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What gives?

by: Mike Hoefer

Fri Nov 20, 2009 at 08:51:46 AM EST


Around these parts on Blue Hampshire we have been blessed with the participation of many national level Democrats. Wether it was through the survey questions during the primary, General Clark's own BH Acct. on our user roles, or Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter making it as guest to every Blue Hampshire Bash we've held.

What I am curious about is... Where are the locals? Why do we not see our Executive or Legislative leadership* interacting on these pages or at our events. Governor Lynch, Speaker Norelli, President Larsen, Executive Councilors, Where art thou?

Possibilities

  • With our "Citizen Legislature" there is not enough time in the day to interact online
  • State Lawmakers have some how not yet felt the pressure to communicate online
  • In the nuanced world of legislative sausage making it's hard unequivocally state positions and "put it in writing"
  • Our blog is more about the politics/campaigning than policy/implementation
  • Upper level state politics is "Club" and interacting outside of the club is a threat to the club

I think that this blog and the NH netroots have had real influence on the legislative process over the past year and that it will only continue to grow in the years ahead.

I have no leading theories but thought that it would be an interesting discussion for a rainy Friday.

What do you think?

*To be clear we have many political leaders interacting here and helping the NH Netroots to get involved and stay informed, but there is also clearly a missing group.
Mike Hoefer :: What gives?
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What gives? | 77 comments
Legislator Participation: Good Point, Mike (4.00 / 1)
Good point, Mike.  Of course, some of us lower-level types do, and I know for sure that many "watch" by reading and listening.  Perhaps some don't quite feel invited.  I have mentioned BlueHampshire.com in the House Democrats Newsletter and in Legislative E-Mails from time to time, and I will again --  that everyone is invited to set up an account, that it's easy, and that they can join in the communication and discussion.  

Many House and Senate members are maxed out in time -- at $100.00 a year one has to work to make a living; and a large legislative workload -- this coming Session beginning in January we have over 700 new bills in the House alone, plus we've been working this Fall on about 200 "retained" bills we'll debate in the House in January.  The Senate has similarly intense work.  But it would be great to have more involved in here.  

Thanks for the alert.  

This Blog is too clique-y - and the attitudes are harsh. (4.00 / 1)
Personal respect is thin and the same players can't help but attack and jump on.

It's not a fair or "safe" place to express your opinions when people love to criticize and berate you for political in-incorrectness, spelling, and other innocent frailties.

If I was a self-respecting public servant, I'd think twice before I "weighed in" at this unruly school yard.

But since I'm NOT a self-respecting public servant, go ahead and "bring it on."  I'm used to it here.

Oh, my friend (4.00 / 2)
You should visit Blue Mass Group or My Left Wing. Blue Hampshire is not harsh.

Nor is it cliquey, though every blog I've seen (except DailyKos, which I almost never visit) comes down to a core group of participants, and naturally, people form mini-alliances. But (especially here) they're fungible and by no means exclusive.

[ Parent ]
What's BH score: "Troll" ? (0.00 / 0)
It's clique-y and I'm not alone feeling or expressing this, and I mean progressives. The comment scoring technique here was used by the Roman Emperors - thumbs up you live, thumbs down "Troll."  Primitive.

And the secret policy of editing off comments but no functionality to edit/correct in "replys" or scoring in a systemic flaw that prevents people to correct or change their comments or scoring, which often leads to a downward spiraling of debate that ends on grievance and recrimination and gang-like retaliation. Not necessary.

Dean and rest would do better to adjust their "rules" and primitive online functionalities, as well as their smug attitudes on who is "in", "on" or "off" - politically and literally.

Let's make this forum emperor free - and also provide a private functionality so that people can explain their misinterpreted comments privately to the people to would otherwise attack publicly, and then give each the option to retract, amend, or remove the posts (like Facebook - which does NOT have a "NOT LIKE" option, unlike this unruly schoolyard).

