Robertson to challenge Lynch

I Love Tim Robertson... (4.00 / 7)

...and I think he shows much courage in the New Hampshire Legislature.  And he was an early supporter of House Bill 436, the gay marriage bill, and I appreciated that -- early on, we had difficulty getting the legislation considered seriously, and he and a number of other Democrats helped lead the way.  It really wouldn't have happened with him -- and with our close votes in the House and Senate over the course of 10 weeks in 2009, every supporter mattered -- including the outspoken many on www.BlueHampshire.com!

But while John Lynch needed to be convinced to support marriage equality, so did a lot of others -- including a number of Democrats in the House and Senate who, when they eventually did support it, made the difference.  John Lynch did what a good Governor needed to do on this topic:  he didn't threaten a veto, though he stated his personal opinion, and let the public hearing and legislative process evolve.  THEN he invited myself and others in favor of the bill, and those opposed to the bill, to join him in a dialogue.  He decided to sign the bill after he made us EARN it.  

I've had my disagreements with John Lynch -- many of us have.  As Democrats, it's kind of comforting that we don't all agree.  Fact is, while I support tax reform based on ability to pay, EVEN if we had an income AND a sales tax we'd very likely still have mega-budgeting and economic problems -- virtually all the states with both taxes have financial dilemmas even more serious than ours.  

I don't blame Governor Lynch for his positions.  To do so would be to say he's not entitled to them.  Overall, however, he's a good Governor, and most recently he's shown how good he is by stating, last week, that everything concerning the Ponzi scheme must be made public.  Do we think Craig Benson would have done that?  Or John Stephen?  John Lynch will long be remembered for doing good things, and helping many people.

We need Tim Robintson in the New Hampshire House.  We need John Lynch as Governor for the next two years.  He's our best chance to continue to make some degree of progress in Concord.  

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by: Rep. Jim Splaine @ Thu May 13, 2010 at 20:29:40 PM CDT

Jim, I have no illusions.... (4.00 / 2)

I understand that the safest way to safeguard Marriage Equality in NH after the 2010 elections is make sure that we have a Democrat in the Governor's chair.  A successful Democrat is better than a pure, but unsuccessful one.  And you know I have nothing but admiration and thanks for your own role in this process.

Having said that, I can not accept the notion that human or civil rights have to be "earned." Nor do I believe that the phrase, "Lynch Leads" really works for me on this one.

The charade of the companion bill - which guarenteed religious institutions not a single iota more than was already guarenteed under the US Constitution and 200 years of case law -  was not an exercise in good governance, but a diversion and an unnecessary exercise in avoidance-at-all-costs.  For better or worse, I am personally familiar with the Governor and his family's reaction towards a lesbian relationship within his own family, and so my skepticism meter rises a little higher than most.

Robertson is tapping into a lot of frustration with the Governor's conservatism on a series of personal freedom issues...and has been said before on this site (half tongue-in-cheek), Lynch is the best Republican Governor NH has ever had.  

And I should add that Robertson is still asking his constitutents to write his name in for the Keene statehouse seat, so that he will continue to have a role in Concord.

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by: Thomas Simmons @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 07:01:12 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Good Point, Tom... (4.00 / 1)

...and maybe I should have searched for a better word than "earned."  I wasn't referring to the right, but rather to the legislation and the way it was worded, then the follow-up separate bill reaffirming religious liberties that the Governor wanted.  We had to work overtime to get it right.  We certainly deserved the right, but we had to "earn" the process of writing that right into state law.  

Regardless, I also understand your point about the frustration with the "Governor's conservatism," as you call it.  For New Hampshire, though, I'd term him as "moderate."  I've been on the liberal side of human issues for decades, and a bit more moderate on fiscal issues, and I've found that the people of this state still lean on the moderate side of human issues and have a conservative bent on fiscal matters -- as seen at Town Meeting budgets.  All and all, John Lynch has moved the ball more center, and that's a pretty decent thing to do in just five years.  

And on many a day at the State House, on many an issue big and small, I'm so pleased it's "Governor John Lynch."  November will be a tough time for Democrats, and it's not a time to just make messages -- it's a time to hold on, and win again.  One makes progress step-by-step.  With gay marriage in 2009, the first step was Civil Unions in 2007.  With tax reform based on ability to pay, the first step is to have Democrats in office, because under the Republican agenda we've been hearing about during the past few months, so many people would be so badly hurt.

