Miscellany Blue: New Hampshire Politics

In One Chart: NH Opposes Repeal of Marriage Equality

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:46:20 -0500

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!”

RLCNH: Voter ID Laws Prevent Disenfranchisement

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:09:00 -0500

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 meanings to redefine and co-opt the word disenfranchise.

a voter ID bill is necessary to ensure that legitimate voters are not disenfranchised by votes from people who shouldn’t be voting.

George Orwell would be proud.

N.H. House to Vote on Nullification Resolution

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:42:05 -0500

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 adopted by Kentucky and Virginia. The language explicitly asserts states have the right to declare federal laws unconstitutional and void.

where powers are assumed which have not been delegated, a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy: that every State has a natural right … to nullify of their own authority all assumptions of power by others within their limits: that without this right, they would be under the dominion, absolute and unlimited, of whosoever might exercise this right of judgment for them…

For the record, the courts have repeatedly found that under the Constitution, federal law is superior to state law; the Constitution gives federal courts the power to interpret the Constitution; and states do not have the power to nullify federal law. The Civil War ended most nullification efforts — or so we thought.

HR 25 is sponsored by self-proclaimed Constitutional expert and nullification proponent Rep. Dan Itse. It was approved by the House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee in an 8-2 vote and is on the House calendar for Wednesday’s session.

Our Say-One-Thing-Do-Another Legislature

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:19:20 -0500

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 you, it’s because the only time House Republicans actually talk about jobs is at press conferences.

House Republicans have issued 18 press releases promoting specific bills since January, covering such important topics as Transportation Security Administration searches, Arizona’s immigration law, and abortion policy. Jobs have been mentioned only twice: in press releases promoting payday loans and the repeal of insurance mandates.

“House Republicans would be wise to shift their attention away from guns, gay marriage and press conferences,” chides the former House Speaker, “and onto legislation that provides the educated work force that businesses need to create jobs.”

Rep. Lee Quandt: "Why Did You Stab Us in the Back?"

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:01:00 -0500

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, or the working middle class. They have proven this by, not only the right to work issue; but, the myriad of other anti working class bills that they have put in.

The bad House leadership has brought down the Republican Party in NH. The arrogance and self serving decisions that are coming out of our leadership team is being hard to believe according to many active republicans that are watching what is going on. They don’t listen and have put themselves in an un-winnable situation.

While the thousands of public middle class republicans can ask, “why did you stab us in the back, what did we do to deserve this”?

Ayotte's 'Oops' Moment on Deficit Reduction

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:58:25 -0500

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 point turned the tables on her. He asked Ayotte if, given her “affection” for Bowles-Simpson, she would support its tax reform that raised trillions in revenue for deficit reduction.

“Are you willing to embrace the broad balance of Bowles-Simpson? Then there is a lot to talk about,” he said.

Ayotte would only say that it is up to the president to take the lead on the budget.

Quote of the Day: Barefoot and Pregnant

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 09:14:42 -0500

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 for birth control.

Frank Guinta's Lucrative Turkish Connection

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:30:00 -0500

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 delegation, comprised of Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) and three senior Congressional staffers … visited Istanbul and Ankara during their four-day visit.

Ironically, when Guinta campaigned for office, he pledged to co-sponsor an Armenian genocide resolution, which would condemn the 1915 slaughter of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide. His promise to co-sponsor the resolution, which is opposed by the TCA, secured the endorsement of the Armenian National Committee of America.

In his response to the ANCA’s 2010 Congressional Candidate Questionnaire, Guinta pledged to co-sponsor the Armenian Genocide Resolution and oppose any kind of historical commission that might be established to question this crime against humanity.

Guinta’s Turkish romance began soon after his election to the House. He joined the Caucus on US Turkish Relations & Turkish Americans, which is sponsored by the TCA, and was rewarded with a $5,000 campaign donation from Yalcin Ayasli, the New Hampshire entrepreneur who founded the TCA. Ayasli has deep pockets. During the 2008 election cycle, he and his family gave $424,050 to politicians and political organizations, making them the nation’s top individual contributors.