I know its a lot to ask the rulers and the majority of this forum, but my suggestions will make this forum much larger, more lively, and more influential in the long run.  Minorities on an issue have value, not for just bullying.

Right now, its widely recognizing that BleHampshire is an NHDP off-site smear organ, and if I was a responsible state legislator, federal or state officer, a Congressman or Senator or Governor, did think three times before I'd comment here under these rules, functional gaps, and gang-like attitudes.

Now, bring it on ... or fix it.

[ Parent ]
Well, I disagree (4.00 / 1)
But blog on.

I see no emperor here, though some people have Jon Bresler that.

[ Parent ]
Thanks - I salute you! (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
So your main problem is with the rating system? (3.56 / 9)
We have to work with the available platforms and there are only so many options.

We could have had more ratings options, but in fact what lots of experience with other blogs suggests is that more ratings options creates a sense of cliquishness and a lot of hurt feelings as people wonder why someone only gave them a good instead of a great, or whatever. With two ratings, it's pretty clear: "troll" means a comment is offensive and should not be seen by the general reader. It's an extreme sanction and it's pretty rarely taken.

As for Blue Hampshire being "an NHDP off-site smear organ," that's laughable.

[ Parent ]
I'd rather give you a "three" of course... n/t (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
NO - read the post (4.00 / 1)
I have stated several issues with the faults of this blog, and none of the founders will deal with any of them.  Go back and read the post - scoring is a minor issue - the attitude is the real problem here.  The animus to expell me is evident.  How long will they take?
[ Parent ]
At the risk to diverting the thread (4.00 / 2)
the troll Rating is meant as a community based self policing function.  Its proper use is not to say "I don't like that" or "I disagree" but to allow you as a use to veto a post that is blatantly off color, threatening, or otherwise in appropriate. Think John McCain ads, Weight loss spam, etc.

In fact using it in a manner that would "troll rate" me for my plan to raise state revenue by inseam length is against the rules. See paragraph 5 here. If you feel you have been a victim of ratings abuse please let one of the Managing Editors know.

Some of your concerns are software based... Soapblox has no feature for private messages. Comments on systems such as this are generally not editable to prevent folks from changing the context of a comment post-facto in a manner that would embarrassing folks that may have replied to the original comment.

It'd be worth discussing the pros/and cons of allowing 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 ratings... please feel free to start another tread for that.  I think the original thinking was that allowing all that would potentially lead to petty behavior and tit for tat rebuttals. Much better to explain why you disagree with a comment than to give it a "2".

I do think you are allow to change your rating I will confirm that.

We have talked the potential of a new platform that would let us jettison some of the limitations of Soapblox, but unless there is a Database Ninja out there willing to help for free it is a non starter.

Based on CSP and PH being more than willing to associate with us I think your assertion that BH is an 'Off-Site Smear Organ" is a bit hyperbolic.


Hope > Fear



Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.

[ Parent ]
If you bash other community members (4.00 / 8)
. . . in a personal manner, and without any justification for your attacks, you will be troll rated.

Deal with it.

[ Parent ]
kdhalloran - Please Read This Reply (4.00 / 7)
You write:

the secret policy of editing off comments

This is the second time you have asserted this untruth.

The first time you did, I corrected you.

If you claim that BH admins delete comments we don't like a third time, we are going to oblige you to find another place to blog than here. It's a big internet.

As for the ratings system, as Laura says, "0" ratings are quite rare, and almost always have to do with someone lowering the respect level here.  I have just reviewed every "0" rating that you have received; I do not disagree with the ratings given to those comments.

As for BH being a "NHDP off-site smear organ," that is as absurd as your evidence-free assertion that Kathy S. and susanthe are in cahoots.

