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Are NH Republicans Throwing Wrong Fellow Under Bus?

by: Kathy Sullivan 2

Tue Aug 23, 2011 at 18:30:39 PM EDT


( - promoted by William Tucker)

I continue to watch the effort to remove Jack Kimball as chair with bemused but detached interest. Today I am perplexed as to why Ayotte, Bass, Guinta and Bragdon allowed themselves to be dragged into this mess. According to John DiStaso in the UL, Bill O'Brien hosted a conference call in which those "electeds" agreed to ask for Kimball's resignation. O'Brien then went trotting off to demand siad resignation. Kimball agreed to think about it, but over the weekend received enough support from other Republicans that he decideed to stand and fight.

if Ayotte, Bass, Guinta and Bragdon are concerned about the impact of the current Republican mess on their party and their colective futures, isn't it O'Brien they should be trying to remove, not Kimball? When you look at all the bad press that the NHGOP has received since January 1, only a small amount can be laid at Kimball's feet. It is Bill O'Brien who has turned the legislature into a circus, and it is Bill O'Brien who has been so over the top and off the wall, and who has either precipitated, or encouraged, the most fringe of the fringe elements of the Republicans in the legislature to do nutty things.  

Kathy Sullivan 2 :: Are NH Republicans Throwing Wrong Fellow Under Bus?
Don't get me wrong. If the Republican establishment wants to pillory Kimball, and thereby cause a mass exodus of the self styled "liberty" caucus from the Republican Party, that certainly benefits the NHDP, which works for me. But I just find it rather odd that Ayotte et al are picking on the wrong person.

It wasn't Kimball who introduced a rule to allow guns at the State House, or who authorized the unconstitutional effort to expel Mike Brunelle, or who started those whacky redress and constitutional review committees, or who picked a fight with the Attorney General, or who passed a budget leading to the layoffs of hundreds of NH citizens, or who called hardworking stte employees "thugs", or who is wasting taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit claiming he can turn the  the visitors gallery into a wi fi lounge.  No, that was O'Brien, and it is because of O'Brien that so many people became so energized and worked so hard to elect Democrats int he two special elections for rep. And it is the Republican House caucus that is responsible for raising money and putting together the organization to elect Rep. reps. And, while
it was not O'Brien who called the bishop a "pedophile pimp", he is responsible for the anything goes atmosphere on the house side.

According to Pindell, O'Brien is miffed because Kimball refused to send out the press release that O'Brien wanted sent when the story about O'Brien's son voting in Maine, then NH, and then Maine broke.  What did he expect? O'Brien has been so out there with his comments about college students voting liberal, and the rest of that nonsense intended to suppress the student vote, that there isn't much that can be said. The Republicans have made such an issue over student voting that it would have made them look even worse if they tried to defend the elder O'Brien against the hypocrisy charges.  

I don't know who the anti-Kimball people want to put into office. Rumor has it that the bylaws will make vice chair Wayne Macdonald chair, who is a state employee, which causes all sorts of interesting problems. What do you do when the Speaker of the House demands that you issue a press release that you do not agree with - but you work for the state? What I do know is that the Republicans seem to be throwing the wrong guy under the bus, with the encouragement of the guy who they should be throwing under the bus. But like I said, it works for me - because as God made little green apples, every day that Bill O'Brien remains as speaker makes it more and more likely that the Democrats will make significant gains in the legislature in 012.

Fascinating!

UL story: http://www.unionleader.com/art...

Pindell story: http://politicalscoop.wmur.com...

Tags: , , (All Tags)
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I seem to recall a UL story that (3.00 / 1)
quoted a few Republicans saying the problem with Kimball is, he hasn't been loud and nasty enough toward President Obama.


Kathy you are way too logical to ever be a Rethuglican n/t (4.00 / 1)


note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other

Jon is right Kathy. Forget Logic--LOL (4.00 / 1)

Kimball is just such a nasty personality to be around that even Rethugs like Speaker Obrien can't take it.

That's how bad it is over there.

God, I'm enjoying this.


[ Parent ]
Little use (4.00 / 1)
I don't recall O'Brien taking exception to thuggery with Kimball before...until Kimball didn't provide any backup when O'Brien's voter registration hypocrisy became evident. Kimball didn't do anything for O'Brien, O'Brien has little use for him anymore.

[ Parent ]
Well of course you're making total sense, (0.00 / 0)
but seeing the chickens come home to roost on Jack Kimball is great nonetheless.

This vile, despicable, repugnant individual is finally in the light for everyone to see.

Next up is Billy-O and DeeJay.


This amateur hour just got significantly more interesting. (4.00 / 1)
http://www.boston.com/Boston/p...

