May 2011
60 posts
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Be the First on Your Block: Two Sides of Mitt...
What is more fashionable these days than GOP presidential primary flip-flopping? Absolutely nothing!
Tomorrow, the New Hampshire Democratic Party will release limited edition “Two Sides of Mitt Romney” t-shirts. The front of the shirt features one set of Romney’s positions, the back features a set of completely contradictory positions he has also held. The shirts will be...
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Special Election Preview: Strafford District 3
This week, I’ll be taking a look at the three upcoming special elections for state representatives. Not only are these elections an opportunity to pick up three additional House seats, but a win in each district will be seen as a repudiation of Speaker O’Brien and the Tea Party/Free State GOP.
The first special election will be August 9, 2011 for Strafford District 3. The is the seat...
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Judd Gregg's Shameful Exit Through Revolving Door
Former New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg is going to work for Goldman Sachs as an “international adviser.”
Gregg has already shown he was a friend to big banks like Goldman. In 2009, he argued against a proposed federal breakup of Goldman, saying in a Bloomberg interview, “Big is not necessarily bad…. If an entity is properly capitalized and if it does decent underwriting,...
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Speaker O'Brien's Ineffective Threats and Bribes
Kevin Landrigan reveals Speaker O’Brien has more threats and bribes in his arsenal to pressure GOP representatives to change their vote and override Gov. Lynch’s Right-to-Work veto.
The weapons at the speaker’s disposal include the two-year state budget, retirement reform and perhaps appointive spots on key conference committees that will thrash out conflicted bills.
It won’t...
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Kelly Ayotte Trolling for PAC Money
June is going to be a busy month for Sen. Kelly Ayotte. Earlier this year, Ayotte set up “Kelly PAC“ as a vehicle for raising money to win friends and influence people. Next month, she begins working to fill the coffers.
For: Sen. Kelly A. Ayotte (R, NH) When: June 14th, 2011 (6:30 p.m.) Where: Caucus Room - 401 9th Street NW Type of Event: Dinner Contribution Information:...
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Portsmouth Herald Excoriates Speaker O'Brien
The editorial board of the Portsmouth Herald, generally a voice of moderation and restraint, is forceful and unambiguous in condemning the “bully” Speaker O’Brien for his “sneaky” and “manipulative” handling of Right-to-Work legislation.
House Speaker William O’Brien and New Hampshire GOP Party Chairman Jack Kimball both predicted a vote Wednesday...
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Guinta's Debt Ceiling Vote Called Act of Terrorism
Rep. Frank Guinta today announced he will vote against the request to increase the debt ceiling.
“Today I’m announcing that I will vote against the clean debt ceiling increase bill expected to come up in the House next week. … This is the time to draw the line in the sand. I will vote ‘no’ on giving the government yet another blank check. I will only consider raising the debt ceiling in...
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Landrigan: 'Photo ID' Signs Intimidated Would-Be...
During last week’s special election in Hillsborough county, signs were posted at the New Boston polling location reading, “Per pending legislation you will be required to produce a photo ID in order to receive a ballot.”
Writing in The Lobby, Kevin Landrigan calls the incident “an attempt to intimidate voters” and questions whether it was simply a bad idea from town...
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O'Brien Fails to Bring Right-to-Work Override to a...
Today’s scheduled House vote to override Gov. Lynch’s veto of so-called Right-to-Work legislation never happened. With over 370 lawmakers in attendance, Speaker Bill O’Brien was unable to round up the two-thirds super-majority he needed to override the veto.
With statehouse super-majorities, Republicans have been confident Governor Lynch’s veto of this [Right-to-Work] bill...
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Fact Check: "Medicare Is Going Bankrupt"
“Medicare will soon be bankrupt.” Republicans repeat that claim over and over as an article of faith. They cite authoritative, non-partisan sources: the Congressional Budget Office and the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees.
Rep. Frank Guinta (direct mail piece):
“According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Medicare will go bankrupt by...
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PCCC Turns Attention From NY-26 to NH-02
Just hours after the upset win by Democrat Kathy Hochul in New York’s 26th congressional district, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) turned its attention to New Hampshire’s 2nd district. In an email to supporters, the PCCC said the New York victory highlights Ann McLane Kuster’s chances of unseating GOP Rep. Charlie Bass.
“The No. 1 issue in this special...