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by: Rep. Jim Splaine @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 16:06:04 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

What is the value of a position that no other qualified person (0.00 / 0)

vies for?  I use the word "qualified" on purpose because there has been little evidence that persons of the Republican persuasion have a clue what "qualified" actually means.
Anyway, if competition is good, then why not in the selection of a chief executive?
That John Lynch made people "EARN" the right to get equal service from the state is a devastating indictment.  "Governor" is a hold-over and a misnomer.  In a democracy, the people govern and the chief executive is an agent -- someone who is sent to do a job and who, presumably, is qualified to carry it out.  Which is why, btw, the executive is endowed with a veto power.  His presumed qualifications imply the ability to judge when a legislative directive is not likely to "work"-- i.e. be successfully carried out.  The veto is not supposed to be some sort of moral corrective for social policy directives.

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by: hannah @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 07:24:23 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Our political jurisdictions are not simply secular variants of (0.00 / 0)

religious rule.  Our political jurisdictions are set up to deal with the vagaries of man and nature which it is impractical and/or impossible or inefficient for individuals to deal with.  In short, political subdivisions are set up not to control individual behaviors, but to deal with things we don't want on a larger scale.  You could call them disutilities:

inundation
invasion
incineration
infestation
injury
ignorance
etc.

Addressing disutilities is somewhat unrewarding because doing so successfully means that things don't happen (houses don't burn, streets don't flood, vermine don't infect, etc.) and, ipso facto, go unnoticed.  Moreover, the unnoticed tend not to get funded or sustained.  Which is why we end up starting over again.
Threatening to interfere with personal freedoms has the advantage of earning gratitude when there is no follow through (example: kudos to Lynch for not being mean).

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by: hannah @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 07:40:00 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

If Robertson's run (4.00 / 1)

helps highlight some of the issues in the state that deserve some attention - particularly on the Pledge - than I'm all for it. It will give us a head start for thinking about 2012, and maybe even a candidate to think about getting behind.

But I can't imagine at this point that I'd be behind anyone other than the Governor for 2010.  His is the least worrisome race this cycle, and given our many challenges I'm not too interested in making it the most worrisome.

And while I am committed to breaking the chains of the Pledge, I don't think it's either feasible or advantageous to tackle it this cycle.

birch, finch, beech

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by: Dean Barker @ Thu May 13, 2010 at 22:02:28 PM CDT

A quixotic run doesn't hurt (4.00 / 1)

Then again, that's what Crist supporters were saying about Rubio last year. Fortunately New Hampshire Democrats aren't as unbalanced as Florida Republicans are aren't about to go stick a knife in the back of the party's most popular state figure in the name of ideological purity. Being sensible, pragmatic, and deliberate may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but it does lead to good governance, which ultimately is the most important thing when the Republicans are out there actively trying to prevent any government activity from succeeding.

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

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by: RealNRH @ Thu May 13, 2010 at 22:41:09 PM CDT

Look, (0.00 / 0)

Lynch may be the most recognizable figure in the Democratic party.  He may even be the most popular, but I'm sick of his lack of leadership.  These are difficult times for many people and Lynch continues to waver and hold off on an opinion until a decision needs to be made.  Usually going along with polling numbers.  

We need a leader right now that will drive the debate and come up with real solutions.  I'm not sure Lynch is capable of that.  He certainly isn't showing it.

"We Demand Rigidly Defined Areas of Doubt and Uncertainty" D. Adams

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by: nonverbalcoma @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 06:59:17 AM CDT

Well since the only alternative in the reality based world is John Stephen, you must know something about him that escapes the rest of us. (0.00 / 1)

As governor though, he certainly would drive the debate. Not sure I want to go on that ride.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 09:06:19 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Robertson isn't an alternative to Lynch? (0.00 / 0)

Maybe I misunderstood the point of the diary.

"We Demand Rigidly Defined Areas of Doubt and Uncertainty" D. Adams

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by: nonverbalcoma @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 09:19:42 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Not in any sense of having a chance in the world of being elected. (4.00 / 2)

I suspect there aren't a lot of issues on which I disagree with Robertson. There are many places where i part company with John Lynch. I have no problem with Robertson running, and in fact commend him for doing so. BUT. He is not going to be elected governor. It will be John Lynch or John Stephen. Those are the realistic alternatives before us. It is a pretty sure bet is that John Stephen as governor would be a disaster for a lot of people.

I dont chose to take actions that make that more likely.

If you chose to vote to make a point, that is fine with me. I've done so many times. Given the precarious state in the country and the world right now, it is not a luxury that I think wise to indulge in at this moment.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 14:36:40 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

the thing is (4.00 / 1)

this is the argument that is trotted out at every single election. This is the argument given whenever we're told we must vote for the lesser of two evils.

This is why nothing ever changes. This is why people lose faith in the two party system - because there is never a good time for change - it's just always time for fear mongering.

I'm not saying Lynch is evil. He's the kind of bland, tepid Democrat that we used to tell each other is the only kind that can win in NH.

