NH Delegates to the DNC Say They're Still 'Fired Up'

Are Democrats still fired up and ready to go? New Hampshire delegates ready for the Democratic National Convention this week say there's still fire in the belly, re-ignited in part by the newly minted Republican presidential ticket.

"Expect a very substantive, very starkly contrasting presentation to the American people," said Peter Burling, DNC committeeman from Cornish, N.H. "We're all heading down to Charlotte with a strong sense of optimism."

The economy remains the No. 1 issue, Burling says, but convention speakers will focus on a number of things, including the Affordable Care Act and support for the middle class. He said Democrats will challenge the "war on women," a point underscored by being among the speakers.

Raymond Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, said the convention holds great value for voters, both to get a better sense of the candidate, and to claims at the GOP convention.

"It is important to set the record straight," said Buckley. "It was an amazing laundry list of misstatements."

Part of the overriding DNC message will be 29 consecutive months of private sector growth, according to Buckley. 

"We are continuing to move the country forward," he said. "It's not as fast as we would wish, but it is improving."

Mitt Romney, in his speech accepting the Republican nomination for president, argued that Obama's job performance did not warrant another term. "I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed, but his promises gave way to disappointment and division. This is not something we have to accept," Romney said Thursday at the RNC.

Burling, however, said he does not see a post-convention bounce for Romney. "What we've really gotten out of the Republican caucus is – they hate Obama," he said.

The DNC schedule of speakers includes former President Jimmy Carter (via video), Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and former President Bill Clinton.

The president, via his Twitter account @barackobama, tweeted a photo Friday night with a photo of himself and his 2008 slogan retrofitted for 2012. It read: "We will move this country forward. We will finish what we started. We are still fired up. We are still ready to go."

The Obama campaign, not long after Republican presidential nominee Mitt at the RNC on Thursday night, was telling reporters that their convention would be better.

New Hampshire delegation to the 2012 DNC:

Gov. John Lynch of Hopkinton

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of Madbury

NHDP Chairman Raymond Buckley of Manchester

NHDP Vice chairwoman Martha Fuller Clark of Portsmouth

DNC Committeewoman Kathy Sullivan of Manchester

DNC Committeeman Peter Burling of Cornish

DNC at-large member Joanne Dowdell of Portsmouth

Trevor Chandler of Laconia

Garth Corriveau of Manchester

Carol Croteau of Kingston

Eriin Feltes of Concord

Claire Helfman of Hollis

Ned Helms of Concord

Former U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes of Concord

Richard Komi of Manchester

Patricia Lee of Hanover

Christopher Pappas of Manchester

Lenore Patton of Hampton

Ricardo Rodgriguez of Hopkinton

Mike Rollo of Rollinsford

Dorothy Solomon of Albany

Donna Soucy of Manchester

Nan Stearns of Amherst

Alejandro Urrutia of Nashua

Mariann White of Orford

State Sen. Lou D'Allesandro of Manchester

Sen. Sylvia Larsen of Concord

Donald Manning of Manchester

House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli of Portsmouth

Jim Demers of Manchester

Former Sen. Peggy Gilmour of Hollis

Former Sen. Bette Lasky of Nashua

Mark MacKenzie – NH AFL-CIO president

Chip Moynihan of Hampton

Kristi St. Laurent of Windham

At-large alternates: CeCe Hackett of Manchester and Gary Richardson of Hopkinton

Standing Committee chairs: Deborah Butler of Concord, Katherine Hanna of Bedford, Mary Rauh of New Castle, Alan Reische of Manchester.