A Private Decision (1969)

the political situation here in New Hampshire the rest of the country is still watching us once every four years United States turns its attention to choosing a leader a small snowy state in the northeastern corner of the country becomes the political center of the nation it will show the other states that New Hampshire clearly wants Richard Nixon to be the next president of the United States the final campaigning is underway in the New Hampshire presidential primary coming up next Tuesday on the Republican side Richard Nixon is urging New Hampshire Republicans to give him a big send off in his quest for the GOP Presidential nomination New Hampshire signals the start of the national presid campaign by holding the first primary election of the year so the men who then wanted to be president Richard Nixon Michigan's Governor George Romney and Senator Eugene McCarthy from Minnesota Drew national attention to New Hampshire as they started the campaign with ritual TRS through the snow hoping these visits would bring them victory in this first voter test where one man from each political party would win the state support at the political conventions in the summer lonia is a small town in New Hampshire the most popular Pastime in winter is dog sled racing the problems that concern other parts of the country may seem far away but behind its Placid landscape and his comfortable homes lonia people were aware of the challenges their country faced in this year and many became actively involved in the primary campaign Jim Wilson lives in lonia like many of his neighbors he is a member of the Republican party this year he is Chairman of the lonia Chamber of Commerce and he owns the town's camera store if you're familiar with super eight cameras head this is the one that loads with the drop in cartridge jimy cares deeply about the future of his country he is concerned about the way the government spends money including his tax money he thinks a republican Administration can do a better job and Jim thinks there is one man who can do it best Jim is a Nixon man there's absolutely no Advantage for Nixon to come and debate because as long as Nixon stays in the background says nothing Romney just digs a deeper hole and varries himself comes out on top right now but his wife an is still considering other candidates i' vote for him because I think he's that middle of the world candidate but we but would you consider voting for Eugene that's the we know he's not to make it there were others in lonia who did not share Anne's pessimistic appraisal of Senator McCarthy one was ronal Callahan black Jim Ron is a business own he runs a family-owned Electronics firm he is a member of the democratic party in 1964 Ron had voted for President Johnson but this year deeply disturbed by the war in Vietnam he had decided to work for the election of Senator Eugene McCarthy McCarthy was opposed to the course of the war and had challenged the president for the Democratic nomination but War has taken so much money out of the economy taken so much the the war in poverty the uh what Johnson call the Great Society so much punch has been taken out of what he tried to do because of the war that it it's become a Maring put somebody else in if you think he's wrong all right we'll do that l Chamber of Commerce sponsored a series of breakfasts for all the candidates and Ron and Jim and their wives an and dty attended them all and Ron got his first close look at the man he wanted to see when as I see the campaign in' 68 the issue of Vietnam itself is is a vital one of course and you could pass a har Jud on that war if it were isolated all together from any domestic consequences or any other International consequences but underneath all this I think is a fundamental judgment that we're called upon to make as to what the real role of America is to what direction do we want to give to America or what influence do we want it to have on the rest of the world and I see this is a fundamental test that we have to face up to in the electoral process of the Year 1968 [Applause] Richard Nixon came to town a few days later and Jim had a chance to meet and talk with the man who was his personal choice for the presidency Nixon had the most practical experience of all the candidates as vice president in the Eisenhower Administration he had been actively involved in running the country for eight years take one of everything out did Nixon was a man that Republicans had always been able to count on he attended thousands of dinners and rallies to help the Republican cause the people he helped remembered and appreciated his work and it was this personal contact with thousands of ordinary Americans that was to become the backbone of the Nixon campaign was my pleasure to have Mr here I speaker when I came into office this past year I know thetion being here boy you're well you know we have to really promote sled dogging and all our winter events around here Jim was pleased to have next as his guest at the world championship dog sled races minut well anyway now I've seen it in Alaska and I've seen it in lonia good pleas to have you here and you have my boat so uh I want you to know that it's Jim had promised Nixon his vote and he went to work to fulfill that Promise by working for the Nixon campaign in lonia [Applause] don't we have any other choice Jim well they're quite a few choices are you uh are you a a true Johnson Democrat all the way I think that he's handling things as well as they can be handle 7467 the Democrats who were supporting the president had organized an intensive writing campaign urging voters to endorse the administration by writing President Johnson's name on the Democratic ballot in effect asking him to run again I would say we some work that has to be done election better this and be sure that you WR in the name of President Johnson Senator McCarthy was a newcomer to presidential politics and since many Democrats were supporting the president Ron and dty began work on the mcy campaign with few assets there was little popular support for the senator a sparse organization and even less money every vote was important we're glad you stopped in this morning we're glad you stopped in this more the McCarthy