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[Jennifer Horn] also warned "if we are not happy with our representation, we will run again" (emphasis on 'we') and will "put a true conservative in this seat."
And this doesn't tell you that we need to do everything we can to capitalize on the other side's collective "meh" about Charlie, I don't know what will. From the right-wing diarist:
Some feel that we should vote for Charlie Bass, simply because he won the Party primary; some will hold their nose as they vote for him, but are not likely to provide any campaign support; some are considering a protest write-in; others prefer to do nothing.
Fired up, ready to... do nothing.
Well, her cheerleaders over at Granite Grok have sworn off Charlie Bass, this cycle. Apparently hoping for redder pastures, two years from now.
[Jennifer Horn] also warned "if we are not happy with our representation, we will run again" (emphasis on 'we') and will "put a true conservative in this seat."
And this doesn't tell you that we need to do everything we can to capitalize on the other side's collective "meh" about Charlie, I don't know what will. From the right-wing diarist:
Some feel that we should vote for Charlie Bass, simply because he won the Party primary; some will hold their nose as they vote for him, but are not likely to provide any campaign support; some are considering a protest write-in; others prefer to do nothing.
They're too chicken to go after Boomers and seniors - they know it'll cost them votes. Instead, New Hampshire Republican candidates for federal office are gunning to loot Gen X-ers and Millenials and the disabled, who they think are paying less attention.
Frank Guinta:
When it comes to reforming Social Security and other programs, he would consider creating personal accounts and increasing the retirement age.
"Everything has to be on the table," said Guinta.
Sean Mahoney:
"But the younger generations, they need to understand there should be other options. Your retirement age may be later in life than your parents' were."He also said younger people should "be able to have a private option, take some ownership over your own retirement."
Monday, August 30, 2010 Horn needs to speak to Bass' real record
This is an open letter to 2nd Congressional District candidate Jennifer Horn:
Ms. Horn, although it may be counter to your nature, I believe you need to make some points about Charlie Bass - and fast.
Charlie is a longtime political insider. Moreover, he's a go-along-to-get-along Republican, who's comfortable and inclined to accommodate the left-leaning Democrats if he thinks it will benefit him personally.
He's demonstrated himself to be a big spender, despite his newfound campaign rhetoric. Just look at his record as a congressman.
Today, New Hampshire needs a bona fide conservative, who's pledged to stop the reckless spending by the left-wing Congress, as well as to stop the wealth-distribution agenda of the Obama administration in its tracks. Charlie Bass isn't that person; you are.
I ask you to make these points as strongly, as loudly, and as often as possible, because if you don't, Annie Kuster will.
First the Palin endorsement, now the vapors over the 14th Amendment. Kelly Ayotte has stolen all of Jennifer Horn's thunder:
She believes revisions are needed in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution giving those born here citizenship regardless of the status of the child's parents. "It was never intended to protect people who come here illegally," Horn said.
Granite State Republicans - to the right of Lou Dobbs on immigration.
Finally got around to Monday's Keene Sentinel today (hey, I'm on vacation).
Glancing through, I did a double take on page two (you have to see the newsprint version for this, and there is no fair-use way to link or scan this for the full effect); so for those of you who don't get this paper, please try to visualize:
Title above photo (four columns wide, top right side of page two surrounded with hairline box):
"GRAND OPENING"
Color photo of Jennifer Palin Horn with onlookers at the new CCRC HQ in the Colony Mill.
Caption in small print: Congressional candidate, etc., at the new CCRC HQ, etc.
Headline just below photo, in large bold type:
"Statewide, officials looking at Keene nudity"
Perfect for Letterman, no?
Of course the latter is actually a jump from a page one story about Free Staters disrobing and carrying on in general in Keene's Central Square, but the visual effect of the photo and the headline is priceless, especially for those of us with less-than-stellar eyesight who would miss that hairline border and maybe even the actual photo caption itself.
OK, going back to vacation now, just thought it was mildly entertaining. I had nearly forgotten that she was running, truth be told.
First it was Nikki Haley in South Carolina. Now we learn that Facebook Governor Palin has endorsed Terry Branstad in Iowa.
