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Roadblock Republicans Walk Out

by: Jennifer Daler

Wed May 13, 2009 at 10:01:37 AM EDT
The Republicans on the State House Judiciary Committee walked out of their executive session yesterday to protest--being the minority party! Ostensibly it was to protest marriage equality, but that wasn't even one of the bills they were supposed to have been voting on. What they can't handle is the fact they are in the minority. They do not set the agenda any longer. They can't take it. They can't work constructively for the State of New Hampshire if they can't always have their way, so they took their balls, so to speak, and went home.

From their "statement":

It is with a great deal of concern and sadness that the Republican members of the Judiciary Committee  are taking the extraordinary step of walking out of today's executive session of the Judiciary Committee, leaving only Democrat members in attendance.
 
Jennifer Daler :: Roadblock Republicans Walk Out
  Kevin Landrigan, of the Nashua Telegraph reports on the "walkout".

Nearly all Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee staged a one-day walkout Tuesday in protest of the quick compromise on same-sex marriages.

Rep. William O'Brien, R-Mont Vernon, claimed the group has a meeting with Gov. John Lynch this morning and will urge Lynch to veto the bill (HB 436), which would let gays and lesbians marry, and a related one (HB 310) that fixes mistakes and omissions made in the first.

David Cote, Chair of the Judiciary Committee had some interesting observations. He has been a State Rep for over twenty years, all but three of them in the minority.

He couldn't recall such a committee walkout before while adding that any member of the committee can come and go as they wish.

"The idea that the Republican minority did not have an opportunity to participate in this debate is just not true," Cote said.

In their statement to the Judiciary Committee, these Republican Reps claim they were not listened to. I do not believe this for a minute. The floor debates on HB436 and the Senate Amendment are available here.

Also, in a convoluted way, the Republicans on the Juduciary Committee are saying they only represent their Republican constituents who oppose marriage equality. From their statement (warning--lie alert!)

The majority party has told House Republican members of the Judiciary Committee that their contribution is neither wanted nor considered. Just as Gov. Lynch when he said that he was not considering citizen telephone calls on the Gay Marriage Bill, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are telling the tens of thousands of New Hampshire citizens represented by their Republican colleagues on the Committee to "shut up and go away."

Well, I'm in Representative O'Brien's district and so are thousands of people who support HB436 as amended. So I'm only represented by my one Democratic State Rep.? Guess so.

In addition, these representatives, so concerned about representing some of their constituents on one issue, walked out of voting on a number of bills from the Senate, thereby denying these same constituents representation on the issues covered by those bills. Not everything can be as exciting as marriage equality, but other things do take time and attention. Or should.

Again, the extremists in the Republican Party (there are still a very few moderate voices), show they have a narrow agenda that doesn't include solving the problems of the State of New Hampshire and its citizens.
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Roadblock Republicans Walk Out | 20 comments
Wasn't It Nice When He Was Gone? (0.00 / 0)
After dealing with Rep. O'Brien when he served on Election Laws during in his previous stint in Concord, I applauded his defeat in 2006. I suspected when he won last year no good would come of it. Unfortunately, I was right.

If you're a good Democrat from Hillsborough 4 (Hollis, Brookline, Wilton, etc.) and are considering a run for the House in 2010, the above report shows why it matters.

This guy is scary.

insanity (0.00 / 0)
Maybe this insanity will push the good Governor over the line toward signing the bill. The Repubs are good at shooting themselves in the foot. Maybe this is one of those times.

Is the deadline for signing tomorrow?

Even DiFruscia walked out? (0.00 / 0)
He is (normally) a tiny island of relative sanity in an ocean of GOP whackadoodle-osity, and is regularly attacked as a RINO and threatened with political fratricide by his party's circular firing squad brigade.

Whatever personality/mental disorder the Honorable Mr. O'Brien has may be spreading!


According to (4.00 / 2)
Landrigan, DiFruscia wasn't there yesterday. He didn't sign the ridiculous "statement", either.
[ Parent ]
The Party of No, G-NO-P (0.00 / 0)
Not much difference between the national GOP and the state GOP.  Both of them have become nothing but obstructionists with nothing to offer.  The popluace of NH has changed dramatically, and if they don't figure that out soon, they're going to the dustbin of history (Whigs?).  Remember only 1 out of 5 voters call themselves Republicans.

