Rep. Kyle Tasker welcomes controversy

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.

State House Rep. Kyle Tasker said what?

Yesterday, state House Rep. Kyle Tasker (R-Nottingham) posted a video on Facebook made by controversial radio talk show host Tommy Sotomayor. The Atlanta-based African American courted controversy by bashing Jason Collins, the first openly gay active NBA player, but made his name with his vicious attacks on black women.

The YouTube video Tasker posted is classic Sotomayor: “[Black] Woman Throws her Baby Away So She Can Poundcake Another Woman On The Bus!”

In his video commentary, Sotomayor declares, “Black women are the worst stewards of children on the planet. They are the worst mothers by a long shot. They do not care about their children.”

This leads to the following exchange between Tasker and Rep. John Burt (R-Goffstown):

John A Burt Is this man racist?

Kyle Tasker He thinks black women are the least fit people on earth to rear children.

Kyle Tasker So not really

Rep. Boehm on undue prison phone rates: ‘Boo hoo’

Yesterday, state House Rep. Peter Hansen (R-Amherst) received an email from a constituent requesting his assistance.

“As we prepare to spend time with our Fathers this weekend, my thoughts are with all those families who are separated from each other by prison walls,” she wrote. “I am outraged at the high rates many families pay to make telephone calls to their loved ones in prison.”

She asked Rep. Hansen to write a letter to the F.C.C. supporting a proposal that would prohibit prison phone companies from charging exorbitant rates for long distance calls.

Rep. Hansen circulated the message to his fellow lawmakers to get their input. He received a thoughtful reply from Rep. Steven Smith (R-Charlestown). He received this response from Rep. Ralph Boehm (R-Litchfield):

“boo hoo„„ guess we forget about the ‘hardship’ they cost their victims. “Tough, if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.”

‘I don’t subscribe to the Tea Party ethos that says struggling Americans are parasites to be crushed’

State House Rep. John Hikel (R-Goffstown) took to Facebook today and blasted House Democrats for voting to “grossly raise taxes, increase the size and intrusiveness of state government” and diminish our “unalienable rights.” A constituent from Goffstown, Jennifer Garth, responded forcefully and eloquently. Excerpts from the discussion follows:

John Hikel Those of us whom were in the NH House yesterday experienced a losing effort trying to resist and defeat some of the most damaging tax increase including Common Core and Obama Care to mention a few but not limited to just those and attacks on our NH Bill of Rights and constitutional freedoms in the form of diminishing our rights by accepting more federal money with strings attached. …

Jennifer Garth I see a lot of vague talking points here (“grossly raise taxes, increase the size and intrusiveness of state government, diminishes our unalienable rights such as the right to self defense”). Can you name the specific things that he voted for/against that you are taking umbrage with, please? Thanks.

John Hikel … Now you can either believe someone who is sitting through it and watching it happen or you can engage yourself in the process but it will depend on how you look at tax increases whether they are more free stuff for those who feel entitled or are you of the ones who contribute so your government can give more of your money away.

Jennifer Garth John Hikel, I don’t subscribe to the Tea Party ethos that says that fellow struggling Americans who want to utilize government services are parasites to be crushed. … So you can take your Fox hate speech and use it on someone who agrees with you that the American citizens are the enemy and the lobbyists are the good guys.

John Hikel Wow Jennifer Garth, Are you misinformed about what I support. You are so far off base. Not one thing you just said is even close to accurate. … do you have such a dislike for hard working people like myself because we work 6 days a week trying to get buy and don’t work 7 to give more to the beast? Try being a productive contributor to society.

Jennifer Garth … And see, there you go again… “do you have a dislike for hard working people like myself”, meaning YOU don’t work so you wouldn’t understand. You tea party types are imperious, vainglorious, self centered menaces to society. You know nothing about me yet accuse me of not being a productive member of society. This kind of disdain for your fellow citizen shows in the legislation you press, whether you admit it or not.

John Hikel Sorry but you don’t know what you’re talking about. Seems contagious these days.

GOP downplays special election win: “I’d like to think it is a good sign but I can’t. I know better”

By a 322 - 246 margin, voters in Claremont Ward 2 selected Republican Joe Osgood over Democrat Larry Converse to fill the vacant Sullivan District 4 House seat in yesterday’s special election.