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Frank Guinta's Embarrassing Display of Ineptitude
It sounds like maybe Rep. Frank Guinta needs to spend a little more time doing his homework and a little less time on Fox News.
In an embarrassing display of ineptitude, Guinta botched basic facts when he attempted to grill Elizabeth Warren, President Obama’s choice to implement the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. [Video]
Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) mistakenly thought the CFPB...
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Ayotte: "I Will Support Ryan Budget"
Moderate Republican U.S. senators are signaling that they will not support the budget plan passed by the House of Representatives that would replace Medicare with a system of private insurance vouchers. The term “moderate Republican” obviously doesn’t apply to Sen. Kelly Ayotte.
“If the Ryan budget comes up for a vote in the Senate, I will support it,” Ayotte said. … I...
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O'Brien Abandons Merits of the (Right-to-Work)...
The Portsmouth Herald today published the contents of an email Speaker O’Brien sent to House Republicans regarding the upcoming vote to override Governor Lynch’s veto of the so-called Right-to-Work legislation.
“[T]he issue of a veto override is no longer just about Right to Work. Very simply, the issue is about whether the policy of the state of New Hampshire will be set by...
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NH Tea Party Compares Pres. Obama to "Shoe Shine...
h/t: birch paper (original @NHTeaParties tweet since deleted)
Note: Miscellany Blue has no connection to Media Matters.
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Guinta Hammered Over Oil Company Subsidies
Rep. Frank Guinta is receiving a tough reception from his constituents these days. Last month, he received national attention for the lambasting he took from angry voters over the GOP plan to gut Medicare.
This month, angry constituents in Conway hammered him over what Think Progress calls an “odd recommendation” to offset the elimination of oil company subsidies.
When a...
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O'Brien's Right-to-Work Strategy: Bribes and...
GOP state Rep. Lee Quandt documents the bribes and threats coming from the House leadership in its effort to override Gov. Lynch’s veto of the so-called Right-to-Work legislation.
What is happening now is state reps are being, as close as I can figure, bribed and threatened all in the same day. I have been told that the speaker is promising money for your campaign if you stick with him and...
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O'Brien on Right-to-Work: It's All About the...
Paul Krugman describes the GOP attack on collective bargaining and labor rights as a fight for political power rather than economic development.
[I]t’s not about the budget; it’s about the power.
Billionaires can field armies of lobbyists; they can finance think tanks that put the desired spin on policy issues; they can funnel cash to politicians with sympathetic views….
Given this...
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O'Brien's Latest Bullying Target: NH Senate
In House Speaker Bill O’Brien’s egomaniacal world view, others are mere props in a play as he seeks to remake New Hampshire to his liking. Anyone who attempts to stand in his way is threatened and bullied.
He’s threatened the judiciary:
O’Brien suggested that the Petition for Grievance procedure would perhaps lead to a Bill of Redress or a Bill of Impeachment.
...
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Special Election Fallout: Kimball in Denial
State Republican Chairman Jack Kimball won’t admit that voters in the New Hampshire House special election Tuesday sent a message repudiating the GOP’s extreme Tea Party/Free State agenda.
“It’s a matter of process. I’m going to take a look at the entire process. We’re having meetings today about it to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Kimball...
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GOP Lawmakers Backpedal After Election Loss
Republican commentators may claim Democrat Jennifer Daler’s upset win in Speaker O’Brien’s backyard was certainly not a referendum, but GOP lawmakers wasted little time telling their constituents they got the message.
Kevin Landrigan reports the State Senate’s tabling of four House Republican policy bills on Wednesday was a direct response to Daler’s win on...
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Quote of the Day: Fire in the Belly
“She’s got the fire in the belly and a message that resonates. For her to get in, the sooner the better.”
— Ovide Lamontagne, on likely GOP presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann
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Grievances Committee an "Embarrassing Farce"
Last week, I described how the chairman of Speaker O’Brien’s House Redress of Grievances Committee had disclosed a brazen ethics conflict while hearing a child custody case. This week, there was rare agreement from the state’s three most influential newspapers.
Union Leader:
Last week, a blatantly obvious conflict of interest was revealed. It should have resulted in the swift...
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Hillsborough District 4 Special Election: After
The surprise blowout victory for Temple Democrat Jennifer Daler tonight could be a signal that the New Hampshire Democratic Party is on the long road back to recovery from the Tsunami election sweeping them from power last November.
