Dartblog

On September 9th, New Hampshire Republicans will head to the polls to select, among other things, the man or woman who will challenge incumbent Democrat Paul Hodes to be the next representative of the 2nd Congressional District in New Hampshire. Grant Bosse ‘94 is working hard to run a campaign that blends old school politics with new school techniques. The Concord Monitor profiled Bosse recently, focusing on the schedule that would run even the most energetic candidate ragged. He spends six days a week on the campaign trail, knocking on doors, attending events, participating in parades, and writing press releases. He understands that nothing can win a voter’s loyalty like personal contact. A voter ultimately needs to trust their representative to advocate for them. They need to trust him to be a servant of the people, not of themselves. The profile reveals Bosse’s most valuable asset: his down to earth nature. He is not given to frills or fancy displays, but he can engage well on the issues. Unlike some of his competitors, Bosse does not speak down to voters- he speaks to them with respect. After all, he was born and raised in New Hampshire. More importantly perhaps, the future of his career is dependent on the capricious nature of the voting public.

While focusing on this traditional approach to politics, he is also utilizing new media to communicate with potential constituents. He has a blog that he updates frequently with videos, stories from the trail, and issue based content. This use of the internet is indicative of his forward thinking. Bosse takes inspiration from the past, including an encounter with Ronald Reagan as a child, but he is not trapped by it. That is what we need in the politicians in the future. My favorite part of the Concord Monitor’s profile illustrated this point:

Doug Lambert, co-founder of Granite Grok, said although all the candidates have websites and e-mail blasts, Bosse caught his eye because of his blog and web videos. “They’re using technology that’s able to upload quickly and make real time responses to their opponents, which is something we feel is lacking among many politicians, especially on the Republican side,” Lambert said. “Grant truly has the ability and makeup to actually be a blogger.”

Lambert believes Bosse will reach younger voters. “It’s like when you’re a kid and did science projects, there were one or two that had a laptop and did a multimedia presentation,” he said. “Grant is that kid.”

While I certainly was not that kid, I would not mind having him represent me in Congress. Our legislative body needs people to be conservative, but innovative stewards. We are still the world’s greatest power and it is only through creativity and and understanding of the modern world that we will continue to move in that direction.