our vision obscured by a throng of people surrounding him. Suddenly, there were a lot of cameras flashing, and immediately we recognized the object of the photographs. Bill Bradley was the man getting all of the attention. After jumping over a few chairs, we also recognized that this was our moment for an interview.
It wasn't easy excusing our way through the large circle of press, but I was eventually right before him in the center of the circle. We exchanged handshakes, and I told him, "My cousin, Alex Grodd, is working on your campaign." "Oh, you are Alex's cousin? He is a great guy," replied Mr. Bradley. I then inquired if I could ask a few questions for TeenSpeak Today for the Leaders of Tomorrow. He responded with a prompt straight-faced "No." Fortunately he was just joking. He allowed me to proceed with my questions which I posed before an audience of the on-looking members of the press.
Mr. Bradley is a social democrat. He is interested in making changes in society that would benefit everyone fairly and equally. He contends that he is very tied into teen issues, having served as a professor at Stanford and Notre Dame Universities. In fact, some of his campaign platform ideas place a strong emphasis on issues that are important to teens: issues like the environment, problems with global warming and easing tensions in racial relationships are ideas which are important to Mr. Bradley. Another priority in his message is the importance of making quality education available to everyone. I was very impressed with Mr. Bradley's upbeat demeanor and his sense of humor. He is very tall, however, he is someone I can easily look up to.
We visited Bradley Headquarters in Manchester, New Hampshire. There was a special energy there. Set in an old mill, a visitor walks up rickety stairs to get to headquarters. Inside, an immense collage portrait of Mr. Bradley decorated one large wall. Positive vibes were abundant. Older teenagers made up the majority of the volunteers, although young and old worked together. There was to be a campaign hit at the dump. Did I want to go, my cousin asked me. Press people are not supposed to be partial to any candidate, however, if we had more time, I would have joined the brigade, sensing that this is a man who genuinely cares about the future of the United States and the diverse populations that make up this great country.
Rachel Stockman beside Collage of Senator Bill Bradley in his campaign headquarters in Manchester New Hampshire, January 28, 2000.
