Cincinnatian's notes from NH: Fiorina, Clinton seek to break through

Cady Short-Thompson is dean of UC Blue Ash College and a professor of political communication. She's writing from New Hampshire, where she is part of a team of researchers observing the presidential campaign.

My first day on the NH presidential campaign trail began and ended with women candidates. In 17-degree weather, we began our research adventure Saturday at the picturesque Goffstown’s Maple Avenue Elementary School in a tiny gymnasium. With anti-bullying signs, a climbing wall and a #LetCarlyDebate sign as the backdrops, the one remaining Republican candidate not admitted to the evening debate, Carly Fiorina, spoke to an audience of 350 people. The room was arranged for about 100 and the seemingly surprised staff quickly and happily tripled the seating for the many NH families who arrived for her morning event.

In all of the years I’ve traveled to NH to study the primaries and campaigns, I’ve always been struck by how involved they are in their first-in-the-nation primary events and how passionate they are about independence and fairness. When Fiorina led off her event talking about how the RNC and ABC (“All But Carly,” she quipped) decided to exclude her from the debate based on “arbitrary polling criteria,” they booed passionately. She beat Chris Christie and John Kasich and tied Jeb Bush in Iowa, after all. An energetic and surprisingly confident Fiorina delivered an impassioned stump speech, saying she "made it all this way because of New Hampshire, where you take things seriously, but the game is rigged.”

Fiorina then told several compelling stories about American values of hard work and persistence, such as her trajectory from being a secretary to a CEO of one of the country’s largest IT companies. She was passionate as she said, “I have been told to sit down or settle. I have ignored that advice all of my life.” She then noted that bureaucracy doesn't work for the people who pay for it, noting the corruption in the federal government. Fiorina then boldly asserted, “pick your example of ineptitude.” She called for citizen government, pleading for the audience to “take our future and government back,” bringing many to a standing ovation. Fiorina then invited questions, answering voters’ questions on religious freedom (she’s for it; she spoke passionately about the role faith has played in her life), women in combat (she’s for it, so long as the standards are equal), the tax code (she wants to cut the IRS tax code from 73,000 to 3 pages), and then there was a question that immediately softened the feisty Fiorina. A precocious pre-teen girl asked, “I think you are a really talented, like, inspirational lady, and you would make a great president. What would you do on day one?” The room warmed up along with the softening of Fiorina’s face, as she replied, “you could also be president when you grow up ...maybe I will warm up the chair for you” and then went on to explain what she’d do if elected.

Then, interestingly, our day ended at idyllic England College in Henniker, with Secretary Hillary Clinton, a candidate in a far stronger campaign position nationally if not in New Hampshire. The hoarse former first lady, senator, and secretary of state addressed a huge crowd circled by Secret Service, students and faculty of the college. Having seen her in 2008, three aspects of her campaigns were exactly consistent: She always remembers and uses the names of her hosts; she openly invites a seemingly unending barrage of questions; and her answers are remarkably detailed. Unlike other candidates, she didn’t have a long stump speech. Instead she stood at an open microphone and answered 90 minutes of tough questions from voters. A number of the questions addressed her competition with Sen. Bernie Sanders, and in one case, a slightly befuddled young college student even called her “Secretary Sanders.” He said he was nervous, to which she replied, “It’s OK, I’m nervous, too.” But she also addressed tough questions — questions about Benghazi, voters’ distrust of her, race and policing issues, gun control, ugly and angry candidates — with facts, history and stories. Well known as a policy wonk, she is clearly very knowledgeable and intelligent.

And, interestingly, like Fiorina at the beginning of the day, she sounded embattled. “I’m used to fighting and standing up to others," she said. "I know I’m viewed as a direct threat.” She explained all of the ways that she has endured far more scrutiny than most candidates. And yet, she posited, “I have no illusions how hard progress is. I have been pushing for 40 years. I don’t give in. I don’t give up.” She then broadened her comments to refer to other presidential candidates, saying it's offensive and dangerous to scapegoat groups such as Muslims or Mexicans. “Anger is a powerful emotion but it is not a plan," she said. "Be angry, but then roll up your sleeves and get back to work. Solve the problems.”

And much like the session with Fiorina, a young girl then asked Clinton, “Why do you want to be the next president?” She replied, “so every boy and girl can have the best possible life” before explaining all of the various roles and ways she has advocated for others in her life. Clinton was asked about her image and the criticism that she “sometimes she seems stiff on television.” This opened the door for Clinton to share that there’s still a “much greater burden for women running for office.” She said that while expectations are placed upon women, she thinks it’s important to find her true voice and “not take criticism personally, but take it seriously, learn from it.” Clinton concluded with conviction saying, “I will go through fire with you and for you.” On one of her last questions, a business professor asked a terrific question about stabilizing Muslim relations in the U.S. and elsewhere and upon hearing her response, he replied, “I assure you, you are the next president."

Just a row away, there was a 100-year-old woman whom I’m told had awakened very early Saturday to attend the 3:45 p.m. speech. She was dressed up and her daughter-in-law said because she was born before women had the right to vote, she was eager to see the nation’s first woman president -- an achievement that she really wants to see it in her lifetime.  For this researcher named after Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the nation’s most influential suffragists, the day’s lessons of how far women have come and how far we have yet to go were palpable with the youngest and eldest in attendance in New Hampshire -- and especially noticeable when followed by a Republican debate with only men on stage.