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"I have reviewed the agreement reached by the President and Republican leaders on tax cuts, and I will support this agreement," said Hodes. "I have been as outspoken as anyone about opposing the tax cuts for the wealthy. I have also been clear and forceful about the need for long term deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility. But it is clear that with Republican leaders insisting on protecting these cuts, and since they are able to stop everything else in its tracks, we must have a compromise. While I deplore the tax cut for the wealthy, the President has shown real leadership in reaching a deal that gives almost 90% of the benefits to the middle class and unemployed people. At the end of the day, this is about the economy, plain and simple.
"Our nation's growing deficit requires us to make difficult choices in order to bring our country's fiscal house in order. But we must give help to the 2 million unemployed Americans who are about to lose assistance. We must give tax cuts to the middle class and small businesses to help them and to help get our economy moving. We must create jobs. This deal achieves these vital goals, saving typical middle class families thousands of dollars in taxes and creating over a million jobs according to top economists. We should now come together and pass it."
(The following is a letter written by my daughter, Ariana, which I wanted to share with all of you)
You may know Paul Hodes as a public servant, a lawyer, or perhaps as a musician. I know him as something entirely different and unique. With less than a week left to go before New Hampshire decides who they'll send down to the US Senate, I want to tell you what I know about my father.
My father is a man of integrity, thoughtfulness, and strength of character who can stand behind any decision he makes because it's his own. He's smart, kind, and genuinely sensitive to the needs of his constituents; the combination of which allows him to weigh different outcomes of a situation, see the big picture, and understand how individuals might be affected by different decisions.
Out of everything I know about my father, the one thing that proves his earnest desire to do good is a simple choice he made many years ago: the decision he and my mom made to raise their family in New Hampshire.
I am planning to vote on Tuesday, November 2nd. I always vote. This year, more than usual, I am thinking about the women who made it possible for me to exercise such a basic right. Less than a century ago, suffragettes were imprisoned, abused and beaten in their campaign to make sure women were considered autonomous individuals capable of self determination.
Given that legacy, the only possibility is that I vote for a Senate candidate like Paul Hodes, who unlike his opponent, is pro-choice. It is only possible that I vote for a candidate for Representative to Congress like Ann Kuster whose long history of support for women, children and working families in New Hampshire clearly distinguishes her from her opponent, a long time Bush ally. The only candidate I could possibly support for State Senate is Deb Reynolds, who has demonstrated her commitment to the people of New Hampshire and has worked for equal rights for all of us. I can only vote for State Representatives Jim Aguiar and Carol Friedrich who have taken the same positions on choice, privacy and civil rights.
Our previous roster of local NH congresspersons held many of these same positions on choice and privacy, but such Republicans are no longer welcome in their party. Now a slate of tea party endorsed or, by their own admission, tea party loving candidates for our state and national legislatures want New Hampshire voters to believe that they have our best interests in mind. I am not fooled. They are beholden to big business and corporate interests. They are not concerned with my civil rights, those of my daughter, or those of any of us. For all their complaining about big government, it is the Republicans who want to legislate personal, private matters while allowing multi-million dollar business interests to do as they please at our expense.
It is in honor of the legacy of those women who gained for American women the right to vote, through years of hard work and grave bodily hardship, that I vote. And when I do, I will only vote for those candidates who respect me as an individual. I will only support the Democratic candidates who, in this day and age, are the only ones who have shown a commitment to my personal right to make decisions about my life and body and my daughter's right to make decisions about hers.
The Tea Party is coming to town. Yesterday, Sarah Palin--Kelly Ayotte's biggest supporter--kicked off the Tea Party Express' national tour.
The Tea Party's final stop on their tour will be on the steps of our state house in Concord the night before the election.
Sarah Palin, Karl Rove, Glenn Beck and their friends on the Tea Party Express are working hard on Kelly Ayotte's behalf. Ayotte proudly accepted Palin's endorsement and groups like Karl Rove's American Crossroads and the Glenn Beck-backed Chamber of Commerce have spent millions of dollars to boost her campaign
Back during the Watergate era it was illegal. The only difference now is that its "legal"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10...
