May 22, 2008

On his own
The independent in the 1st District
By Alec O'Meara aomeara@hippopress.com

Economist, businessman and craftsman Peter Bearse is running as an independent for New Hampshire’s First District seat in a crowded field that includes John Stephen, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, and former Congressman Jeb Bradley. A 40-year veteran of the state’s political scene, Bearse has worked on both sides of the fence as a grassroots activist, and believes that this year above all other years is the time when New Hampshire voters are most likely to vote for an independent candidate.

Q:Why are you running?
I’m running because I want to bring people-based politics back to the forefront. I followed the politics of Abe Lincoln and of “The Greatest Generation” and the politics of those eras were based on people and not on money. Not on big money, anyway. I’m running as an independent for several reasons and for good reasons, which we can get into if you’d like. In a way, I’m admiring the [Barack] Obama campaign, not for its policies, but for its politics, because of the way that it is rebuilding the Democratic party from the bottom up rather than the top down, which is what I’ve been advocating for as both a Democrat and a Republican my whole life.

So, why run as an independent?
It’s something that I wrestled long and hard with. I’m still registered as a Republican. In fact, I’m very active in Republican politics as a member of the GOP state platform committee last year. But that leads to one of the answers to your question, because I introduced a couple of resolutions there, including one to recognize global warming as an issue that we have to deal with, and they were voted down resoundingly. I began thinking about running as an independent then and there.

If there are so many voters in New Hampshire that like to call themselves independent, then why is it that when push comes to shove, they vote for either a Republican or a Democrat?
I know what you’re saying, and that figured into my calculations and my decision as well, wondering if I was basically on a fool’s errand. I don’t think so. That’s why I say that this is the year to be running as an independent. The reason the old logic doesn’t play, or won’t play as much this time around, is that if you look at a different set of polls, you’ll find that people across the board are upset with the way the public is conducting the people’s business ... so I think this is the year, because you already see that the conventional wisdom has been overturned in a number of the primaries, so this is the year for someone to come in and make a difference by putting people back front and center before the Congress. ... People are looking for someone to help solve very serious basic problems, many of which are long-term in nature, and we have a Congress that is looking for the quickie approach to solving anything ... I have the qualifications to work through these problems, but I’m going to need the people’s help. I’m not going to go in there as the lone ranger.

Outside of politics, what are some of your interests?
I have some really interesting hobbies, and I regret that I don’t have the time to pursue them right now. I love woodworking. I love making things with my hands. ... I love singing ... and I love writing.

Tell me more about woodworking. What are some projects you’ve completed recently?
I’m really into recycling. I’m really heavily, deeply into environmental concerns. ... I make things out of things other people throw away ... I’ve made a whole set of tables, that were made primarily out of oak pieces that had been thrown away at boatyards and shipyards. I’ve made all my tables from such pieces. I’ve also made a number of puzzles, because I love working with the skill saw. I make puzzles for children and others.

Any luck with selling them?
I had one piece of sculpture that I sold for $400. That’s the only thing I’ve sold. I think of it as a labor of love, just like politics are a labor of love. I make them for friends, I make them for relatives, I give them away.

What was the sculpture?
It was a memorial to the Gloucester, Massachusetts, fishing industry. Gloucester is my hometown. It was made out of these two ribs of this fishing vessel that was being thrown away when the vessel was being repaired ... it formed an arch, and in the arch there was an anchor hanging, and some other minor touches.

Any other thoughts on the race?
Here’s the way I see it. We have two Republicans with rich friends and deep pockets that are going to beat each other up, and I’m going to be the last man standing. We already know by the polling ... that pointed to the weakness of the incumbent, which I hear about every day out there. No one was more surprised to be elected than the incumbent. I think it’s going to come down to [Jeb] Bradley versus [Carol] Shea-Porter, with me as the dark horse, which is fine for me, because both of them would be identical. We’d have two party-line candidates that would just be the same-old, same-old, and that’s my in, because people are looking for a change, they aren’t looking to just get more of the same, just with changing the nameplates.
— Alec O’Meara