February 2012
31 posts
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In One Chart: NH Opposes Repeal of Marriage...
Standing Up for New Hampshire Families charted the results from four separate public opinion surveys — all indicating New Hampshire adults oppose repeal of the state’s marriage equality law by a 2-to-1 majority. ”These numbers don’t lie,” they tweet. “Across the board, NH voters oppose attempts to repeal marriage equality!”
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RLCNH: Voter ID Laws Prevent Disenfranchisement
An obvious concern with voter ID laws is that the procedures intended to prevent fraudulent voting will disenfranchise some legitimate voters.
Voter ID supporters could argue that the procedures will not, in fact, deprive any citizens of their right to vote. The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire takes a different tack with this gem, using the propaganda technique of inverting customary...
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N.H. House to Vote on Nullification Resolution
How fitting, that on this Presidents’ Day, the New Hampshire House is preparing to vote on a resolution George Washington described “as measures systematically and pertinaciously pursued, which must eventually dissolve the union or produce coercion.”
Much of House Resolution 25 is lifted, verbatim, from a series of resolutions secretly written by Thomas Jefferson in 1798 and...
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Our Say-One-Thing-Do-Another Legislature
State House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli points out the obvious. These’s no lack of talk from the GOP House leadership on the topic of jobs — just a lack of action.
For the third time in the last month, House Republicans called a press conference to announce “jobs” as their top priority for the upcoming legislative session. If this prioritization sounds like news to...
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Rep. Lee Quandt: "Why Did You Stab Us in the...
GOP state Rep. Lee Quandt says thousands of New Hampshire Republicans have been driven from the party by the “arrogance and self serving decisions” from Speaker Bill O’Brien and the House leadership team.
There are thousands of union Republicans that have been driven away from the party. The current make up of the Republican Party has no use for senior citizens, veterans, gays,...
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Ayotte's 'Oops' Moment on Deficit Reduction
When Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner testified before the Senate Budget Committee, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte was vocal in her criticism of the administration for not embracing the Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction recommendations — until she was asked about the report’s proposals for raising revenue.
Geithner was responding to questions by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), and at one...
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Quote of the Day: Barefoot and Pregnant
I think they just want us barefoot and pregnant, and I’m disgusted. The atmosphere of the whole Republican Party has been going backwards, and the moderates are lost. The religious argument is bogus, because I think they’re just using that as a political tool.
— GOP state Rep. Priscilla Lockwood, on Republican efforts to allow employers and insurers to place limits on insurance coverage...
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Frank Guinta's Lucrative Turkish Connection
One of Pindell’s Questions for the Weekend caught my eye:
Where is that “Turkey,” Frank Guinta, these days? Is he in New Hampshire?
A little poking around confirmed that, yes, Guinta has been in Turkey — as a guest of the Turkish Coalition of America.
The Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) on Feb. 14th wrapped up its twelfth Congressional Delegation to Turkey. … The...
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Kuster Endorsed by Dean's Democracy for America
2nd District congressional candidate Ann Kuster is one of Democracy for America’s “Grassroots Allstars.” The progressive grassroots organization, founded by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, endorsed the ten in an annual competition for congressional candidates challenging incumbents or seeking open seats.
More than 70,000 votes were cast for the 200 congressional candidates who...
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Poll Finds Support Plummeting for NH GOP & Tea...
In the past year, support for the New Hampshire GOP legislative agenda has plummeted, House Speaker Bill O’Brien’s favorability rating has declined, and there has been a significant drop in support for the Tea Party.
A new survey from Democratic pollster Benenson Strategy Group found likely voters oppose the agenda of Republicans in the legislature by a 51 percent to 38 percent...
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HB 1402 "Will Result in More Foodborne Illness"
House Bill 1402 would eliminate licensing requirements for small-scale food producers that sell food products from homes, roadside stands and farmers’ markets. While licensing would still be required for producers of potentially hazardous foods, producer-distributors of raw milk and raw milk products are specifically excluded from any licensing requirements.
The editors at Food Poison...
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Witnesses Contradict O'Brien's Bullying Denial
Last spring, GOP Rep. Susan Emerson accused House Speaker Bill O’Brien of yelling and swearing at her when he objected to her House budget bill amendments.
He was three inches from my face and started screaming at me that he had forbidden a Republican to put any amendments in. … The Sergeant at Arms from the Senate, who is a retired state trooper, came and stood next to me because he...
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Foster's: No Evidence Same-Sex Marriage Harms...
