What About Pro-Choice Republicans?

Come join us in the shade; it's a Big Tent. (0.00 / 0)

Picture from DailyKos' kurukami, via Google.

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 11:28:44 AM CDT

The woman holding Dunks (0.00 / 0)

She was part of a line of volunteers helping guide supporters to the front. That line was high fivin' folks as they went by. The crowd was stoked.

I spoke to a couple of Republicans at the rally that were with Obama. The story of disillusionment was the common theme. I can only hope that the Republicans I meet at these rallys are but a brave few that represent many more.

The giant finds its gait.

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 11:40:26 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Obama Republicans (0.00 / 0)

I'm betting these aren't people who will be gung ho for Obama and go out canvassing, necessarily, but that many will get to the polls on November 4th and make the tough decision to cross over.

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 11:47:01 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Don't tell John Hutson (0.00 / 0)

The giant finds its gait.

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 12:18:43 PM CDT

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NH Obamacans (0.00 / 0)

John Hutson was my dean in law school - and a very good one at that. First and foremost he's a man of reason. of upholding the law and our constitution. Good luck saying the same for George W. Bush or John McCain.

I first realized how far Republicans had alienated good old yankee NH when, again while in law school, there were more "Paul Hodes for Congress" signs in my hometown of Peterborough than "Bass" signs. When Hodes defeated Bass in Peterborough - his hometown too - that signalled that yankee Republicans had abandoned this incarnation of their party.

Yankee towns like Amherst and Peterborough are fertile territory for Senator Obama (and there's no excuse that they should be for Steve Spratt too!). The Monadnock/Temple Mountain region strikes me as the next great frontier for a new generation of NH Democrats (if it's not already!).

Support the campaign to elect NH's Young Democrats:

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by: Garth Corriveau @ Tue Sep 16, 2008 at 15:51:24 PM CDT

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Encouraging, but not my point. (0.00 / 0)

My point is that we shouldn't underestimate (or overestimate, of course) the number of conservatives who will break late against four more years.

That said, NBC's Chuck Todd thinks 70% of undecideds will break for McCain, so who knows.

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Tue Sep 16, 2008 at 18:43:29 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

An Interesting Article (4.00 / 1)

from The Concord Monitor.

It's about the radical right takeover of the Concord Republican ticket at the state level. And it raises some questions.

Until recently, Garrett Ean, Pamela Ean, Travis Ingram and John Kalb were political unknowns. Two are college students. None had ever held elected office. But they have a lot in common: All advocate limited government, and three are involved with the state's libertarian groups.

In contrast, everyone knew Elizabeth "Liz" Hager. Hager, 63, had served 13 terms in the New Hampshire House, was the city's only female mayor and is executive director of United Way of Merrimack County. She had a reputation as a legislator who got things done, even if her more liberal positions on some issues led to clashes with her own party.

On Tuesday, the slate of Ean, Ean, Ingram and Kalb beat Hager in the Republican primary for the House seat in Merrimack County's District 12, which includes Concord's Wards 5, 6 and 7.

Kalb, 27, considers himself a friend of the Free State Project, which aims to move people to New Hampshire who believe in limited government and more personal freedom. The Free State Project does not endorse candidates, but several of its members started the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, which has a similar philosophy and is a registered political action committee. The Eans and Kalb are all members of the Liberty Alliance. The alliance contributed $50 to Garrett Ean's campaign.

Both Eans have similar views on government. Pamela Ean, 55, a Merrimack Valley High School teacher and former police officer, is a member of New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, and was also one of the original signers of the tax cap petition.

Ingram, 19, an NHTI accounting student, said he is not connected with any liberty organizations, but he agrees with Kalb and the Eans on many issues. "On a wide range of problems, we're all in the same boat," Ingram said. "Not having an income tax, pro-life, less government, less spending, government not controlling your life."

Ingram wants no government intrusion except in a woman's uterus. Very interesting.Some " libertarian".

One flier, paid for by Kalb, included a chart contrasting Hager's positions in one column with that of her four opponents in the other. The Eans, Ingram and Kalb, it said, have taken "The Pledge" to oppose a sales or income tax. They oppose "reckless spending increases that lead to tax hikes and debt" and would work to restore the state's parental notification law. In contrast, Hager voted for a sales tax and voted for a budget that increased state spending.

Another flier, paid for by Kalb, described the four as the "pro-jobs, pro-economy team." A letter mailed out in the week before the election again stressed their commitment to rolling back taxes and said Hager introduced legislation "that would have created an economy-destroying income tax."

How does Kalb get all this money to pay for fliers? Do the "Right To Work" people pay that well?

Hager said she saw a flier funded by a right-to-work organization based in Virginia attacking her for not supporting a right-to-work law. She also saw a flier that showed her picture on a milk carton as "missing in action." Kalb said that flier was paid for by a group called Concord Citizens for Good Government, whose chairman is Denis Goddard. Goddard, the husband of Irena Goddard, is director of research at the Liberty Alliance.

What are these organizations? Whom do they represent and more importantly, who is funding them?

It seems many out of state interests want to take hold of New Hampshire.

If anyone has time, it would be a service to "follow the money."

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by: jbd @ Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 15:23:01 PM CDT

Fair use (4.00 / 1)

You're kind of pushing the limits of fair use there, jbd. It's a vague standard, and that's how we want it, but if I were you I'd trim those excerpts back a bit. The Monitor wants the eyeballs.

To your point I'm not surprised the radicals see an opportunity, with the state GOP so weak at the moment.

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by: JimC @ Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 15:55:28 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yes, the rule of thumb seems to be (4.00 / 1)

about three normal-length paragraphs in a normal-length newspaper article.

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by: elwood @ Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 15:57:10 PM CDT

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Sorry, kinda (4.00 / 3)

thought I may be pushing it.

But I don't see how to edit it, so an editor can delete it, or edit the quotes if s/he wants and can do it.

I don't mind.

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by: jbd @ Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 16:02:34 PM CDT

[ Parent ]