EFFREY BROWN: So, Richard, what other examples from the past do you like to look to, especially to help us understand the current situation?
RICHARD NORTON SMITH, George Mason University: Well, New Hampshire has been both a springboard and a graveyard for presidential candidates, and sometimes for presidents. Remember, two presidents, Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson, after doing badly in New Hampshire, both let it be known that they would not be seeking re-election. The other side of the coin, in 1976, Gerald Ford eked out a 1,000-vote victory at the last minute over Ronald Reagan. If he had lost in New Hampshire, arguably that campaign would have been over before it began. And then, of course, you have candidates who come out of seemingly nowhere. In 1984, for example, when Walter Mondale won very handsomely in Iowa, but all the media coverage was about who would come in second, and would Gary Hart meet the mythical threshold to be a serious candidate in New Hampshire? Not only was he a serious candidate, but he actually defeated the establishment candidate, Walter Mondale. JEFFREY BROWN: Now, Michael, another thing that t
