Retired deputy police chief rejects Ayotte’s ‘specious’ argument against expanded gun background checks

Len DiSesa is a retired deputy police chief and a gun owner who “believes strongly” in the 2nd Amendment. In a letter to the editor of the Portsmouth Herald, he rejects Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s argument for voting against expanded gun background checks.

“I think Sen. Ayotte is looking to the next election and is pandering to the right wing extremist base of her party,” he writes:

Her rationale for voting against background checks defies reason, and seems to me to be very, very thin. Sure, we should all work to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. We should also work hard to keep them from driving a car or a bus, or piloting an airplane. That’s a no-brainer and a convenient smokescreen for anyone arguing against using background checks as another tool in our toolbox to protect innocent lives.

We have stronger DWI laws in effect today than we did 30 years ago. As a result, motor vehicle deaths due to drunken driving have dropped dramatically. We have not eliminated all DWI-related deaths or injuries, I doubt we could ever do that, but at least we have successfully put a dent into the problem. Using the argument of Sen. Ayotte and those who think as she does, we should have just enforced more strictly the existing DWI laws on the books, and we should not have legislated enhanced penalties because, according to that argument, if someone wants to drink and drive, they will. That is as specious an argument as is the one being used to block background checks.

Portsmouth Herald: ‘Vote Ayotte out of office’

Following the vote by Sen. Kelly Ayotte against expanded background checks for gun purchasers, an editorial in the Portsmouth Herald declares “Ayotte is far out of step” with Granite State voters on the issue of gun safety legislation:

New Hampshire voters who care passionately about sensible gun legislation can contribute to the effort by defeating U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the only senator in New England to vote against the Toomey-Manchin bill. Ayotte justified her vote by parroting the NRA, saying the measure would “place unnecessary burdens on law-abiding gun owners and allow for potential overreach by the federal government into private gun sales.” …

Perhaps she believes that by 2016 people will have forgotten how she voted. Or perhaps she’s counting on the historic lack of intensity from voters who favor gun control. If we don’t like how she voted Wednesday it’s up to all of us who care about this issue to show Sen. Ayotte she was mistaken by voting her out of office.

Portsmouth Herald: ‘O’Brien for Congress is a bad joke’

An editorial in the Portsmouth Herald doesn’t mince words. The paper says the announcement by former state House Speaker Bill O’Brien that he is considering a run for Congress in the 2nd district “is a bad joke:”

O’Brien’s two years as N.H. speaker were some of the most divisive, spiteful and unproductive in recent memory.

As House speaker: he pushed gun laws that would allow felons and the mentally ill to possess weapons in their homes; he tried unsuccessfully to repeal same-sex marriage, which is now the law of the land in New Hampshire and is poised to gain further federal recognition; he worked hard to take away women’s hard-won legal reproductive rights; and he treated with contempt not just Democrats but members of his own party who didn’t drink the same Kool-Aid he was drinking.

O’Brien’s possible candidacy for the Second District Congressional seat serves as a litmus test for whether Republicans learned any lessons in the 2012 elections. Clearly, if he’s nominated, it will be proof that the N.H. GOP didn’t hear the voters’ clear message.

Herald: ‘Thumbs up’ to Splaine for efforts to end DOMA

Tuesday, the Portsmouth City Council voted to sign onto a “friend of the court” brief opposing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Portsmouth joins dozens of cities around the country in opposing the act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman for federal law.

The Portsmouth Herald gave the council a “thumbs up” for the action and singled out former state Rep. Jim Splaine for making it happen:

Thumbs up also go to Jim Splaine, a former lawmaker who helped lead the effort to pass same-sex marriage in New Hampshire four years ago, for encouraging the council to join the fight.

New Hampshire is among a growing number of states to end discrimination against same-sex couples. It is time for the federal government to also acknowledge that we no longer live in a time when our brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends can be denied their rights because of their sexual orientation.

As Splaine proved in New Hampshire, you keep up the good fight until the right resolution is reached. The council signing on to the effort to repeal DOMA is one small step along the way.

The council’s action was the “right thing to do,” said Splaine. “DOMA really does hurt people, Portsmouth has a long history of being respectful and non-discriminatory to all citizens regardless of their backgrounds.”

Portsmouth Herald: Guinta’s short, unhappy tenure

In his final act, outgoing Republican Congressman Frank Guinta voted against the fiscal cliff legislation, claiming it “failed to include any meaningful spending cuts, increases our debt by trillions, and does nothing to promote pro-growth economic principles.”

