Politics & Government

Librarians Cancel Presidential Forum, The Next Debate: FITN 2020

Vermin Supreme wins Libertarian preference poll; surrogates in NH while candidates are in Iowa; retired voter offers thanks to Jill Biden.

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U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is the only presidential candidate with events schedule this week while debate viewership drops. Plus, Patch reader, a retiree, says thanks, to Jill Biden.
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is the only presidential candidate with events schedule this week while debate viewership drops. Plus, Patch reader, a retiree, says thanks, to Jill Biden. (Tony Schinella | Patch, NHLA )

CONCORD, NH — It was a unique idea — invite as many of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary candidates to attend a five-hour public forum, whenever they could be booked, to discuss issues facing libraries, librarians, and the people who use these important public facilities, most of them all, probably voters. The New Hampshire Library Association jumped on the idea, put together materials for the public and candidates to promote some of their concerns, including the digital divide, assisting veterans, and various communities in the state, and began inviting candidates. A date was set and a hall booked — the historic and majestic Concord City Auditorium on Prince Street, across the street from the capital city's historic library, the historic state library, as well as the Statehouse.

Libraries around the state began sharing event information with the public, letting them know of the opportunity. But then, the event was canceled, mostly due to scheduling conflicts. Organizers even considered moving the date closer to the Feb. 7 time period when the major candidates will already be in the state for New Hampshire's only debate before voting on Feb. 11, to no avail.

"Hosting a successful forum hinges on one factor: planning," said Amy Lappin, the president of the association. "NHLA planned for every possible scenario that would best meet stakeholders' needs, including a cancellation. There are so many factors that go into organizing a successful candidate forum. Candidates are spread very thin during a campaign season, and schedules are always shifting."

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What is most disappointing about this is that candidates and their campaigns missed an opportunity to talk about something other than the incumbent president, the economy, and foreign policy. And anyone who has been tracking both the major and minor presidential candidates' schedules knows while there are always conflicts, they are not that booked when compared to presidential candidates from previous cycles — and the primary is a full month away.

Still, for Lappin, librarians will continue to advocate for themselves and the services they offer.

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"Every year, library advocates in New Hampshire, alongside library advocates across the country, communicate with officials who have already been elected," said Lappin. "We urge our elected leaders to stand up for libraries, enhance lifelong learning, and prioritize public access to information for all. Advocating before the election-especially in such a visible way-is new."

Despite the setback, the association will "double-down on engaging with candidates throughout the election cycle" and Lappin said she was "proud to have made a promising first attempt, and our planning for the forum has undoubtedly established communication channels with the candidates that we are excited to keep open."

The organization did not release information about who or how many candidates had agreed to participate.

Days Of Note

It's 23 days until the Iowa Caucus, 32 days until the New Hampshire primary, and 297 days until November's general election.

Debate viewership has mostly been on the decline since the first two debates. However, for voters, it's crunch time. Will audiences inch back up Tuesday? Graphic by Tony Schinella, Patch

Iowa's Debate: Jan. 14

There are two more debates before Granite Staters go to the polls to vote in the presidential primary: One in New Hampshire on Feb. 7 at St. Anselm College in Manchester on WMUR-TV and one in Iowa on Tuesday.

CNN, The Des Moines Register, and Drake University host Iowa's only debate before voters begin caucusing from 9 to 11 p.m. Only six candidates — former Vice President Joe Biden, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren — have been invited to participate, making it the smallest and whitest, as many pundits have noted, set of candidates on the debate stage for the 2020 campaign.

Also, for the first time, more active candidates who are still running are not on the stage than are on the stage. Those candidates are U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, former U.S. Rep. John Delaney, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Gov. Deval Patrick, and Andrew Yang.

Will audiences come back to their screens to watch now that it's crunch time for voters? That remains to be seen.

Florida Voter Says, 'Thank You'

Harold A. Maio, a retired mental health editor, who now lives in Fort Myers, Florida, sent Patch an email after reading our story about Jill Biden visiting Riverbend in Concord. He highlighted the words: Stigma issues, too, were problems in the past but not now, she said.

"Thank you for those words," Maio wrote. "We are told, far too often, to invoke that word, it is good so see someone who is not."

Vermin Supreme Wins LPNH Primary

Perennial candidate Vermin Supreme, whose main planks are promotion of dental care and promising to give away free ponies if he wins the presidency, won the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's preference poll for the 2020 election cycle, easily besting out many others.

The colorful candidate, who promotes himself as "America's favorite tyrant," appeared to be possessed by Sally Field, when he said in a statement, "They like me, they like me, they really like me."

Here are the full results posted on Facebook Saturday.

Libertarian delegates to the national convention will not be bound to cast votes for Supreme, according to party bylaws.

Other #FITN2020 Stuff

Klobuchar is hosting debate watching parties in Atkinson, Conway, Durham, Keene, Manchester, Milford, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Nashua.

Former NH Assistant Attorney General Michael Lewis endorsed Buttigieg last week.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, who has been working on PFAS water issues in the Congress, is in the state campaigning for Biden. He is phone-banking Sunday in concord and will be at a meet-and-greet in Amherst on Steeple Lane at 11 a.m. Monday. Another Representative to Congress from Pennsylvania, Conor Lamb, was in the state this weekend campaigning for Biden.

State Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, the progressive Portsmouth political powerhouse, backed Biden last week.

Liuba Grechen Shirley, the founder of Vote Mama, will be appearing in Bedford at 10:30 a.m. Monday on behalf of Warren. She will also visit a child care center in Rochester in the afternoon. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu were also canvassing the state for Warren this weekend.

Gabbard, who moved to Goffstown recently, is the only candidate with events scheduled this week so far. She will be at Pinkerton Academy in Derry for a town hall at 6 p.m. Wednesday, at Penuche's Music Hall for a town hall at 6 p.m. Thursday, hosting a town hall at Merrimack High School at 6 p.m. Friday, and a town hall in Milford at the Hampshire Hills Athletic Club at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Previous #FITN2020 Coverage

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