It’s a big kick in the shin for O’Brien, who lost his seat to Daler in 2006 and wanted to replace his personal friend Mead with a loyal Republican.
It’s a bigger...
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Hillsborough District 4 Special Election: Before
NH Journal (4/19/2011):
Insiders are viewing this race as the first public referendum on the new Republican-controlled state legislature, as well as a test of the NHGOP’s organizational ability heading in to the presidential primary season. It will be seen as a sign of weakness in terms of both ideology and ground game if the Republicans fail to keep this seat in their column.
Andrew...
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A Look at Hillsborough County District 4
Voter turnout today has been described as higher than expected in the special election to replace Rep. Robert Mead, the Mont Vernon Republican who stepped down to become Speaker O’Brien’s chief of staff. The contest pits Republican Peter Kucmas against Democrat Jennifer Daler for the Hillsborough County District 4 seat.
The district is made up of five towns: Lyndeborough, Mont Vernon, New Boston,...
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March to the White House 2012: GOP Brackets
Click image to enlarge. (h/t: @nashuademocrats)
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The Impact of Budget Cuts: Developmental...
The proposed New Hampshire house budget would slash funding for the Bureau of Developmental Services by $22.3 million for the biennium. The loss of matching federal Medicaid funding would result in a total reduction of $39.7 million. Karen Kimball, Medicaid and finance director for the bureau, explains the impact of the proposed funding cuts.
Those cuts would reduce and terminate services to...
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ICYMI: Newt Gingrich & Ron Paul on Civil Rights
Newt Gingrich suggests bringing back literacy tests (outlawed by 1965 Voting Rights Act):
“You know, folks often talk about immigration. I always say that to become an American citizen, immigrants ought to have to learn American history. But maybe we should also have a voting standard that says to vote, as a native born American, you should have to learn American history. You realize how many of...
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Portsmouth Demonstrators Greet Speaker O'Brien
When House Speaker Bill O’Brien showed up in Portsmouth this morning to address the Seacoast Republican Women, Portsmouth Dems were on hand to greet him.
Organizers estimated as many as 70 people turned out with signs reading “Stop the assault on the middle class,” “GOP budget kills jobs” and “NO’BRIEN.”
Things started peacefully but grew feisty as around 20 Republican...
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Mike Huckabee: "That's Not the Way We Are"
So we don’t have Mike Huckabee to kick around any more. The conventional wisdom had said Huckabee would not be particularly competitive in the New Hampshire presidential primary because there aren’t many evangelicals in the state. But maybe that wasn’t his greatest weakness. Maybe his brand of Republicanism just doesn’t square with the Tea Party/Free Stater GOP crowd...
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The Impact of Budget Cuts: Addiction & Recovery
The state budget passed by the New Hampshire House cuts funding for the prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug addiction by $4,168,000, a 57% reduction:
Elimination of 100% of the funding for more than 30 community-based prevention programs-eliminating prevention services for 20,000 young people and 11,434 elderly and resulting in program closures and layoffs of as many as 50 program...
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Quote of the Day: "We Can Do Better"
In order to pay for a large tax cut for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, the Republican budget would replace the successful Medicare program with a system of private insurance vouchers, leaving tomorrow’s seniors without adequate coverage when health care costs inevitably continue to rise.
No way. That’s not the America I want to pass on to my sons. It’s not the country that Nanny...
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When Legislators Try to Play Judge
This is what happens when legislators try to play judge.
The House Redress of Grievances Committee is a special panel created by Speaker O’Brien based on a clause in the New Hampshire Constitution giving citizens the right “to request of the legislative body, by way of petition or remonstrance, redress of the wrongs done them, and of the grievances they suffer.”
Thursday, the...
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Guinta's Hypocritical "Mediscare" Complaint
After getting hammered by constituents over his vote to gut Medicare, Rep. Frank Guinta wants a do-over. Earlier this week, he joined 41 of the fellow GOP House freshmen in delivering a message to Democrats: Let’s “wipe the slate clean” and have a “fact-based conversation” about Medicare.
This is amusing for a couple of reasons. The first is that the whining about...
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"An Apparent Discomfort with Balance of Powers"
When Gov. Lynch vetoed the so-called right-to-work bill this week, Speaker O’Brien complained the Governor was usurping the will of the people by attempting to “function as a third branch of the Legislature.” It’s not the first time O’Brien has thumbed his nose at the Constitution’s separation of powers and three co-equal branches of government.
