Landrigan: Dem leaders devoutly wish for status quo

I really hope that Landrigan (0.00 / 0)

is not onto something.

I heard Terie Norelli on NHPR a few days ago, and her stance seems to be very progressive, but not interested in setting her particular ideas as an agenda to her colleagues.  Between that and Lynch's cautious approach, are we looking at a souped up race car majority that will be content with driving 25mph?

And if so, what are the implications for holding onto those seats in 2008?

Pure speculation, I know, until the session begins, but it does recall Lewis Black's stand-up comedy summation of the two parties: "Republicans.  The party of bad ideas.  Democrats.  The party of no ideas."

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by: Dean Barker @ Sun Dec 31, 2006 at 22:13:40 PM CST

I should add (0.00 / 0)

that I'm talking mostly here about the managing of perceptions, not necessarily the actual legislation.

Landrigan's pre-emptive framing is a neat trap - if the Dems  spend the bulk of their time up font on solving the funding crisis, they will be blamed for not broadening the agenda.  If the opposite, they will be branded as careening the state over the left side cliff.

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by: Dean Barker @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 11:03:06 AM CST

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Landrigan's a Dem I think (0.00 / 0)

So I don't know he's trapping...the flip side is the frame makes broadening the agenda brave, and fixing Ed. funding the focus. Which for Landrigan is probably the point, maybe?

Not to replace Landrigan mind-reading with reading the mind of Landrigan...

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by: Mike Caulfield @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 11:57:13 AM CST

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What are the possible stories behind... (4.00 / 1)

...such a column? Possibilities that occur to me:

1. No agenda: Landrigan's take on the unspoken views of all the players is precisely as he writes. That take is based on conversations with the principals, with various aides, and with other pundits -- but not conversations explicitly about "What are his/her wishes for New Hampshire politics next year?" (I bet on this explanation.)
   
2. Key players have fed these views to Landrigan, hoping that his column will give more activist legislators pause.
   
3. Key players have fed these views to Landrigan, hoping that his column will light a fire in the grassroots that will embolden the leaders.
   
4. Landrigan is doing 2) or 3) on his own, without being fed these views by anyone.
   

But even assuming my guess is correct, and there is no agenda by anyone in this column, the effect may indeed be to make legislators more reluctant to push on various social issues. This diary warns against that.

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by: elwood @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 15:23:44 PM CST

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Betty Hall running for Chair of NHDP (0.00 / 0)

I hear that Ray Buckley is not the only one in the running.  I hope that having Betty, at 85, willing to challenge the status quo and raise the issues that concern the grassroots will make sure that things do not just go on as usual.  I can sympathize with the need for some caution, but there are some issues that must be addressed, school funding, global warming, health insurance, minimum wage.  Having been an activist for the past 4 years, since the Dean campaign came to NH,  I am often inpatient with the party, and wonder if the accepted wisdom is really true, that NH is indelibly Republican and this year was just a fluke of the horror show we have lived with over the past 6 years in DC.

I do see health insurance as an issue to raise in this town meeting season, my husband is on the budget committee here, and I have been a selectman, and the amount of money that is going to health insurance for the school and town just multiplies yearly.  Time to raise the issue of universal health care and the facts, not the myths, as we discuss our budgets. 

We believe in prosperity & opportunity, strong communities, healthy families, great schools, investing in our future and leading the world by example. We are Democrats; we are the change you're looking for.

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by: bloomingpol @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 08:29:38 AM CST

?? (0.00 / 0)

What do you mean about not having things go on as usual?  We just had an election where the Democrats took over the state government for the first time since Grant was president - isn't that a good first step of shaking up the status quo?  The legislative session hasn't even started yet, give these folks a chance before you start jumping all over them just because of a couple of lines in a political gossip column!  This is an exciting time, we should be celebrating!  Why do we Democrats insist on looking for the grey lining in the silver cloud? 

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by: Frodo @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 09:22:19 AM CST

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I agree (0.00 / 0)

I think we all have been airing specific concerns here, because we do want our Reps and Sens to know we have their back if they want to make the tough calls, and if they don't want to make the tough calls, they can be replaced.

But they haven't even started yet...Landrigan may be mind-reading, but I'm not...I'm interested to see what they do, and if they put some stuff off to next session because they have a booked calendar, I'm inclined to be forgiving.

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by: Mike Caulfield @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 09:41:00 AM CST

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Note that Landrigan (0.00 / 0)

did not tell us what Mr. Buckley's own wishes are.

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by: elwood @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 18:29:33 PM CST

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???? (4.00 / 1)

It says Mr. Buckley will want the Nevada caucus to fall on its face and for NH and Iowa to remain dominant. 

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by: Frodo @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 20:15:06 PM CST

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Oh, that's right -- thanks (0.00 / 0)

when I read it I filed that away as, "He doesn't have a clue about what Buckley wants for the internal political scene in NH, so he uses a bland and safe observation: an NH Dem leader hopes the NH primary will stay dominant. Sharp insight, Mr. Landrigan."

I should have re-read the piece before posting the comment.

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by: elwood @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 20:38:52 PM CST

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Hmmm... (0.00 / 0)

I'm inclined to give our legislators a chance to set their agenda, before I go about criticizing their accomplishments.

Kevin Landrigan may be right to some extent, NH democratic officials won't be willing to make immediate sweeping changes in Concord.  I understand and accept this.

Now that we have a majority, we will have to make priorities.  Good state governance should be our top priority, which is why the budget and education funding should be our top priority.  This does not mean that we won't make progress on social issues, we will indeed make much more progress than has been made in years.  It simply means that we cannot address every issue at once.

We here at Blue Hampshire will need to keep poking and prodding them to make this happen, however...

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by: Nicholas Gunn @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 11:10:19 AM CST

Well, I haven't criticized the accomplishments (0.00 / 0)

of the leadership team and caucus yet; it would be premature.

The more substantial data we have to go on -- the 1300 bills in the docket -- do not show timidity.

But if the Landrigan column is a trial balloon, or a try at setting the conventional wisdom, I think we need to oppose this approach ASAP.

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by: elwood @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 14:46:12 PM CST

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Agreed (0.00 / 0)

I wasn't responding to you, I was responding to Landrigan.

How do we go about opposing this media narrative, again?

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by: Nicholas Gunn @ Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 20:53:22 PM CST

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