Foster’s, the state’s most conservative newspaper this side of the Union Leader, opposes repeal of same-sex marriage. Those favoring repeal, says today’s editorial, have failed to make the case that harm is being done to society.
There may yet be a case for overturning gay marriage. But as yet Foster’s has not heard it. Gay marriage, where it has been allowed to stand, shows no...
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GOP Favors Local Control Except When They Don't
Writing in the Concord Monitor, Matthew Spolar points out state GOP lawmakers’ support for local control by government falls away when they disagree with actions taken by the local governments.
Examples of the proposed dictates and mandates on local governments are varied and far-reaching. They range from prohibiting towns from hiring a lobbyist, to specifying the amount of time students...
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Manuse Flip Flops on Catholic Church "Persecution"
Rep. Andrew Manuse took to Facebook this week to brag about how he is working to protect the Catholic Church from “persecution.”
“I’m trying to work out legislative language in New Hampshire to further protect the Catholic Church’s religious liberties from the persecution created by Obamacare.”
Less than a year ago, Manuse was the persecutor when he...
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Under the Radar: Executive Council Redistricting...
With little fanfare, the House Special Committee on Redistricting approved a redistricting plan for the five Executive Council districts this week.
The most dramatic change in the new map is in District Two, currently held by Councilor Dan St. Hilaire. Here’s Rep. Lucy Weber’s description:
District Two now resembles a dragon that has swallowed a medium sized mammal. This most...
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N.H. Voters Oppose State Funds for Private Schools
House Bill 1607 and Senate Bill 372 would create a school voucher program granting tax credits to businesses funding scholarships for students to attend private schools, religious schools or home schools.
The Carsey Institute reports that, based on the latest WMUR Granite State Poll, New Hampshire voters are virtually universal in their opposition to this attack on the state’s public...
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Here We Go Again: Right-to-Work Hearing Today
It was just two months ago that House failed to override Gov. Lynch’s veto of right-to-work legislation and the union busting law went down to defeat.
Today, the House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee meets to hear testimony on House Bill 1677, a similar bill that would prohibit collective bargaining agreements from requiring non-union employees to pay union fees and...
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Quote of the Day: A Giant Hairball
“He’s a little bit like a giant hairball that the Republican Party cat is trying to cough up. They can’t swallow it and they can’t get rid of it.”
— Howard Fineman, editorial director of the AOL Huffington Post Media Group, on Mitt Romney.
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WMUR Survey: Voters Oppose Two GOP Initiatives
The latest WMUR Granite State Poll surveyed Granite State adults on several high profile issues being debated in the legislature. The results show an electorate at odds with two of the key initiatives being promoted by the House Republican leadership.
Opposition to repeal of same-sex marriage is overwhelming
New Hampshire adults oppose repeal of same-sex marriage by a 59 percent to 32 percent...
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Quote of the Day: GOP Could Lose More Than 100...
While Republicans led by David Bates in New Hampshire continue to be doubling down their opposition to gay marriage, most — if not all — polls (including those conducted by Republican pollsters) show that more than 60 percent of New Hampshire residents believe the issue is settled, and the Legislature should move on to other business. If Bates and Company get their way, we may see the impossible...
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Our Problematic Legislature: Number Two, With a...
When asked to name the most important problem facing the state, 39 percent of New Hampshire adults expressed concerns about jobs and the economy. And the second most identified problem? The Republican state legislature!
That’s right, in the latest WMUR Granite State Poll, ten percent of New Hampshire adults identified GOP lawmakers as their biggest concern, more than those who named the...
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Foster's: GOP "Will Be Thrown Out on Their Ears"
Foster’s, the state’s most conservative newspaper this side of the Union Leader, predicts House Republicans will pay a price for their “attempt to drive government into the chasm of the absurd.”
Instead of concentrating on the economy as promised time and again, they have shifted their focus to social issues which were barely — if at all — on the radar screen for voters...
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CACR 28: "Like a College Student Naming a...
House Speaker Bill O’Brien’s attack on the judiciary continues unabated. Last week, O’Brien testified in favor of CACR 28, a proposed constitutional amendment that would grant the legislature final authority to determine the constitutionality of legislative acts.
Rep. Lucy Weber (D-Walpole) succinctly describes the amendment’s impact:
This CACR would do away with the...
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D.J. Bettencourt's False Equivalency: ALEC & NCSL
State House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt took to Twitter this afternoon to belittle his opponents (with an ironic #changethetone hashtag). His scorn was directed at organizations like Granite State Progress who have shed light on the number of House bills taken verbatim from model legislation written by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Bettencourt dismissed the complaints...
