http://campaignsandelections.com/NH/articles/?ID=979
Bernie Dolan Wants You to Know About Duncan Hunter
By - Beth LaMontagne
(November 21, 2007) New Hampshire voters haven’t seen or heard much of presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., this campaign season, but Pittsfield resident Bernie Dolan wants to change that. An engineer who moved to New Hampshire three years ago from Massachusetts, Nolan has taken on a volunteer role as the deputy New Hampshire campaign director.
Nolan has no previous campaign experience, but he’s also never been inspired to get involved by anyone like Hunter has inspired him. In a recent interview with NHpols.com on his car ride home from work, Nolan talks about his new role with the Hunter campaign, his past political leanings (he’s been a fan of both Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy), and about Hunter’s chances in the New Hampshire primary.
Have you ever been involved in politics before?
“Other than voting and that sort of thing, I’ve never been involved in a campaign. Then again, I’ve never come across somebody who has a set of core beliefs that are very much like mine. … Whether moving away [from] government-sponsored health care, or politicians who talk about government this and government that, [Hunter wants to] let the individual do it.”
What made you decide to go with Duncan Hunter?
“The biggest reason was that I didn’t see anybody else who even came remotely close to [Hunter’s views]. Compare him with what I see on the Democratic side, when I see [the Democrats] speak of nationalized health care, I get scared. If you look at any endeavor the government tried to run, they haven’t done a good job. Take a look at Social Security. If a company ran Social Security like the government does, they not only would be fired, but criminal charges would be filed against them.”
When did you take on this role as volunteer state director?
“I stumbled across his Web site … and I said, ‘yes, I like what I see,’ I signed up [on the site] and said ‘I can volunteer to do a couple things.’ I got a few responses asking me, can I do this, can I do that. [I told them] I am married and have three children and a job that requires some travel.”
What have you been doing in the state to get out the word out about Hunter?
“Basically, I’m trying to get the boundaries of the job down. I’m relatively new to this. I’m trying to get [in touch with] the NHGOP, there is a Meetup group organizing. It is relatively small now because people don’t know much about him. I guess that would be my job.
“I’m sure there is a certain amount of people who are looking at Mr. Hunter who are probably very similar [to me]. … There is no big campaign budget to allow you to hire people to organize and stand at the corner with different signs. Everyone is living their lives.”
As a volunteer, how do you squeeze in the time to get work done for Hunter?
“You conduct interviews on the drive home and hope you doesn’t say something bad. You try to work around it.”
Are you in close contact with the national campaign?
“Yes. There was a lot of e-mail going back and forth today. Different media outlets are looking for a direct quote on different issues. … I want it to come directly [from] the candidate himself. I’m not going to pretend to speak for somebody. … I’m not going to say, ‘this is his stance.’ It’s not my place to do so. … I will say that everything I’ve read, if you look at his voting record, he has a very consistent record you can track. In my opinion he’s the best person for the job.”
Hunter is somewhat of a long-shot candidate. What do you consider a successful run in New Hampshire for him?
“I would be real happy seeing him win New Hampshire. If our campaign can come together quickly — what are we voting, next week? — I’m not playing for second place or third place. It is my opinion that the more people find out more about Mr. Hunter, the more they are going to say he’s the one to lead this nation forward. … To play for second, that doesn’t work for me.”
