‘It’s Great to Be Back,’ Clinton Tells N.H.

President Clinton returned to the state that gave his presidential campaign a crucial boost four years ago, plunging into crowds and declaring New Hampshire “a good place to extend your career.”

Although he has no Democratic competition, Clinton selected the first-in-the-nation primary state Friday for his first campaign trip of the election year.

In a day of mostly low-key campaigning, Clinton focused on his accomplishments, improvements in the economy over the last four years and education issues.

And he praised the state for performing “a very valuable function for the rest of the country” every four years.

“In your tradition of town meetings and quiet conversations and genuine dialogue, you rebuke the loud slogans and the harsh conflict and so much of modern American life that sheds more heat than light,” Clinton told a Concord audience.

In 1992, Clinton placed a strong second here to a local favorite, former Sen. Paul Tsongas of neighboring Massachusetts. He proclaimed himself “The Comeback Kid” and kept gathering momentum.

Clinton arrived to good polling news for his campaign. A survey conducted for the Boston Herald and WCVB-TV found that half of those polled think Clinton could beat Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) if Dole gets the GOP nomination. Half of Steve Forbes’ supporters believe that Clinton could beat the multimillionaire, the polls showed.

The president visited a sixth-grade class at the Walker Elementary School in Concord that produces a monthly newspaper, the Walker Talker.

Demonstrating a computer that turns words into spoken English for the president, one student typed out “You will be reelected.” The classroom erupted in laughter and Clinton patted the youth on the back.

Later, speaking to a group of 1,300 students, parents, teachers and citizens in Concord’s Capital Center for the Arts, Clinton noted ebulliently that both George Burns and Bob Hope had performed at the refurbished theater.

“I wanted to come, because if they have been here, this is obviously a good place to extend your career,” Clinton said.

The president still has not formally declared his candidacy for reelection, although there was no doubt about his intentions. The White House said the entire two-day trip to New Hampshire was being paid for by the Clinton-Gore reelection committee.

“It’s great to be back in New Hampshire, great to be reminded of what makes our country work,” Clinton said.

Clinton took a leisurely walk along Concord’s Main Street, pumping hands, engaging spectators in conversation, even lifting a baby. On the window of a hair salon was a large sign: “Come in for a free presidential haircut.”

Clinton defended his penchant for retail campaigning, going out and meeting people directly, which he said he prefers to campaigning via television ads.

“The virtue of doing it that way is you not only connect with the voters, but you learn from them. If you run a campaign with television ads, you might win the election, you might connect with the voters and get their vote, but you won’t learn anything,” he told reporters.

Rebecca Lawrence, 52, of Concord, said she probably will vote for Clinton because there is no moderate Republican.

“I’m not perfectly happy, but I’m pleased with the direction he’s going in, which is more toward the center,” Lawrence said. “The Republicans have left the middle with no choice.”