tries. Yes, "myspace.com", "youtube.com", and "TMZ" largely dictates how or what the public's perception of celebrities- whether athletes, actors, singers or political figures. Sad but true.

My opinion to the Clinton "public relations" personell is that Bill and Chelsea do not prove as a "visual" asset to Hillary. In Hillary's congratulatory speech to her Iowa supporters, Bill stood beside/ behind her. Despite two terms in the White House, all I saw was a man who had a deceptive - yet brilliant- abilitiy to justify cheating on his wife.

As Hillary and Chelsea go door to door in New Hampshire, I was amazed how beautiful the latter turned out. As I was analyzing this young Clinton's beauty, I noticed her mouth was proportionally bigger than her facial physique. Which two "celebrities" did you think came to mind? Hint, it wasn't her father AND MOTHER ! ! ! Keep this in mind you Clinton "image creators".

Now, I don't claim to be a political analyst or someone who follows politics closely. Criticize my comments all that you please. Just remember, there are probably millions of Americans who think this way and don't even know it. Don't blame me, blame the paparazzi, Cyberspace and other technical "visual" advancements.

Here's something scarier... I'm a registered Democrat!

[george]

How have the mighty fallen ... reduced to walking door-to-door to solicit George Bush fans and crying in public at an audience of 12.

Maybe next she'll be asking people to vote for her as their number 2 choice or seeking donations on Youtube.

She is the smartest person in the room most of the time but maybe that's not enough for all of us.