Guinta has also received $17,000 in PAC contributions from BAE Systems, a defense contractor with business interests in Turkey who has lobbied against an Armenian genocide resolution.

Last month, Guinta was one of 13 members of Congress to attend a reception celebrating the opening of a new office for the Turkish Coalition of America and the Turkish Cultural Foundation.

Guinta, pictured at the TCA/TCF reception with Yalcin Ayasli, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Lincoln McCurdy, TCA President.

For the record, Guinta is not a co-sponsor of U.S. House Resolution 304, the Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution, which was introduced on June 14, 2011.

Kuster Endorsed by Dean's Democracy for America

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:08:18 -0500

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 entered this year’s contest. A second round of voting will select the winner, who will receive fundraising assistance and a commitment to raise $20,000 from DFA members.

Poll Finds Support Plummeting for NH GOP & Tea Party

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:05:56 -0500

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 margin. Last year at this time, voters approved of the agenda by a 49 percent to 38 percent margin. “Notably, nearly one-in-five registered New Hampshire Republicans now opposes the legislative agenda of their own party.”

House Speaker Bill O’Brien, who has championed the agenda, fared no better. As he has become better known by the electorate, O’Brien is less liked. Of the 40 percent of likely voters who could identify O’Brien in May, 2011, six percent had a favorable impression compared to 16 percent with an unfavorable impression. Today, 69 percent of voters can identify him and his net favorability rating has dropped to -14 points (15 percent positive, 29 percent negative).

Support for the Tea Party in New Hampshire continues to drop also. Today, 29 percent say they view the Tea Party favorably, compared to 50 percent who view the Tea Party unfavorably, a net 14 percent drop since the February, 2011 survey. This is consistent with an earlier Suffolk University/7 News tracking poll that also measured a “drastic shift” in Tea Party support among likely GOP primary voters.

Benenson surveyed 600 likely voters in the 2012 general election between January 30 and February 1, 2012. The margin of error is ±4.00%.

HB 1402 "Will Result in More Foodborne Illness"

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:59:00 -0500

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 Journal (who knew?) are aghast. This bill will result in more foodborne illness, they write, and should include an “injury fund that will help severely injured people deal with present and future medical costs.”

Amidst its attempts to de-regulate locally produced foods entirely, will New Hampshire legislature consider an insurance requirement? Or is insurance, too, beneath the “live free or die” mantra that is currently being taken to the extreme by a few folks in New Hampshire?

Do not think that this isn’t a problem. … Raw milk producers are the primary offenders — i.e. producing a product with known risks and not doing right by customers by having insurance in place to address medical costs, past and future, for severely injured people—and it is no enticement toward insuring a business to completely de-regulate it.

HB 1402 sailed out of the House Environment and Agriculture Committee with a 13-0 vote. It is on the consent calendar for Wednesday’s House session.

Witnesses Contradict O'Brien's Bullying Denial

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:57:00 -0500

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 thought O’Brien was going to hit me.

In an interview with Kevin Landrigan last month, O’Brien flatly denied the altercation ever took place and said she made it all up.

“There were no loud voices, no abuse, no bullying. We were having a conversation, and I made clear to her the House was not going to adopt any of her amendments,” O’Brien said.

“She was emotional about it, but not because of anything I said. It pains me to this day to say Rep. Emerson has fabricated all of this,” O’Brien added.

Last week, the Senate sergeant-at-arms backed-up Emerson in testimony before the House committee investigating the incident.

Doug Wyman, who was the sergeant-at-arms for the Senate last year, corroborated Emerson’s account last week, according to members of the House Constitutional Review and Statutory Recodification Committee.

Wyman said O’Brien and Bettencourt had Emerson backed up to a wall, according to legislators at the hearing. He heard the yelling through a closed door, opened it to investigate and sent O’Brien and Bettencourt on their way, they said.

A contingent from the Alvirne High School chorus, who were singing the National Anthem that day, also witnessed the fracas. The director confirmed Emerson’s account to Rep. Lee Quandt.

I also had the chance to talk to the Alvirne choir director who re-affirmed the attack on Susan did take place.