As to your opinion about politicians and posting here:


[ Parent ]
Low blow, Dean .... (1.00 / 4)
... Annie has no role in this, and you know it.  She is making a polite statement about your and others progress, and has nothing to do with this thread.  Keep it up Dean, I didn;t know the smear machine works on several levels ...
[ Parent ]
Dean .... you "corrected me?" and you admit it? (0.00 / 0)
That's my point Dean ... don' you get it?
[ Parent ]
are you trying to pick fights? (3.33 / 6)
is this suicide by cop?

Dean corrected you in saying that "He" did not delete your comments if you get more than a couple of troll ratings the comment is automatically hidden by the blog software so other do not have to see what the community has deemed to be trollish comment.

That is what happened to your other comments, and based on the crap you just spread around this diary I suspect will happen to many comments in this thread.

Hope > Fear



Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.

[ Parent ]
Fear wins. Oh well ... (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
please do us all a favor (3.43 / 7)
and start your own blog. Run it just the way you want. WRITE every post in CAPS.

As someone who is new to this place, and pretty clueless about different people and their political views - to say that your suggestions will make this forum larger, more lively, and influential, is so egotistical as to be astounding.

You REALLY OUGHT to have YOUR OWN blog.  

[ Parent ]
AH! Funny .... (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU OUT KD (4.00 / 3)
SINCE YOU EXPRESS CONSTANT UNHAPPINESS HERE.  
[ Parent ]
"political incorrectness and spelling" (3.43 / 7)
That would be a good name for a blog.
[ Parent ]
And what would you call it - PoliSpell? (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
It's my sense that there are a whole lot more readers in (4.00 / 4)
the world than scribblers.  DFNH, for example, has a nifty user/guest counter at the side and the ratio is typically anywhere from 50 or 180 guests to one user.  Other than me, I'm not aware of anyone leaving comments on that site.  And, although anyone who joins (new people do show up all the time) can have a blog page, I think mine is the only one.
We've got a society that's been trained to be consumers.  It's going to be a while before production gets back into style. LOL
Common (4.00 / 1)
That is pretty common in online sites that rely on user-generated content (wikipedia, etc).  Having 1-2% of readers write something is actually a pretty big success.  I worked on an online community polling startup in grad school and we saw the same thing - we had a few thousand active users who would read the polls regularly and maybe even answer them, but NEVER write their own.  Of the thousands of active users, we had less than 100 who regularly created new polls.  

Campaign Manager,

www.KusterforCongress.com
[ Parent ]
BlueHampsire has the data ... (0.00 / 0)
... so, how many users actually visit this blog?
Only you could know ... will you share that data, Dean?
[ Parent ]
Interesting framing, Mike (4.00 / 4)
Four out of your five bullets place the problem in the legislators.  Why not frame it as, "How can we reach out to them better?"

Your fourth bullet does get at that a little.  BH is focused more on national politics as it comes to ground here in New Hampshire, even though, yes, we do weigh in on the larger NH issues.

Maybe some of the hurdles are cultural - a lot of our legislators just don't communicate a lot via blogs.  

In any case, I think it's up to us to reach out to them.

Good Points, Bill... (4.00 / 2)
...and the value of BlueHampshire.com on state issues was evident especially during the tough days of getting House Bill 436 passed, because we were always working on the margins of the votes and this was a way for supporters to speak out.  It was also illustrated on medical marijuana, and several other issues.  

You're certainly right that there can be more outreach to Legislators, and an encouragement for those Legislators who might not always agree on issues to join in the dialogue.  Instead of so much "positioning" and then criticism of those with whom bloggers disagree, perhaps we should be focusing more on the dialogue and getting each of us to understand points of view.  Sometimes it does get a bit nasty in here -- and many of us are to blame for that.  

[ Parent ]
BlueHampshire 101 (4.00 / 3)
Jim if we wanted to try to pull off a "Blue Hampshire 101" sort of event is there a particular forum or event we could "Present" at or along side of?

Any progressive lobbying firms/lobbyist  out there want to sponsor a Blue Hampshire Breakfast open to members of the General Court?

Hope > Fear



Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.