campaign did have one great asset young people many of them students too young to vote they flocked to New Hampshire to support the Senator's cuse at first it was called to Children's Crusade and no one thought they could compete with the Professionals in the hard work of organizing a presidential campaign but leaders of both political parties were to describe this sudden involvement by thousands of young people in the political process as one of the most important benefits of the election [Music] year good Senator McCarthy also got some support from another unorthodox Source actors and actresses l some of their glamour to the cause and Paul Newman became the political box office smash of Lon if you have areas where you feel your own Rumblings and your own dissension and your own questioning then I think it's necessary to get behind the senator now early in the game and not sit around and wait till you feel that you're ready to make a a political commitment is convenient to you a few weeks before primary day the Republican race lost the Challenger George Romney withdrew the CBS News poll of Republicans in New Hampshire last night shows that George Romney's withdrawal has helped Richard Nixon as much as Nelson Rockefeller and the Romney supporters who now say they will vote for another candidate about half favor Nixon and half favor Rockefeller people like you might write rockefeller's name some people including an wison thought Governor Nelson Rockefeller might take Romney's place about Romy I will vote for any Republican candidate that wins in Miami at at the convention and it'll either be Nixon or Rockefeller but no one could really compete with Richard Mixon in New [Applause] Hampshire by the time Nixon made his last campaign speech he had most of the state's Republican votes and according to all predictions he was already a winner I sa you having traveled through this state having met hundreds of you personally and thousands of you that I spoken to having heard your questions having looked into your faces you have given me New Hope about America is New Hampshire going to indicate this bther state that A change is going to come in November or is it going to be more of the same and I say to you turn out let's get the biggest vote we've ever had and with that vote you not only will see to it that we will win tomorrow but that New Hampshire will vote for new leadership in November and America will get a new president in January thank you primary day in New Hampshire was quiet a sharp contrast to the intensity of the campaigns hi are you ready to go down and vote I've got bunny to watch the store right now and uh it seems like a good time we can get there while AR too many crowds or anything but each voter went to the polls with the obligation to make his choice in this first test as carefully as he would in November how you doing the voting procedure was simple wison demat Republican registered voters received their party's ballot move to a boost to Market in private returned it to a sealed Ballot Box and had their names recorded to prevent voter fraud James R Wilson James R Wilson Ron and Doty voted for McCarthy but they also had a personal interest in this election Ron was on the ballot as a mcarthy delegate if elected he would go to Chicago in August to vote for the senator as a representative of his State the polls would close at 6:00 but until then campaign workers for all the candidates were busy urging their neighbors to vote uh no I'm going but pay him have you voted yet for the in the no Ser That's my boy right there thank you yes this is Mrs kby at Nixon headquarters we wanted to be sure and remind you to vote today and at Nixon headquarters voters were offered rides to the polls a common practice in both political parties it began to snow in l but that did not stop the voters from going to the polls it looked so easy a mark on a piece of paper a name who men it was as simple as picking out a new hat or selecting fresh vegetables for dinner and it was done as casually but in each voter's mind there was the feeling that his vote his personal choice of a presidential candidate could make a difference I now declare the PO while run went to mcaf headquarters in Manchester Dy stayed in [Applause] lonia and she was finding it hard to wait for the final vote count it was an upset Mai made a surprisingly strong showing and the young people who had worked for him suddenly had proof that they could influence a national election by working for change within the framework of the democr process Ron was amazed and delighted when he found out he had scored a personal upset Victory and had been elected as a delegate gy of course was thrilled [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jim and Anne stayed home on primary night with their children to celebrate Nixon's overwhelming victory in the Republican race and they were convinced that their candidate would win more victories in the future as the campaign moved out of New Hampshire and into other states Ron traveled to nearby Vermont to work for mcarthy at that State's Democratic Convention which was held instead of a primary to pick the state's delegates and presidential choices and now McCarthy was facing competition from a new candidate Senator Robert Kennedy had decided to run decision that are made by this today there were other unexpected events with our hopes and the world's Hop For Peace in the balance every day Jim and an did not realize at first as they listened to the president's speech that he was about to tell the nation he would not run for the presidency again Paran calls it accordingly I shall not seee and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president [Applause] [Music] Vice President of the United States thank you thank you and Vice President Humphrey became the last major Democratic candidate to enter the race as air to the support that had been given to the President Humphrey acquired a substantial number of delegate votes before the National Convention thank you Senator Robert Kennedy ended most of his campaign speeches with the phrase some men see things as they are and ask why I dream of things that never were and ask why [Music] [Applause] not before those dreams could become