Bar patrons watch hockey, basketball rather than GOP debate

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Being American University students who eat, breathe and sleep politics, we were pretty excited to watch the last Republican debate before the primary.

And we wanted to watch it with Granite Staters, so a group walked to a pub called The Yard, across the street from our hotel.

We instantly realized it was country swing-dancing night. The dance floor was packed with dancers wearing cowboy hats and boots.

We thought this was strange, especially while the debate was on, and thought there must be people watching it in the the pub part of The Yard.

But not a single television was broadcasting the Republican debate. The 10 sets scattered around the pub were tuned to the Boston Bruins hockey game, the Golden State Warrior basketball game or a cooking show.

A waitress complied with our request to watch the debate, changing the channel of a set near us. But, when we asked her to raise the volume, she declined, saying it might disturb the Bruins game.

 

It was truly an eye-opening experience; not everyone is as fascinated about politics as we are.