The Telegraph Buchanan visits a small town By DAVID APONOVICH, Telegraph Staff, 01/05/96
HOLLIS: As the legend goes, a reporter covering the state's presidential primary once asked a New Hampshire farmer his opinion of then-candidate Jimmy Carter. After careful consideration, the farmer is said to have answered: "Don't know. I've only met the man three times." The incident, part of New Hampshire's unique political folklore, underlines the state's grasp on presidential politics every four years. And for residents of a Hollis neighborhood, the lesson this primary season is elementary: Having a New Hampshire address means up-close-and-personal access to the candidates. Jim Phelan, of 19 Mendelssohn Drive, first met candidate Pat Buchanan last year during a local campaign swing. The second time was Tuesday, when Buchanan walked through his front door. Phelan, his wife, Lisa, and some of their neighbors, spurred to learn more about the candidates, have joined to solicit and host campaign stops by the major Republican candidates. Buchanan was the first, but they're close to arranging visits by Lamar Alexander and Steve Forbes. Invitations to visit the heavily Republican town have been extended to about four others, he said. By meeting a candidate, "You can really understand the candidates a little more than what the media shows. Here you get it one-on-one", said Jim Phelan, 38, a marketing consultant for computer firms who said he'd vote for Buchanan if the election were this week. The couple and their three children moved to Hollis in the midst of the 1992 presidential primary. Never having lived in New Hampshire before, they're now reveling in the proximity of the political process in the first-in-the-nation primary state. "I say, 'Why not take part?,'..." said Phelan. Seeming a bit surprised, he added, "I'm a poor kid from New York, who am I to have these people in my house?" "Maybe someday everybody will recognize the place to go to get the pulse on the people is Hollis", said Raul Blanche, 44, a 10-year Hollis resident who also lives on Mendelssohn Drive and was one of 45 people crowded into the Phelan's home on Tuesday. He said he doesn't like the "sound bites" that define many politicians' identities -- one reason he turned out to meet Buchanan on a snowy Tuesday night. As for whether the state deserves to have such a strong influence on presidential politics, he said: "I don't know whether it is deserved or not. But if that is what it is perceived to be, then I love it. "No where else in the country do you have this kind of opportunity", he said. The crowd at the Phelan's was clearly supportive of Buchanan, rendering applause and shouts of support when the candidate made points during a brief stump speech in the Phelan's living room. Those who attended said they liked the intimate forum where they could ask questions that they might not otherwise hear opinions on. During a question-and-answer period, for example, Blanche Phelan, who has relatives there, wanted to know what Buchanan would do for U.S.-Cuba relations, in light of Fidel Castro's rule. "He's a criminal... He's a relic", Buchanan stated. "He is the problem between the U.S. and Cuba. I think the U.S. policy should be to get him out of there (by political means)." In addition to questions on topics Buchanan has addressed many times -- his view on the American family and his push to get on the New York State primary ballot -- one man wanted to know what he thought about U.S.-Iran relations. Someone asked about h is view on holistic medicine. Charlie Saunders, a 60-year-old wine store owner, said of candidates who attend face-to-face forums:"It's hard to hide stuff." Buchanan, too, said he likes the face-offs; he did 15 such visits in three days recently in Iowa, he said afterward. "You find out what's on people's minds; it's very different ... The press corps ... will ask the same questions, because they figure this is the news angle",he said. Erica Brown, a 20-year-old UNH student and Hollis resident, said attending the coffee chat to learn more about Buchanan's platform made national politics and politicians "a little more real" to her. "We live in a small town. We're used to knowing the town officers we vote for", she said."I think it's useful to get to know the national officials we vote for." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Telegraph The daily newspaper of Nashua and P.O. Box 1008 southern New Hampshire since 1869 Nashua, NH 03061 voice: (603) 882-2741 fax: (603) 882-2681