reality Senator Kennedy was killed shot by an assassin in the kitchen of the Los Angeles [Music] hotel the nation mourned and for a Time politics were forgotten although the country had lost a man that many loved his death could not destroy the essential stability of the democratic process the nation still to choose a leader and in time the campaigns began [Music] again we have axon for yes Jim Wilson working for Nixon in lonia is looking forward to the Republican National Convention okay the choices at the Miami Beach Convention were Richard Nixon well aren't you having fun Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York who is now working hard for the nomination and California's governor ronal [Music] Reagan as the Republican delegates gathered in this Resort City it soon became clear that Mixon was also their choice by an overwhelming mandate the next president of the United States Richard Nixon tonight I again proudly accept that nomination for president of the United States tonight I see the face of a child he lives in a great City he's black or he's white he's Mexican Italian polish none of that matters what matters he's an American child he sleeps the sleep of childhood and he dreams the dreams of a child that child in that great city is more important than any politician's promise he is America I see another child tonight he hears the train go by at night he dreams of far away places where he'd like to go seems like an Impossible Dream but he is helped on his journey through life a father who had to go to work before he finished the sixth grade sacrificed everything he had so that his sons could go to college and tonight he stands before you nominated for president of the United States of America [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and Mixon selected Maryland's governor SPO agnu as his mate for the office of Vice [Music] President it was now time for the Democratic Convention and McCarthy and Vice President Humphrey were the leaders in the Democratic race Ron and went to Chicago as part of the New Hampshire delegation there they continued their protest along with many other delegates who also wanted to see a more detailed plan for peace is the party's Campaign [Applause] [Music] theme other demonstrators protested against war in the city's streets and these protests erupted into a confrontation with police that K the concerned attention of many Americans [Applause] the delegates shared that concern but first they had to fulfill their obligation to nominate a Democrat for the presidency as the balloting went on it became clear that Vice President Humphrey had the support of the convention but Ron and most of the New Hampshire delegates were pledged to vote for McCarthy and they honored that pledge 20 votes for Senator Eugene J McCarthy [Applause] and six votes vice president [Applause] H and Vice President Humphrey won the [Applause] nomination Ron and dty went back to lonia and talked about the convention with their friends the very differences of individual individual groups and everything else save this whole damn thing for us we all the we wouldn't really be you believe in democracy you believe two things ration and reason the other thing is you realize that all people don't look at what is right for Human Society the same way a matter degree so somehow you have to talks never get 100% end up0 we for the guy you work the for it is never easy to accept defeat but Ron endorsed the decision in Chicago and supported the Democratic nominee realizing that Humphrey had been nominated by the will of the majority and before long a large Humphrey poster appeared on the side of Ron's house as the campaign moved into its final reach the nation considered its choices vice president [Music] Humphrey George Wallace the former Governor of Alabama representing a third party movement and Richard Nixon [Applause] [Music] [Applause] campaigns are always framboyant and as the candidates moved across the country they were surrounded by all the traditional vot getting [Applause] glitter Mass good to see [Applause] you you got in it but there was a serious purpose behind the bands and balloons each candidate was meeing the people giving them a chance to evaluate his SPS as a potential president and to look closely at him as a man [Applause] [Music] lonia people in the fall are part of one of Nature's most impressive pageants as the leaves turn and the Ducks dropping briefly on their way to the South the countryside signals the end of the season with a Stillness and Grandeur interrupted only by the sounds of children returning to school the people of the United States went to the polls to elect their president confronted by a decision that could hold the key to the nation's future place in the world world but they knew that whomever the new president would be he would receive the support of the entire nation as he was given the awesome responsibility of leading the country that years and in this election year the nation chose Richard Nixon bringing to its final conclusion a democratic process that had started months before in New Hampshire received a very gracious message from the vice president I know exactly how he felt a close one 8 years ago and having won a close one this year I can say this's a lot more fun did yes he did really very exciting you made a great spee it was very I'm sure you'll be able to watch it I we came everybody they looked around and everything were they happy yeah well I'm really glad that I voted for Nixon because I believe that you can really get things started again it all goes down of the fact that the country wanted a clean suite and this is what is Nixon is going to do he's going to he's going to get in a whole new uh bunch of people who will have a different outlook on and this is what we needed it's just overwhelming I I couldn't I I've never been so uh pleased at a political outcome naturally as a Democrat I'm unhappy but in a sense I think there's a certain amount of Justice there I think that what the American people have done have told Nixon have told Johnson H for anybody who you know might be president now in the future that uh they're accountable for their actions they're accountable for their [Music] p e [Music] for