The conservative blog GraniteGrok first reported that the RGA agreed to donate $100,000 to the New Hampshire Republican Party to help with state races, if Kimball resigns. The blog said the Republican members of the federal delegation - US Representatives Charlie Bass and Frank Guinta, and US Senator Kelly Ayotte - would give additional money to the state party.

"The contents in that piece are accurate," Kimball told the Globe today in an interview, after pointing the blog post out to a reporter. "It's very sad."



birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker

Yes Jack, "it's very sad". (4.00 / 2)
But hey, look on the bright side, you can go back to posting that right-wing claptrap on your sign for everyone to see what an ass you are.

[ Parent ]
At what point do extortion and bribery become crimes? (0.00 / 0)
Does a person have to be defined as a criminal first?  If so, that would explain why the select elect can do no wrong.
I thought immunity only applies to their official acts on Capitol Hill in fulfilling their legislative obligations.

What's being ascribed to ABG is a good example of what I call "triangulation" -- an inducement to one party to apply force to another.

What Jack considers "sad" is that this tactic is being used against their own kind. He should know there's no honor among thieves or, apparently, Republican politicians.


[ Parent ]
I was actually saying to my wife at dinner... (4.00 / 1)
that this gives Billo the Clown a chance to scapegoat someone else for his catastrophic handling of GOP fortunes in the state. Glad I'm not alone in picking that up.  

true but... (0.00 / 0)
This is very true, but I am sure O'Bill would have found someone else to blame.

[ Parent ]
Did O'Brien fib? Are Ayotte and Guinta cowards? (4.00 / 3)
Today's UL reports that while O'Brien told Kimball RGA and the congressional delegation were withholding $100,000 from the party.  However, RGA denies this. Is O'Brien making stuff up?  Or is the RGA scrambling for cover?  

Also, Kimball said Ayotte and Guinta aren't retuning his call. What profiles in courage!  Instead of telling Kimball directly that they want him to step down, they let O'Brien be their errand boy; do they lack the character to even speak to him?

So many questions, I have no answers!

I'm not a big fan of Jack Kimball, but the way all these other Republican "leaders" are behaving makes me wonder how they manage to get out of bed in the morning without falling.



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


a fishy story (0.00 / 0)
This strikes me as a fishy story.  It seems to me that the RGA is going to give the NH GOP the $100k only if they think New Hampshire is a cost effective place to spend $100k of their limited funds. That determination depends on a variety of factors which have little to do with the identity of the state party chairman-- e.g., whether there are any viable gubernatorial candidates who would actually run against Lynch in 2012.  (I wouldn't call Kevin Smith a viable candidate, and he is the only Republican who is openly running for Governor.)

If O'Brien is the source of the story, it becomes that much fishier.  O'Brien himself is a potential candidate for Governor, there are some O'Brien allies who could choose to run--- and Kimball himself is an actual past candidate.


[ Parent ]
The Art of the Possible (0.00 / 0)
(from Evita)

OFFICERSOne has no rules
Is not precise
One rarely acts
The same way twice
One spurns no device
Practicing the art of the possible

One always picks
The easy fight
One praises fools
One smothers light
one shifts left to right
It's part of the art of the possible

EVA (on the air)
I'm only a radio star with just one weekly show
But speaking as one of the people I want you to know
We are tired of the decline of
Argentina with no sign of
A government able to give us the things we deserve

OFFICERS
One always claims
Mistakes were planned
When risk is slight
One takes one's stand
With much sleight of hand
Politics--the art of the possible

One has no rules
Is not precise
One rarely acts
The same way twice
One spurns no device
Politics--the art of the possible


[ Parent ]
It feels like it's a money issue. (0.00 / 0)
O'Brien doesn't have responsibility for directing contributions; Kimball does, either directly or indirectly - correct?  Establishment Republicans don't trust him to use funds as they would like.  So funding through the party will dry up (or already has).  The issues with O'Brien aren't nearly as visible to folks who can't see through their own smoke.

It is my understanding that... (4.00 / 1)
Kimball has surpassed Sununu in fundraising for the comparable time period.

This really isn't about money, its about O'Brien pulling out all the stops to blame someone else for the mess he and his cronies at the State House have created.  O'Brien has invigorated the Democratic base, angered the independents and turned off what is left of the responsible adults in the NHGOP.O'Brien's ego will not allow him to change so he must deflect any blame.

Have you told a stranger today about Bill O'Brien and his Tea Party agenda? The people of NH deserve to hear about O'Brien  and his majority committed to destroying New Hampshire and remaking it into a armed survivalist preserve.  


[ Parent ]

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