For a while I think New Hampshire has been designed as the Clinton campaign firewall. Sen. Clinton still has a lead there, and it’s her bulwark against an Obama or Edwards win in Iowa. But Obama is inching up in NH (Edwards isn’t and as other southerners like Clinton and Bush he has a harder path to victory there) and an endorsement from Rep. Carol Shea-Porter can’t make the Clinton camp too happy.
I think you mean “designated,” not “designed.” The prominence of the New Hampshire primary predates the Clintons’ presidential aspirations by decades, and I don’t recall a single candidate ever taking a stand for taking it away from us. “Designed” implies that Hillary had something to do with our going first, after the Iowa caucuses.
J.
It doesn’t seem that Obama’s response to Novak’s column has hurt him at all. Sorry to say I told you so…
http://www.oliverwillis.com/archives/2007/11/19/taking-the-bait/#comments