New Hampshire GOP chair Jennifer Horn breathlessly declared the win was “a repudiation of Governor Hassan’s irresponsible agenda and her failed fiscal leadership in Concord.” Her troops obviously didn’t get the memo.

“While Republicans will undoubtedly boast about the pick-up, don’t read too much into it,” wrote Republican state House Rep. Steve Vaillancourt.

Spec Bowers, Sullivan County Republican Committee chair, was honest. “Special elections never have real implications,” he said. “I’d like to think it is a good sign but I can’t. I know better.”

Special Election Preview: Claremont Ward 2

Tuesday, voters in Claremont Ward 2 will head to the polls for a special election to fill the state House seat vacated by Rep. Thomas Donovan. The Democratic lawmaker representing Sullivan District 4 resigned in February for health reasons. This is the third special election since the November 2012 election when Democrats retook the House. Democratic candidates won the previous two.

Candidates

Republican Joe Osgood has served three terms in the New Hampshire House. He gave up his seat in 2012 to run for the District 5 state Senate seat where he lost to Democrat David Pierce (D-Etna).

In his last campaign, Osgood was endorsed by Cornerstone, the conservative advocacy organization leading the fight against marriage equality and a woman’s right to choose.

The group noted Osgood voted with Cornerstone 97% of the time in the House and signed their Families First Pledge, in which he promised to “vote to protect innocent human life from conception to natural death” and defend “traditional marriage.”

As a House member, Osgood supported legislation that would have barred New Hampshire college students from voting in the town they attend college. Osgood mirrored comments by then House Speaker Bill O’Brien, telling The Dartmouth that college “tends to breed liberalism.” College students could have a “drastic” and “detrimental” impact on elections, he said. “I think it’s destroying the country, if I’m telling you the truth.”

In contrast, Democrat Larry Converse says advancing education is his primary reason for seeking office. “My major thing is education, kindergarten through college,” he told the Valley News. One of his priorities is increased funding for the state university system. “The state has never fully funded any of the programs it started for education,” he complained.

Converse criticizes Osgood for his support of the school voucher program that grants tax credits to businesses to help fund students attending private schools, religious schools or home schools. “I am against that and I know my opponent is against public schools,” said Converse.

Converse served in the New Hampshire House from 1983 to 1984. In 1984 he ran for the U.S. Senate against Republican Judd Gregg and was defeated handily. He returned to the state House, where he served two terms from 2004 to 2008.

District Make-up

Registered Democrats have a 873 - 782 edge over registered Republicans in the district. 899 registered voters, representing 35% of the total, are undeclared.

The ward votes solidly Democratic in Presidential elections. Pres. Obama beat Mitt Romney by a 59% - 40% margin. He carried the ward in 2008 by the same margin. Based on voting in 2004 and 2008 presidential elections, Claremont Ward 2 has a Partisan Voting Index of D+7.

Voting Details

Voting takes place Tuesday, June 4, from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Claremont Middle School. Ward 2 residents who are U.S. citizens and will be 18 years of age or older on election day are eligible to vote. Unregistered voters may register on election day at the polling place.

SB-11: ‘Water is in EVERYTHING, including us’

The New Hampshire House today passed Senate Bill 11 by a 254-74 vote. The seemingly innocuous legislation allowing towns and cities to establish water and sewer districts had become a lightning rod among tin foil hat Republicans who condemned its “Agenda 21-isness.”

Witness this apocalyptic warning from Free Stater and former state House Rep. Andrew Manuse:

If this bill passes, your private property will be completely usurped by the stroke of a pen. Water is in EVERYTHING, including us. There’s absolutely no stopping the growth of government with this in place. This bill MUST die!

On the House floor, sponsor Rep. Patrick Abrami (R-Stratham) made light of the conspiracy theorists. “I assure you that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon did not visit Stratham to tell us what to do,” he promised. “OK? It did not happen.”

Dan Tuohy explained the real impetus behind the bill:

Stratham, which has no public water or sewer, is interested in an inter-municipal agreement with Exeter in order to help attract businesses to the Route 108 corridor and to help offset tax burdens for local property taxpayers.

Heard in the House: ‘Wonder if they are packing heat?’

