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As early as last Tuesday Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter blasted that part of the plan:
While Bernie Sanders' rehearsal filibuster in the senate on Friday was must-see TeeVee, a quartet of voices on the house floor on Tuesday, led by Rep. John Garamendi, and including Reps. Tonko, McDermott and Shea-Porter, is no less remarkable for it's beacon of light onto this incredible situation we are in.
I've embedded the entire hour below the fold. Carol speaks at 2:49, 3:09, and 3:22. You do not want to miss that last one, which concludes:
"This is a sad moment. A very sad moment, on this floor, and in the senate. And I hope that the American people will rise up and say 'No - this is not fair to the middle class.'"
Over the river, VT-AL Congressman Peter Welch has been the tip of the house spear against the tax cut deal (while fellow Vermonter Bernie Sanders plays a similar role in the senate). Welch's letter to Speaker Pelosi, signed by 54 house Dems, including our Carol Shea-Porter, reads in part:
First, it is fiscally irresponsible. Adding more than $900 billion to our national debt, as this proposal would do, handcuffs our ability to offer a balanced plan to achieve fiscal stability without a punishing effect on our current commitments, including Social Security and Medicare.
Someone's out for the Rest of Us, at any rate (via email):
Shea-Porter Statement on President Obama's Tax Proposal
"What's stunning to me is the way that people who claimed to care about the debt have pushed to provide this tax cut for millionaires, all the time knowing that every cent of this $900 billion would be borrowed. What a miserable trick on America's middle class families and children. Politicians beat their chests and wailed during campaign season about the debt, all the while planning to borrow the money and to stick the middle class with the bill. Whatever happened to their slogan 'Stop the spending and borrowing'?"
Adding: It's clear enough that the President's hippy-punching presser was all about framing criticism over this deal as between idealists and pragmatists.
But that's not it at all - that's just cover for what is a crisis level base problem. We are stuck at this dead end of truly wretched public-policy-at-GOP-gunpoint because of the White House's seeming inability to craft a political strategy and message.
So unless and until the White House figures out how to construct winning political messages and talking points and strategy, until they figure out how to talk in heroes and villains and to speak to the heart and not the head, it is our job to push this President. Because right now he's getting pushed all over the map by the GOP, who have no interest in governance other than feeding the rich and destroying him.
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter on her vote to censure Rep. Charlie Rangel:
"I have always been clear that should Congressman Rangel be found guilty, I would vote to uphold the Rules of the House and hold him responsible for his actions. Today's vote is a signal to all Members, both current and future, that the House of Representatives should always honor the integrity of this institution. Members of Congress should always be held to the highest of ethical standards." said Shea-Porter.
Shea-Porter told Roll Call last week that she is considering another bid. And the New Hampshire Democratic Party said Kuster has already decided to run again.
Jeanne Shaheen was one of the senators present in Lieberman's press conference today when he claimed to have the votes to repeal DADT.
She minced no words about the Party of Never strategy of McCain and others in blocking a DADT repeal that is broadly popular in and out of the military:
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, said that the demands for a fair amendment process were simply cover for efforts by Mr. McCain and others to block repeal of the policy.
"This is not about how many amendments are we going to do, or how long we are going to debate," Ms. Shaheen said. "This is about those who oppose this policy wanting to kill it and taking every opportunity they can and using the Senate rules to do that. That's exactly what is going on."
If you want to know how duplicitous McCain has been on DADT, look no further than here.
In the aftermath of the elections, I've got one more thank-you to give to New Hampshire's Democratic federal delegation, both ongoing and otherwise. And that is one more note of thanks for getting the health care bill passed.
Enough has been said about the specifics of the bill itself, and some people will no doubt comment snippily that it was a health insurance bill rather than a health care bill. I want to thank New Hampshire's Democrats in Congress for helping pass this bill in the face of a hostile and partisan media that says things like this:
Gallup: Four in 10 Americans Believe Healthcare Law Goes Too Far
They could have said this instead:
Gallup: 49% of Americans Believe Healthcare Law Does Not Go Too Far
This was brought up before, but now that the election is over, it's worth revisiting. Here are the NRCC and DCCC spending totals for NH-01:
NRCC: $1,025,398
DCCC: $9,116
Every penny of that NRCC money, btw, was spent in oppposing Carol rather than promoting Congressman-Elect Frank Guinta.