I think you're giving John Stephen far too much credit, Paul.

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by: susanthe @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 15:00:36 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I give him as much credit as I give: (0.00 / 0)

SENATOR Scott Brown.


"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 15:39:03 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Scott Brown (0.00 / 0)

hadn't alienated every parent of a child with disabilities in his state.  

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by: susanthe @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 16:35:33 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Say what you will about our Governor, (4.00 / 3)

He remains the only Governor in American history who signed a law that created marriage equality, and more than any Governor (or President) of any state, ever, he deserves our backing on that issue.  At this point, a few days' delay and technical legislative tweaks are just trivia.

--
"Act as if ye have faith and faith shall be given to you." -Aaron Sorkin

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 11:02:27 AM CDT

There was no practical reason to argue that keeping records (0.00 / 0)

of marital unions regardless of the participants' gender could not be accomplished.  In a sane world it wouldn't be necessary to issue a special directive when the Constitution already requires equal treatment.
Lynch grandstanding is not a pleasant experience.

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by: hannah @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 15:33:51 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

You are too well informed to be that willfully ignorant of political realities. (0.00 / 0)

Again, show me a Governor of any state or any President who has done more for this issue than has John Lynch.

--
"Act as if ye have faith and faith shall be given to you." -Aaron Sorkin

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 17:59:30 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I already took my stand (0.00 / 0)

http://www.bluehampshire.com/d...



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

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 11:32:16 AM CDT

Too Late (4.00 / 2)

Is there is a coalition trying to send John Lynch a message? Too late!

The time to push Lynch would have been in his 2nd or 3rd term. A primary, if done well, could have sent a message to Lynch; "Watch your left flank." Such a signal could have shifted his approach, as he sized up a follwing term.

But this has got to be the end of the line for Lynch.

So, is this an effort to triangulate Lynch for his "5th term?" Or is this the "name recognition tour?"

No one I've heard or read thinks this is about 2010.

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com

www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 15:04:39 PM CDT

That's what confuses me. (4.00 / 3)

It's hard to see how Robertson's run can serve as a warm-up for 2012.

I was interested in seeing an exploration of the issues when Katy Forry "ran" against Lynch in the primary. But that campaign wasn't serious: not only no significant fundraising, but not even a serious effort to spread a message through free media.

A campaign that reaches media markets and builds a list of volunteers across the state for a subsequent run is one thing.

A "stay home and issue an occasional press release" is an entirely different thing.

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by: elwood @ Sat May 15, 2010 at 05:55:24 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

thanks Elwood (0.00 / 0)

thoughtful analysis in terms of answering the question, would one move off their duff to help in such an effort ? or alternatively, is this guy/gal serious about winning?

Not in the shot

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by: JonnyBBad @ Sat May 15, 2010 at 08:01:48 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Robertson is in today's Sentinel - (0.00 / 0)

So the campaign may be more serious than the Forry effort.

Story here.

If Lynch without opposition takes a Pledge against a broad-based tax but does NOT take a pledge against expanded gambling, that a) shrinks the playing field of policy debate here, maybe for years; and b) probably ensures that expanded gambling comes in in the next two years.

A token campaign for Governor is, IMO, a bad thing: it weakens future serious campaigns that run on similar issues.

A serious campaign - meaning: statewide, serious media outreach, serious organization-building, and serious strategizing about how to NOT give Republicans ammunition against the nominee in the general - is IMO a good thing.

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by: elwood @ Sat May 15, 2010 at 08:20:50 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

first choices, second choices (4.00 / 1)

first- good vs bad
second-good done well vs good done poorly
good idea done poorly is the worst option,
it trashes the good

Not in the shot

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by: JonnyBBad @ Sat May 15, 2010 at 09:13:01 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

This quote (0.00 / 0)

from the Sentinel article seems to indicate a token run:

Calling his odds "100-to-1," Robertson said he doesn't plan to spend a lot of money on his gubernatorial campaign.

"The odds are against me, but I want to send a message," he said. "I want to see somebody who disagrees with the governor debate him because I assume that he and the Republican candidate will not have a lot of differences.

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by: Jennifer Daler @ Sat May 15, 2010 at 09:23:43 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Robertson stepped in because no one else wanted to (0.00 / 0)

Lynch would have had a rebellion on his hands from the left if he had vetoed the gay marriage bill.  (The concept of gay marriage has picked up significant Republican support after the fact: there are a lot of conservatives who didn't necessarily want to see gay marriage passed but who now don't want to see it repealed.)

Lynch lost some support when he vetoed medical marijuana.