[ Parent ]
Excellent Idea... (4.00 / 1)
...and I think that would be very possible to arrange.  I would think members of the House Democratic Caucus -- and the Senate -- would love to know more about BlueHampshire.com and blogging, since it is still a rather new thing.  I know Legislative staff and leadership check BlueHampshire.com frequently, and perhaps they'll respond.  I'll pass the message on too.  
[ Parent ]
Granite State Progress (4.00 / 3)
is hosting a Blogging 101 training for staff, Board, members and volunteers of interested parties in January, we'd be happy to team up and make it a broader community event.

Zandra Rice Hawkins (Granite State Progress)
[ Parent ]
I'd second that Zandra (0.00 / 0)
Maybe it's BlueHampshire/Blogging 101 for the legislative folks and all comers.  Or maybe that's generalizing it too far?

[ Parent ]
understood (4.00 / 2)
was not necessarily looking to place "blame" but have a discussion on the potential reasons... that we have not reached out is a good one.

Hope > Fear



Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.
[ Parent ]
Could we turn the question around for a minute? (4.00 / 1)
Mike listed a number of potential obstacles, but more important is to list the reasons that these officeholders should want to be visible on BH.  Why should they take the time and political risks involved in a format like this?

Here's an easy one to start: Name recognition.

[On preview, sounds like Mike Duncan is on the same page I am...]

Fundraising, Activism (4.00 / 1)
not to mention building good will and volunteer base for long term ascension plans.

Hope > Fear



Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.
[ Parent ]
Two names (4.00 / 1)
Alan Grayson & Anthony Weiner

Ya start to tune it out after awhile.

I had some friends that came THIS close to being the next Green Day. The Shods where a band from Lowell. I onced asked the drummer, Scott Pittman, why they didn't play in Lowell once a month, to boost the buzz around the band. He told me that the noteriety would wear off. A Shods show wouldn't "be special."

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com
www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

[ Parent ]
Get 'em early. Get 'em often (0.00 / 0)
I think one thing that will help is that folks coming into public service, as they run for elected office, will be much closer to the netroots. Case in point, Ann McLane Kuster's "Congrats" shows how hopefuls are "coming of age" online.

Tech savvy staff is also a big help. This may be why federal level pols are in advanced stages of "new media" learning. They attract a higher caliber of staff.


www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com
www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

One of our state reps, Maureen Mann, (4.00 / 1)
is the founder of our local on-line paper, The Forum, and often posts descriptions of legislation and votes there, which is very useful.  We are lucky to have this "paper" staffed by volunteers who report on town politics and policy for the 4 towns, Northwood, Nottingham, Candia and Deerfield.  There is plenty of political commentary and argument as well.  Plus poetry, lots of photography, and all sorts of other local news.  

All politics are local, and perhaps with the limited time available to them, most state legislators are more interested in communicating with their local constituents than reaching a state-wide audience.  However, that does not mean the governor shouldn't be a participant at BH, although with this governor I find that VERY hard to imagine.  

We believe in prosperity & opportunity, strong communities, healthy families, great schools, investing in our future and leading the world by example. We are Democrats; we are the change you're looking for.

the forum (0.00 / 0)
is truly a gem.

Plus they post some great opinion pieces. ;)

[ Parent ]
One Local's Perspective... (4.00 / 9)
I haven't posted to BH in quite a while but consider myself very much to be a member of this wonderful community (I'm in the clique, dammit!).

Why the silence? Not to be cliche, but I can honestly say: "It's about me, not about you." Between my Council work, finding ways to subsidize my public service work (since it is uncompensated!), and trying to be a half-way decent wife and mother, it's been difficult for me lately to carve out time to write. 140 characters at a time is about the most I've been able to manage lately... ;)

I do intend to ramp up my contributions to the site over the next few months. There's a lot of progressive action happening at the local level - and with the addition of people like Garth Corriveau, Amanda Grady, Patrick Arnold, and many more young activists to the local government scene - I think you can expect even more good results. I'd like to help shine a light on the good work that is happening at the local level...