This came as a total surprise to him, not being a person naturally aligned with the radical fringe.
But it shouldn't. Sarah Palin is running for president, and she is endorsing likely GOP nominees in key primary states.
Being one of the biggest phonies ever to come across a national political stage, her lack of ideological purity in these choices (after the lesson she learned in the NY-23 debacle, that is) should come as a surprise to no one.
Except maybe to Karen Testerman, Ovide Lamontagne, and Jennifer Horn, when Palin graces her facebook status update with our lovely state and some candidate without those names.
"The issue of off-shore drilling is of paramount importance - with today's technology it's now possible to access our own resources with virtually no environmental impact.
The definition of "virtually" on May Day 2010:
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill could be leaking at a rate of 25,000 barrels a day, five times the government's current estimate, industry experts say.
...Ian MacDonald, professor of oceanography at Florida State University who specializes in tracking ocean oil seeps from satellite imagery, said there may already be more than 9 million gallons of oil floating in the Gulf now,
and
Scientists fear if the oil spill isn't contained and the underwater well continues to spew unstopped, it could grow so large that it may be sucked with the currents around the Florida Keys and up the East Coast.
Duke University biologist Larry Crowder said Saturday if that happens, the scope of the disaster would not only affect the gulf states but portions of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.
Satellite images show the surface area of the gulf oil spill has nearly tripled in size in just a day.
But who are you going to believe, a bunch of boring environmental scientists or a talk show host?
The Sturm und Drang of 2009 has given way in 2010 to the Village GOPers calling the shots. (And when is this ever not the case, really?)
From Pindell's weekly Political Standing:
DOWN
Bob Giuda: Giuda has been in third place in his quiet Republican primary since the moment he entered it. With Jennifer Horn so down this week this was his shot to bump into second place and take away organizational Tea Party love from Horn. Not only was he barred from taking the stage at the Concord Tea Party (Horn spoke), but his finance report showed he spent more than the $7,300 he raised. Who do you think you are the 2010 version of Frank Guinta? He is going to have an ever harder time making people care.
Tea Party organizers: For all the hype about the Tea Parties this week there existed an undeniable fact: significantly fewer people showed up this year than did a year ago, except in Portsmouth. Just consider the Manchester rally. Last year there were an estimated 4,000 and 5,000 people in attendance. This year the Union Leader reported there were just 500. Without health care, without tax day, without a leader, without money, and without last year's passion will this movement sustain itself?
DOUBLE DOWN
Jennifer Horn: The 2008 Republican Congressional nominee now seeking the same position in 2010 has always had an argument for her candidacy. There does need to be a conservative counter to a moderate like Charlie Bass in the primary. No one has ever questioned the argument. They questioned her ability to execute a campaign on that argument. This week's news that she only raised $35,000 in three months means that for most activists she is no longer a viable option. There are other primaries for them to spend their time on. Oh all that six figure money you loaned your campaign last time . . . not getting it back now. It didn't have to be like this.
So much for the great Tea People test in NH-02 that was announced with much fanfare. Pindell:
Republican Second District Congressional candidate Jennifer Horn raised under $40,000 in the first three months of the year. She will file her report with the specific total tonight.
"This was a really rotten quarter," said Horn on a conference call. "We did not do what we needed to do. It was not good. Next quarter is going to be a different story."
Despite the BassMaster's own weak haul, it looks like CD2 Republicans are stuck with him.
And if money is any indicator of enthusiasm (and it isn't necessarily so), then maybe the great GOP resurgence nationwide is weaker than the tradmed has breathlessly pushed, at least as far as bellwhether districts like NH-02 are concerned.
Over the past couple of weeks, the fault lines in the Republican congressional primaries have become much clearer.
In the west, no one is buying the BassMaster's sudden conversion to Tea People Leader. I can't imagine a candidate more at odds with the new Rush Limbaugh-Glenn Beck defined GOP base.
On the other hand, career beltway pol Charlie is, by dint of name recognition and implicit NRCC support, becoming the presumptive frontrunner. This will be especially true if Jennifer Horn turns in another disappointing fundraising quarter.