In an editorial, the Portsmouth Herald looked back at Guinta’s “short, unhappy tenure” representing the state’s 1st congressional district and noted the vote “epitomizes his flawed thinking and the reason he failed to win a second term:”

Guinta thundered into office in a stampede of tea party emotion fueled by the public’s justified insecurity over our nation’s economic future. But Guinta failed to recognize that he had hitched his wagon to a team of wild horses that were doing far more damage than good. He somehow failed to recognize that the people of New Hampshire were no longer buying what the tea party had to sell.

In our meetings with the outgoing congressman, we have found him to be full of insights about politics but lacking an understanding of issues voters truly care about. Before deciding which office to seek next, we urge Guinta to do some soul searching about why he wants to seek another public office. Unless he learns to put serving and protecting the people of New Hampshire ahead of political ideology, we expect voters will reject him in future campaigns.

Portsmouth Herald: We trust President Obama

The Portsmouth Herald today endorsed President Obama. “When you cut through the Republicans’ untruths, half-truths and downright lies,” they wrote, “it becomes clear that President Obama has helped the American people in his first term despite an opposition party whose stated purpose was his destruction.”

We trust President Obama to fight for the middle class, to continue growing jobs and educational opportunities. We trust he will work to continue increasing our energy independence while protecting the environment for future generations. We trust him to protect Medicare and Social Security and to build a health care system that expands coverage while reducing overall costs. We trust him to protect women’s health choices and to appoint rational, common-sense justices to the Supreme Court. We trust his diplomatic approach to foreign policy. We trust in President Obama’s integrity, decency and intelligence.

Shea-Porter garners newspaper endorsements

Portsmouth Herald:

In 2006 and 2008, the people of the First Congressional District sent Shea-Porter to Congress, and she was our advocate and ally. Our interests were her interests. She was swept out during the Republican tidal wave of 2010, but we firmly believe that the tide has turned and that the First District is once again ready for more reasonable and productive representation in Congress.

Conway Daily Sun:

[W]e solidly endorse Shea-Porter. We don’t want ObamaCare repealed, we don’t have a problem with rich people kicking in a few extra tax dollars, and won’t support Tea Party social conservatives who are in powerful enough political positions, like a congressman, to take away civil rights such as same-sex marriage and the right for women to choose.

Quote of the day: Romney with a funnel on his head

DISSES to the person on Little River Road in Hampton who put up a sign on his property of Gov. Romney with a funnel on his head with a little sign saying ‘PEE HERE.’ Regardless of whether one is Republican or Democrat, have a little respect. The sign is disgusting.

— Elizabeth Sullivan, Hampton

Primary turnout: Andy Smith gets it wrong again

Tuesday, approximately 107,000 voters cast ballots in the Republican primary compared to 84,000 who voted in the Democratic contest. UNH Survey Center director Andy Smith ignored the fact that this was the second highest Democratic primary turnout in history, and told the Portsmouth Herald that this “could mean GOP supporters are more engaged than their opponents.”

“I think what we’re seeing is that Republicans for the last several years have had more enthusiasm and excitement, or more anger than Democrats have had,” he said.

“This means that while there are slightly more Democrats in the state, Republicans are more motivated and will turn out at a higher rate,” he said.

Let’s be clear. There is no correlation between primary election turnout and general election results.

In 2006, more voters cast ballots in the Republican primary (51,024) than in the Democratic primary (45,716). You may remember that was the year that Democrats went on to win both Congressional seats, re-elect Gov. Lynch, and gain majorities in the Executive Council and both legislative chambers for the first time since 1911.

In 2008, Republican primary voters outnumbered Democratic voters by an even greater 71,963 to 50,280 margin. In November, President Obama carried the state by an overwhelming 54.1% to 44.5% margin. Democrats held both congressional seats, re-elected Gov. Lynch and maintained their majorities in the Executive Council and the legislature.

So how does one explain why Granite State voters cast more Republican primary ballots this week? Any number of factors influence voter turnout, of course, but how about the simple explanation that Republicans had many more contested races?

Republicans had two primaries for Executive Council seats, Democrats just one. In state Senate races, Republicans had eight primaries compared to a single Democratic primary. There were 60 Republican primaries for House seats, five times more than the 12 Democratic primaries.

Portsmouth Herald: Middle class ‘under siege’

On this Labor Day, the Portsmouth Herald’s Michael McCord interviewed New Hampshire labor leaders to get their reaction to a Pew Research Center study that revealed “a middle class under siege.”

