One handshake at a time: a day of old-style New Hampshire politics--a rite of passage for presidential candidates--with Joe Lieberman.

• Author: Smith, Patricia
• Position: National - Cover Story

Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut strides into the Time-Less Diner in Amherst, N.H., with the energy of a long-distance runner at the start of a marathon. It's 11 a.m. on a Sunday and the 1950s-style diner is packed. Waitresses weave through the crowd, balancing coffee pots and trays of food. Lieberman, who is running for President, approaches the first woman at the counter.

"What's the first thing you'd like me to do as President?" he asks her.

"Lower taxes," she says.

Lieberman has an answer ready: "We've got to lower taxes on the middle class and raise them on the wealthy." With that, he moves on to the next person. In the next hour, Lieberman will work his way around the diner, fielding questions about the economy, Iraq, trade policy, AIDS, and whether being Jewish would affect his dealings with the Middle East.

Lieberman, 61, who was Al Gore's vice-presidential running mate in 2000, is one of nine candidates vying to become the Democratic nominee for President in the 2004 election. UPFRONT spent a day in November on the campaign trail with Lieberman in New Hampshire.

In the months leading up to its January 27 primary, New Hampshire is crawling with presidential candidates. The primary--which is the first of the election season and has a good track record when it comes to predicting nominees and general election winners--is critical for Lieberman and the other candidates. A strong showing generates momentum and heavy press coverage, and helps a candidate raise more money. A poor showing can push candidates out of the race.

"This is the state where the rubber meets the road for a lot of campaigns," says Dante Scala of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. "A lot of campaigns that look good on paper are exposed for what they are here."

Campaigning in New Hampshire is unique. The state's small population and tradition of direct democracy means candidates must sell themselves to the public, one person at a time. It's a far cry from the TV- and ad-driven campaigns that are more practical in larger states. New Hampshire also has a more educated and less diverse population than the country as a whole. "The kind of politics that are practiced here are something of an endangered species," says Scala.

But that doesn't make New Hampshire any less critical. Experts say it's important for voters around the country to at least see candidates interacting with ordinary people on TV, since most of them will never bump into Joe Lieberman in their...