"Contributors," he said, "were literally flying into Washington with satchels of cash."
The Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CREEP) was also illegally hauling in many millions of dollars from corporations, many of which felt pressured into making contributions.
The record of donors was so tightly held that it was kept in a locked drawer by Rose Mary Woods, Nixon's secretary. The list - which came to be known as "Rose Mary's Baby" - wasn't released until Mr. Wertheimer forced the issue through a lawsuit. Among those on the list were William Keeler, the chief executive of Phillips Petroleum, who pleaded guilty, during the post-Watergate prosecutions, to making an illegal corporate donation.
Read Tom Fahey's State House dome about Lynch/Stpehen money imbalance after the jump
James Galbraith, son of that wise economist (and there sure aren't many of those around, or in history for that matter) John Kenneth Galbraith, and my favorite economist along with Krugman, has a good article up. I think the money quote is:
The clear and pressing priorities are energy and climate change. To address these challenges is a grand task, requiring decades of research, careful planning and many investments, if we are to pass on a livable planet and a decent living standard. Institutionally it will require new lending agencies to assure that the funds needed are available over the long term. And the work can provide jobs for millions, for many years.
(Imagine the positive impact of having both Paul Hodes and Jeanne Shaheen in the Senate... now go make some phone calls or knock on some doors. - promoted by Mike Hoefer)
Yesterday, I stood with environmental leaders in New Hampshire to talk about my dedication to a national renewable energy standard. I challenged my global-warming denying opponent, Kelly Ayotte, to take a position on the issue. She responded that she would look at the proposal.
It's puzzling. Why would someone who doesn't think global warming exists think that we need to enact a proposal aimed at reducing carbon emissions? Why would someone who supports things like drilling off the coast of New Hampshire all of a sudden try to convince us she'd be supportive of renewable energy efforts in the US Senate?
In her competitive primary, we watched Ms. Ayotte move to the far-right wing of her party. Now, with the general election less than a month away, she's trying to have it both ways. She's hoping New Hampshire won't notice that big oil and coal companies continue to fill her campaign coffers as she talks about drilling off the coast of New Hampshire.
The bottom line is that Kelly Ayotte has as many doubts about global warming as I have about her ability to stand up to her special interest donors in the oil and coal industry.
Supporting "Clean Energy" is laudable for many reasons, but right now "It's the economy stupid."
Paul Hodes gets it. Read his complete plan here.
PAUL HODES:
JOB CREATION THROUGH CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION
The private sector is the engine that drives our economy. To be sustainable, jobs must be grown from the bottom-up - from the small businesses on Main Street, New Hampshire -and from the entrepreneurs who bring new ideas to the market. We're fortunate that New Hampshire is home to some of the leading innovators in the alternative energy sector. We must work with them, recognizing that job growth begins with a highly educated work force and access to credit, but also that clean energy technologies are an important area for growth in our state.
Kids in Keene are off to school today. My youngest is starts to Kindergarten, joining his sisters who are entering 3rd and 5th grade at Symonds School.
I've been thinking a lot about our Democratic Majority and why it matters. With back-to-school on my mind, let's try to run down some of the things we have accomplished over the past 4 years with our Democratic Majority:
House Bill 1523 will help protect kids from bullying on social networks and the like.
SB180 The final piece of a three-year legislative effort to define, determine the cost and ensure accountability for delivering an adequate education
SB 18 which ensures that all students either graduate from high school or otherwise continue their education until they are 18. This legislation has resulted in a 30% decline in the drop out rate in just one year!
Bolstered by Senate Concurrent Resolution 4, sponsored by Democrat Molly Kelly, Paul Hodes co-sponsored H.R 526 to fully fund the federal portion of Special Education costs a major driver of the cost of education. (Unfortunately it looks like this has died in committee, perhaps Congresswoman Kuster or Swett will take up this cause for us in DC.)
Remember when we were the only state in the nation to not have public kindergarten available for all? How embarrassing was that! Kindergarten is now available to every 5 year old in the state!
These are the things I could remember and find online.
