IT WAS billed as an elections "town hall meeting" for the people of Concord, an opportunity to question Senator Bob Dole among the sewing machines on the factory floor of Globe Firefighter Suits.
But little more than a few college youths, some middle aged people in raincoats and a bunch, of campaign workers turned up at the otherwise empty factory to occupy the rows of chairs arranged before a microphone.
The candidate gave a standard stump speech and took only four questions before his handlers hustled him away and the meeting ended.
Travelling with Senator Robert Dole in New Hampshire at the weekend, it was hard to escape the conclusion that his presidential campaign is dead in the water.
The 72 year old Senate Majority Leader needs to win the New Hampshire primary convincingly on February 20th to maintain an aura of inevitability about his eventual choice as the Republican to face President Clinton.
At four events last weekend, however, the audience was never more than a few dozen, and some of the same people turned up at each meeting to cheer dutifully.
Mr Joseph Petrone, a tall retired diplomat of the Reagan era, was prominent at the factory in Concord, and later at a "Veterans for Dole" rally in Manchester, where he donned an exservice cap like everyone else.
"I came through the Depression, I know about values and so does Bob Dole," he said. "He has great courage. I don't find it with the others."
Mrs Dorothy Cardillo acknowledged, however, that it would not be easy for Mr Dole to win the primary. "Many of my friends will be voting for Forbes," the elderly lady said glumly.
The flat tax campaign of Mr Steve Forbes has grown like a bubble in New Hampshire, thanks to the millions he has spent on negative advertising. The wealthy publisher is now in second place behind Mr Dole in the polls, with Senators Phil Gramm and Richard Lugar, the former governor Mr Lamar Alexander, Mr Pat Buchanan, and others, trailing in single digits.
Now that he is known, Mr Forbes packs restaurants and hotel rooms for his meetings.
The pa fry elite in New Hampshire long ago lined up behind Senator Dole. The governor, two House members and a senator travelled with him through the rains at the weekend.
But Mr Dole's third bid for the presidency may be washed out before it properly gets under way. He looked harsh and weary when responding to the high flown rhetoric of President Clinton's State of the Union message last week.
Mr Dole is uncomfortable with people. While waiting to be introduced he folds his arms to hide his withered right hand, which always clutches a ballpoint pen, or swings his arms across each other, as if to blur the infirmity.
When he speaks there is a barely perceptible tremor in his lower lip. He never uses notes. His attempts at, humour rarely succeed.
His appearance is preceded by a video presentation, narrated by his 59 year old wife Elizabeth. There are wartime film clips to recall his heroism. It concludes with the senator saying, "In a dangerous world we need experience, maturity and courage... I am not afraid to lead and I know the way."
But he is strangely defensive at the microphone. "I know you re not all for Dole and some of you are wondering how to get out of here," he said to the devoted band in the firefighter suit, factory.
"Why do I want to be President?" he asks rhetorically.
"Because 1 think America is headed in the wrong direction for the next century, the balanced budget has got to be good news, lower rates by 2 per cent. . ." His voice trails off.
He admits to the failure of the Republican revolutionaries in Congress to achieve their goals, and depicts President Clinton as the obstacle, but it sounds like an excuse for another bunch of politicians not delivering on their campaign promises to balance the budget and cut taxes.
Mrs Dole concludes meetings with a rousing message Bob Dole has vision, ideas, the ability to implement them he can work with Congress and can lead." She shows herself to be a better candidate.
Such staged political meetings make good television sound bites, and give viewers the impression of a candidate on a roll. But the obvious hollowness of the Dole campaign is worrying Republicans.
People are saying privately that he's too old," said a Republican Congressman who campaigned with him recently speaking off the record. "But there's nobody else, what can we do?
Senator Dole already tasted bitter defeat at the hands of New Hampshire voters who gave Mr George Bush an upset victory in 1988
With that in mind he pleaded with the veterans "Once before I was told by people, We didn't vote for you because you didn't ask us. Well now I'm asking."