NHGOP in Disarray?

Janvrin is (oh no!) a firefighter (0.00 / 0)

Those of us who can watch the proceedings on DJ Bettencourt's Faccebook wall can see a rather revealing discussion about Janvrin's nomination.  DJ himself just offered some routine congratulations- but the fact that Janvrin is a unionized professional firefighter (who might vote to uphold the Right to Work for Less veto) elicited some interesting remarks.  Rep. John Burt went especially far over the top.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 08:02:55 AM CDT

The fact that you can still see this happening on his wall, (0.00 / 0)

Means he probably hasn't changed his privacy settings since the Bishop incident. Which is perplexing.

--
If you'd rather abolish Medicare than repeal the Patriot Act, you're not a libertarian.

Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 10:09:41 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Right on Right to Work (4.00 / 2)

Q. What is your stance on the Right to Work bill?

Janvrin: I do not support New Hampshire becoming a Right to Work state. I believe the government should not have control over what local businesses choose to do. I support smaller government and a sound middle class. I think this issue has become a distraction from the real work that needs to be done in Concord.

Mahoney: The legislature made a big mistake by passing the Right to Work For Less bill. New Hampshire is blessed with an unemployment rate much lower than most of the country and we have a strong and well-educated workforce, in stark contrast to other Right to Work For Less states. This legislation will drive down wages and punish our working families. If elected, I would vote to support Governor Lynch's veto.

"Politics ain't beanbag" - Finley Peter Dunne

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by: William Tucker @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 08:41:20 AM CDT

Janvrin vs. Burt (0.00 / 0)

Janvrin is clearly going to put up with a certain amount of crap from his own party. It is amazing that a nominee in a bye-election is being openly attacked by at least one semi-prominent member of his own party.  John Burt is not necessarily one of the NH House's heavy hitters, and he is only in his first term, but he does keep a high profile.

Hopefully, Janvrin will stand his ground on RTW & run a clean campaign against Ryan Mahoney--- and go down to a respectable defeat.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 09:18:28 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

A Window Of Opportunity? (0.00 / 0)

Is there one open for Pro-Union GOPers?

"Pro-Union GOPer?" My mind can't quite get around the concept of a union member voting Republican.

"Ill writers are usually the sharpest censors." - John Dryden

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 08:51:11 AM CDT

happens all the time (3.00 / 2)

your square mind needs bending

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. HST

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by: JonnyBBad @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 09:08:40 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

40% of NH Union members (4.00 / 2)

 are registered Republicans.

"Only in the dictionary will you find success before work"

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by: Ray Buckley @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 09:39:38 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Solidarity? What's that? n/t (0.00 / 0)

"Ill writers are usually the sharpest censors." - John Dryden

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 09:46:26 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Very curious to see that % (4.00 / 4)

after 2012 elections given what the NHGOP has been up to.

birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker

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by: Dean Barker @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 11:16:51 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

never underestimate the stubborness of a NH voter... (0.00 / 0)

"Only in the dictionary will you find success before work"

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by: Ray Buckley @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 11:48:37 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

My dad was a Republican, a firefighter, and a union man... (4.00 / 2)

...a very "blue collar" union man, with passionate opinions on just about everything (yeah, the apple doesnt far fall....)  When you are raised in a Republican family, and vote GOP for 10 or 20 elections in a row due due to a powerful cultural identification, changing parties means, psychologically, admitting you were wrong.  It's tough to do.  I watched a whole generation of older Republicans support actions that Nixon and GW Bush took (both good and bad) that would have made them HOWL had those same actions been taken by a Democrat.  

It is easier to "justify" the odd actions of your party or your candidate than it is to divorce yourself from your cultural identity. It usually takes a watershed event, a "last straw."  

For my mom, it was the death penalty.  For my sister, access to health care. For me, gay rights.

Let's hope that RTW proves to be the camel-back-breaker for many of that 40%.

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by: Tully Fitzsimmons @ Thu Jul 07, 2011 at 09:01:23 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

My dad was a Republican too, (0.00 / 0)

small town doctor, old MA family, no discussion of politics at home that I can remember.  I left home just before I got old enough to vote, and fell in with some very liberal folks, who introduced me to history, ideas, etc., that made perfect sense to me (I was a bright, curious, shy and scientific minded youngster) and shaped my political world view for the rest of my life so far. (Political tabula rasa, perhaps?)  

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by: Lucy Edwards @ Thu Jul 07, 2011 at 10:06:59 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Anecdotally... (4.00 / 2)

I know a couple of extremely conservative union members who've told me they can't vote Republican again until the Republicans stop trying to wreck their personal finances. It's the usual Republican path to discovery - right up until it affects ME, all that napkin-based economic theory sounds great!

Only the left protects anyone's rights.

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by: RealNRH @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 18:57:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Even the welfare queens (0.00 / 0)

pale before seeing your future disappearing before your eyes, yes?

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by: Lucy Edwards @ Thu Jul 07, 2011 at 06:26:14 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

There's no telling what "thugs" are capable of, Jack.... (0.00 / 0)

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by: Tully Fitzsimmons @ Thu Jul 07, 2011 at 08:52:19 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

As I said to Dean on Twitter (0.00 / 0)

Now we have to work on getting Mahoney in.

I understand that Janvrin is a firefighter and is against Right to Work (For Less), but we don't know much more about him.  I would breath far more easily with a Democrat in that seat.  At least it looks like the current 'establishment' GOP is being bucked.

In either case, it looks like one more vote to sustain Gov. Lynch's veto will be on it's way.  Unless Bully tries to pull a fast one and call for a vote.