What other improvements to Education are our kids enjoying because of our Democratic Majority?
(Senate President Larsen sent a fundraising email out today looking for help in supporting the Democratic Majority in the Senate Chamber. You can donate via their Act Blue Page.)
Mr. Sununu's petulant comments are partisan politics at its worst. Instead of engaging in a thoughtful conversation or offering any ideas for putting New Hampshire back to work, Mr. Sununu resorted to petty political attacks and childish name-calling. He showed disrespect to the Office of the Presidency.
As I travel across the Granite State on this campaign, there seems to be one thing the people of New Hampshire can agree on - Washington is broken. It doesn't matter if you're a Republican, Democrat or Independent. You've seen exactly what I see down there: a system that is simply not serving the needs of our middle-class families and small businesses any more. A system that has become rigged against the people it's supposed to support.
That's why yesterday I announced my proposals to change the Senate rules to increase accountability and break the partisan gridlock in Washington. Right now, Washington Republicans in the Senate are blocking a vote on a critical bill that will provide tax cuts and increased credit to New Hampshire's small businesses. My plan calls for an end to anonymous holds and gradually lowering the threshold needed to end debate and hold an up or down vote on Senate bills.
Well, well, well guess who is violating the copyright's of NH Photographer and Cheshire County Dem Vice-Chair Dan White?
Yup. Kelly Ayotte supporter Dan Malek and the others at the so called "American Action Network" have used Dan's photo of Paul Hodes playing guitar without permission or proper attribution (I'm sure you have all seen the website by now.)
It gets even better/worse/more ironic. Not only was the photo taken by a member of NH Democratic Party, but it was taken at a Blue Hampshire Bash! http://www.flickr.com/photos/p...
Dan has posted a Cease and Desist notice on the Facebook page of American Action Network.
I just wanted to make sure you all saw the latest video from my campaign, which is about my time on the trail this week and my upcoming statewide tour:
(I'll have more later on Fred Malek. I took an especial interest in him during the 2008 Presidential race. - promoted by Dean Barker)
Kelly Ayotte and the Washington special interests behind her campaign are getting nervous. They're seeing the same things we are: my campaign is surging in the polls and the Sarah Palin endorsement is backfiring.
So what do they do? Launch an attack ad full of facts and figures so misleading I have a feeling they were taken straight off Glenn Beck's chalkboard. They're attacking me for standing up to the special interests and big oil companies and supporting efforts to reduce our dependency on foreign oil and address climate change.
The special interest group funding the ad, American Action, is headed by Washington insider Fred Malek, a top backer of the Ayotte-Palin team. He's a life-long K-Street Republican from Washington who wants to tell Granite Staters how to vote.
We knew this would happen. Ayotte and her special interest backers see that we're within striking distance of taking a senate seat that has been in Republican hands for the last 30 years. So they're throwing everything they can to stop my momentum. Plus, Republicans can't help themselves. They have nothing to offer this country but the failed policies of the past and nasty attacks.
For years, there's been an express train between Capitol Hill and K Street.
We have former employees of big corporations ending up in the agencies that are supposed to regulate them. We have former public servants securing high-paid jobs in the businesses they used to oversee.
That may be good for K Street, but it's bad for the American people.
Today I am announcing my plan to end the revolving door in Washington between public officials and corporate lobbyists.
I haven't seen any Democratic yard signs in my area this political season, yet I am surrounded by Republican ones. It gives the impression we Democrats are not engaged, and are infact, outnumbered. Where are all the signs? - Which by their sheer volume, indicate the size of our army?
Perhaps this is because I live in Deering, though my humble little town voted Democratic the past two cycles. Perhaps its because our Senate candidate is running unopposed, though the Kuster/Swett debate is alive and well.... Perhaps there is a strategy at play here I'm just not seeing???
For my part, I have two signs at the end of my driveway (on a state road): Hodes and my CD2 choice. Once I can find some info on my Senate district 7 candidate (Michele Tremblay), or who the candidates are for state rep, I will add more.
I would encourage the proverbial floodgates to be opened. We're looking kinda weak here.
