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It's Bonnie Newman

by: Dean Barker

Tue Feb 03, 2009 at 16:37:28 PM EST


Gov. Lynch on the TeeVee tells me that Bonnie Newman will represent me.

'Aint democracy appointments grand?

Lynch: "Bonnie has assured me that she will not run in 2010 and she will not endorse a candidate..."

Newman: I'm a "reasonable Republican"

Important: did anyone catch her on camera saying herself that she wouldn't run, or are we taking Lynch's word for it?  It will be important to have it for campaign ads if she renegs on her assurances. Let us know in the comments.

To be clear: the millisecond Senator Newman, who has never held elected office, and who, despite today, has not earned the vote of anyone in this state, votes against cloture on some bill that will help us get more health care, or a way out of the recession, or Iraq, or cleaning up the environment, she and the process that got her here are going to receive more attention from me here than, e.g., John E. Sununu ever did.  Or what Mike said.  
Dean Barker :: It's Bonnie Newman
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It's Bonnie Newman | 114 comments
Hodes for Senate 2010 (4.00 / 3)
So far.

Anyone else?

2010 (0.00 / 0)
Lynch just said future Senator Newman, will not

- Run for re-election

or

- Endorse a candidate in 2010

The deal gets worse. (0.00 / 0)
Now our Senator* reports to the Governor?
[ Parent ]
Retract based on Dean's summary (0.00 / 0)
Lynch says that Newman told him that.
[ Parent ]
He said (0.00 / 0)
I want to hear her say it. And provide it in enforceable writing that she renounces any right to run in 2010, regardless of circumstances...

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
Yes, I want to hear her say it as well. (0.00 / 0)
I want it on tape, in no uncertain terms.
[ Parent ]
sometimes you have to trust people. (4.00 / 2)
In this case, I trust that John Lynch, who is her friend apparently, and has worked with her, is able to trust that she wont stick it to him in 2010, when he too (if we are lucky and he recovers from today's migraine)has to run again

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  
[ Parent ]
I trust her now... (4.00 / 1)
... the question is whether I trust her in two years to have not experienced a change in opinion. That's the problem. There are lots of people who go to Washington pledging term limits and then have a mind-changing experience. I believe she's dealing in good faith and has no intentions of running again, but intentions can change.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
I believe she told him that. (4.00 / 1)
I just want it on tape so that if she goes back on her word, it can be used against her in campaign ads.
[ Parent ]
if it happens you'll have a tape of her standing silently by while the governor says it. (4.00 / 4)

in the law it's called an adoptive admission.
And it's enough to convict on.    

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  
[ Parent ]
As you may possibly be aware, Paul, (0.00 / 0)
Campaign decisions aren't always based on a reflective consideration of the law.

And malefactors are often adept at evading convictions until long after the damage is done.

[ Parent ]
sure but i dont think she will run and dont think she will deny that she told the governor whe wouldnt run. (4.00 / 1)

There's a lot of things I disagree with the Governor about, but he is as honest and straightforward as the day is long and I don't think any politician with half a brain would lie about saying something like this to him. If you're going to put your word up against someone, you're probably better off picking someone who doesn't have 80% likable ratings.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  
[ Parent ]
Granted. (0.00 / 0)
And I'm not suggesting that she lied to him, or that her standing next to him as he spoke does not have significant and lasting weight.

I'm just making clear that there is a possibility that what she honestly told him today may not wind up matching what she decides to do in two years.  Or fourteen months, when she'd need to decide.  Or eighteen months, when Jennifer Horn is stomping on John Stephen in the GOP primary race, and John H. Sununu secretly visits her and begs and pleads for her to enter the race.

[ Parent ]
I just watched the extended video (0.00 / 0)
She said, "until the next senator is elected in 2010," I will work, not as a caretaker, etc.

I suppose the meaning of the word "next" could be parsed, but why question her sincerity when she has not given us any reason?  



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

[ Parent ]
Thanks. (0.00 / 0)
Not a question of questioning sincerity, but rather wanting visual evidence.

A picture (and video) is worth a thousand "but she said she wouldn't"s in the event she violates Gov. Lynch's trust.

birch, finch, beech

[ Parent ]
Two Years Is A Mighty Long Time... (4.00 / 1)
Two years is a mighty long time to fall in love with being in the United States Senate.  I tend to think the likely race in 2010 will include a stronger John E. Sununu, who this time can stay in New Hampshire throughout much of the campaign and not be distracted by Washington duties.  But I won't rule out Bonnie Newman if it ends up that she likes it, and the Republicans "beg" her to continue.  Politicians like to be "asked" to run for office.  
[ Parent ]
I gotta assume (0.00 / 0)
with the hailstorm of media that is about to come down on a person who until yesterday did not have a wikipedia page, we will soon have her saying it "on tape".