"Just because you do not take an interest in politics, doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you" - Pericles, 430 BCE
They put the NO in kNOwledge, don't they? (4.00 / 1)
n/t
[ Parent ]
I know republicans in favor of marriage equality. (4.00 / 1)
And my former republican legislator has a gay son and was fully in favor of all non discrimination progress in NH. Soon the republican party in NH will be able to hold its rallies in a closet (I feel a touch of irony).
Republicans supporting 436 (0.00 / 0)
Contact them, and have them email mail@nhcer.org or heather@nhftm.org to add their names to our list of Republicans in support!

Classical Liberal since 1983
[ Parent ]
DemocratIC (4.00 / 2)
How are Republicans, apparently at every level, getting away with the grammatical travesty of using "Democrat" as the adjective to refer to a member of the Democratic Party? I mean, I know that the Republic Party caters to the lowest common denominator, but this is pretty basic.
How? Because they are Republicanics, of course. (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
RepubliCANTs n/t (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
They took the 'ic' with them when they walked out. (0.00 / 0)
That's one reason we call them "icky Republicans."
[ Parent ]
Rush, Sununu, Fran and O'Brien (4.00 / 6)
As long as those four are the prinicpal voices from the Republicans the voters of NH will reject their theatrics, their faux outrage, their hysterical charges and their empty rhetoric.

Those four are a precious gift to us all.

Democrats solve problems, Republicans sit and say no.

Ray: How about a press release (0.00 / 0)
from NHDP expressing our disappointment with the obstructionism and partisanship of O'Brien et al, calling for cooperation to solve the urgent and critical challenges we face, asking the NHGOP to disassociate itself from  their antics and apologize for wasting the legislature's time?

I am sure that Sununu will see the importance of this and rush to comply.  ;-)

[ Parent ]
Better Late Than Never (0.00 / 0)
Ray I wanted to thank you for your appearance on Close-Up a couple weeks ago.  You made Pappa Sununu looked like a dinosaur.  Hopefully we'll do better next time and get our bill (HB 415 this time) passed.
[ Parent ]
His smears were a terrible, terrible thing to do. (4.00 / 1)
As I said on WMUR, Governor Sununu purposely smeared a group of NH residents. He knowingly created the "bathroom" scare without a shread of evidence. This law in effect in over 11 states and 100 cities across the country - NOT one - example of someone abusing this law to assault women and children. His behavior is despicable. I firmly believe that the majority of NH residents did not fall for his outrageous smear but there is a certain segment of society that believe such lies. And if one of those individuals attacks a transgendered person because of Sununu's smear - he should and will be held accountable for causing such a false public fear. Shame on him.

Democrats solve problems, Republicans sit and say no.
[ Parent ]
what a jerk move (4.00 / 2)
I was going to say, you'd think they could read a poll (public opinion or election, take your pick!), but like Rove's THE MATH, remember, Republicans have always been Ascendant in New Hampshire. The Permanent Republican Majority is Just Around the Corner. The Silent Majority is about to Rise Up—the Conservative, Moral Majority is both Oppressed and the Majority; Real Americans will form a Grassroots Initiative to Elect Republicans with Real American Values, If Only We Nominate Sarah Palin Since She Is So Gosh-Darn Families American Conservative Moral Also Values. Also, WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS ALSO STRENGTH.

...they actually believe that stuff, too...there are obvious examples that leap to mind for all three of the famed Orwellian lines in today's Republican Party orthodoxy.

...I also think that as Democrats, we should permit and encourage the continuance of this magical thinking that Republican recovery is right around the corner.

RE: Take My ball and Go Home (4.00 / 5)
First off, I wish the representative from Mont Vernon would take his ball and go home...permanently!
That being said. A good friend and colleague on the Judiciary Committee told me that before the report was announced on the floor last week for the technical corrections amendment for HB 436, the ENTIRE committee got together in the ante-room off the house chamber to discuss it. Rep. O'Brien was handed a copy of the amendment and looked it over. He then went onto the floor of the house and claimed he had never been given a copy or consulted on the amendment.
So, I'm not entirely suprised by his antics yesterday.
 
How long has this joker lived in NH anyway? n/t (0.00 / 0)


Democrats solve problems, Republicans sit and say no.
[ Parent ]
Hum (0.00 / 0)
This has the air of Sununu about it, doesn't it? Just saying.
Roadblock Republicans Walk Out | 20 comments
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