Concord
On Wednesday in Concord, though, Hillary Clinton campaign volunteers got a little boost when The Breakfast Club actress Molly Ringwald paid a visit.
In front of a poster written in marker that read “Women’s issues are our issues,” Ringwald stood and thanked the two dozen or so volunteers crowded at folding tables in the dingy office space just off of Manchester Street.
Over against the wall, a fruit bowl with a browning banana was stowed in the background. Phone bank cell phones — years-old flip phones — sat ready to be used.
Concord High School student and 17-year-old Sabrina Hart-Meyer, who volunteered after school every day during the presidential primary, snapped a photo of Ringwald while talking to a voter. Across from her, another volunteer had a copy of the Sixteen Candles DVD sitting on top of her phone bank sheets, waiting to be signed.
“You guys are really doing the hard work,” Ringwald said. “It’s also great to see such a great range in ages.”
She asked, in amazement, how old 14-year-old Concord volunteer Eric Bedard was, and then told him that her 13-year-old daughter would think he was “pretty cute.”
“Oh, shoot,” Ringwald said, a little nervous. “She would kill me if she knew I was telling you that … lost my cool there for a second!”
The Clinton volunteers laughed with her. They then grew quiet as the 48-year-old actress explained why she came all the way to Concord on a rainy September afternoon.
“In 2016, there’s no reason whatsoever why there should be a pay gap between men and women,” Ringwald said. Adding that she encourages her two young girls to be strong, and she teaches her son, Roman, to know that a sign of a strong man is to support strong women.
“These are the values I try to instill in my kids,” Ringwald said. “It’s important to me we have a president to express those values.”
To make good on that statement, Ringwald then sat down at a table, plugged some headphones into another volunteer’s cell phone and began making calls to thank Clinton campaign volunteers.
“Hi Kathy, this is Molly Ringwald,” she said to one volunteer. There was a pause as the volunteer took in who was on the phone.
“Hi — are you there?” Ringwald said, a smile spreading across her face. Everyone around her laughed. She asked Kathy whether she planned to do any more work for the Clinton campaign.
“Oh, canvass captain?” Ringwald said. “That’s awesome.”
Once she was done her list, the actress stayed at her table. Turning to the more experienced volunteers around her, Ringwald asked, “Can I just listen to what you guys do so if I do this again … ?”
She watched Concord residents Gerri King and Cathy Bessette go down their lists. Both women said they have been working for the Clinton campaign since June 2015, and King has phone banked for the Democratic Party for years.
“Decades,” King said. “It’s not my favorite thing to do. But I do it because it’s so important — because it makes a difference.”
Having someone like Ringwald make the effort to visit, Bessette said, makes a difference, too. It spurs other volunteers to keep working through a long campaign season.
“She has no ties here, and she’s willing to give up her time,” Bessette said.
“It was wonderful,” King added.