Hope > Fear




Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.
[ Parent ]
Ronald Reagan said it best (0.00 / 0)
Trust but verify. I wrote a cynical comment on an earlier post titled:  Bonnie Newman's future words.  I won't repeat it here because others have alluded to that 'change of heart' characteristic of politicians who have smelled the intoxicating wine of Washington and power.  Let's just say that it would be best to hear it from her.  
[ Parent ]
When she was interim Pres. of UNH there was some talk of (4.00 / 1)
making her permanent.  She demurred.  I've talked to J. Bonnie Newman and she struck me as a modest person who gets the job done.  She's not particularly persuasive or self-promoting, often times indispensable characteristics of a politician.  

Anyway, I found this noteworthy:

Sen. Judd Gregg and Secretary of State William Gardner were announced as the leaders of a new advisory board to help St. Anselm "expand its role in the state and national dialogue about democracy, government and the major issues facing our country," the college said.

Gregg will serve as chair and Gardner as vice chair. New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, political analyst Mark Halperin, J. "Bonnie" Newman, director of FairPoint Communications, and Steve Scully, political director for C-SPAN, are among those who will serve on the board.


[ Parent ]
As Ronnie Reagan said: (4.00 / 1)
Trust, but verify!

No'm Sayn?
[ Parent ]
She can't do that (4.00 / 2)
And I wouldn't want her to be able to make a binding commitment like that.

Appointments just stink to high heaven.  

[ Parent ]
I didn't say she could... (4.00 / 1)
Or that it would be a good precedent, even. Just that I want her to. "Want" and "can have" or "consider reasonable" are not necessarily the same thing, no matter how much I might wish it otherwise.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
What we might hear before long (4.00 / 1)
Is John E. Sununu, following Hodes move, announcing his own candidacy and thereby making it harder for Newman to change her mind.
[ Parent ]
any Democrats running for governor? (4.00 / 1)

It's probably because her positions on (4.00 / 3)
Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, torture, domestic spying, LIHEAP, reproductive rights, EFCA, No Child Left Behind, REAL ID, the economic recovery package, and Social Security reform are attuned to the people she will represent.

What's that?

Nobody knows where she stands on any of those issues?

Good job, Governor.

And.. (4.00 / 2)
She was COS for Gregg, but she's probably a moderate Dem, like the majority of her constituents.  

res severa verum gaudia
[ Parent ]
According to comments at the UL.... (4.00 / 3)
"President of the University of New Hampshire and executive dean at the Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government".

- Read the writing on the wall folks. This should speak volumes about her political philosphy. She is a global-socialist which is the flip side of the democratic-socialist coin

I do encourage people to go read the comments at the UL, it provides an interesting perspective.

Elwwod, on a serious note, all I can tell you is that I understand she is pro-choice.  



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

[ Parent ]
I had hopes on reproductive rights (4.00 / 1)
And I'm pretty sure she isn't a religious right advocate (I'm trying to come up with a fair way of describing that part of the GOP).

But I fully expect, based on here resume, that she will oppose EFCA, oppose significant health care reform, and help obstruct the economic agenda.

[ Parent ]
From Granite Grok (4.00 / 1)
http://granitegrok.com/blog/20...
Hmm. A "moderate" Republican that has basically been a creature of the academic, government or non profit sectors in one form or other for almost her entire working life. Someone that no doubt believes in government and all its present trappings-- no "less government, less regulations, less taxes" mantras here, I'd bet. Otherwise, why support Democrat John Lynch who has overseen the rapid expansion of government spending here in the Granite State since first elected?

But then again, with the way ole Juddzo's been voting lately, does it really matter? At least the way things are shaking out, perhaps a good conservative within the GOP ranks will have time to put together a credible and formidable campaign for the seat in 2010. I'd say that by then, the folks will be having a significant case of buyer's remorse with both the Magic Obama and the Pelosi-led, Democratic Congress. With Judd Gregg languishing around making moves towards a run in 2010 for re-election, tacking leftward every step of the way, this could have posed a problem for those of us wishing to remedy that in the primary. With a cabinet post and his resignation from the US Senate, an opportunity has suddenly appeared where there was once none.

Please note the "Magic Obama." Sound familiar?


www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com

www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

[ Parent ]
It does (4.00 / 1)
It took me a second, but I hear ya. Mike Duncan lives.
[ Parent ]
"Pro Choice" is not the same as "Democrat" or "Progressive" (0.00 / 0)
Do you honestly think that Bonnie Newman will be better on health care, the minimum wage, labor issues, civil rights, etc, than Bob Casey or Tim Kaine?

I am sick and tired of seeing economic elitists get a free pass solely due to their stance on abortion.


America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. -Harry Truman

[ Parent ]
??? (0.00 / 0)
Elwood stated that we didn't know where she stood on a number of issues.  I told him what I had heard on one.  Explain how that translates into me giving her a free pass on other issues?  

For a lot of women, being pro-choise is a pre-requisite for "progressive". We don't have to agree with that - my mother was very progressive, a Roosevelt/Truman, and she was anti-chice. But, I am not "sick and tired" of the people with whom I disagree.  
 



