BEN SMITH: Senator - thanks for doing this! To begin with, can you send over a selfie -- and tell me where you are and what you’re doing right now? (Oh - this is Ben Smtih from BuzzFeed, in case you were wondering …)

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Selfie of Michael Bennet.

MICHAEL BENNET: Hi Ben, here’s a selfie in front of the state house in Concord, NH. Beautiful day, a little chilly. Heading off to New England College for a town hall.

BS: You’re focusing heavily on New Hampshire. What do you think you can get right there everyone else is getting wrong? I should add that that is also the most perfectly staged selfie I’ve gotten so far.

MB: One town hall after another. Not giving speeches, but taking every question until the last one is answered. And there are a lot of questions… emojis of people raising their hands. My daughters won’t believe it, and to be honest, I used portrait mode by accident.

BS: Ha. I want to ask you about President Obama’s comment last week about Twitter:

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Article excerpt reading, “Voters, including Democrats, are not driven by the same views that are reflected on certain left-leaning Twitter feeds, or the activist wing of our party,” he warned. “And that’s not a criticism to the activist wing - their job is to poke and prod and text and inspire and motivate. But the candidate’s job, whoever that ends up being, is to get elected.”

BS: Do you agree?

MB: Agree 100%. I’ve been saying the same thing for months. There are two primaries going on: one is a Twitter primary, and one is a primary concerning real, living human beings that want to know their kids are going to be able to go to a good school, that when you work you can earn a decent living, and want to retire with dignity. That also don’t want us to leave the next generation in the lurch when it comes to climate change.

BS: He also said the activists play an important role -- but you seem to think they’re destructive?

MB: Disagree, they have a vital role to play in the democracy. But in the end, we have to reach a result and that requires a better quality of elected leadership than we have today. My complaint is not with the activists but with the politicians.

BS: As impeachment hearings continue, what are you watching for -- as a potential juror?

MB: Whether Donald Tump is going to continue to stonewall in real-time Congress’ legitimate oversight of his reprehensible activity.

BS: Are you worried the trial is going to make it impossible for you to run a real campaign in New Hampshire in January?

MB: *Cross armed man emoji* We need to do both, and will do both.

BS: One person who won’t need to worry about this is Mayor Pete. Does he … irk you as much as he does some of the other more experienced people running?

MB: On the contrary, he and I both started at the local level. The difference is that my school district’s budget was 3x the size of South Bend’s budget, and I have spent the last ten years in almost every fight that matters in the Senate.

BS: I have to ask you about the Washington Post piece about you and your brother, who is at the Times. Is this you?

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Excerpt from an article reading: Still, earlier this year, he had a habit of picking up his cellphone and disappearing at the worst possible time - Friday evenings, when his team was closing the section. We he walking to You-Know-Who? “I’m 1,000 percent sure it was Michael,” said one of James’ co-workers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss his boss.

MB: I obviously can’t say for sure, but I doubt it. I usually talk to James from DC when we are in the same time zone, and that’s never on a Friday.

BS: And finally, I think you maybe winning the primary as judged by the amount of garbage you’ve eaten on the trail. Any recommendations for our audience??

MB: Well clearly you’ve never eaten at the Red Barn diner in Manchester. Baked beans and a Moxie for breakfast.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A plate of beans, sausage, and eggs.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Michael Bennet unscrewing a bottle of Moxie soda.

BS: That is high quality NH pandering. Any other favs before I let you go?

MB: It’s not pandering if you go back a second… and even a third time.

BS: Ha. Well thanks for doing this Senator!

MB: Thanks! Come join me for breakfast sometime. The best places serve it all day. I leave you with this reflection from the trail.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A transcription at Mark Twain Overlook reading: And I remember Muscatine- still more pleasantly- for its summer sunsets. I have never seen any on either side of the ocean that equaled them. The sunrises are also said to be exceedingly fine. I do not know.” - Mark Twain.
This lookout sire is the former location of Muscatine’s first radio station, KTNT, (Know The Naked Truth) operated by Norman G. Baker from 1925-1931.

BS: Thanks Senator. See you up there.