NH-02: Bass "Leaning Toward" House Run

I do not believe he can win (4.00 / 4)

in a NH Republican primary.

The party is too far to the fringe.

"JFK inspired America, RFK challenged America, EMK changed America" - Sen. Christopher Dodd

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by: Ray Buckley @ Tue Sep 15, 2009 at 21:50:11 PM CDT

Do you mean (0.00 / 0)

in CD 2, or statewide, or both?

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by: Dean Barker @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 04:15:36 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

The Wind Shifter (4.00 / 2)

Charlie Bass said this of Joe Wilson: "I do not view him as some fringe, crazy person at all...He reflected the temperature of the public."

I know Charlie Bass. He stands for Charlie Bass, nothing else.

No'm Sayn?

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by: BurtCohen @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 09:31:28 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Plus (4.00 / 2)

A Hodes/Bass matchup would be so much fun it would pull me out of semi-retirement. Remember the good old days Charlie? Where I tracked your IP to tabasco-head Tad Furtado?

The world may change but we can always have 2006. Bring it on, let's live the romance once again.

I do mean it -- if Bass is the candidate I will drop all this other stuff I have going and come back to political blogging. Old Chaz deserves no less...

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by: Mike Caulfield @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 00:01:22 AM CDT

OK, that settles it. (4.00 / 2)

It's time for a Draft BassMaster for Senate FB page or something, if it'll bring Mike back for some good times, great oldies.

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by: Dean Barker @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 04:17:00 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

It's all in the size of the field - (4.00 / 4)

I suspect.

An NH-02 primary might be Bass vs. Horn. A Senate primary might be Ayotte v. Bass v. Lamontagne v. Mahoney.

I don't think Bass can win 51% of the vote either in NH-02 or statewide. But he might win with 38% - 42% as "the moderate option" in a crowded field.

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by: elwood @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 05:36:43 AM CDT

Agreed (4.00 / 4)

Remember - Charlie won the GOP primary in 1994 with less than a third of the vote.  Name recognition can do wonders in a low turnout election.

I still think that Charlie desperately wants the Senate, and will only run for the House if he (a) doesn't see Ovide/Mahoney as significant diluters to the Ayotte right-wing vote, and (b) is confident he can either crowd Horn from the race or beat her without too much trouble.  He seems to be gambling on (b) right now.

Either way, I'm ready to post some diaries about Charlie's "moderate" record the moment he gets back into the arena.

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by: Dartmouth Dem @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 06:48:41 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

He's dreaming. (0.00 / 0)

It won't happen for either race. A draft-Charlie-for-Senate movement would be a great distraction for sure, but either way, that dog won't hunt.

His wishy-washyness won't wash at all this time; he couldn't make himself far right enough for the "base" if he was wearing a Limbaugh Halloween mask, and hasn't enough cred on anything else to draw votes from anywhere else (except from some diehard Bushies that may come out of seclusion just for the occasion).

Charlie's days under that dome are all behind him.

Say, maybe he'll run as an independent...!

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by: GreyMike @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 08:26:34 AM CDT

He can't run as an independent - (4.00 / 2)

what is he, some cab driver from the Bronx?

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by: elwood @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 19:24:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

That could be arranged...n/t (0.00 / 0)

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by: GreyMike @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 20:39:32 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Well, he'd probably have to run (4.00 / 3)

as an indypendent in that case.

(Sorry, that joke never gets old.)

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by: Dean Barker @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 21:32:45 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

The Senate Seat is all but Ayotte's... (0.00 / 0)

She has the high-profile image to win that race and a new poll has her leading Hodes by 8%. She is going to ride the "I-can-beat-Hodes" line to victory beause people buy that just like they bought it with McCain vs. the Democratic field in the primaries.

But she needs to take over her campaign and get rid of some of the handlers and workers. When she walked into Jennifer Horn's yard with a person on either side and ignored me on her way by because she was conversing with them, that is a turn-off. and i dont think i was the only one who felt that way.

However, she has a solid record and will be a good candidate. As a Republican, I do like her. But I dont like the campaign strategy so far...

As for Bass, he seems like a good candidate and could probably take the congressional seat. Horn is going to be a tough candidate to be though, she has the name recognition from last time and is really tight with the GOP grassroots. That match-up for the GOP primary would be fun to watch...

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by: eyore33 @ Wed Sep 16, 2009 at 20:34:21 PM CDT

Yup. It's in the bag. . . . (0.00 / 0)

Aside from the fact that, you know, Ayotte is a wooden campaigner who refuses to take a position on any policy issue of consequence.  And she can't talk about national issues with aides on either side whispering in her ears.  And she's running in a state that has a habit of throwing out Republicans on sight.

Oh yeah -- and Paul Hodes destroyed Charlie Bass and Jennifer Horn by decisive margins after dolts like you wrote him off.  And he will have the resources and the will to fight for this seat like no Democrat since John Durkin 35 years ago.

Aside from that, the Senate seat is in the bag.  Paul should probably just give up and acknowledge the inevitably.

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by: Dartmouth Dem @ Thu Sep 17, 2009 at 05:41:25 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Correction (0.00 / 0)

I apologize for referring to you as a "dolt" -- got carried away.  Please replace that word with "people who do not understand that polls conducted 14 months before an election, when one of the candidates is little known to the vast majority of people of the state, are utterly meaningless, especially when said poll is conducted by a company with a long-standing reputation for getting it wrong"

Thank you.

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by: Dartmouth Dem @ Thu Sep 17, 2009 at 05:45:04 AM CDT

[ Parent ]