So, Blue Hamsters, keep up the good work - and keep up the pressure on those missing from this dialogue to engage with this community!

Change is inevitable, but progress is not. Working together, we can make sure that change = progress. And that's what makes us progressive...

hmmm... 140 characters... that give me an idea (0.00 / 0)
[ Parent ]
Another county heard from: (4.00 / 2)
(And I believe that is the original expression, not 'country'?)

We're not good at local issues. Not about the Big Issue in Keene, Berlin, Claremont, or (slowly I turn) Manchester. Post on a topic that is less than Congressional District wide, and you necessarily lose about 90% of us.

I see the same thing on dKos. Somebody posts on a really important issue in Colorado and gets frustrated that the community response is weak.

(Climbs on soapbox.) New Hampshire has no popularly elected Lieutenant Governor, AG, Secretary of State, or Treasurer. Statewide we got the Senators and the Governor - that's it. The big result of that is: no steppingstones, so deep-pockets rather than resumes rule. The lesser result is: a statewide blog - or other media, for that matter - doesn't have many local candidates come calling.

John Lynch was already in place when BH started. A truly contested Dem Governor primary, maybe in 2012, will give us a better handle on how all this works.

County (0.00 / 0)
'...step by step...'

'Aints no more
[ Parent ]
a number of our citizen legislators (0.00 / 0)
are older folks who may not be computer savvy. Many are balancing family, work, and legislating - and just may not have time to deal with one more thing.

Then there are those who are afraid of being quoted.

I like Mike's idea of BH 101 for the legislature. It would be great to have more reporting on what's happening in Concord.  

I've always kind of expected (4.00 / 1)
that more legislators would use Blue Hampshire as a platform to promote legislation that would be popular with the public at large but faces challenges in committee or on the floor, in order to engage the citizenry, drum up support, get people into committee meetings to testify, etc.
Time...Time...Time... (4.00 / 8)
Here's one legislator's take,,,and welcome to my world.

From January to June, I am in Concord three or four days a week.  Those days start at 9 or 10, and run til 4, or 6, or occasionally midnight.  On any day that I go to Concord, I spend two and a half additional hours in a car, if the pavement is dry and there are no slow trucks on Route 9.  I could save a lot of time if I could move closer to my work, but..oh darn...I can't.  

When I get home, there are between 30 and 80 emails waiting, unless we are taking up a hot button issue, in which case there may be more. I have to figure which are from actual constituents so I can answer them, preferably before tomorrow brings a whole new batch.  

One morning a week from December through March is the County Delegation Executive Committee.  Somewhere there has to be time to go to meetings on every conceivable subject, both in my district and in Concord.  Fit into every spare crack are the conversations with constituents.  Going to the grocery store or the recycle center takes me three times as long as it used to.  A trip to the vet includes a discussion of two milk bills (our vet has a large animal practice) plus the latest on education funding (he's also Chair of the school board.)

Saturdays?  Sundays?  Oh, please.  There's always something to attend.  Tomorrow morning we have a farmer's market sponsored by our local energy committee.  (One of the organizers is a fellow legislator who has devoted countless hours to this additional endeavor.)   There's a Hodes house party in the afternoon.  

Of course, it is the off season right now, so only two or three days a week in Concord, but there are all those retained bills, most of which were retained because they need work, or study, or they are just plain difficult. New bills are being drafted, or revised.  Discussions take place on how best to address the new issues that are being raised, and the old issues that are being raised yet again. It seems that every week there is a whole new subject about which I know nothing which I will have to learn by tomorrow morning.

For many of us, add in jobs, families, volunteer work, and service on local boards, which was how many of us got into this work to begin with.  So by all means offer BH 101, but please do not criticize those who do not attend.

There are some other reasons, too.

