THE READ's Meryl Gordon took a field trip to New Hampshire to watch the politicians and pundits at work and play in the Primary Election. One was with Donna Brazile, Gore's controversial campaign manager, the other with Karl Rove, Bush's somewhat reclusive chief adviser.
Few events can run by the clock in a hectic primary-election week.
Both gamely put up with it, eating just a few seats apart and closing the restaurant down at midnight. Torture By Television Pity the poor New Hampshire car dealer who wants to advertise on the local airwaves in the weeks just before the primary. Ad rates soar, particularly on the local network affiliate, ABC's WMUR Manchester. And the candidates buy up almost every second of commercial time months in advance, even grabbing the late-night slots before and after those infomercials. Locals turning on the TV at virtually any time of day were tortured by a seemingly endless loop of point-counterpoint ads.