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

[ Parent ]
boooooo (4.00 / 2)
Something is rotten in the state of New Hampshire. I am still irate about this entire chain of events. There are so many things I wish, but here is a quick list.
1. That Obama did not waste a cabinet position on Gregg.
2. That Lynch stood his ground and picked a Dem
3. That we stopped letting Republicans dictate terms on crap like this.

The only bright spot is that Hodes is close to announcing for 2010. Oh yeah, and we have a pending Commerce Secretary who speaks of being bipartisan and pragmatic, but only when it suits his conservative Republican interests. Good stuff.  

res severa verum gaudia

I'm Just Glad All This Appointment Gossip Is Over n/t (4.00 / 1)

Arrgh (0.00 / 0)
Unless she's signed a contract forgoing any right to run in the 2010 elections (assurances or not) I wish he'd be less profusely complimentary. I met Bonnie and don't have anything against her specifically, but have partisan motivations to want to be absolutely certain that there will not be a Republican incumbent in 2010. And I really wish she'd stated herself that she would not under any circumstances run in two years.

But, this does mean New Hampshire will have a majority-female Congressional delegation - has that ever happened before?

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!

Two female Senators no less (4.00 / 2)
that will be one for the history books

Hope > Fear




Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.
[ Parent ]
California has had that since '93. (4.00 / 1)


--
"Act as if ye have faith and faith shall be given to you." -Aaron Sorkin
[ Parent ]
Not the first on that (0.00 / 0)
Maine's got Snowe and Collins, but two male Representatives.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
Maine's 1st CD has Chellie Pingree (0.00 / 0)
They're not 50/50.
[ Parent ]
First for NH (4.00 / 1)
But, I believe this is the first time a state delegation has a majority of women (v. Maine, which is 50/50). Also the first with two women, each of a different party?  



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    
[ Parent ]
Maine (4.00 / 1)
With Pingree joing the House, Maine is now 3 women & 1 man.  

Meagan Coffman, Swett for Congress
[ Parent ]
I Need To Type Faster (0.00 / 0)
Beat me by 13 seconds! :)
[ Parent ]
*joining (0.00 / 0)


Meagan Coffman, Swett for Congress
[ Parent ]
Drat! (0.00 / 0)
I hate it when Maine beats us!



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    
[ Parent ]
washington as well... (0.00 / 0)
...cantwell and murray.

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them
[ Parent ]
She's going to have to run (0.00 / 0)
The GOP will need a 2010 nominee. Of course it will be the incumbent.

I need a drink ...

Still think (0.00 / 0)
Guinta or Ayotte will want it. Possibly Sununu The Younger will want it as well. But I won't make any decisions on it until I see what sort of voting record she compiles and whether she herself states unequivocally that she will not run in 2010...

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
[ Parent ]
she won't (4.00 / 3)
I really do not think she will run for the 2010.

Because she would lose, she's smart enough to realize that running against someone like Paul Hodes or Carol Shea-Porter is not the best way to end your political career.

Hodes and CSP have the contacts to raise a lot of money, and the DSCC is going to make NH a priority again.

Not to mention, no one knows Bonnie Newman. If she were to run, she would have to start today.

[ Parent ]
Senator Newman (4.00 / 5)
I know many of you are not pleased, but I know she can hit the ground running with very little learning curve.  She's an eloquent speaker, gracious woman, and in my opinion, she will make a fine Senator for NH.  

I'm glad to see Gregg out of the Senate.  2010 just got a whole lot more interesting!

Paula

Paula M. DiNardo
Dover NH

A Blue Hampster since 2007!


Eloquent and gracious. How sweet. (4.00 / 1)
Will she fall in line and support the filibusters on economic recovery, on judicial nominees, on labor law reform?  
[ Parent ]
ya know... (4.00 / 1)
I have to say that I don't really want a filibuster proof majority.  I've seen too much abuse of power when one party gets a great deal of control.  

With the Dems having both houses, the executive branch, and the governorship of the state, I'm ok with less than a super-majority.

The rest we will have to wait & see.  But I am willing to wait & reserve judgment.

Paula  

Paula M. DiNardo
Dover NH

A Blue Hampster since 2007!


[ Parent ]
4'd for gun sticking (0.00 / 0)
But I think Elwood has correctly identified the risk.
[ Parent ]
Wouldn't it be nice if your view (4.00 / 1)
on what sort of person should be Senator, and mine, actually helped determine it?
[ Parent ]
I'd rather have an ungracious Democrat. (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
I can't sit by and not respond any longer... (3.56 / 9)
All of these attacks on Lynch are ridiculous. His popularity is one of the foremost reasons why New Hampshire has turned to a deep shade of blue--how utterly amazing that most people forget that.

This call came down from the White House, and Lynch is doing his best to be a good DEMOCRAT by supporting Obama. Any suggestion otherwise is just off base.

