Wednesday, March 11, 2015

The Political Culture of New Hampshire

Having traveled to many different states and having observed the political culture within these seats, I have noticed several major differences between New Hampshire and many of its New England neighbors. New Hampshire has always been a spotlight within the American political system because of our first in the nation primary. This has given New Hampshirites much more attention than other states in the region. The attention has acted as a catalyst that has since developed an oddly unique civic culture within the state that differs greatly from others. 

First and foremost New Hampshire natives are known for their upfront or abrupt manner in which they converse with candidates. They aren't afraid to ask a candidate tough questions, but beyond that citizens of the Granite State often ask questions in a very candid manner. They are not afraid to come off as gruff and they'll never beat around the bush. With this New Hampshire citizens will press a candidate for an answer. Frequently when asked a question they aren't prepared for, a candidate will give some long drawn out answer that doesn't really answer anything. While some other New Englanders will let this slide, New Hampshirites will press someone for a clear and articulate answer. 

As mentioned before the state of New Hampshire receives a lot more attention than a state with its population/points normally does. I have noticed that this has also created a sense of "entitlement" that is uncommon in many other places. This isn't necessarily a negative, it is just an uncommon traits. Many citizens feel that they are paving the way for the rest of the country and thus they deserve more attention than others so that they can make an informed decision. There is a famous saying that circles New Hampshire politics that describes the average NH voter. When asked what they think of a candidate a person will often respond "I don't know, I've only met them three times" this perfectly exemplifies the unique civic culture within the state of New Hampshire. Have any of you noticed anything similar? 

9 comments:

  1. I think this is a great summation of what a political culture in NH looks like, but then again, you definitely would know better than me. My out-of-state travels are limited as it is, but almost always limited to vacations or brief stays with friends, so I haven't been as aware of Political Culture in other states. With that said however, our political culture and our community advancement seem to be slightly at odds and in term oil a lot. For being so 'entitled', which was a great descriptive word btw, I do believe that we are starting to look more hick-like and ignorant, in that stance. We do demand much more of a federal candidate in the form of an answer -in a campaign situation, then we do of our own state legislatures, - in improving the conditions of our everyday lives. That is just my opinion though, that for a state that feels so important as to be LOCKED IN TO the first in the nation primary, we look pretty stupid when we deny kids the right to a college education because we don't feel like higher education is worth funding... idk, lots of contradictions in the political culture of the state of NH to me, but I appreciate the venue to say my piece on the subject. Thanks for your post.

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  2. The political culture in New Hampshire is definitely very different from any other state, being from Maryland everyone seemed to have the same views within certain areas but in New Hampshire everywhere you go is very diverse.

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