One handshake at a time: a day of old-style New Hampshire politics--a rite of passage for presidential candidates--with Joe Lieberman.

Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut strides into the Time-Less Diner in Amherst, N.H., with the energy of a long-distance runner at the start of a marathon. It's 11 a.m. on a Sunday and the 1950s-style diner is packed. Waitresses weave through the crowd, balancing coffee pots and trays of food. Lieberman, who is running for President, approaches the first woman at the counter.

"What's the first thing you'd like me to do as President?" he asks her.

"Lower taxes," she says.

Lieberman has an answer ready: "We've got to lower taxes on the middle class and raise them on the wealthy." With that, he moves on to the next person. In the next hour, Lieberman will work his way around the diner, fielding questions about the economy, Iraq, trade policy, AIDS, and whether being Jewish would affect his dealings with the Middle East.

Lieberman, 61, who was Al Gore's vice-presidential running mate in 2000, is one of nine candidates vying to become the Democratic nominee for President in the 2004 election. UPFRONT spent a day in November on the campaign trail with Lieberman in New Hampshire.

In the months leading up to its January 27 primary, New Hampshire is crawling with presidential candidates. The primary--which is the first of the election season and has a good track record when it comes to predicting nominees and general election winners--is critical for Lieberman and the other candidates. A strong showing generates momentum and heavy press coverage, and helps a candidate raise more money. A poor showing can push candidates out of the race.

"This is the state where the rubber meets the road for a lot of campaigns," says Dante Scala of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. "A lot of campaigns that look good on paper are exposed for what they are here."

Campaigning in New Hampshire is unique. The state's small population and tradition of direct democracy means candidates must sell themselves to the public, one person at a time. It's a far cry from the TV- and ad-driven campaigns that are more practical in larger states. New Hampshire also has a more educated and less diverse population than the country as a whole. "The kind of politics that are practiced here are something of an endangered species," says Scala.

But that doesn't make New Hampshire any less critical. Experts say it's important for voters around the country to at least see candidates interacting with ordinary people on TV, since most of them will never bump into Joe Lieberman in their local diner.

PIZZA WITH A CANDIDATE

It's 2:15 p.m. when Lieberman and his entourage--in addition to staff and press, his 89-year-old mother, his 36year-old son, and 4-year-old granddaughter are all tagging along for the day--makes an impromptu stop at Romano's Pizzeria in Salem.

The candidate approaches two teenagers who are sitting at a table. "I'm Joe Lieberman, and I'm running for President," he says.

"President of what?" asks the boy.

"President of the United States."

"For real?"

"Sign up to vote," Lieberman says. "Come out on January 27 to support me."

With his campaign struggling, Lieberman needs all the support he can get. (On December 9, Gore endorsed former Vermont Governor Howard Dean.)

Campaign staffs try to balance presenting the candidate in the best possible light with creating situations for spontaneous interactions with voters. Hence, the stop at the pizza parlor. How better to show Lieberman as an average guy than to let him be seen having a slice?

"The campaigns definitely find it to their interest to try to control the atmosphere," says Scala. "There is a sense that if it becomes too staged, if you're not out there letting people ask questions, that can come back to bite you."

There's a football game on TV at Romano's, and Lieberman sits down to check out the score. "I'm going to order some pizza. Anyone else want a slice?" he asks genially.

About 20 minutes later, the caravan heads for a nearby neighborhood to knock on doors. Visiting with voters in their living rooms is a classic example of "retail politics"--selling yourself to the public, one voter at a time. In practical terms, it means candidates visit diners and senior centers and churches. They knock on doors and chat with folks they meet on the street. It's both a local phenomenon--New Hampshire voters demand it--and also an important part of the national election process.

"The flip side of retail politics is that it's done for national consumption," explains Dean Spiliotes of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. "Meaning, a candidate goes and has coffee at a luncheonette knowing full well that a picture of him doing that may turn up nationwide in the news."

'A DEMOCRATIC IDEAL'

The last stop of the day is a spacious house in Hampton Falls whose owners, Ed and Jane Drumm, are hosting a party for Lieberman. The "house party" is a New Hampshire tradition. Someone throws a party for a candidate and invites their friends and neighbor, who get to ask questions and size up the candidate firsthand.

By 6:30 p.m., the house is packed. Lieberman moves around the room making small talk. At 7 p.m., Ed Drumm introduces Lieberman, who gives a short speech about why he's running for President. Then he takes questions. If a Republican-controlled Congress said in the first three months of your administration that you can have your way on just one issue, what would you choose? ("Health-care reform.") How would you deal with Iraq? ("We need not an exit strategy, but a success strategy.") Where do you stand on the Confederate flag? ("It belongs in a museum, not as a symbol to be honored by anyone.")

Being able to handle these kinds of direct questions from voters is a skill that successful presidential candidates must master. Americans want their President to be able to relate to citizens one-on-one, so candidates must successfully negotiate this kind of grilling from ordinary voters, says Spiliotes. "This kind of interaction really is a democratic ideal, and you really can't do that in most places anymore," he says.

With the Q&A over, the crowd thins. A long day of campaigning has finally come to a close, and Lieberman looks tired. But the grueling schedule will start all over again the next morning.

LESSON PLANS

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

* Should the New Hampshire primary have as much influence on presidential campaigns as it does?

* Note the photo of Lieberman chatting with teens at Romano's Pizzeria Teens have a much lower voter turnout than adults. So why might Lieberman take the time to talk politics with them?

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand "retail politics"--how candidates campaign one voter at a time--in this case, in the New Hampshire primary.

CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

BEFORE READING: Write "Bandwagon Effect" on the board. Have students heard the term? Do they know what it means? Explain that the term originated with old-time, ornately designed circus wagons used to carry musicians. Bandwagons were designed to attract attention--and paying customers. In political terms, it means a party faction or cause that attracts growing support.

CRITICAL THINKING: Link the bandwagon effect to the New Hampshire primary. Refer students to page 10 and New Hampshire's track record when it comes to picking party nominees and general-election winners. What does this track record say about New Hampshire's bandwagon effect? Why might candidates who have strong support in other states drop out of the presidential race if they do poorly in New Hampshire?

Ask students whether they think the New Hampshire primary has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Does history suggest that victory in New Hampshire does produce a bandwagon effect?

The article reports that New Hampshire has a less diverse population than the country as a whole. So why might candidates who do poorly in New Hampshire not just run in other states, where they have more support?

SPEECH WRITING: Ask students to imagine that they are speechwriters for Senator Lieberman. Their job is to write two 50-to-100-word speeches, using what they have learned from reading this article. Speech A is to be delivered if Lieberman does well in New Hampshire. Speech B is to be delivered if he does poorly in New Hampshire.

WEB WATCH: For the latest news about the 2004 New Hampshire primary, including links to candidates' Web sites, go to www.primarymonitor.com/, the Web site of the The Concord Monitor, a New Hampshire newspaper that closely follows the state's primary.