Strong smell of booze walking by. #nhhouse

— susanthe (@susanthe)

May 29, 2013

”@susanthe: Strong smell of booze walking by. #nhhouse” wonder if they are packing heat too. ..

— RepReba (@RebaEmerson)

May 29, 2013

Constituent responds to Rep. Tasker: ‘I am ashamed to have you representing the people of this town’

Yesterday, we reported on a Facebook comment from state House Rep. Kyle Tasker (R-Nottingham) directed at gun safety proponents: ”Just the thought of guns makes them piss themselves unless its arming the police to further crush their spirit,” he wrote.

After reading Tasker’s remarks, Nottingham’s Karen Davidson fired off an email to her representative:

Dear Representative Tasker:

I live in Nottingham, and I am ashamed to have you representing the people of this town and myself.

I don’t piss myself when I think of guns. But I do shake my head in wondering how someone like you got elected, and then makes statements like this. You have insulted the same people that probably voted for you. Gun owners and non gun owners think about gun safety. Gun safety laws do not take away guns from people who already have guns, but it stops those from obtaining them, to be used against our police officers or innocent people.

If you were aware of gun safety, your gun would not have fallen out of your holster, if you actually had one, in the state house. The members of the house were lucky that the gun didn’t go out and hurt or kill those in attendance or yourself.

It also doesn’t crush my spirit when arming the police. I want them armed to go up against those with automatic weapons or worse.

You are disrespectful of those people living in Nottingham, and you certainly have proved to me, that you need to learn more about those who you represent. Maybe there is a majority here in town that want Gun Safety laws, and you are not fulfilling what your constituents want, ie Senator Kelly Ayotte. Learn to be a little more respectful of all of the people you represent.

Davidson received a curt response from Tasker, who called her message “narcissistic:”

If you don’t like what I comment on someone’s picture they post on my private non political Facebook page, I think the logical first step would be to stay off of it. I’ve never seen your Facebook page, I plan to keep it that way. I find it odd you jump to the conclusion that when I say “they” that translates to Kareb [sic] Davidson of [address redacted]. This is narcissistic.

After a couple of follow-up messages, Davidson ended the thread, saying she was frustrated by “another NH Representative who doesn’t care what he says and doesn’t mind insulting others, including people in his district, that have different views.”

“I expect my representatives to be professional, expect to take criticism from those with opposite views, and use some common sense in responding,” she said.

More constitutional illiteracy from Rep. John Hikel

Last month, state House Rep. John Hikel (R-Goffstown) filed a House petition and criminal complaint to have 189 fellow lawmakers removed from office and prosecuted for voting to repeal the state’s “stand your ground” law.

Former state Supreme Court Justice Chuck Douglas condemned the action. “Pulling bits and pieces out of the constitution to create criminal charges reflects gross constitutional illiteracy,” he wrote, “not an attempt at good government.”

In a Facebook comment, Hikel argues the actions are indeed lawful — despite language in the New Hampshire Constitution that states, “The freedom of deliberation, speech, and debate in either House of the Legislature, is so essential to the rights of the people, that it cannot be the foundation of any action, complaint, or prosecution in any Court or place whatsoever.”

“IT DIDN’T SAY VOTE,” he writes. “If the framers wanted it to, it would have been included.”

Quote of the day: The thought of guns

Just the thought of guns makes them piss themselves unless its arming the police to further crush their spirit.

— State House Rep. Kyle Tasker (R-Nottingham) on proponents of gun safety legislation

‘It is relatively common for [lawmakers] to drop guns’

The family of a Vermont man who was killed when a gun he accidentally dropped fired is suing gun manufacturers. In an interview with the Valley News, the family’s attorney pointed to the example of New Hampshire state House Rep. Kyle Tasker (and others) as an example of how common it is for people to drop guns:

In an interview, Ed Van Dorn, the Davis family’s attorney, said that Davis is not to blame for the incident. Van Dorn said it is relatively common for people to drop guns — he cited a New Hampshire lawmaker who dropped his concealed firearm during a legislative hearing in 2012 — without having them fire.

“This happens — people drop guns,” Van Dorn said. “It’s a known risk that people drop guns, and it’s an easy risk to protect against with an operating safety mechanism. Even though he dropped the gun … we believe the standards of manufacturing require them to accommodate that risk .”