Some pundits are wondering why the Shea-Porter campaign spent so much time on Guinta's hair-on-fire scandal rather than staying positive. The reason is clear. Aside from NHDP, and some scattered grassroots assistance, there was no one else to do it. And evidence showed clearly that once voters knew about it and understood it, they were totally turned off from Guinta. In the meantime she was relentlessly pounded by NRCC and various outside groups like Revere America.
Carol Shea-Porter's opponent had (and has!) a significant and bi-partisan campaign finance scandal plaguing him. The most powerful right-wing institution in New Hampshire, the Union Leader, refused to endorse him. The former Republican officeholder in the district said he should drop out.
On the flip side, Carol, unlike so many of the Blue Dogs the DCCC spent money on, stuck her neck out for the President's agenda time and time again in the service of bettering the lives of Americans. In a tough district, but in one that decisively voted for the President in 2008.
This race was the DCCC's bread and butter. This is why they exist. And they made a decision to be MIA.
And now New Hampshire will be stuck with the spectacle at some point in the future of an embattled Congressman embroiled in an ethics and very possibly criminal situation. You mistake who I am if you think I will be happy about that.
Fire Chris van Hollen from DCCC and whatever circle around him made the decision to abandon one of Congress' finest public servants.
Until that happens, I see no reason why anyone from New Hampshire's first district should give a penny to DCCC ever again.
The answer to who is paying for Frank Guinta's campaign is really a two part answer. First, there is the money coming Frank's mystery bank account, over $300,000 in loans or donations that miraculously appeared in this campaign cycle. Seciond, there is the $1,846,326 in outside spending that has paid for a barrage of ads and mail pieces attacking Carol Shea-Porter. That money is coming from outside groups that don't care about New Hampshire, but do care a lot about electing a compliant congressman. Over $1,000,000 from the National Republican Campaign Caucus, over $740,000 from RevereAmerica, and $148,000 from the National Chamber of Commerce.
Carol Shea-Porter, on the other hand, has by and large been running on her own, without the corrupting influence of this flood of special interest money. Outside groups have spent only $86,477 on her race, of which only $9,116 has come from the DCCC.
Do you want a congressman who owes his election to secret bank accounts, John Boehner and special interests, or a congresswoman whose only loyalty is to the people of New Hampshire?
I'm proud to be supporting CSP for congress.
For more on sources of funding, go opensecrets.org
http://www.opensecrets.org/rac...
Instead of the usual .pdf, Pindell has it behind a paywall, which is kind of a bummer. (FWIW, I will paste the email announcement of the poll in full below the fold.)
CD1:
Carol Shea-Porter: 39%
Frank Guinta: 46%
Other: 5%
Undecided: 12%
Guinta remains under 50%, undecideds/"others" are high, Carol is closing the gap, and, per Pindell, among independent/undeclared voters, "Two weeks ago Shea-Porter trailed by 10 to her Republican opponent Frank Guinta, now she trails by just 1 percentage point."
In this poll, only 36 respondents identified as between 18 to 34 years of age. 167 are identified as Democrats, 53 as independents, and 199 as Republicans.
CD2:
Annie Kuster: 43%
Charlie Bass: 40%
Other: 6%
Undecided: 11%
In this poll, only 32 respondents identified as between 18 to 34 years of age. 194 are identified as Democrats, 60 as independents, and 178 as Republicans.
Spread the word - we can and we will keep these two house seats so long as we empty the tank and give it everything we have. Leave no stone unturned. Call your neighbors and friends. Get your neighbors and friends to call their neighbors and friends. Get out that vote!
GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV!
Call NHDP at 603-225-6899 to find out how to help.
Call the Shea-Porter campaign at 603-531-9653 to find out how to help.
Call the Kuster campaign at 603-230-2415 to find out how to help. GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV!
In 2008, after returning from a second tour in Iraq I got out of the Army and looked to
make a return to Democratic politics by finding a tough race and hitting the campaign
trail. As a veteran and a Democrat, I couldn't be prouder that I found my way to New
Hampshire to help send Carol Shea-Porter back to Congress.
Knowing the First District in New Hampshire well, I'm not surprised that Carol's
constituents are experiencing frustration similar to that of voters across the country. But
in a year where it is critical that voters chose someone that's on their side- someone that
will fight their heart our for them, I can't believe they're remotely considering not voting
Shea-Porter on Tuesday.
Carol has been 'fighting for the rest of us,' the middle class, since day one of her first
campaign, and she's never stopped. She is a tireless advocate for our nation's veterans,
has gone above and beyond to protect the health and well-being of future veterans, and
regardless of whatever may be on TV, doesn't think twice about standing up to anyone
in Washington that gets in her way and sticking up for the 'bottom 99%.' (Trust me- I've
seen it first hand).