O’Brien had accused “Democratic Party operatives and union member Republicans” of creating the “false story” to discredit his record of accomplishment. He has not responded to the accounts from the sergeant-at-arms and choir director.

Foster's: No Evidence Same-Sex Marriage Harms Society

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:07:00 -0500

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 signs of degrading civil society.

The bottom line is that, for gay marriage opponents, the ship has sailed. Public opinion, especially among the young generation — tomorrow’s decision-makers — has turned in favor of gay marriage. It is also making headway with those of middle age. This means, without evidence to the contrary, society will continue to be more accepting of a broader definition of marriage — which is as it should be given the evidence at hand.

GOP Favors Local Control Except When They Don't

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:51:57 -0500

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 must devote to math and English, to requiring towns to put money raised from land development taxes into their general fund, to requiring towns and cities to adopt specific regulations for hawkers and peddlers.

The rationalizations by Republican lawmakers are almost amusing.

“I don’t like telling towns what to do,” Sen. Jim Forsythe of Strafford said last week. “But when they’re imposing restrictions on the townspeople, I think it’s okay for the state to step in in that case.”

[Rep. JR Hoell] said he doesn’t believe his bills impacting school districts “run against the local control at all.”

“If what is being taught in a public education forum is contrary to the beliefs of a group of parents, those parents have the right to raise an objection to that,” he said.

Mark Joyce, executive director of the New Hampshire School Administrators Association, states the obvious.

“The legislative majority has always said local control is very important,” Joyce said. “If that is of value, then it seems contradictory to impose so many requirements on the communities themselves.

Manuse Flip Flops on Catholic Church "Persecution"

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:34:00 -0500

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 threatened to eliminate the Church’s tax exempt status because Bishop McCormack dared to criticize Republican budget cuts.

“I am now considering a bill to remove the [Catholic] Church’s tax exempt status in New Hampshire, for you have clearly shown that you no longer want it.”

File this one under “political expediency.”

Under the Radar: Executive Council Redistricting Plan

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:08:29 -0500

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 tortuous of districts starts at the Connecticut River with Charlestown and Walpole, curves south to include Keene east to Marlborough to Dublin, then curves north only to bulge out again around the Concord area, from whence it zigzags east in a line a single town wide until it reaches the seacoast and curves south again to end at Portsmouth.

The newly drawn district should be a safe Democratic seat with the addition of Democratic strongholds Keene (D+19), Durham (D+21), Dover (D+11) and Portsmouth (D+18). The district would become six points more Democratic than it is today.

The primary Republican beneficiary of this gerrymandering is Councilor Chris Sununu. His District Three loses Durham, Dover and Portsmouth and gains Hudson (R+4), Pelham (R+8) and Raymond (R+5). The proposed district would be five points more Republican than it is currently.District Four, which becomes an open seat with the retirement of Councilor Ray Wieczorek, would be slightly more friendly for a Democratic challenger. The district, anchored by Manchester, trades Hudson (R+4), Pelham (R+8), Raymond (R+5) and Litchfield (R+9) for Goffstown (R+6), Bow (EVEN) and Pembroke (EVEN).

The proposed plan benefits Councilor David Wheeler in his anticipated rematch with Democrat Deb Pignatelli. His District Five is two points more Republican, with the addition of Weare (R+8) and Litchfield (R+9) and the jettisoning of Keene.

District One, held by Councilor Ray Burton, is essentially unchanged. The district picks up a handful of towns from Merrimack and Strafford counties to make up for population loss in the North Country.