The bottom line is that we are in a much better position now than a week ago to pick up another U.S. Senate seat in 2010. These cries for a real Democratic Governor, or for someone to mount a serious challenge to Lynch, are disingenuous, especially when we all agreed with President Obama's call to end partisan bickering in Washington during the campaign (NOTE: Let's not forget all of the progressive laws that have been passed since the Governor has taken office).

Just so I understand--on the one hand, it is OK for Obama to pick Republicans to serve in his administration to fix our problems, but on the other, it is not OK for Lynch to support the president by doing the same (And at both President Obama and Harry Reid's request)?

Let's all just agree to re-elect all of our incumbents and majorities and win this U.S. Senate seat in 2010, and then champion redistricting in 2011-2012. Is that too much to ask?

What attacks? (4.00 / 1)
We disagree with the man. I have yet to see one "attack" this week.
[ Parent ]
Depends (4.00 / 1)
Jim, it is an attack when people say the Governor is not a Democrat, or that the Governor's decisions were driven by his "ambition".  So, yes, while the overwhelming majority of the debate has been debate, IMO some of it falls into the attack category. But that's just my opinion.  



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    
[ Parent ]
OK (4.00 / 1)
But I think people throw the word attack around too easily. And doing so makes it easier for the Sarah Palins of the world to do it, just because they don't want to answer questions.
[ Parent ]
one cry (4.00 / 1)
for a Democrat to run for governor. I stand by it.  
[ Parent ]
As a matter of fact (4.00 / 2)
NO, it is NOT okay for Lynch to "support the President" and Harry Reid by acceding to their request on an appointment to the Senate.

That violates the spirit of the Constitution, both regarding federalism and separate branches.

[ Parent ]
i dont get this argument-- what do you think is being violated? (4.00 / 1)

Governors get advice on appointments all the time-- is there something wrong with that?

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  
[ Parent ]
This was more than advice. (0.00 / 0)
From the AP

(bold mine)

In a deal struck with Gregg, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, has agreed to name a Republican to fill the Senate seat. Democratic officials say Lynch intends to select Bonnie Newman, Gregg's former chief of staff, and that she intends to step down rather than run in 2010 for a full term. That would create the possibility of a highly competitive race for a seat that long has been in Republican hands.

Choosing a Democrat would have expanded the party's majority in the Senate, moving it closer to a filibuster-proof majority. Gregg had indicated he wouldn't leave the Senate if his departure disrupted the balance of power.


[ Parent ]
Trying to organize a response - (0.00 / 0)
But appointments are just inherently, inescapably, bad. Malodorous. Undemocratic.

Let's try something very innocent. What if there are three possible appointees and one happens to be a professor of bioengineering. Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell both call the Governor to say, "That experience would be GREAT for the Senate! That's a form of expertise and credibility we need and do not have!" Nothing wrong with that, is there?

Well, maybe there is. If that experience would have been completely irrelevant to the voters of New Hampshire, should the Governor give it much weight? Is the Governor supposed to try to be a proxy for the voters? Maybe not -  but then what IS he supposed to do?

Sometimes the appointee is the widow (Muriel Humphrey). Sometimes it is a staffer (George Mitchell). There the criterion seems to be "a fill-in for the guy they elected." That seems plausible. But is there any similarity between Muriel Humphrey and Caroline Kennedy?

If the Governor doesn't try to be a proxy, and doesn't try to find a pseudo-clone, what else? Just the person he believes will be best for the state - though maybe the voters don't know it yet? What about "best for the nation" but not necessarily for the state? (Giving much weight to the President's request might fall in that category.)

There's no good answer. I can find serious fault with any approach and the Constitution and law doesn't provide much guidance.

Let the voters decide.


[ Parent ]
I agree that direct election is the answer. (0.00 / 0)
I just don't have a problem with what went on here in the context of the current flawed system.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  
[ Parent ]
Barack Obama and Harry Reid (4.00 / 3)
aren't residents and voters in New Hampshire.

If the Governor had picked a Republican on the basis of Judd Gregg being a 4-year Republican senator elected by New Hampshire voters for 6 years, I would have disagreed, but I would have understood that. And applauded it!

Instead, both he and Judd Gregg (with the White House and Senate leadership acquiescent) were oddly forthright about how this was essentially the condition that Judd demanded to be cabinet member.

The end result is a demonstration of weakness on the part of the governor, and consequently, on our state.

It's like downgrading our elected senate position as simply a by-product of the chief executive's cabinet, and assisted by the executive in our state.

The very appearance that this has been done for reasons other than the Governor's choice for what was best for New Hampshire is something to be avoided in a nation that values democracy.

Or to put it another way, the Governor's decision should have been made by looking down upon the people he is charged to lead, not over to Judd, or up to Obama.

Russ Feingold feels this way too, calling this episode "alarmingly undemocratic".  One way out is to make sure this doesn't happen again and to support his amendment getting rid of this anti-democratic appointment process.

birch, finch, beech

[ Parent ]
Reid's role (4.00 / 1)
If Judd was supposed to be some sort of ambassador to the Senate GOP, shouldn't his sponsor have been McConnell, not Reid?