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National Org. for Marriage's Deceptive Ad Campaign
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is running radio ads promoting House Bill 437, legislation that would repeal same-sex marriage in New Hampshire, as a “common sense compromise.”
And that’s why there’s compromise legislation. HB 437 restores traditional marriage in the law but provides for civil unions for gay couples, giving them full legal rights.
NOM has been labeled...
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Quote of the Day: To Ensure the Protection of...
[A]s noted in Article 3 of New Hampshire’s Bill of Rights, “When men enter into a state of society, they surrender up some of their natural rights to that society, in order to ensure the protection of others; and, without such an equivalent, the surrender is void.”
How many members of our House read that far, I wonder? A majority seems to have stopped reading at Article 2a:...
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Great Moments in Journalism: Limiting Modifiers
James Pindell put Executive Councilor Ray Burton’s fundraiser in perspective by comparing it to the just-announced quarterly fundraising totals for the 1st District Democratic congressional race with the headline, “Burton Raises More In 1 Night Than Congressional Candidates Raise In 3 Months.”
There was just one problem: Carol Shea-Porter raised $87,552 for the three month...
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House Bill 1264: "La Cage aux Jim Crow"
House Bill 1264 would allow anyone to deny accommodations, goods, or services for a marriage if doing so would violate his or her conscience or religious faith. While the bill does not specifically mention same-sex marriages, the intent is clear.
This bill is stark evidence, writes Cord Jefferson, that we can no longer deny the parallels between the gay rights movement and the American civil...
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"What if the Washington Monument Fell Down?"
Last week, the mayor of Washington D.C and members of the D.C. Council traveled to Concord to testify in favor of H.R. 56, a resolution endorsing statehood for the District of Columbia.
The delegation hoped to find common ground with the state’s lawmakers over the issue of self-determination, comparing their “Taxation Without Representation” motto to our own ”Live Free or...
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4th Quarter Congressional Fundraising Summary
Once again, Democrat Ann Kuster was the big winner in the congressional fundraising sweepstakes for the fourth quarter of 2011. The 2nd District congressional candidate raised over $330,000, nearly doubling the total from her likely Republican opponent, Rep. Charlie Bass, and bringing in more than New Hampshire’s two sitting congressmen combined.
Bass raised $167,500 with half of that...
January 2012
34 posts
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Point/Counterpoint: State Health Insurance...
House Bill 1297 would prohibit the state from planning, creating, or participating in a state health insurance exchange. If New Hampshire’s exchange is not up and running by 2014, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will require the state to join a federal exchange.
House Speaker Bill O’Brien, House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt and GOP Rep. Andrew Manuse argue a state...
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Progressive Super PAC Targets Frank Guinta
A new progressive super PAC has been launched by CREDO Mobile, the San Francisco-based mobile phone company that has raised over $67 million for progressive causes.
First order of business for the new organization is a $3 million campaign to “Take Down the Tea Party Ten.” The group promises to open field offices and hire organizers “to hold the worst congressional extremists accountable for...
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N.H. House: "Throwing Monkey Feces at a Wall"
It’s been said that comedy is a funny way of being serious. Case in point is a piece from Comedy Central on New Hampshire House bills they label Freedom to Beat Your Spouse legislation.
The pair of bills, which would restrict police from making arrests in violations of protective orders and domestic violence cases, are “the latest in the New Hampshire legislature’s attempt to...
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GOP Preaches Responsibility, Blocks Family...
Under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, a mother receiving public assistance is granted, on average, an additional $72.50 a month for the birth of a child. Last year, House Speaker Bill O’Brien threw his weight behind House Bill 1658, which would bar the increase.
“We’re going to require people to make responsible decisions. If you don’t have enough money to take...
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That Was Then, This Is Now: O'Brien's Selective...
Last year, the New Hampshire Democratic Party was fined for violating the state election law that requires prerecorded political messages to disclose who paid for the call. State House Speaker Bill O’Brien was outraged and called for Chairman Ray Buckley’s ouster.
“New Hampshire has never stood for Boston-style or Chicago-style, dirty politics like this,” O’Brien said in an...
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Quote of the Day: Let Despotism Rule
The tragedy is that Republicans won so many seats in 2010 that O’Brien and company have come to believe that they can do absolutely anything they choose. To hell with the spirit of compromise. To hell with the Constitution. Let despotism rule. That’s the modus operandi for Speaker O’Brien…
— GOP state Rep. Steve Vaillancourt
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Landrigan: Union Busting Bills Will Benefit...