Now we see a similar pattern emerging in the east. Frank Guinta is clearly the favorite from the increasingly dominant Glenn Beckistan GOP base. But his lousy fundraising - this quarter badly masked by a 100K loan (and he is not the kind of Binnie/Bender self-funder who can do that at will) has the DC puppeteers nervous.
On the other hand, military-industrial lobbyist Rich Ashooh has kept a moderate, low-key profile and done his dialing for dollars, to the tune of over 200k in eight weeks' time.
The fault lines are pretty clear now. There are the values that the base demands, in Jennifer Horn and Frank Guinta, and then there are the likely nominees, Charlie Bass and Rich Ashooh.
Will the Tea People turn out for a six-term, stem-cell supporting, Bush era backbencher, or a moderate, Romney-supporting industry lobbyist whose firm has donated to Democrats?
Adding: Just to be clear, neither choice is acceptable for our future. On the one hand, you have pandering, sometimes irresponsibly, dangerously so, to 21st century aggrieved Archie Bunkerism. On the other, you have allegiance to the national GOP and their corporate overlords.
Charlie Bass, to use just one egregious example out of many, voted for a war based on false premises that resulted in hundreds of thousands of lives ending before their time, many more wounded, many more displaced, the loss of our treasure and our moral standing in the world.
On that one vote alone he lost his right to represent me again.
The Family Research Council Action PAC endorsed congressional candidate Jennifer Horn, praising her as an advocate for "individual liberties and personal freedoms."
Individual liberties and personal freedoms? Why, that's the New Hampshire way! Live Free or Die!
Unless, of course, you are gay or lesbian.
In that case you are "harmful... to society at large" and "by definition unnatural" to those who want to impose their religious beliefs onto you:
Family Research Council believes that homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large, and can never be affirmed. It is by definition unnatural, and as such is associated with negative physical and psychological health effects. While the origins of same-sex attractions may be complex, there is no convincing evidence that a homosexual identity is ever something genetic or inborn. We oppose the vigorous efforts of homosexual activists to demand that homosexuality be accepted as equivalent to heterosexuality in law, in the media, and in schools. Attempts to join two men or two women in "marriage" constitute a radical redefinition and falsification of the institution, and FRC supports state and federal constitutional amendments to prevent such redefinition by courts or legislatures.
Do real libertarians know how much they are being suckered by the religious right's attempt to co-opt the flavor of the day?
If Jennifer Horn really cared about personal freedom she would reject this endorsement.
If House Dems had their way, it would be. Democratic observers have taken delighted note of the increasing number - three in the last week - of former GOP members running for their old seats. "Not only did President Bush and Congressional Republicans create the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, but now a bunch of former Republican members are trying to return to power and pursue the same failed agenda," said Ryan Rudominer, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to Congress.
In all eight former GOP members have announced or are considering bids for their old seats. Announced: Richard Pombo (CA-19), Tim Walberg (MI-07), Steve Pearce (NM-02), Charlie Bass (NH-02) and Steve Chabot (Oh-01). Considering: Bill Sali (ID-AL), Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08) and Mike Sodrel (IN-09).
Humor about Senate titles aside, Jennifer Horn represents the 21st century CD2 Republican far more than Charlie, who was swept in by the Gingrich wave.
If the BassMaster's DC buddies at the NRCC successfully prevent the NHGOPers from realizing that, it would be a shame and a sign of weakness of our state's ability to pick our own nominees, thank you very much.
In another episode bordering on tedium, the national GOP party apparatus will simply not let you decide for yourselves who should represent you:
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, prefers ex-Rep. Charles Bass (N.H.) in his comeback campaign for a seat that at least two more conservative Republicans are seeking.
Sessions' leadership organization, People for Enterprise, Trade and Economic Growth (PETE) PAC gave Bass' exploratory campaign a $2,500 contribution on Nov. 19, according to a filing it made Wednesday to the Federal Election Commission.
