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Another Reason to Read Blue Hampshire

by: Dean Barker

Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 07:06:07 AM EDT
Dorgan:
Democratic Executive Councilor Bev Hollingworth of Hampton said she never asked Ayotte whether she meant to serve out the full term when she voted to reappoint her in March.

"It never entered my mind that she would be considering not staying," Hollingworth said. "I thought certainly she would be staying on.

Blue Hampshire:

Women and Granite State Government
by: Dean Barker
Wed Nov 12, 2008 at 05:50:48 AM EST

While I was thrilled to see the state senate make history with its first ever in US history female majority...

...it also has me wondering what major office Kelly Ayotte will run for next cycle.

and:
Fair and Reasonable Question
by: Dean Barker
Tue Mar 03, 2009 at 22:26:25 PM EST

If the Governor has enough faith in AG Kelly Ayotte to nominate her for yet another term, can we the people of New Hampshire expect her to serve that term in full and not use that honor to step down early and run for some other position?

This is a fair and reasonable question to ask, imho.

Very Fair and Reasonable   (4.00 / 1)
I agree with you, and I hope that the members of the Executive Council ask that question.  If someone is nominated to head up a department for a four year term, the acceptance of that nomination should be in and of itself a commitment to serve the full term.  

by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Tue Mar 03, 2009 at 22:32:30 PM EST

(NB: iirc, I think it was actually elwood who mentioned that fair and reasonable question first, but I'm not finding it at the moment...)

Of course, Governor Lynch did ask that very reasonable and fair question, but it's terribly, terribly unreasonable and unfair of us to point out that she broke her commitment to him and quit for dreams of higher things, much like the previous Republican Vice Presidential nominee.
Dean Barker :: Another Reason to Read Blue Hampshire
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Another Reason to Read Blue Hampshire | 10 comments
Was the question asked in public? (4.00 / 2)
There's difference, there. If it had been asked at her confirmation hearing, there'd be a public record of her answer.

IIRC, Deb Pignatelli was the only Executive Councillor to ask any challenging questions, about  parental notification and the CA amicus fiasco. Not sure whether Ayotte was asked about running for another office.

Anyway, I don't think Ayotte will be our next US Senator and by next month she won't be AG, either.

I think Kathy called it - (4.00 / 2)
That call for the EC to ask for a commitment is clear, simple, and timely. I complained after the fact that they should have asked.
Lauren quotes Arnie (0.00 / 0)
who suggests that the Palin comparison is sexist.

If Palin had not resigned I would be talking about "AWOL Ayotte" and how Republicans have a habit of walking away from their commitments. I coined the term for AWOL Judd (TARP Board, Commerce), so I'll fight a sexism charge.

Arnie also suggests that most other NH pols would have jumped at the Senate chance too, explicitly including Paul. But that isn't true, IMO. The others would have jumped more quickly. After Gregg bowed out they would not have asked for a new term as AG. Ayotte's "sin" is really there - not in deciding to go after the Senate seat in July, but in asking for a new term in March.

It shows an indecisiveness and suggests that others are pulling the strings. (Admittedly, the Palin comparison doesn't capture that.)

FWIW, if a high profile nat'l GOPer male (4.00 / 2)
had surprisingly quit his responsibilities one news cycle earlier than Ayotte's quitting, she would be compared to that man by me just the same.

As for Palin, there is, at any rate, one person who is said to be advising her: dog BBQ-ing CREEPer Fred Malek.

birch, finch, beech

[ Parent ]
And listmaker (0.00 / 0)
He may have gotten a bad rap on that one, though.

[ Parent ]
I'm sure somebody's TRYING to pull the Palin strings, (4.00 / 3)
but they're all tangled up.
[ Parent ]
Arnie makes one indisputable point - (4.00 / 1)
Sarah Palin is... in a class by herself... and we should prefer to keep it that way.
[ Parent ]
Todd Purdum makes that point too (0.00 / 0)
It gives her power, she can't be compared to anyone else. But it's also an erratic path she cuts. Once people tire of her, she's just going to seem out of control.
[ Parent ]
Arnie is very wrong on this (0.00 / 0)
It would be sexist NOT to compare one politician to another just because they are both women. If I were making the messaging decisions for the party, I would have done the exact same thing.



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    
[ Parent ]
Speaking of fair and reasonable questions, (0.00 / 0)
someone might also want to ask George McGovern about his new friendship with Marshall Matz, super lobbyist for the agriculture industry.

There's a seemingly well researched diary on KOS about all kinds of connections.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/...

What we often overlook is that lobbyists don't just talk to legislators; they also "plant" columns in the press to which the legislators can then refer when they explain their votes in the House or Senate.  Our legislators don't have clipping services to give them feed-back from constituents; the press is supposed to be an objective source of information on the basis of which they make informed decisions.

For more on the meaning of "objective" you might glance at
http://www.dailykos.com/story/...

Another Reason to Read Blue Hampshire | 10 comments

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