D.J. Bettencourt: “Jane, You Ignorant Slut”

Bob Mead, director of legislative services for the House Majority Office, resigned yesterday after being outed by the Concord Monitor. The Monitor story revealed Mead used his taxpayer-funded position to recruit Republicans to run for office and he had billed the state for travel expenses related to that work.

Questions remain, said House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli:

“By whom was (Mead) directed to do electoral work? I would like to know why the speaker hasn’t taken any action against Greg Moore, the chief of staff, since he was the one who approved the reimbursement.”

We don’t discuss personnel matters, replied House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt:

“Unfortunately the professionalism and decorum underlying this policy allows ignorant partisans to jibber jabber without response but the House policy of not commenting on these matters is the proper one.”

D.J., You Never Call! You Never Write!

This afternoon, state House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt released a statement criticizing Gov Lynch over his nomination of attorney Jim Bassett to the state Supreme Court. Annmarie Timmins and Bettencourt then went back and forth on Twitter over the details of the statement. Timmins got the last word.

Sullivan Skewers Bettencourt Over O’Keefe Defense

When the New Hampshire Democratic Party called on Republicans to boycott the gala reception and fundraiser featuring convicted right-wing provocateur James O’Keefe, state House Majority Leader D.J Bettencourt leapt to O’Keefe’s defense. Former Democratic Party chair Kathy Sullivan couldn’t let that one go by unanswered.

Bettencourt Closes Barn Door After Horse Has Bolted

State House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt responds to WMUR Granite State Poll on public opinion regarding New Hampshire legislature:

There is nearly a 20% gender gap in support for Republican candidates over Democrats. While the two genders offset each other, leadership should avoid those issues that would turn away women voters over the coming months.

Bettencourt Is “Absolutely, Without Question, Absurd”

House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt’s feelings were hurt when Gov. Lynch took on House members who believe the state shouldn’t have any responsibility for public education. “That’s absurd,” declared the Governor.

Bettencourt responded by dashing off a letter to Lynch criticizing his “negative comments.” Foster’s, the state’s most conservative newspaper this side of the Union Leader, agreed with Lynch, writing, “[I]t is absolutely, without question, absurd.” The paper concluded with some dismissive advice for Bettencourt: Got a problem? Write it down.

Given the tax structure in the state of New Hampshire and the mandates heaped on local school districts by past legislatures, it is absolutely, without question, absurd that Bettencourt and the rest of the Legislature should be allowed to go their merry way unencumbered by the need to help fund local education budgets.

As always, if the House Majority Leader Bettencourt would like to take exception to this newspaper’s use of the word “absurd” he can send his editorial response to letter@fosters.com — 750 words or less. We will gladly accept his public scolding.

Bettencourt Scolds Lynch, Twitterverse Responds

Quote of the Day: Governing by Smoke and Mirrors

Had the Committee taken up its work in a timely manner, time factors would not now be an issue. To assert that those time pressures now require the extraordinary measures of ejecting the Democrats from Representatives Hall, holding a second Republican caucus a scant two hours after the last Republican caucus, justifying the lack of notice by an anonymously authored “opinion” not provided to other members of the House, and then bringing the veto message to the House floor immediately is to govern by smoke and mirrors.

— Rep. Lucy Weber, responding to the claim by House Speaker Bill O’Brien and Reps. Gene Chandler and D.J. Bettencourt that time constraints necessitated the unprecedented actions in the vote to override Gov. Lynch’s veto of the House redistricting plan.

House Leaders on Developmentally Disabled: Crickets

Yesterday, the New Hampshire House passed House Bill 1652, which would transfer a $16.2 million surplus from the last biennium budget to the state’s Rainy Day Fund. A floor amendment, opposed by the Republican leadership, allocated $1.5 million of the surplus funds, and added an additional $1.5 million, to eliminate the developmental disability wait list.

The press release from the House GOP leaders celebrating the bill’s passage was titled, “House Leaders Comment on Rebuilding the Rainy Day Fund, Expanding Services to Developmentally Disabled.”

Here’s what Speaker Bill O’Brien had to say specifically about expanding services to the developmentally disabled:

Here’s what Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt had to say specifically about expanding services to the developmentally disabled:

On Reactionary Priorities and Thuggish Behaviors

The Keene Sentinel reports GOP House freshmen met yesterday to hash over objections to House Speaker Bill O’Brien and Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt, “whose dressing down of errant members has become the talk of the House.”

After more than a year of pursuing a reactionary social agenda with startling success, the noxious Republican leadership in the New Hampshire House of Representatives appears to be meeting resistance from its own members.