Kevin Landrigan says there was an “overwhelming torrent of opposition” to the “union busting” bills being debated in the House last week. It has invigorated labor, he says, and has increased the chance for Democrats to take back more legislative seats in November.
These anti-union laws aren’t going to become law. Why? Governor John Lynch is going to veto them....
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Union Leader: Health Care Compact Law a...
Like a broken clock that’s right twice a day, the Union Leader made the right call on House Bill 1560. The legislation proposes a novel end-run around the federal health care law by creating an interstate health care compact that would replace all federal health care programs — including Medicare and Medicaid — with block grants.
Supporters of the proposal claim it would give New Hampshire...
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GOP Rep Accuses Speaker O'Brien of Ethics...
In an open letter to the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, GOP state Rep. Steve Vaillancourt asks if Speaker Bill O’Brien “and his minions” violated two provisions of the New Hampshire General Court Ethics Guidelines involving coercion and lack of openness.
The first provision Vaillancourt cites is the Principle On Independent Objective Judgment which states, “Legislators...
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Free State Wet Dream: No Speed Limits!
If Free Stater Rep. Andrew Manuse and his partner-in-crime Rep. George Lambert have their way, you will be able to legally drive as fast as you want to in New Hampshire — as long as you don’t crash!
That’s right, under House Bill 1696, you could only be charged with speeding if the offense resulted in property damage or personal injury.
One wonders where they will apply this...
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Barker and Bosse Agree on Income Tax Amendment
Dean Barker, founder of the state’s leading progressive blog, and Grant Bosse, lead investigator for a free-market think tank, rarely agree — on anything. So it’s notable that they both made the same point about the proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit an income tax: it has more to do with influencing the November elections than about how we fund state...
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Anti-Marriage Group Pledges $250K on Legislative...
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) announced it will spend $250,000 on New Hampshire legislative races in support of the effort to repeal the state’s law legalizing same-sex marriage.
Next month, the House is expected to vote on House Bill 437, which would prohibit same-sex marriage. NOM president Brian Brown threatened to oppose any lawmaker who votes against the bill.
“A...
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Comparing Public and Private Sector Compensation
Testifying in favor of House Bill 1645, which would prohibit public employees from participating in collective bargaining, state Rep. Andrew Manuse (R-Derry) argued that allowing public sector employees to bargain collectively gives them an unfair negotiating position that has lead to higher compensation than they would receive in the private sector.
[P]ublic sector unions are contrary to the...
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Quote of the Day: Petty Political Gain
The Constitution is a statement of principles and rights, and the architecture of our form of government. O’Brien and Bettencourt are using a document that our forefathers fought a revolution for [for] petty political gain.
— Kathy Sullivan, DNC member and former state party chair, on House passage of CACR 13, a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit new taxes on income.
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What did the Speaker Know and When Did He Know It?
Did state House Speaker Bill O’Brien have advance knowledge that James O’Keefe would be sending his associates to obtain New Hampshire primary ballots using the names of deceased voters? Did he get a sneak preview of the video before it was made public? Writing in The Lobby, the anonymous “Mr. Snitch” suggests he did.
Bully’s sure been busy now that the session is...
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Rep. Murphy: Taxes an "Incredible Injustice"
Writing in support of CACR 13, a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit new taxes on personal income, state Rep. Keith Murphy (R-Bedford) says it would be an “incredible injustice” to ask the New Hampshire residents to pay some portion of their income to support their state government.
[T]he income earned by the citizens of our state is theirs and theirs alone, through their...
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Right-to-Work an Affront to Dr. King's Memory
John Nichols traces the origins of right-to-work legislation to the Jim Crow era, when Southern states acted to prevent unions from fighting against segregation.
When the Congress of Industrial Organizations launched “Operation Dixie” in the aftermath of World War II, with the goal not just of organizing unions in the states of the old Confederacy but of ending Jim Crow discrimination, Southern...
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O'Brien "Saw Fit to Inflate His Cause with Hot...
The title of the Keene Sentinel editorial reviewing the James O’Keefe voter fraud gotcha video gets right to the point: “Right-wingers try a new tactic to justify suppressing the vote.”
The piece warns against using the stunt to justify legislation that would restrict voting rights and nails House Speaker Bill O’Brien for asserting that the revelations threaten the New...
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HB 1560: The Dubious Plan to Kill Health Care...
Opponents of federal health care reform have seized upon a novel end-run around the law, an interstate Health Care Compact that would replace all federal health care programs — including Medicare and Medicaid — with block grants to the states.
The history of compacts goes back to the colonial period, and more than 200 are currently in force. Many coordinate activities between contiguous states,...