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by: cblodg @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 09:44:18 AM CDT

A nice summary. (4.00 / 1)

But, I note that fully 4/5 is devoted to the GOP candidates with a token dollop to the Democrats.  The GOP can get more media coverage by simply having more candidates--all of whom get experience for another try later.

It did not hurt Bob Perry to have democrats in the primary with him.  

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by: hannah @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 09:48:16 AM CDT

Freestaters! (n/t) (2.00 / 2)

It also included Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed Free Stater Max Abramson, who is "facing charges of felony reckless conduct following his arrest for an incident involving gunfire at his home."

Ya' got me: that guy is nuts.

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by: rossby @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 13:20:02 PM CDT

You could post that assessment BEFORE (0.00 / 0)

the election, if you cared about the state instead of your own cabal of thugs.

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by: elwood @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 18:12:13 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Good thing... (1.50 / 2)

I have. And so have others. Though I don't think anyone took the time to do any canvassing or mailers in Seabrook on the issue. In fact, I reckon his "cabal" support was non-existent. And I don't think anyone really expects him to win. I wrote off his campaign the first time I heard of it.

Now, I swear I just saw a post excoriating users from name calling and fallacious statements. "Cabal of thugs"? You're really better than this.

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by: rossby @ Wed Jul 06, 2011 at 21:02:33 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

You didn't see that post from me. (4.00 / 3)

If a Miss Manners objects to calling the FSP cabal of thugs, a cabal of thugs, that's their problem.

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by: elwood @ Thu Jul 07, 2011 at 05:31:55 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

campaign (0.00 / 0)

No, 80+% of my support was from in district.  The truth is that I spent a lot of hours going door to door, attending local events and public meetings.  The truth is that I spent very little money and garnered my support neither from special interest groups nor political insiders.  A big part of the campaign was just to see what the "high water mark" would be for an active, grass roots campaign for State House.

In defense of both Ryan and Kevin, I did see them each out and about in the district--once each.  Otherwise, this special election primary was a big contest of money.

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by: Max Abramson @ Mon Jul 11, 2011 at 11:25:00 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

boo hoo (4.00 / 2)

As usual, the GOP/freebaglitarian contingent is incapable of taking personal responsibility.

Here's a thought, Max - maybe the voters think you're a loose cannon, possessing loose cannons.  

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by: susanthe @ Mon Jul 11, 2011 at 19:16:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'll tell you this.... (3.00 / 3)

...I had no clue he was running (we're a bit sequestered west of the Monadnocks....)   If I did, I would have launched a one-man internet campaign against him.  He is not only nuts, he's obnoxious and pure hatred wrapped up in a box marked "ego."  He is precisely the type of asshole that has made me reject the FSP: not because of any stated political philosophy, but because of the scum it has attracted.

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by: Tully Fitzsimmons @ Thu Jul 07, 2011 at 09:06:21 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Ouch! n/t (0.00 / 0)

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by: Lucy Edwards @ Thu Jul 07, 2011 at 10:07:56 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Abramson (3.00 / 3)

I will not post here with any frequency, but the following seems noteworthy.

Two weeks ago the Libertarian Parties of New Hampshire and Massachusetts held a political conference "Future of the Libertarian Political Movement" at the Highlander Inn in Nashua.  There was a debate of the three substantial Libertarian Presidential candidates.  After the debate, three first-round pledged votes were selected for the Presidential nomination at the Libertarian National convention next year.

Following the debate, Mr. Abramson appeared, announced he would be running for the Libertarian Presidential nomination, and asked for support.  He neglected to mention that he was a Republican, he neglected to mention that he was running in the Republican Primary in the Rockingham special election, neglected to address the crime issue, and neglected to mention that if he won the primary he would be running against a real libertarian, Brendan Kelley.

If anyone at the convention knew about Abramson's turncoat political ways, they bit their tongue.

His Republican supporters, who were apparently not numerous based on the lack of a vote total for him in reports I have seen, might in the future be interested to know how many sets of principles Abramson has.

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by: phillies @ Fri Jul 08, 2011 at 10:18:25 AM CDT

Rationale for the speech... (1.00 / 1)

There are many reasons that people put their name in the hat for the LP nomination.  I have felt for many years that Libertarians should run for local, nonpartisan office to gain some experience at that level.  In fact, most voters I've talked to are much happier seeing Libertarians get elected to school board or county commission, if only to question no-bid contracts and wasteful overhead.  Most Libertarians don't go any higher, and they put their effort into protecting the taxpayer and speaking up (sometimes alone) for property rights and civil liberties.

For the record, I told everyone who asked (and some who didn't) that I was actively campaigning for State Representative, but wasn't given enough time during the speech to explain anything other than, "Vote for me and send other Libertarians the message that we want them running for local office."

If it makes someone dishonest to not say something that is totally irrelevant to the issue in front of you (after having told almost everyone else at the conference), then everyone is being dishonest by not discussing everything about every issue all the time, and political speeches will drag on for several hours.

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by: Max Abramson @ Mon Jul 11, 2011 at 00:03:06 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Interesting item from Landrigan on this (0.00 / 0)

quote from Rep. Leonard on Janvrin (whom some may recall trolling here at BH not long ago as ffleonard):

"He deserves no support from the NHGOP ... this guy is poison and we should turn our backs on him."

(as posted on D.J.'s FB wall)

Read the full piece for more amazing GOoper solidarity.

2012 is sooner than you think. Ready?

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by: GreyMike @ Sat Jul 09, 2011 at 20:41:53 PM CDT

Leonard is... (4.00 / 1)

Fred Leonard is... well, we are both NH state reps, so I really don't know how to say it without violating professional decorum.  

I will just settle for saying, wow! he is way out there: he is way out there even by the standards of the 2011-2012 NH House.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Sat Jul 09, 2011 at 21:15:11 PM CDT