State House Rep. Kyle Tasker (R-Nottingham) was tickled pink to be featured in Miscellany Blue this morning. “Just like that, famous again,” he bragged.
The post, which was picked up by Foster’s and Huffington Post, highlighted his Facebook comments concerning a video that declared black women do not care about their children.
The headlines were not ones most politicians would welcome. Tasker says “he does not believe black women are unfit parents, despite his recent posting on Facebook,” wrote Huffington Post. Foster’s declared, “State rep in hot water over Facebook comment about black women.”
Tasker was just happy for the publicity. “Which democrat actually reads my posts and thinks, let’s post this on Miscellany blue and increase his vote count for next election with more name recognition?” he asked.
“…only took 2 weeks to get on Miscellany blue again, they love me,” he crowed.
Huffington Post confirms Sen. Kelly Ayotte undercut efforts by Sen. Marco Rubio to beef up border security measures in the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill. The story validates analysis by WMUR’s James Pindell who called Ayotte’s actions a “political fumble” by a rookie politician.
Ayotte’s announcement that she plans to vote in favor of the immigration overhaul weakens Rubio’s hand at the bargaining table as he attempts to make the bill more palatable for conservatives.
Citing three sources, Huffington Post writers Elise Foley and Sam Stein describe a private conversation between the two senators in which presidential hopeful Rubio asked Ayotte to hold back before announcing her position in favor of the bill:
Rubio had privately urged fellow Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) to remain quiet about her support for immigration reform, in hopes that Senate negotiators would amend the bill’s border security measures to win her vote, according to three sources, including one Republican Senate aide. …
Rubio “has not been telling them to vote no,” said one Senate Democratic aide familiar with negotiations. “He has been apparently holding people back from declaring support for the bill, while at the same time saying the bill needs changes in order to garner support. My understanding is he told Sen. Ayotte’s office to hold back, but she didn’t care.” …
A spokesman for Ayotte flatly denied that such a conversation took place. A spokesman for Rubio said he could not confirm the anecdote.
Ayotte apparent rebuff of Rubio’s request came just days after he came to her defense with a six-figure ad buy when she faced withering criticism over her opposition to expanded background checks for gun purchases.
Last week, GOP state Rep. Bob Kingsbury explained that he believes there is a direct link between the growing inmate population at the Belknap County Jail and the state’s mandatory kindergarten program.
Today, Kingsbury sat down with The Huffington Post and provided details. ”In general,” the 86 year old Laconia lawmaker said, “the towns with a kindergarten have 400 percent more crime than other towns in the same county. In every county the towns and cities with kindergarten had more crime.”
In Kingsbury’s world, kindergarten is not the only factor that contributes to a higher crime rate — but he does not blame day care or preschool programs.
“Children go to kindergarten at the point of a gun,” Kingsbury said. “Children go to day care and it’s not the same; there is no point of a gun.” Kingsbury said he believes that teachers are partially to blame but the rise in crime is not the fault of teachers. Instead he blamed attorneys and the courts for what he called a lack of discipline and rules in schools and for prohibiting teachers from disciplining students as in previous decades.
Writing in Huffington Post, Philip Elliott says the Tea Party takeover of the New Hampshire GOP may very well rewrite all the rules for winning the 2012 first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
Tea partiers are ready to push presidential contenders to embrace their outsider rhetoric and punish candidates who espouse moderate policies. Scores of new voters have become engaged in politics and they could rewrite the traditional rules of the primary, which in past cycles rewarded early groundwork and establishment support.
Cranky New Hampshire voters seldom ratify national trends and the ascendant tea party leaders are looking for an outsider who will heed their orthodoxy. If they sustain their enthusiasm, tea party-style activists could completely reshape who is showing up at the polls for the primary, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 14 of next year.
Last month, James Pindell raised questions about 1st District Congressional candidate Frank Guinta’s personal finances, specifically how he came up with $245,000 to loan to his campaign:
OK, seriously now, how was Frank Guinta able to loan his Congressional campaign $245,000 to date? Where did this money come from and how much more of it is there? Look at his personal financial disclosure form when he entered the race in May 2009 and you’ll see that he had between $106,000 to $400,000 in investments and some money in property. In June 2009 he reported loaning the campaign $20,000. But here is the thing: if he liquidated some of that investment money, wouldn’t it have shown up on his year end personal disclosure form? It didn’t. The other $225,000 in loans came this year, but Guinta is late on filing an updated disclosure form (that was due in May.) Everything could very well be on the up and up, but if anything Guinta, like most candidates and required by law, needs to fill out an updated Form B personal disclosure form.
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Projected Democratic seats: 190