The point already made about the dilution of interest in local issues is a good one.  The same is true for local representatives.  Name recognition is a good thing, but how many of you live in Alstead, Marlow, Nelson, Roxbury, Sullivan, Stoddard or Walpole?  Maybe my time is better spend getting out in one of my district towns, talking with a higher percentage of people who actually vote here.

Second, being a legislator brings with it a fairly high level of strife, no matter how hard we try to work collaboratively.  Adding one more venue in which to be yelled at is not overly enticing.  (Not that anyone ever has yelled at me here, but you have to admit, there is a significant amount of heat in some of the discussions.)

A third factor which may have a chilling effect is the prospect of having something one wrote in an unguarded moment, or an extreme statement used to make a point in a theoretical discussion, seized by an opponent and trumpeted as one's definitive position on an issue.  For me, the possibility that a statement will later come back to haunt me makes me want to spend a lot of time (!) editing before hitting the Post button.  That means that the free and easy give-and-take which seems to me to be the very point of blogging is lost.

But mostly, it's about time.  There just isn't ever enough.

 

thanks for the perspective! (4.00 / 3)
it confirms a number of assumptions.

one potential use of BH would be your profile page as a sort of Constitute News letter... perhaps a bit of wishful thinking... "Thanks for the email... I wrote about that issue here http://www.bluehampshire.com/u... I know it might be a bit overly optimistic.

Maybe there is some way we could promote comments/diaries/users that are part of the general court, let's think on that...

Hope > Fear



Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.

[ Parent ]
And Lucy... (4.00 / 2)
...was one of our heroes on passage of House Bill 436 for marriage equality.  Her dozens of hours of hands-on involvement on the issue made the difference -- we couldn't have won without her, which is also true of many other people since the votes were so close each time.  Lucy's enthusiam and "can-do" approach was a secret weapon for us, too.  An amazing legislator.  A fantastic person.  Thanks for all you do, Lucy.
[ Parent ]
You, too, Jim. (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
You, too, Jim. (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
Oops...following on... (4.00 / 2)
Another reason why I don't blog much...things get away from me and vanish or post themselves before I am ready.  (OK, Mike, maybe I am ready for BH 101.)  I was going to say that Jim is one of those who brought to mind my comments (now below) about perseverance and Sisyphus.  He has been shoving a lot of very important rocks uphill for a very long time.  Thank you, Jim.
[ Parent ]
Sisyphus? (4.00 / 1)
OK.  That reference was a blatant attempt to suck up to Dean.

Seriously. . . . New Hampshire is very fortunate to have public servants like Jim Splaine and Lucy Weber.

[ Parent ]
wow (4.00 / 2)
getting something past you is like sailing between Scylla and Charybdis


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...
The phrase between Scylla and Charybdis, although infrequently used today, has meant having to choose between two unattractive choices, and is the progenitor of the phrase "between a rock and a hard place." Scylla and Charybdis figure among the figures of Greek mythology in popular culture.



'Aints no more

[ Parent ]
Sorry, Lucy, (0.00 / 0)
you asked to delete one of the double comments and I accidentally deleted them all. Not used to the new magic wand, I guess.

You could repost. Just hit the button once.:)

[ Parent ]
Reposting...In reply to JBB above and Jennifer below (4.00 / 2)
OMG, Jennifer, I have to spell "Charybdis" again?!?

So nice to know you can double delete as well as I can double post. OK, here goes.

In addition to being mythological figures, Scylla is a hazardous rock on one side of the Straits of Messina.  Charybdis is a nasty whirlpool on the other side--not a good place to manoeuver under sail or under oars.  So the modern day equivalent ought to be "between a rock and a wet place."

And no, Dartmouth Dem, I'm not sucking up.  My parents used Scylla and Charybdis as well as Sisyphus in everyday conversation when I was growing up.  My brother's cat was Orestes, and the kittens we fostered one summer were Pyramus and Thisbe.

Despite breaking with family tradition and naming my own pet cocker spaniel Holly, I was doomed.