The report, titled “The Lost Decade of the Middle Class,” noted that since 2000, “the middle class has shrunk in size, fallen backward in income and wealth, and shed some—but by no means all—of its characteristic faith in the future.”

Mark MacKenzie, New Hampshire AFL-COP president said “it was no coincidence that the great middle-class boom of the post-World War II era was connected to the strength and vitality of organized labor.”

“People shouldn’t have to wake up every day frightened about what’s going to happen to them,” MacKenzie said. “We can’t keep going down the path of a declining middle class. People are working harder and longer every day to make ends meet, but we see fewer people have access to the wealth in the country. It’s clearly out of balance and we need to get back to a more equitable path. We have a role to play in seeing all workers rewarded for their hard work and productivity.”

David Lang, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire, called the upcoming election “vital.”

“We need to end the kind of public disdain for public employees,” Lang said. “You can’t call people who are dedicated to public safety ‘thugs’ and ‘parasites.’ It shows a real lack of political leadership that in tough economic times they don’t want to sit down and collaborate. When leaders are afraid to lead, they want to make you afraid of public employees.”

Laura Hainey, president of the New Hampshire affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers said she hopes people will reflect on how important workers are “to the overall health of the economy.”

“I hope that people take a step back and stop the name-calling of public employees and all union members,” she said. “Moving forward from Labor Day, we need to appreciate that everyone’s job is important. We shouldn’t forget the communities really need and appreciate these services.”

Off the rails: ‘NH just doesn’t get it’

In his Portsmouth Herald column, Douglas Rooks notes that Maine is far ahead of New Hampshire in moving people by rail, a service that “may be critical to 21st century economic development.”

In the 1990s, Maine politicians of all stripes embraced passenger rail. When the Downeaster chugged out of Portland on its inaugural run to Boston in 2001, he writes, “every Maine politician of note” was on board. The service has been an unqualified success, “carrying well over 500,000 passengers a year, and recording yearly increases throughout the economic downturn.”

Rooks contrasts Maine’s success story with our Executive Council’s refusal of a $3.2 million federal grant to even study commuter rail. “[I]t’s just possible the economic arcs of the two states will head in different directions over the next 50 years,” he concludes.

New Hampshire continues its obstinate refusal to even look at passenger service — even though the Downeaster stops in Dover, Durham and Exeter, and has spurred measurable improvements in these downtowns.

Running trains from Manchester and Nashua to Boston is every bit as feasible as running trains from Portland, and from Brunswick — where service will be extended later this year. The only difference lies in the minds of politicians.

Anyone living along the Eastern Seaboard, still by far the most densely populated part of the country, realizes that trains are an obvious alternative to congested highways and airports. It’s much easier to get into a central city by train than any other mode of transportation.

Mainers get this. Even Gov. Paul LePage doesn’t have anything negative to say. New Hampshire, for whatever reason, does not. And it’s just possible the economic arcs of the two states will head in different directions over the next 50 years.

Robert Azzi on voter ID laws: ‘These are the new ropes’

In today’s Portsmouth Herald, Robert Azzi examines the racist motivation underlying restrictive voter ID laws.

“Harriet Beecher Stowe would return from the grave if she knew that Simon Legree had been resurrected to put uppity blacks back in their place,” he writes, “this time using the ballot box and intimidation rather than the whip.”

Beyond the caricatures of President Obama, beyond the finger-wagging in his face and the cries of “You lie” at the State of the Union Address; beyond the effigies, and the cartoons of watermelon patches on the White House lawn, the 2012 Republican campaign appears to synergistically link the individual interests of conservatives, Republicans and Tea-Partiers, together with racists and bigots, each group with its own separate agenda, to the attempted disenfranchisement of the president.

Azzi documents the flood of restrictive voting laws that have been enacted since 2001 — despite the fact that individual voter fraud is extremely rare. He points out those most likely to be disenfranchised by restrictive voting laws are people of color, the poor, the elderly and the young. And he assails Mitt Romney for his cowardice in not confronting the racists in his party. 

I don’t care about his wealth and success. I disagree with him on both economic and foreign policy almost without exception; differences which I can express at the ballot box — if I can get there.

I do care he hasn’t condemned the attempts to disenfranchise voters. I do care that he hasn’t had the courage to separate himself from “birthers,” from climate-change deniers and creationists. I care that he cares more about winning than he cares about truth.

I care that high-tech lynchings, so decried by Clarence Thomas in 1991, have become political weapons of disenfranchisement that threaten to return America to its dark Jim Crow days, and away from the promise of America, where, “All men are created equal.”