This show of concern is a relief. For the longest time, reactionary priorities that run counter to the traditions of the state and thuggish behaviors in the halls of government were seemingly accepted by the rank and file. The words “cowing” and “subjugation” came to mind. In their stead, “backbone” and “perspective” have a better sound.

Cancer Treatment Centers’ Big Bucks Tea Party Politics

House Speaker Bill O’Brien and Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt are co-sponsors of House Bill 1642, which would allow Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) to build a new for-profit hospital without having to go through the state’s Certification of Need review process for new hospitals.

The Certificate of Need program allows the state to coordinate the delivery of new health care services and construction in an attempt to reduce overall health and medical costs. There is a legitimate debate about the efficacy of these programs. There is no debate about CTCA’s right-wing political connections and heavy-handed lobbying.

The Lobby’s Mr. Snitch first reported that CTCA Founder and Chairman Richard J. Stephenson is on the Board of Directors of FreedomWorks, the Koch brothers’ funded astroturf organization headed by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey that claims credit for creating the Tea Party.

CTCA’s management and board members are major contributors to free-market PACs and conservative Republican Congressional candidates including Tea Party favorites Joe Walsh, Jeff Flake and Paul Ryan. According to Federal Election Commission data for the last decade, Stephenson has donated over $68,000, Vice Chairman Robert W. Mayo $90,000, President/CEO Stephen B. Bonner $74,000, COO Roger C. Cary $21,000, and on and on. John M. McNeil, President and CEO of the Eastern Regional Medical Center in Philadelphia, who testified in Concord on behalf of CTCA, has personally contributed $18,700 to Rep. Joe Walsh, Sen. Pat Toomey and others.

Between 2006 and 2010, according to data compiled by The National Institute on Money in State Politics,  CTCA and CTCA employees gave an additional $357,000 in campaign contributions to state politicians. Most of that, over $294,000, was spent in the state of Georgia where CTCA waged an aggressive lobbying campaign and was able to successfully rewrite the state’s review process.

When O’Brien cited “millions of dollars in economic activity” the cancer center would bring, maybe he was thinking of his own economic activities.

Voter Fraud: That’s the Best You’ve Got?

House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt and GOP Reps. Shawn Jasper and Shaun Doherty recently published an op-ed in the Concord Monitor, “No need for fear-mongering,” which consisted of 12 paragraphs of fear-mongering. Voter fraud is rampant, they wrote. “Here in New Hampshire, we have no tangible way of ensuring” fair elections.

“We deserve honesty from House leaders,” responded three officials from the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire who proceeded to demolish every purported example of voter fraud provided by Bettencourt et al.

Bettencourt’s only allegation of voter fraud in New Hampshire was the James O’Keefe video scam. “There is no reason to believe that New Hampshire citizens engage in such un-American behavior,” the League writers countered.

Bettencourt claimed that more than 950 ballots cast in South Carolina’s presidential primary were from the “nonliving,” and nearly 100 non-citizens in two Florida counties had voted for years. The League writers explained the South Carolina Election Commission did not find a single “nonliving” voter and Florida investigations found only four non-citizens who had voted — out of over 500,000 registered voters.

Bettencourt pointed to the closeness of the Iowa caucuses as a reminder that “voter fraud is indeed real.” (?) The League writers answered, “We have close elections and many recounts, but voter fraud has never been given as a reason for a recount.”

The League writers could have taunted Bettencourt by asking, “That’s the best you’ve got?” They were a bit more restrained, but no less tough, in their conclusion.

It’s clear the authors of the column have never listened to or read any of the testimony from the many organizations — a majority at every hearing — that oppose photo ID to get a ballot. Those opposing photo ID believe creating barriers to the constitutional right to vote, especially for the elderly and disabled, is wrong. House leadership’s ranting about race-baiting and fear-mongering is offensive, an insult to our citizens and unworthy of anyone who holds elected office.

D.J. Bettencourt on GOP Values and the NHCSL

When state House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt congratulated Rep. Marilinda Garcia on her appointment to the Business and Economic Development Task Force for the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), he praised the organization as a group “whose values are consistent with Republicans.”

Perhaps Bettencourt is not all that familiar with the NHCSL. Last year, the group adopted a resolution opposing “any effort to reduce the federal budget deficit at the expense of patients and seniors who rely on the Medicare and Medicare Part D programs for access to health care.”

Protecting Medicare from budget cuts is hardly consistent with Republican values. Just ask GOP Congressman Frank Guinta. 

On the topic of Medicare, Guinta said it and the Medicaid program need major reform.

“They are going to have more of an impact on long-term debt,” Guinta said, adding that Congress will begin to address the issue this year.

“Everything needs to be on the table,” in terms of Medicare reform, Guinta said….