This was a bad, bad appointment.

[ Parent ]
Bravo Dean (4.00 / 1)
I agree wholeheartedly. Just because we may have a (D) by our respective names does not mean any of us should roll over regarding an honest disagreement based on principle - and a democratic principle at that. On my may home I heard Judd Gregg on NHPR praise the "political courage" of this appointment - I almost drove off the road. Today's been one bad day.

"Where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can." - Barack Obama
[ Parent ]
Not weakness (4.00 / 1)
I don't put the blame for this on on Governor Lynch. For picking Bonnie over Walter Peterson or Liz Hager, maybe, (since I think they'd be more likely to support Democratic policies than Bonnie, but I'll give her a few votes before I start clamoring - and they may have been ruled out in the negotiations anyhow) but not for the deal existing at all. If John Lynch thought he couldn't get a better Republican Senator than Judd Gregg, then he would have said "No deal."

Since he saw an opportunity to improve New Hampshire's Senate delegation, even if more limited than he would have liked, he made the calculation that given the options of Judd Gregg representing New Hampshire or another Republican representing New Hampshire, he preferred another Republican representing New Hampshire. Standing on his unfettered Constitutional prerogative was the same as choosing Judd Gregg to represent New Hampshire. He did look at New Hampshire's best interests, and determined that by replacing Gregg with someone else, he would be serving them.

I support Feingold's amendment, as well as updating New Hampshire statutes with or without Feingold's amendment, but in this case if it had existed, Judd Gregg would probably not have been willing to leave the Senate in the first place and risk the seat. I damn with faint praise, perhaps, but I do think Bonnie Newman will be better for New Hampshire than Judd Gregg was, and whether or not she decides to uphold the promise that Governor Lynch announced on her behalf, I think it makes the Democratic task in 2010 easier.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!

[ Parent ]
Garth, I Think That's Rating Abuse (4.00 / 1)
Whatever the merits of BSD's argument, I hardly think that merits a troll rating.

Imho, an explanation is in order.

[ Parent ]
fo sho DD (0.00 / 0)
I don't see a deluge of "attacks" on Governor Lynch. That's just thin-skinned. There's plenty of support for him and his actions in these diaries imho. Just b/c many of us disagree with the deal he was a part of doesn't mean we're "attacking" our Governor ... I'm still proud to support him.

"Where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can." - Barack Obama
[ Parent ]
Fair Enough (0.00 / 0)
Thanks for the explanation.
[ Parent ]
Well... (4.00 / 4)
I'll put it this way. Congratulations, Senator Newman, I hope you do a great job, and I hope that in two years I'll be favorably comparing you to whoever ends up as the Republican nominee for Senator.

IT for John Lynch '04 and NHDP '08 - I'm liking my track record so far!
my 2¢ (4.00 / 6)
  1. Judd Gregg is no longer my Senator! I remember thinking about moving to VT a number of years ago to have Representatives that I could ID with. Look at us now!
  2. Our task in winning the seat in 2 years just got exponentially easier.
  3. We have a real world example, fresh in peoples minds if we want to change the process via the General Court next year.

My only wish was that the appointment would be an Obama-Republican. I think it would have been a bit easier political argument for Lynch.

Hope > Fear




Create a free Blue Hampshire account and join the conversation.

Well said, Elwood. Well said. (4.00 / 2)

[ Parent ]
I don't really want to swim against the BH riptide, but (4.00 / 6)
Bonnie Newman was a great interim president at UNH.  Not a political post, it's true, but she was totally results oriented and...well, I won't go on about it, but just ask anyone who was there at the time.

The minute the Gregg thing came up, I said to myself, I bet Lynch appoints a Republican.  The next thing I said was, if he does, I assume he'll draw a primary challenge and I look forward to voting for the challenger.

I've been a real Lynch supporter - house parties, the whole bit - and have just swallowed my dissatisfaction with his not being a real Democrat because he's a grown-up.  But this is going too far.

Probably.  I say that because 1.) Newman is a great choice is it's going to be a Republican and 2.) the whole thing is the filibuster vote(s).  I'll bet anything that Bonnie Newman (never met her myself) would not support the Republican filibuster.  We'll see soon enough.  But if she's a good moderate senator and not a filibuster foot-soldier, it's not too bad a result.  She'll surely be a better senator the Judd Gregg.  

Thanks for the Optimism (0.00 / 0)
I hope your instincts are right about Newman.  I'm not so sure -- she was Judd Gregg's Chief of Staff, after all.

Still, I agree with your sentiments regarding Lynch.  He didn't choose a Republican over a Democrat.  He selected a Maybe-Not-Too-Bad Republican over a Neaderthal Republican.

