New Hampshire's Defender

CBS News' David Miller Interviews New Hampshire Secretary Of State Bill Gardner

(CBS) 

CBSNews.com: The New Hampshire we see in the news is all about candidates going to diners or meetings at houses, hand-shaking retail politics. When you’ve got old-fashioned politics and retail politics, does the emergence of technology change any of that?

Bill Gardner: Well, in ’68 you had the three networks and that was it. Technology has changed the primary to some extent like it’s changed campaigning across the country. It went from the three networks to cable, where you expanded a little bit, and then it went to local TV stations. We’ve had half-a-dozen documentaries made about us: Sweden, Japan and Canada have come in. And then the computer in ’96 started a little bit, and then in ’99 you began having people use the computer for the 2000 primary. And then, in 2004, Dean, taking advantage of being able to connect in a small state and in the polls, was able to show that he had a chance, and he was able to raise a lot of money through the Internet because he had a chance.

The primary here is sort of participated in vicariously by people in other states now because it can be brought into their living rooms. Although they’re not personally a part of it, they’re a part of it, because of technology, in a way that they weren’t before. It’s like it’s in the backyard, and the internet just adds another dimension to that. The internet does bring in a new dimension that brings in people from a distance, a little closer to feeling connected to it like television did in the ‘60s. That’s when states began asking, “Why can’t we have the same thing?”

CBSNews.com: Do you think, with all these states rushing to hold their primaries on February 5th, that this cycle might be the breaking point where after this election’s over we might step back and say we need to figure something else out to prevent this leapfrogging from happening the next time around, or do you think this is just going to go on and on?

Bill Gardner: Well, that same question was asked after the ‘80s and in the ‘90s and the answer is, “Well, how can you not say the answer is ‘yes?’” But what happens is, once the nominees are decided, the whole environment changes. And so, from this perspective now, knowing the time we’re in right now, you can answer that question in the affirmative. But if you were to superimpose what it’s like after it’s over and whoever wins saying “Well, it’s not so bad,” it changes, and that’s where the history comes in.

CBSNews.com: You have the power to set the date of the primary. You haven’t set it yet. What factors are you considering in terms of what date you will end up picking?

Bill Gardner: Well, first and foremost, it’s going be a day that preserves the tradition and that’s it.

CBSNews.com: Does anybody from the national parties and the campaigns contact you at all? Do they try to make subtle suggestions as to what date you should do?

Bill Gardner: Nancy Pelosi came here to my office with a few lawyers two dozen years ago, pretty strongly suggesting what the result would be if I didn’t do what they wanted. I had a situation in ’99 when I had both political parties and the governor in this state suggest that the date should be changed.

CBSNews.com: What is it that’s enabled you to resist pressure from all these people?

Bill Gardner: Well, it’s a unique position. As I’ve said, I use my best judgment and someday it might not be the right one. So far, I’ve had some luck and it has been. I sat in a meeting in the governor’s office with the governor and both political party chairs and the national committeemen all unanimously saying that I should change the date that I had set the week before. And I listened one-by-one and, based on the conversations I had and what I believed would happen in certain states, I had to make a call.

After they all spoke, and they told me that they were more in tune with what was happening, and I said, “Once I’ve set the date I’ve never changed it. It’s not that that’s an absolute but I’ve done it the same way I’ve always done it there’s a reason why I’ve done it this way this time… If I go along with you, and I make this change and you turn out to be wrong, I’m going to live the rest of my life knowing that I didn’t have the guts to stand up for what I thought. And if we lose this primary because I didn’t have the guts to do what was right, I’m going to feel terrible.”

So when I walked from the governor’s office back to my office, that was the toughest because it was the height of arrogance to defy everybody, in a way. It was public, so everyone knew that I was not doing what I was asked, and it turned out that I was right. So, because that was so public, it sort of increased my stature a bit, that I did this and I explained why. There was actually an attempt to have the legislature come in to take the authority away from me. But the legislature said, “No.”

You’ve got to be true to yourself and I’m here to do the job that I feel is right, and there’s an advantage to never having had a fundraiser [like I have]. There’s a huge benefit to be in a position where you can do it your way.

CBSNews.com: What’s the nature of the agreement between New Hampshire and Iowa, as far as protecting your state’s primary and their first-in-the-nation caucus?

Bill Gardner: The talk of New Hampshire going ahead of Iowa was not what everybody thought it meant. It was simply that Iowa had been told to go on the 14th [of January]. We intend to honor the Iowa law as we intend to honor our law, and the Iowa law is that Iowa will be at least eight days ahead of any other state that has a caucus, primary, convention or any other kind of nominating event. That’s the Iowa law. So we’ll wait and we’ll comply with this law.

[forthepeopl1]

have sent a 10,000 word statement to the heads of both partys. and also sent a copy to the vp, and whitehouse. let it be said here first..
stating that if they in anyway back down on this bill,and fold like ******* to this traitorest president/vp/rove/rumsfeld/ that
they will see a REVOLUTION IN THIS COUNTRY TO THE LIKES THAT THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN..

I told them the only bill that should be sign by the president is a bill he owes to all americans i thinks its around 3.000,000,000,000,0000,000,00,000,00,00,


00,00,00,.
so go and arrest all of them. and america will stand behide you. you all will go down as hero.

we need not to be in iraq,iran,or any were in the middleeast.

to the president of the united states of america. you are not a dictator, no ones is listen to all the lies anymore. any true american in this country is gearing up to have you and your crime buddies taken out by force.

you have to be stoped!!!! as i am a vet. i only wish was i was still in so i could make sure no more of my brothers and sisters get murdered by you and cheney,rumsfeld,rove,and so on.


so keep it up you chimp

nobodys listen to you asap. like i ask yesterday were have you served?? go ahead bigboy go and sign up? whimp,coward,pussie,chimp,like your fathers bush,cheney,rove,rumsfeld,and your mother connie

WHAT NOW AMERICA??? NOW BUSH/CHENEY/GONZO CAN LISTEN TO ALL OF US...............WHAT NEXT

[farmerbb]

Does any other democracy use voting machines ? I don't think so. Does any other have primaries ? Not sure, but probably not. What would happen if the U.S. just went back to paper ballots, and allowed representatives of each accredited party to observe the counting of the ballots ? Everybody would vote on the same day, and perhaps the campaign could be made a lot shorter. Now we would have a paper trail, some sense of trust in the vote count, and MAYBE we could get past all these allegations of fraud etc.