When the people speak to politicians

One of the great aspects of a long primary season, is the opportunity to hear what people — not politicians — have to say.

CNN has a great idea as the coverage moves to New Hampshire: Stick a microphone on the street, and allow people to speak to the candidates, although, admittedly, the candidates probably aren’t going to hear it.

The New England accent is a bonus.

Ron Paul today walked off an interview with CNN when a reporter asked him why he wasn’t spending more time meeting New Hampshire residents?

Ms. Bash, who was interviewing Mr. Paul a few feet away from a group of reporters, had posed a timely question: a few hours earlier, a middle-aged woman had become angry with Mr. Paul for not spending enough time talking to voters at a diner in Manchester.

The woman, an Obama voter last time who said she was open to voting for Mr. Paul, even approached Mr. Paul’s S.U.V. as he prepared to drive off and began shouting at him through the closed car door to return to the diner and meet her and her mother.

People in New Hampshire are different than Iowa. They can be dangerous to a carefully scripted day.