Speaking to a room of political supporters packed into the Daniel Webster Room at the Hanover Inn, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., reiterated her support for President Barack Obama in the minutes leading up to the GOP debate in Spaulding Auditorium, where Republicans would take the stage and with it, the spotlight, from the Democratic Party.
"America is at a crossroads," Wasserman Schultz said to the crowd. "I understand you have a heavy burden here."
Wasserman Schultz was one of the lone Democratic figures on campus amidst the campaign machines of the eight debating candidates, but she used the urgency of the Republicans' push for the executive office in her own pleas for continued support from students and community members.
Wasserman Schultz said her experiences as a mother allow her to empathize with Americans struggling in the current economic situation and enable her to truly "know what's at stake" if the economy does not recover in the coming months.
"I'm proud of the progress we've made, [but] we have a long way to go," she said, adding that it is important that America does not choose the "wrong path" to recovery.
Wasserman Schultz urged Granite Staters to help "turn New Hampshire blue again" by electing officials who will "stand up for values" that are important to the majority of Americans. Democratic support will be essential during the 2012 general election, according to Wasserman Schultz. She urged all in attendance to volunteer in whatever way possible before next November.
"The most valuable resource you have besides your money is your time," Wasserman Schultz said.
During a question and answer session, Wasserman Schultz said she has witnessed a "tremendous amount of enthusiasm" for the Democratic cause among young people, and cited the packed room in which she spoke as an example of that fervor. She also detailed the DNC's efforts in the fight against restrictive voting laws that Wasserman Schultz said were supported by Republicans.
In March 2011, the New Hampshire House of Representatives struck down House Bill 176, which would have prevented students from voting in state or local elections. The bill was initially sponsored by Rep. Gregory Sorg, R-Grafton.
Wasserman Schultz distributed a pamphlet to those in attendance explaining Obama's American Jobs Act, which included a special insert explaining the act's effect on New Hampshire specifically.
When contrasting the political styles of the Democratic Party and conservative factions of the Republican Party, Wasserman Schultz highlighted Democrats' willingness to consider others' viewpoints even when they differ from their own.
"To the Tea Party, if you disagree, you're the enemy," she said. "We don't engage in a my way or highway' policy."
Wasserman Schultz helped generate student excitement and energy surrounding political activism and effectively took "the message to the people," acting President of the College Democrats Chelsea Stewart '12 said.
After agreeing with an audience member who said that Democrats must work to prove that the Republican presidential candidates' plans for America will disadvantage average citizens, Wasserman Schultz added that such policies will ultimately place corporate America "back in the driver's seat."
While the campaign for Obama's re-election continues to receive "much appreciated support," Democrats still need additional help, she said.
"Thank you for everything that you have done and will do," she said to the crowd. "Don't leave it all to me, and don't leave it all to President Obama."