If I wasn't committed to getting out the vote elsewhere this November 2nd, there is no
doubt I would be on the ground in Manchester right now fighting for Carol. After all,
she's never stopped fighting for me. But, since you happen to be in New Hampshire,
please do me a favor and make one more call, knock on one more door, and talk some
sense into your confused neighbors before they make one of the biggest mistakes of their
lives.
This Election Day, when voters go to the polls- whether they are Democrat, Republican
or a 'Live Free or Die' Independent, they should ask themselves one simple question:
Who's on my side? And, if we've all done our best to help get Carol's message out, even
in the midst of a such a difficult year for Democrats, I can't see how she doesn't emerge
victorious.
So please, in these last 48 hours, dig deep, put whatever you can in life to the side for
just these last couple of days and help make sure Carol wins. She deserves your best,
you deserve her as a representative, and I need Carol Shea-Porter to return to Congress to
keep fighting for us veterans and my friends still serving.
-Allison Jaslow
Now GOTV:
GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV!
Call NHDP at 603-225-6899 to find out how to help.
Call the Shea-Porter campaign at 603-531-9653 to find out how to help. ALL HANDS ON DECK: WE CAN WIN THIS RACE!
(Frank Guinta continues to hide from voters and their pesky questions. - promoted by Dean Barker)
I am at the Temple Adeth Yeshurun in Manchester for the traditional final debates. Frank Guinta is not showing up, which is pretty rude, since this is his adopted home town where he was mayor and he knows this is a traditional must stop before general election. He is dis'ing the Queen City.
Kelly Ayotte is not showing up either, which also shows a certain tone deafness, but at least she isn't from Manchester.
So, we will hear from both CSP and Paul, and see the final debate between Governor Lynch and Johnny Stephen.
And ask, why is Frank afraid to face the hometown crowd?
Adding (Dean):
GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV!
Call NHDP at 603-225-6899 to find out how to help.
Call the Shea-Porter campaign at 603-531-9653 to find out how to help. ALL HANDS ON DECK: WE CAN WIN THIS RACE!
Even if you can't stand Shea-Porter's politics, don't argue that she's anything less than genuine. She ran as an unknown in 2006 as an advocate for the middle class and has been true to that. She stands by her record and is honest with her answers, even when it's unpopular.
...The Rochester Democrat supports extending the Bush tax cuts for middle-class Americans and repealing them for the wealthy. Guinta supports extending the tax cuts for all Americans, including the richest 2 percent, adding an estimated $700 billion to the deficit.
The daughter of a World War II veteran, Shea-Porter has established herself as a tireless advocate of the state's veterans, an example of her impressive constituent services record.
Some of the LTEs in support of Carol that have crossed my radar screen have been among the most impassioned and persuasive pieces of writing I've seen this cycle.
But today I'd like to direct your attention to the Congresswoman herself, who wrote a tremendous summation of where she's been, where she's going, the essential flaw of her opponent, and why you should vote for her:
The ethics issues surrounding Guinta's campaign financing are very serious, and Granite Staters are right to have serious questions about his honesty and judgment.
Frank Guinta has tried to say that the questions surrounding his unexplained bank account are politically motivated, but the reality is, when running for higher office, there is no greater issue than integrity and trust. I have been so proud to represent New Hampshire's First District, and while you may not always agree with me, you should know that you can trust me, and that you will always know where I stand. You can count on me to be an honest, independent voice for New Hampshire, and if you rehire me, I will continue to tackle the tough issues facing our great nation and state.
Please help Carol's GOTV efforts by clicking this link and offering to volunteer your time. The integrity of half of New Hampshire's representation in Congress is at stake.
In today's edition, the Concord Monitor endorses Carol Shea-Porter for re-election. Here's the link:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/...
More (Dean): It's the integrity, stupid. From the endorsement:
In swing districts like Shea-Porter's, politicians concerned mostly with self-preservation are often inclined to compromise their convictions in an attempt to be all things to all voters. To her credit, Shea-Porter has remained true to herself. She is right on many of the big issues facing the country, and her constituents never have to guess how she will vote.
...Across the country and especially in New Hampshire, the 2010 campaign has featured highly disciplined candidates from both major parties spouting the worst sort of political jargon. They use the language of political brochures and advertisements, lingo that becomes nearly meaningless from repetition. Shea-Porter, on the other hand, talks like a regular person, even after four years in Washington. She speaks her mind plainly and with conviction - just one more reason she has earned our support.