[ Parent ]
it seems that gregg himself... (0.00 / 0)
...locked everyone in by informing obama that he would not accept the new position unless an r was appointed to fill his spot...which means it's not at all surprising that an r was appointed.

that said, i would agree with those on this page who now look forward to '10.

beyond that, if she plays as a centrist, it hurts the "sarah palin" wing of the r party...and if she plays to the palin wing, it makes things even better in '10 for a d candidate--assuming, of course, that obama is still doing well by the time the midterms roll around.

this looks like a good chess move for obama--and it seems to demonstrate that he is looking out to the far horizon in his strategic thinking.

considering he just replaced a president who was entirely tactical in his thinking (and he is today dealing with an entirely tactical r party), it seems likely that we are more advantaged than disadvantaged here.

finally, consider the other option.

would an election to replace gregg now have been more advantageous or less advantageous to those seeking to replace him with a democrat...or would that election better serve democratic interests if it occurs in '10?

--we are making enemies faster than we can kill them

60 Doesn't Matter... (0.00 / 0)
Gregg reminds us of the Myth of 60
by Kagro X
Tue Feb 03, 2009 at 02:35:04 PM PST

The first Senate voting on the stimulus package is underway, and it serves as a reminder of how tenuous a 60 seat majority, even if we had one, would really be. It's the Myth of 60 -- that merely holding 60 seats does not mean we have a "filibuster-proof" majority. And I bring that up again in light of some of the excitement that the nomination of Judd Gregg briefly created.

The first vote taken on stimulus amendments was a procedural vote to waive the Budget Act with respect to the Murray (D-WA) amendment. The amendment itself sought to add $13 billion in highway funds, $5 billion in transit funds, and $7 billion in water and sewer project funds.

But it won't.

Because it lost, 58-39. That is, the motion to waive the Budget Act -- which would have protected the amendment from a point of order -- lost because that requires a 3/5 vote. Sixty. Just like a cloture vote would.

Remember all that bleating about how the Republicans weren't opposed to the bill, they just wanted to focus the spending on infrastructure and projects that would create jobs?

Well, not these jobs, I guess.

But that's another story. Right now, the story is about losing the first vote in this Congress for which we needed 60 and didn't get it. Who voted which way? How did it happen? Here are the details.

Kit Bond (R-MO) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) voted with Dems. Great! (And something of a surprise! Bond? OK! But not Collins (R-ME) or Snowe (R-ME)?

Mary Landrieu (D-LA) voted with the Republicans. Not great! (But not so much of a surprise, since Landrieu jumped ship on 21 cloture votes in the last Congress, making her by far the least dependable Democrat on cloture.)

Ted Kennedy (D-MA), of course, was not present to vote.

And the courageous Mr. Gregg of New Hampshire? Also not present.

How do you want us to count that one, Mr. Secretary-designate?

No, we don't have 60 yet. But circumstances play a bigger a part in where the votes fall than the seat count does. You want to start with the biggest base you can get, of course, but 60 is 60 no matter how you put it together. But you have to put it together and keep it together.

Sorry for the format (0.00 / 0)
Oops...I posted this wrong. My bad.
[ Parent ]
I'd like to second this analysis (0.00 / 0)
We tend to get too focused on certain short-hand.  KragoX, in this and many other posts along this line, reminds us of a much more useful perspective.  
[ Parent ]
More On Newman and Policy (4.00 / 1)
Okay, here is one article which is an interview with Bonnie Newman, where she disagreed with both Governor Lynch and Senator Gregg with respect to academic freedom and freedom of speech:

(http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5283/is_200702/ai_n21230913)

This has to do with the professor who had the position that the government knew about 9/11 in advance; Ms. Newman said,

I think a great many people were as frustrated as the governor was at Professor Woodward's view of what happened on that tragic day. However, while we disagreed with his conclusion about what happened in New York on September 11th, we respect here his right to be able to express his views.

She went on to say,

Q. And then Sen. Judd Gregg said there are limits to freedom of speech. Any thoughts about that?

A. We disagree. Let me say in the instance that we're discussing, I don't believe that we stepped over that threshold.

I'll see if I find anything else.

 



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

Ohhhh Goodness (4.00 / 1)
....let's not now start to cheer Bonnie Newman.  
[ Parent ]
I was a majorette (0.00 / 0)
Not a cheerleader (and you don't do sarcasm well, Jim!).

Some folks here are wondering about her policy stands. So am I.  If you are not, that is cool.  



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

[ Parent ]
Just Stating A Fact... (4.00 / 2)
We've already built Judd Gregg into a Great American willing to sacrifice for his country, which is bull.  Now we don't have to make a hero of yet another Republican, especially since we haven't seen Vote One yet.  Hint:  I'm not happy about what I've seen "us" as Democrats do these past few days.  Call that sarcasm and I'll plead guilty as charged.
[ Parent ]
Not Round here (4.00 / 1)
I have not seen much building "Judd Gregg into a Great American", at least not around here.