The Keene Sentinel:
...
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Quote of the Day: Mr. Romney Is Not Credible
[T]he debate over ObamaCare and the larger entitlement state may be the central question of the 2012 election. On that question, Mr. Romney is compromised and not credible. If he does not change his message, he might as well try to knock off Joe Biden and get on the Obama ticket.
— Wall Street Journal
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Guinta Falls to Earth as Tea Party Loses Steam
A USA Today/Gallup poll last month measured the highest unfavorable rating for the Tea Party movement since Gallup began asking the question. Today, Joshua Green describes how this is playing out in Washington.
The Tea Party may continue to alter races across the country, and could also shape the Republican presidential field. But it appears to have reached the limit of its influence in...
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"I'm Not Moving!"
After New Hampshire Speaker of the House Bill O’Brien took the unprecedented step of holding a press conference behind closed doors and denying access to the public, one member of the public refused to be bullied.
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Mitt Romney on the Individual Mandate
At the state level, the individual mandate is a humane, cost-effective tool for rationalizing the health care market. At the federal level, it is the greatest threat to freedom in American history.
OK, I’m paraphrasing … and I stole it from Jonathan Chait.
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Quote of the Day: No Justification
In the last seven years of recruiting businesses to move to New Hampshire, not one business leader has ever even asked me if New Hampshire had a right-to-work law, let alone suggested it was a factor in the company’s location decision. No New Hampshire business leaders have ever told me that the lack of a so-called right-to-work law prevented them from expanding or hiring new workers here...
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Right-to-Work Sponsor: Goal is to Eliminate Unions
Mark Hounsell served in the New Hampshire state Senate from 1984 to 1988. As a sponsor of so-called right-to-work legislation, he understands — better than most — why it is being promoted and how it will impact New Hampshire’s economy.
So what is the real reason this bill is being pushed so hard by its supporters? The truth is the bill has nothing to do with a person’s right...
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NRA: The NH Legislature's "Dangerous Delusion"
How radical is the Granite State’s Tea Party/Free State/GOP-dominated legislature? So radical they make the National Rifle Association look moderate. That’s right. The organization that once referred to federal agents as “jack-booted government thugs” is appalled by the New Hampshire legislature and schools them on the Constitution’s division of powers between the...
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Quote of the Day: A Third Branch of the...
“My caucus members are concerned that they are united that the Governor cannot function as a third branch of the legislature. The senate and the house have spoken with very strong majorities that right to work is what the people of NH want.”
— New Hampshire Speaker of the House Bill O’Brien questioning Constitutional separation of powers
h/t birch paper
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Quote of the Day: "Possibility"
“The possibility that Osama bin Laden is no longer around is great. … As a military person, I’ve received nothing from my superior officers. We’ve had no message trafficing for the first time ever. … This is the first time I have received nothing, which makes me take pause. It seriously makes me take pause.
— Rep. Lynne Blankenbeker, New Hampshire state...
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Frank Guinta's Silly Small Business Initiative
With great fanfare, Rep. Frank Guinta recently announced his Getting Granite Staters Back to Work initiative. The centerpiece of the program was a laughable, non-scientific “survey” of small business owners purportedly indicating they support his Tea Party agenda.
According to the “survey,” 59% said “their ability to grow their business and create jobs is hindered by...
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"Like a Glutton Who Has Undergone Bariatric...
Romney demonstrated in the last election an exceptional incapacity to convince others that he buys his own spin — no small handicap in a politician. Last time around, he tried to overcome this deficiency by spinning even harder. But the pandering and insincerity this engendered proved deadly. One shudders to imagine what he might have said if let loose on the campaign trial in full pander mode...
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Lee Quandt on Right-to-Work, Speaker O'Brien &...
New Hampshire GOP State Rep. Lee Quandt speaks his mind.
On Right to Work legislation:
The RTW out-of-state advocates claim that if this legislation gets passed then it will increase jobs and we will all be on easy street; just like Alabama, SC, GA and the southern states. Let’s pass RTW and lower our standard of living, our health insurance and those benefits that make NH one of the most...
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A Mother's Day Gift for Working Moms
On the day we honor mothers, it’s worth noting that 71% of women with children under 18 years of age are in the labor force. And as the New Hampshire GOP continues its assault on workers and unions, it’s particularly meaningful to note the advantage these unions provide for working mothers.
A report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) documents the dramatic advantage...