[ Parent ]
Or perhaps (4.00 / 1)
between Loggins and Messina?
[ Parent ]
Which puts me in mind of... (4.00 / 2)
The piper is ready to march on his way
He won't be around for his vino today
The sky over Messina is heavy and grey
And a'  the poor sodjers are weary.

    So farewell, ye banks of Sicily,
    Fare the well, ye valliant shore,
    There's not one Scot will mourn the loss of ye,
    A'  the poor sodjers are weary...

Banks of Sicily, Scottish traditional, I think.

[ Parent ]
your don't dance n/t (4.00 / 1)


'Aints no more
[ Parent ]
* Mama n/t (0.00 / 0)


'Aints no more
[ Parent ]
As Plato once said.... (4.00 / 2)
"I was just joking, Lucy." :)
[ Parent ]
I knew that... :-) (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
"Diem adimere aegritudinem hominibus" (4.00 / 1)
Or as Dotty Parker would say, time wounds all heels....

'Aints no more
[ Parent ]
Great idea, Mike, about the profile page... (4.00 / 1)
That and other creative uses could be part of BH101.  Bogging here would only be a fit for a portion of the legislators, no matter what, but it could be for an increasing portion over time....
[ Parent ]
Editing time is good, (4.00 / 2)
in my opinion. I think actually thinking about what we post doesn't detract from, but enhances the discourse here.  What's good for speaking is good for blogging. All too often the mouth opens or the keyboard is activated before the mind. Case in point: Doug Lambert.

Also, thank you for all the work you do. You and the Dems on your committee not only have many complex issues to deal with, but you have some of the most difficult Republicans to deal with as well. You folks, especially your chair, deserve hazardous duty pay, IMO.

[ Parent ]
Thanks for the encouragement... (4.00 / 2)
... and for your comments.  I so agree with you, Jennifer, that thinking is the function that ought to be engaged first.  I know from sad experience, though, that it is not always the case, even for those of us who are trying.

Mike, you are right that the legislature generates many, many subjects with broad appeal.  In addition to all the discussion arising out of pending legislation, I can think of three diaries arising out of this conversation alone, starting with A Day in the Life of a Legislator.  I should also write a diary on the incredible courage I have seen.  The image of Mike Rollo speaking eloquently from the well about New Hampshire's earlier history of rejection of state nullification and "Jeffersonian principles" while an armed and angry mob seethed above in the gallery comes to my mind.  A third would be the patience and dedication of those, like my committee chair, who return term after term to continue the battles which ought to have been settled in the last millennium.  This is the beginning of my fourth year, and already I feel like Sisyphus.

But then there is bullet point number one...

[ Parent ]
Just got Home tonight ... WOW you bloggers have been BUSY. (0.00 / 0)
I will comment tomorrow.  I'm tired.  Later ...
NB: The user banned in this thread (0.00 / 0)
is claiming he was not notified.

He was in this comment, but he can't see it because it was in reply to a comment of his that was hidden by the community due to multiple "0" ratings.

So this is more of a reminder to me and the other admins not to post comments in the future indicating banning as replies to comments that have received "0" ratings, but instead as stand-alone ones.

Here is the comment in question:

And that does it.   (4.00 / 5)

Goodbye.

Never acceptable here, even in jest:

   

BH isn't that violent, yet ...

by: Dean Barker @ Sat Nov 21, 2009 at 07:21:08 AM EST


And now (0.00 / 0)
because I responded favorably to you, I'm getting really nasty messages on FaceBook, including one response to my status that seems like a threat to my job.  

My status reads something like.. I will never again complain about my job, because I have one. The response:  for now...

This all makes me wish for the good old days when our old friend called me an ugly, fat, latte Democrat.  That was mild compared to what I'm being subjected to now.  I've removed said person from my friend list, but the hits just keep on coming.    

Justica para todos.  Justice for all.  Pass it on.

[ Parent ]
What gives? | 77 comments

Is there something wrong with majority rules?
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