I have seen a lot of us, myself included, rallying around the politics of it all vs. the policy of it all. e.g. the fact that 2010 will be easier NH Dems rather than substantive discussion on how will Gregg will lead the DoC.

Kathy's example shows me, that at least in this episode, Bonnie choose a principled stand when it would have been easier to sway with the prevailing winds.



Hope > Fear




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[ Parent ]
Guess You Haven't Been Watching The Media (0.00 / 0)
Mike -- I guess you haven't been watching the media, or checking out the newspapers.  I'm just saying that we as Democrats don't have to participate in building up Judd Gregg or Bonnie Newman.  They're there, but we have to focus on 2010 and winning then -- we have two good candidates who have already stepped forward, and there will be more.  Let's say good things about THEM.  
[ Parent ]
Splended Isolation (0.00 / 0)
If it's not on the net I don't see it ;-)

Happily (mostly) without cable television since August 2007.

Seems you are talking about the greater "We". When you say it here I assume you are talking about the BlueHampire "We".

I can't imagine anyone here not doing their part in electing a Dem to that Senate Seat in 2010 and to making sure that CD1 and CD2 stay Blue.

Hope > Fear




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[ Parent ]
RIP Warren Zevon (4.00 / 2)
[ Parent ]
More Newman Background (0.00 / 0)
This is from a 2007 UNH Commission on the Status of Women newsletter:

Interim President J. Bonnie Newman opened the ceremony with a quotation by former women's studies program director, Cathryn Adamsky, who died in March of this year. In a 1985 Campus Journal article, Adamasky was quoted as saying, "The women's movement doesn't need martyrs; it needs good, strong women, who live to a ripe, old age."

President Newman described Adamsky's advocacy for women's research and writing to become part of the mainstream and recalled Adamsky's words: "If it's relevant, it must be assimilated. It's Not 'add women and stir'. We're asking people to take a new look at the world."

Newman sited the work of the women's commission as it continues to work for equity. She said, "I am pleased to report that, this year, the commission has worked on compiling the Executive Summary for the Child Care Study Report; presented a lactation policy for review by human resources; responded to a plea for affordable family housing on campus; supported and responded to The Unwanted Sexual Experiences Survey Report; held dialogues on bias incidents in the residence halls; and collaborated across campus on programs that educate and build awareness.





"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    
[ Parent ]
Yes, we can... (4.00 / 2)
I WAS a cheerleader, and I am cheering for Bonnie.  Sorry if you think that makes me a bad Dem.  She was a fantastic President at UNH and I worked with her & her staff directly.  I will give her the benefit of the doubt.

Paula

Paula M. DiNardo
Dover NH

A Blue Hampster since 2007!


[ Parent ]
First hand account (0.00 / 0)
It seems reasonable to weigh more heavily the testimony of those that actually have engaged Newman, than the breathy calls to burn the effigy.

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com

www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com
[ Parent ]
It would if (0.00 / 0)
the question was whether to invite her to a house party rather than whether we want her representing us in the Senate.

Unfortunately Paula knows nothing about where Newman stands on any of the issues she will face in the Senate, or whether she will join McConnell's filibusters.

[ Parent ]
Nothing is a big word (0.00 / 0)
Paula knows Newman as the head of UNH. I dare say, an executive position. There is some insight there regarding the character and professional "style" of Newman.

On the unanswered questions, we can only wait.
Fingers crossed so hard it hurts.


www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com

www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

[ Parent ]
It is the correct word. (0.00 / 0)
I repeat: Paula and the rest of us know nothing about where Newman stands on the issues facing a US Senator.

This is an absurdity. There is no way anyone would get a job in the private sector or the Department of Motor Vehicles with their intentions on how to perform the job being unknown.

It is an absurdity in most of the other Senate appointments as well.

You may find comfort in the endorsement of Newman's character and professional style. But then, she isn't going to be your Senator.

[ Parent ]
Feel better? (0.00 / 0)
She is a Senator*. The one that may hold up OUR progressive agenda.

That was petty.



www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com

www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

[ Parent ]
I think people need to take a deep breath and settle down (0.00 / 0)
We've known Gov. Lynch for quite awhile and he performed according to type.  And if we can make him pay for that (not a given), I'm all for it.

But the ad hominem about Newman and anyone who gives her the benefit of the doubt doesn't advance the conversation.  I get it: technically you're objecting to the fact that we don't know her record.  However, people who know her say she's got all these great qualities while others are stretching for circumstantial evidence that she's tainted somehow.

The trouble is, it would be more realistic to anticipate that in a couple of months she's going to look like a good moderate Republican senator.  So the realistic critique is probably going to need to be: Lynch picked a pretty good Republican, but he shouldn't have agreed to pick a Republican and, as a result, maybe Gregg wouldn't have taken the job.

[ Parent ]
Ad Hominem? (0.00 / 0)
Where? You're responding to my post. Answer, please.
[ Parent ]
I am not a lawyer (0.00 / 0)
But I think Bill was calling out the geography card ("not your senator"). She will be our senator almost -- almost -- as much as yours.