Jennifer Horn, who represents 21st century Granite State Republicans a whole lot more than anyone in the Bass family dynasty, is quite candid about what's going on:
"No surprise here - Washington politicians endorsing Washington politicians. Charlie has been a Washington insider for 16 years and I am sure this will not be the last Washington insider to endorse his candidacy. Unfortunately for Charlie, New Hampshire voters are not particularly interested in who Pete Sessions wants to see in this seat..."
As James Pindell says about an identical situation over in the senate race: It is getting to the point where news of Ayotte's DC fund-raiser this week was met with a giant, "what else is new?"
One way for New Hampshire right-wingers to get around the DC GOP's de facto nominees for them?
Ignore the Villagers altogether:
The energized "tea party" movement, which upended this year's political debate with noisy anti-government protests, is preparing to shake up the 2010 elections by channeling money and supporters to conservative candidates set to challenge both Democrats and Republicans.
Buoyed by their success in capsizing a moderate Republican candidate this fall in Upstate New York, tea party activists and affiliated groups are unveiling new political action committees and tactics aimed at capitalizing on conservative opposition to health-care reform, financial bailouts and other Obama administration policies. The goal is to harness the anger that led to hundreds of protests around the country from spring to fall, including a gathering of tens of thousands of protesters on the Mall in September.
This would be a more honest approach for everyone involved.
He donated $5,000 to [Scozzafava's] campaign and threw his weight behind her when some conservative Republicans considered her too liberal for the GOP.
"She'd fit in just fine," Boehner said in early October. "I've contributed to her election, and we're urging all of our members to help bring this race home."
-za-
... Ms. Scozzafava has received campaign contributions from such prominent Republicans as House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Virginia), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas), and Representative Kevin McCarthy (California), who is in charge of recruiting GOP candidates to run next year.
Bass, as the pro-abortion rights former head of the centrist Republican Main Street Partnership, is a natural target for conservatives. Horn has plenty of name recognition as the 2008 GOP nominee for the seat, and she's going after Bass hard. At the tail end of the New York special election, she endorsed Hoffman and said she thought the same dynamic would play out in her race with Bass.
-vaed.
Please join Honorary Host Committee
Republican Leader John Boehner
Republican Whip Eric Cantor
NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions
Chief Deputy Whip Kevin McCarthy
...For a reception honoring
Charles Bass, New Hampshire
Suggested Contribution:
Host $2,000
$1,000.00PAC/ $500 Individual
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
5:30 - 7:00 PM
Capitol Hill Club, Bolton Room
What a miserable week for the GOP spin cycle on our federal races here in New Hampshire.
First, Rothenberg notes (per Pindell) that "the jury is still out" on supposed dream recruit Frank Guinta.
Then Time Magazine blasts out a list, "Ten Races That Have Republicans Worried for 2010," that prominently features Craig Benson protege Kelly Ayotte's establishment support in the age of Scozzafava.
And speaking of being Scozzafavaed, The Hill came out with their own Top Ten GOP Worry List. Ayotte is at number ten. But even more notable is that Jennifer Horn's (rightful) attempt to paint Charlie Bass as a Republican that no longer exists is paying off. Look who's third up to bat:
Bass, as the pro-abortion rights former head of the centrist Republican Main Street Partnership, is a natural target for conservatives. Horn has plenty of name recognition as the 2008 GOP nominee for the seat, and she's going after Bass hard. At the tail end of the New York special election, she endorsed Hoffman and said she thought the same dynamic would play out in her race with Bass. Even Bass supporters admit Horn could give him a run for his money, but a diluted primary field could hurt her chances.
Jennifer S. Horn-Palin said it, yesterday, far better than I can:
In the special congressional election in New York's 23rd District, the liberal Republican dropped out last week, leaving the Democrat to face a Conservative Party challenger backed by Sarah Palin and other notable conservatives. It sends a powerful message: Those who believe that 2010 will be a typical mid-term election year in which the minority party sweeps to victory are sadly disconnected from the voters.
Congratulations, Democrat and Congressman-Elect Bill Owens, of NY's 23rd district, which hasn't had a Democrat representing it for over 100 years.