Tim Robertson stepped in basically because no one else was crazy enough to challenge Lynch.  (I  know of two other state legislators who considered stepping in but opted not to bother.)  Robertson is by no means crazy, but he does stand up and say things out loud when most people who think along the same lines would choose to remain silent. His personality is quite different from Lynch's, to say the least.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Sat May 15, 2010 at 08:22:15 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Just in case of any misunderstanding (4.00 / 1)

The meeting last night was for the purpose of electing a new Cheshire County Democratic Committee.  Tim, arriving late after a long day of legislating in Concord, spontaneously chose to announce his governor's primary run at the meeting. So while it was true that we had an overflow crowd (very exciting and promising) it was not because Tim was announcing his candidacy, although he was generally well received by the crowd.

I have voted for Tim for many years and I have worked on his campaigns. Nevertheless, I am tired of hearing his constant negativity. Tim doesn't want to be Governor; he wants to be a thorn in the side of this Governor. Maybe Lynch deserves that, but I could not help think as I heard Tim speak last night - what a waste of energy and resources when we could be going after the Republicans who are so much worse.

Too bad after all these years, Tim could not have harness some of his passion to build coalitions to accomplish some of things he wants.  It is just not his style.

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by: gradysdad @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 15:11:39 PM CDT

Yo! (0.00 / 0)

Are you coming to the Bash, yo?

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com

www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 15:18:16 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

yo - no I am much, much too shy n/t (0.00 / 0)

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by: gradysdad @ Fri May 14, 2010 at 17:44:44 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

shy? now the Johnson Boys, they were shy... (0.00 / 0)

Heard "Johnson Boys" at a Chuck Wagon dinner and Western fun night in Utah on a ranch. We were on the epic five week cross country station wagon camping trip in '62.

Sung with a western twang. This version en brogue.

Johnson boys were born in the ashes
Didn't know how to court a maid
Turned their backs and hide their faces
Sight of a pretty girl made 'em afraid

Not in the shot

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by: JonnyBBad @ Sat May 15, 2010 at 08:15:46 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Strange hit piece on Robertson from Fahey in the UL (0.00 / 0)

Gov. John Lynch may have a Democratic primary challenger: Rep. Tim Robertson of Keene. The Blue Hampshire blog reports he told a crowd at the E.F. Lane Hotel in Keene he plans to run. He didn't return a call last week.

The blog said Robertson told the crowd he'll run on issues like gay marriage, medical marijuana and tax reform -- like passing an income tax.

It didn't mention that Robertson in the last two years sponsored bills that would ease laws on sex offender residency restrictions, on who must register as sex offenders, and on laws regarding improper sexual contact.

A couple of key errors here.  We didn't report it; Thom Simmons did who then crossposted here from his own blog; his blog should have gotten the credit for it.

Also, the post states an opposition to the Pledge.  That is not the same thing as "passing an income tax."

But protecting the pledge is virtually in the UL's mission statement, so I'm not surprised at the mischaracterization.

As for the bills in the 3rd graf, lacking context, it looks awful.  Which I am imagining is the point, whether that was a Fahey choice or whether someone fed him that to quickly throw cold water onto Robertson's candidacy.

All of this a good example, imo, of why a post-pledge, post-Lynch world, needs to be done with forethought and planning.

birch, finch, beech

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by: Dean Barker @ Sun May 16, 2010 at 05:55:53 AM CDT

sloppy source reporting is becoming the norm.... (4.00 / 1)

Wheb I cross-posted here, I specifically included my own blog as the 'source' at the bottom of the article, so people would not get the impression that BH was 'behind' the candidacy.  It shouldnt take too much trouble to actually read the brief posting to understand that...but then again, I dont think accuracy was the intent (as you have pointed out so well).

Two weeks ago, I posted a story about Goldman Sachs and their manipulation of Ashanti Gold.  It was picked up by news reporters in Ghana, Sweden, and Malaysia, who printed it as their own articles...which were then quoted by over 200 financial papers around the world.  In one case, a reporter noted that he had gotten from the information "from an Economist in Lonndon," with whom he had "personally spoken via telephone..."

In any event, my blog alone received 1500 hits in two days...and I have no idea how many people read the article on plagiarized sites around the world.

In addition to showing the importance of post-Lynch planning...it also shows the tenacity of information (true or not) gone viral....

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by: Thomas Simmons @ Sun May 16, 2010 at 07:21:14 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

What a sleazy partisan hack Fahey is! (0.00 / 0)

I didn't have that impression before.

"It didn't mention that" is a formulation that could be used in mailers to political campaigns: "When an opponent speaks on any issue whatsoever, the Union Leader can insert off-topic, out-of-context 'observations.' "

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by: elwood @ Sun May 16, 2010 at 10:42:47 AM CDT

[ Parent ]