CORNISH – More than 500 people found their way up a rambling dirt road to the home of former National Democratic Committeeman Peter Burling on Saturday afternoon to hear Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s plans for righting the nation’s course on fronts ranging from mental health care to immigration. Toting stadium chairs from car trunks and filling a sloped lawn shaded by apple trees, the audience — the biggest Burling said he’d seen in his years of hosting political events — chanted “Pete, Pete, Pete,” as the South Bend, Ind., mayor arrived on a make-shift stage beneath a pergola and urged them to embrace bold ideas and renewed optimism.
“I’m worried that we may reach the conclusion that in order to win we have to play it safe,” Buttigieg said in a 20-minute speech that highlighted some of his most innovative ideas, including paid national service plans and strategies for bringing immigrants to rural communities in need of workers. “Back to normal isn’t going to work. We wouldn’t be where we are if normal was working…. We’ve got to present a clear, different vision of how our everyday lives will be better.”
Part of that vision is health care that works for everyone, said Buttigieg, sharing highlights of his new rural health care plan, unveiled on Friday in Manchester. The plan includes strategies for attracting practitioners to rural communities, identifying and supporting new models of mental health care and endorsing legislation that would help offset the loss of maternal health care facilities in rural areas. In recent years, several Upper Valley maternity care facilities have closed their doors, including the birthing center at Springfield Hospital in Springfield, Vt., and the maternity ward at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon.
Mental health, especially, must be treated seriously, said Buttigieg, who also spoke at a town hall at the Hanover Inn on Saturday evening.
“We need specific actions to deal with the crisis of mental health and addiction in this country,” he said. “It starts, before we even get to the policy, with breaking the silence that has some people assuming that this is a specialty issue that just touches a small handful of people.”
Buttigieg urged the crowd to remain focused on the issues themselves rather than the divisive rhetoric that has consumed news cycles in the Trump era. At the same time, he said, Democrats can’t ignore or allow themselves to become worn down by the Republican Party’s tactics.
“I am done with the flag being used as a sort of cudgel to hit other people over the head with. … I’m certain the flag that was attached to my shoulder when I stepped off the aircraft that delivered me to Bagram Airfield was not a Republican flag but an American flag,” said Buttigieg, referring to his six-month deployment to Afghanistan as an intelligence officer in 2014. “And that the meaning of our flag, among other things, was that when our leadership does something wrong, we are not only entitled to but obligated to say something about it, and that when we do, no one’s going to question our loyalty to the republic for which it stands, let alone tell us to go back to where we came from.”
In contrast with rival Joe Biden’s who spoke to the Valley News about climate change at Dartmouth College on Friday, Buttigieg made little mention of his climate plan. During a Q&A session after the speech, however, he called for the United States to return to the Paris Agreement and take its place as a global leader in solving the climate crisis.
Buttigieg, 37, trails former Vice President Biden, 76, in New Hampshire polls, 21% to 7%. He’s confident, however, that in the coming months he can close the gap.
“We’ve been amazed by the speed of our arrival on the scene since introducing ourselves. … I think people recognize in me a different kind of messenger, and I think the issues that I’m speaking to resonate with a lot of voters,” he told the Valley News in an interview prior to the event. “In order to now take it from where we are to a win — that’s where the on-the-ground organizing becomes so important. Obviously, we didn’t have on day one the kind of name recognition or the kind of funding that some of our competitors did, but now, we are in a very strong competitive position on both of those things.”
The crowd that gathered to hear Buttigieg was at least one indication that his campaign is picking up steam — although it’s still early for voters to commit to one candidate.
“I’m sort of kicking the tires on all the candidates,” said Gene Faltus, who moved to Swanzey, N.H., from Connecticut last spring and is enjoying being part of the New Hampshire primary process. Although he doesn’t plan to support anyone until after the next debate, Faltus, a former Republican who switched parties in 2008, said he’s enthusiastic about Buttigieg’s fresh ideas, particularly about health care.
“My generation has totally messed things up,” said Faltus, 67, a retired broadcast engineer who’s now fighting cancer. “I like Pete. He’s totally different.”
Audrey Perotti, of Plainfield, and Quinn Beek, of Grantham, both seniors at Lebanon High School, also still are making up their minds — although they won’t actually be old enough to vote until the general election.
“I’m just trying to learn as much as I can,” Perotti said. “I really like how well spoken (Buttigieg) is. I think that he really presents well.”
Sarah Earle can be reached at searle@vnews.com or 603-727-3268.