The proposed plan is on the House calendar for the February 15 session.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT 1
Incumbent: Councilor Ray Burton (R-Bath)
Current PVI: D+3, Proposed PVI: D+3
Largest Towns/Cities: Laconia (D+15), Claremont (D+7)

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT 2
Incumbent: Councilor Dan St. Hilaire (R-Concord)
Current PVI: D+3, Proposed PVI: D+9
Largest Towns/Cities: Concord (D+12), Rochester (D+1), Dover (D+11), Keene (D+19), Portsmouth (D+18), Durham (D+21)

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT 3
Incumbent: Councilor Chris Sununu (R-Newfields)
Current PVI: D+2, Proposed PVI: R+3
Largest Towns/Cities: Salem (R+6), Hudson (R+4), Hampton (EVEN), Exeter (D+8)

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT 4
Incumbent: Councilor Ray Wieczorek (R-Manchester)
Current PVI: R+4, Proposed PVI: R+3
Largest Towns/Cities: Manchester (D+2), Derry (R+4), Londonderry (R+4), Bedford (R+12), Goffstown (R+6),

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT 5
Incumbent: Councilor David Wheeler (R-Milford)
Current PVI: D+3, Proposed PVI: D+1
Largest Towns/Cities: Nashua (D+5), Merrimack (R+4), Milford (R+1)

N.H. Voters Oppose State Funds for Private Schools

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:12:13 -0500

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 schools.

The survey found there was very little support among New Hampshire voters for using state funds to help students attend private school. Public school parents were very satisfied with their local schools and were even more opposed than all voters to using state money to help students attend private schools.

55 percent of all voters oppose using state funds to help students attend private schools compared to only 23 percent who support it. They oppose using tax credits to help students attend private schools by a 41 percent to 27 percent margin. The opposition is bipartisan. Republicans oppose both measures by 43 percent to 36 percent and 36 percent to 30 percent margins respectively.

Supporters assert that New Hampshire public schools are failing and parents are demanding alternatives — but someone apparently forgot to tell parents.

68 percent of public school parents saying that they are extremely satisfied (six percent), very satisfied (31 percent) or somewhat satisfied (31 percent) with the quality of education in their local schools — more than double the 30 percent who express some level of dissatisfaction.

The WMUR Granite State Poll was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, which interviewed 527 New Hampshire adults between January 25 and February 2, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 4.3 percent.

Here We Go Again: Right-to-Work Hearing Today

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:00:05 -0500

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 would eliminate the requirement that public unions represent non-union members.

House Speaker Bill O’Brien continues to pursue his white whale and has, once again, made the anti-union legislation his highest priority. He claims passage would grow our economy and attract manufacturers — despite all evidence to the contrary. New Hampshire AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie disagrees.

“We should be talking about the condition of our secondary roads, our crumbling schools and bridges and expanding I-93, to finish that project,” he said. “We should be investing in New Hampshire and its infrastructure so we can be the kind of state we want to be and provide opportunities going forward. That’s what our focus should be.” [Union Leader, February 8, 2012]

Protect New Hampshire Families has organized a Grassroots Lobby Day to push back against this politically-motivated attack on New Hampshire’s middle class. The fun starts with a pre-hearing briefing at noon at America Votes in Room 302 at 4 Park Street in Concord.

Quote of the Day: A Giant Hairball

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:54:00 -0500

“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.

WMUR Survey: Voters Oppose Two GOP Initiatives

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:58:31 -0500

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 margin. Among those who feel strongly about the issue, opponents of repeal outnumber supporters by a 2-to-1 margin with 48 percent strongly opposing repeal compared to just 23 percent who strongly support it. These figures have remained remarkably constant over the past year in earlier surveys from WMUR and Voter Consumer Research.

Support for a constitutional amendment to prohibit a state income tax is far short of the required two-thirds majority

New Hampshire voters are evenly divided on a a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit a state tax on income. 39 percent of those surveyed said they would vote for the amendment, 41 percent would oppose it. The House-passed amendment requires Senate approval before being presented to the voters. A two-thirds majority vote would then be required to amend the state constitution.

Granite Staters support voter photo ID legislation

One Republican issue that does appear to have broad support is requiring voters to present photo identification in order to vote. 68 percent expressed support for a voter ID law compared to 24 percent who oppose it. The support crosses partisan lines with majorities among Republicans (87 to 10 percent), Independents (69 to 22 percent) and Democrats (52 to 37 percent ).

The Granite State Poll is sponsored by WMUR-TV and conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. 527 New Hampshire adults were interviewed between January 25 and February 2, 2012 for the survey, which has a +/- 4.3 percent margin of error.