[ Parent ]
The issue here has always been about (4.00 / 2)
how the Senator from New Hampshire is chosen - by the voters of New Hampshire or by some other agency, whether that be the Governor or Harry Reid and Barack Obama.

She will NOT be representing Massachusetts "almost as much". She may affect you almost as much, but you don't get to choose her.

[ Parent ]
True n/t (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
yes, that's it... (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
So if Bonnie Newman is going to make a great Senator (4.00 / 2)
then why would anyone want to keep her from running in 2010? Wouldn't that be denying NH of the chance to choose on the merits of the candidate.  In fact, in about a year, I'm betting that we are going to start hearing this argument and if Newman has a good approval rating a 'change of heart' will happen no matter what she told Lynch in the midst of 'the deal.'

In terms of Lynch, my beef isn't that he is not honest or that he's not a real Democrat.  My beef is that he let Gregg dictate the terms of an appointment and usurp his power as Governor of the State.  That is why I'm upset with Lynch. I want a Governor that says, "I appreciate your input, Gregg, but I won't be dictated to.  You'll just have to make up your own mind. I'm Governor and I'll decide who is best to represent this State after you make your decision."

Totally with you on this... (4.00 / 3)
The funny thing is, I think Gov. Lynch knows that his line about "Obama should get the appointments he wants" is BS.  It's a non-sequitor, really.  Obama gets to pick.  Gregg gets to respond.  Gov. Lynch has no responsibility to ensure that Gregg's arbitrary requirements are met.  

But.  I think Gov. Lynch's reasoning probably is that, since he, as a Dem-of-convenience, was pretty open to appointing a Republican anyway, why play hard with Gregg?

My real hope, as I've said elsewhere, is that he satisfied himself that she won't be a filibuster vote.

[ Parent ]
Dem-of-convenience (0.00 / 0)
Seem to be alot of those in the Democratic Party.  
[ Parent ]
Really? (0.00 / 0)
Please share with me your list PB...

Have you written a letter to the editor today? Have you donated today? Have you put up signs? Have you made calls? Have you talked to your neighbors?
[ Parent ]
I year from now... (0.00 / 0)
Bonnie Newman will be about $500,000 behind where she needs to be if she were to run in 2010.

Hope > Fear




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[ Parent ]
Money Appears (0.00 / 0)
Norm Coleman was broke at the end of his election but miraculously he has been able to mount this vigorous attack on the MN election results hiring the best lawyers in the land.  When Republicans need money it appears.  
[ Parent ]
Can she self-fund? (0.00 / 0)
But yeah, if she plays coy, waits, and announces later, she'll be at a big disadvantage.

birch, finch, beech
[ Parent ]
Need another Zero (0.00 / 0)
seeing John E. spent nearly 9 Million in 2008.

Hope > Fear




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[ Parent ]
Guess this means that Bonnie (0.00 / 0)
will resign her seat on the board of directors of Fairpoint Communications? Well, at least the UL says so:

Newman said she will resign as lead director on the FairPoint Communications board and from several other boards if Gregg is confirmed.

Seems to me that there could still be a little issue there, what with them about to crash and burn financially (if not literally) now that the Verizon skirt has been completely pulled off them and we can see what's missing.

N.B.-Watch for a new diary on this process when I get a minute, and have calmed down enough to write it.

BTW, this Fairpoint deal was pushed mercilessly by the BIA - say, didn't she have something do do with that outfit, too?

Geez, what a coincidence...

amen, GreyMike (4.00 / 1)
And many of us who live in the north country are eternally grateful that we'll never get broadband.  
[ Parent ]
Wow, that's a depressing article (4.00 / 1)
Wish I could quote it all:

FairPoint inherits a neglected infrastructure, inadequate build-out of even basic DSL broadband service to the customer base and Verizon's reputation for poor customer service. (Just how bad is it? While an investigation was launched in New Hampshire Verizon successfully blocked public release of the report by getting an exception to the state's Right to Know law.)

...That may be difficult. The ridiculous amount of debt the company took on would never pass muster in the financial markets today. As if to underscore that point, Fitch Ratings lowered the company's bond rating last week to junk status.

And she's on the board of that Titanic?

birch, finch, beech

[ Parent ]
Yes, but not for long, as it happens. (0.00 / 0)
Well, look on the bright side - with a new senator in their corner, they may even become a part of the President's agenda:

Deploy Next-Generation Broadband: Work towards true broadband in every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation's wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives. America should lead the world in broadband penetration and Internet access.

This could come in the form of a public-works project with competent oversight, a bailout (gasp), or some combo thereof. Guess we'll see.

Given the role played by broadband services in building the organization that got them elected, it seems reasonable that the administration would want to promote this agenda item in earnest.

[ Parent ]
1,000 words? Anyone? (0.00 / 0)

(DAVID LANE)

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com

www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com
It's Bonnie Newman | 114 comments

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