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CNN Live At Daybreak
Foot Soldiers on Campaign Front Lines
Aired January 27, 2004 - 05:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's the foot soldiers on the front lines who make all the difference in a successful political campaign. For those in the battle for New Hampshire, today is the day they have been fighting for.
Our Jason Bellini shows us some of the big fish.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before a candidate can hope to go here, here and ultimately here, he needs the help of many fish.
MATT FISH: My name is Matt Fish (ph), so, I don't know, some people call me Matt Fish, some people, you know, fish man, fish.
BELLINI: Fish is a campaign field coordinator for Senator John Kerry.
FISH: If not for, you know, college kids and young kids coming up and giving up their time and, you know, giving up their life for democracy, there wouldn't be anything.
BELLINI (on camera): Anything but TV ads. In New Hampshire, primary voters wield wildly disproportionate influence over the election process. They're reminded of the import of their decision every day by campaign workers whose principal qualification is their willingness to work endless hours for little to no money.
UNIDENTIFIED VOLUNTEERS: Happy birthday to you.
FISH: Thank you.
I just turned 26 today. I'm an old man. You know, when I'm 35 years old, I'm not going to come up here and live with supporters. You know, I mean, it's just not going to happen. I mean I've got this small room.
BELLINI (voice-over): Here, the personal is the political, quite literally. Ask Wesley Clark's regional director, Amy Ward.
AMY WARD: That would be awesome.
BELLINI: Campaigns become a lot like rival fraternities and sororities.
WARD: We've got someone from our campaign that's dating someone from the Dean campaign. And strategy is something you've got to keep very secret.
BELLINI: In some ways, it's like another freshman year of college -- no sleep, new friends...
FISH: Just kind of grab and go.
BELLINI: ... and definitely 10 more pounds.
Also, of course, the drinking.
FISH: Strange Brew is, you know, where all the campaigns mostly go -- $2 beers, half price advertisers. We always have a large group go there, you know, talk, try not to talk about work. It is absolutely impossible not to talk about work.
BELLINI: Thomas Petrillo (ph) is also a field organizer. He has worked in Manchester for Joseph Lieberman since May.
THOMAS PETRILLO: We become each other's family where we're on the road like this.
BELLINI: He wants to make a career of politics.
PETRILLO: Thank you for your time, sir.
BELLINI: He actually goes out canvassing for voters in his spare time.
PETRILLO: Have you decided who you're going to vote for yet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not yet.
PETRILLO: Are you still considering Joe?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, probably not.
PETRILLO: I appreciate the honesty of the voters here.
KATE: Only five.
BELLINI: His friend Kate makes the job like a daily road trip.
KATE: I just bought this car for $100 a week and a half ago.
PETRILLO: Wow, I think you got ripped off.
KATE: It's all about this country and that's what my life is about now. And it's great. It's fun. It's crazy. It's exhausting, but it's worth every moment.
BELLINI: This is the biggest political pond in America.
PETRILLO: I did not start drinking coffee until I jumped on this campaign, now I'm hooked on coffee.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Black? PETRILLO: Black, two Sweet 'n Lows, a bit of half and half. BELLINI: Where no one feels like a small fish.
Jason Bellini, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And these guys are like Eveready bunnies, they just keep going and going and going.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 27, 2004 - 05:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's the foot soldiers on the front lines who make all the difference in a successful political campaign. For those in the battle for New Hampshire, today is the day they have been fighting for.
Our Jason Bellini shows us some of the big fish.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before a candidate can hope to go here, here and ultimately here, he needs the help of many fish.
MATT FISH: My name is Matt Fish (ph), so, I don't know, some people call me Matt Fish, some people, you know, fish man, fish.
BELLINI: Fish is a campaign field coordinator for Senator John Kerry.
FISH: If not for, you know, college kids and young kids coming up and giving up their time and, you know, giving up their life for democracy, there wouldn't be anything.
BELLINI (on camera): Anything but TV ads. In New Hampshire, primary voters wield wildly disproportionate influence over the election process. They're reminded of the import of their decision every day by campaign workers whose principal qualification is their willingness to work endless hours for little to no money.
UNIDENTIFIED VOLUNTEERS: Happy birthday to you.
FISH: Thank you.
I just turned 26 today. I'm an old man. You know, when I'm 35 years old, I'm not going to come up here and live with supporters. You know, I mean, it's just not going to happen. I mean I've got this small room.
BELLINI (voice-over): Here, the personal is the political, quite literally. Ask Wesley Clark's regional director, Amy Ward.
AMY WARD: That would be awesome.
BELLINI: Campaigns become a lot like rival fraternities and sororities.
WARD: We've got someone from our campaign that's dating someone from the Dean campaign. And strategy is something you've got to keep very secret.
BELLINI: In some ways, it's like another freshman year of college -- no sleep, new friends...
FISH: Just kind of grab and go.
BELLINI: ... and definitely 10 more pounds.
Also, of course, the drinking.
FISH: Strange Brew is, you know, where all the campaigns mostly go -- $2 beers, half price advertisers. We always have a large group go there, you know, talk, try not to talk about work. It is absolutely impossible not to talk about work.
BELLINI: Thomas Petrillo (ph) is also a field organizer. He has worked in Manchester for Joseph Lieberman since May.
THOMAS PETRILLO: We become each other's family where we're on the road like this.
BELLINI: He wants to make a career of politics.
PETRILLO: Thank you for your time, sir.
BELLINI: He actually goes out canvassing for voters in his spare time.
PETRILLO: Have you decided who you're going to vote for yet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not yet.
PETRILLO: Are you still considering Joe?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, probably not.
PETRILLO: I appreciate the honesty of the voters here.
KATE: Only five.
BELLINI: His friend Kate makes the job like a daily road trip.
KATE: I just bought this car for $100 a week and a half ago.
PETRILLO: Wow, I think you got ripped off.
KATE: It's all about this country and that's what my life is about now. And it's great. It's fun. It's crazy. It's exhausting, but it's worth every moment.
BELLINI: This is the biggest political pond in America.
PETRILLO: I did not start drinking coffee until I jumped on this campaign, now I'm hooked on coffee.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Black? PETRILLO: Black, two Sweet 'n Lows, a bit of half and half. BELLINI: Where no one feels like a small fish.
Jason Bellini, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And these guys are like Eveready bunnies, they just keep going and going and going.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
