New Hampshire HQ

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to see the future - and it was in Plymouth, Laconia, Jaffrey and Manchester. As a co-chair of Hillary Clinton's National Energy and the Environment Steering Committee, I had the opportunity to spend the day in New Hampshire, talking about Senator Clinton's plans for energy and the environment. I also toured some truly amazing facilities. We started off the day touring Langdon Woods dormitory at Plymouth State University, which is the first Residence Hall in New Hampshire to receive LEED Certification at the Gold Level. This building is 58 percent more efficient, uses 36 percent less water, and only had to turn on the steam heat four times last winter because of an effective co-generation plant next door.

We then traveled to Laconia, where Wes Golomb - professor of energy services and technology at New Hampshire Community Technical College Laconia - gave a presentation on the college's fantastic new two-year program in energy services, which will train students to be energy auditors and analysts. Earlier this summer in Portsmouth, Senator Clinton announced her new "Green Building Fund," which would allocate $1 billion annually to states to make grants or low-interest loans to improve energy efficiency in public buildings. The Green Building Fund will create as many as 50,000 new green collar jobs, and this two-year program in Laconia will train a new generation to be ready for these jobs.

After Laconia, we toured New England Wood Pellet in Jaffrey, a plant that been at the forefront of this field, creating a source of heat that is carbon dioxide neutral and reduces our dependence on oil and gas. Senator Clinton's Strategic Energy Fund that would inject $50 billion into research, development and deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean coal technology, ethanol and other homegrown biofuels such as wood pellets.

We ended the day in Manchester, talking to and taking great questions from a full house at Bob Backus's office in Manchester. I'll write here what I told the group: This is our last chance to get this right. We've wasted eight years with a president who wouldn't move his pinkie to address global warming or energy concerns. We don't have another election cycle. We need someone who can lead from day one, and that person is Hillary Clinton.

Today, my husband, daughter, and I attended the first "Primary Playgroup for Hillary" at the Gymboree on Loudon Road in Concord. Today was my first time at the Gymboree, and it is a beautiful facility, made even more so by the colorful decorations for this event.

We checked in outside and picked up our "I can be President" t-shirt. As we walked inside, we couldn't help but immediately notice that the Gymboree was a whirlwind of activity. The colorful mats were packed with parents and children, who ran the gamut from near-teenagers to the day's youngest participant, an eleven day old boy! We toured the Gymboree and got the lay of the land from Alexandra and Jenny, the fantastic Gymboree team.

Soon Cindy Parente, who owns the Gymboree and donated its use for the day in support of Senator Clinton and the campaign, rang a bell to gain our attention, after which she introduced the Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Respresentatives, Terie Norelli. Speaker Norelli explained why she was supporting Hillary, with a particular emphasis on her confidence in the Senator's ability to end the war in Iraq and take care of our veterans when they return home.

Speaker Norelli then introduced Representative Mary Jane Wallner of Concord, who owns the Merrimack Valley Day Care Center and serves on the board of numerous child advocacy organizations, including NH Healthy Kids. Rep. Wallner, who has devoted her life to children and children's advocacy, spoke about Hillary's determination to provide preschool education for all American children as a major reason for her support of the Senator.

I was struck by the fact that both Speaker Norelli and Representative Wallner took time from their busy schedules to attend this playgroup, and it was great to hear their thoughts. The playgroup itself was a fantastic idea. It allowed me to engage in the political process without sacrificing precious time with my family, and I was able to talk to some other like-minded parents about some of the issues we face in raising our children in today's world, and why Hillary is the candidate for us.

The kids enjoyed the day as well. In addition to the Hillary t-shirts and onesies, they enjoyed healthy snacks, and on the way out, we stopped to have our daughter's photo taken behind the presidential podium in front of the "White House."  It was a great day for our whole family, and we're already looking forward to our next Primary Playgroup!

Are you ready to change America?

Please join us in Concord on Saturday, September 29 for our "Fall for Hillary" Statewide Organizing Convention.  It will be a great opportunity for you to meet our team, including our campaign staff and volunteers from across the state.  We'll provide an update on the campaign and discuss organizing tactics and opportunities to get involved in your community.

"Fall for Hillary" Statewide Organizing Convention
Saturday, September 29
10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

RSVP Here

It is not difficult to get excited about Hillary; we are ready and need the change that all of her experience has to offer.  I am constantly reminded of this by Leitha, one of our incredibly dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers.  Leitha is a regular at our Brentwood phone bank and Portsmouth office, helped with our "Walk It to Win It" weekends, and was a crucial part of making the Fall Kick-Off Rally in Portsmouth such a success.  She also writes letters to the editor every week!  I know Leitha will continue to raise the bar for the campaign out here in the Seacoast; her dependability and high spirits make her a true asset.  If I were an undecided voter and Leitha gave me a call, by the end of the conversation I would definitely be a Hillary supporter -- which I know has happened in numerous instances!

I hope you've heard by now that Hillary announced her new healthcare plan this week.  (If you haven't seen it, check it out here.)  Since we made the announcement, we've talked to a lot of people about how this plan will impact their lives, or how it might have impacted their lives if we'd had a plan like Hillary's when their health and insurance troubles began .  It seems as if everyone in New Hampshire has a story to share about health care!  And I want to share a few of them with you.

Jackie and Chuck Rossier of Merrimack have struggled with personal health issues for many years while battling insurance companies and hospitals over coverage and quality care.  Jackie was diagnosed with a type of cancer. She applied for NH Medicaid and was granted coverage, but the finance office at her hospital refused to accept Medicaid, and several doctors had to petition the hospital to accept her insurance. She qualified for Medicare in 2004, but continued to fight for coverage when her correspondence was lost. In 2006, Medicare part D refused to cover a prescription she needed to prevent her from going blind. The insurer stated that the medication ($480/month) was not in the formulary and denied any correspondence requesting an exception. Jackie and Chuck have resorted to paying medical expenses with a credit card, exceeding $9,000 in 2005. They support Hillary Clinton for President. "We strongly believe that she will be able to deliver affordable healthcare to everyone," said Chuck.

Margo Ewers, a recent HillStar of the Week, lives in Nashua.  She and her husband had insurance, but they had to give it up because they couldn't afford to pay the premium.  When her husband died, she had to sell almost every asset she had to pay the medical bills. "After a long, slow, difficult recovery, my financial situation is better," Margo said. "Since then, I carefully follow every health proposal that any politician makes and every bill that works its way through Congress. After considering all the candidates, the only one that stands above the rest is Hillary Clinton. She has worked steadily as a senator to make the system better while keeping the costs in line."

Wanda Wilson lives in Troy, and her daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was in 7th grade. She had to purchase three or four prescriptions at a time each month to find a drug that would help her daughter. As a single mother, she struggled to pay her bills and for her daughter's medications. She neglected her own her health for financial reasons - Wanda hasn't had a mammogram for ten years. When asked why she supports Hillary, Wanda said, "There're so many reasons! She's somebody I trust. She knows what it's like to be a woman, run a household, sick children - she's done it all. I just like Hillary. Everything she stands for, it's hard to pick one thing. I feel that she has a good idea on healthcare issues."

Hillary will fight for Jackie and Chuck Rossier, Margo Ewers, Wanda Wilson, and for all of us.  Nobody has worked harder or longer to improve health care than Hillary Clinton. From her time in Arkansas when she improved rural health care to her successful effort to create the SCHIP Children's Health Insurance program which now covers six million children, Hillary has the strength and experience to ensure that every man, woman and child in America has quality, affordable health care.