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So this is what reform is about. For all the chatter and the yelling and the shouting and the noise, what you need to know is this: If you don't have health insurance, you will finally have quality, affordable options once we pass reform. (Applause.) If you do have health insurance, we will make sure that no insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need. And we will do this without adding to our deficit over the next decade, largely by cutting out the waste and insurance company giveaways in Medicare that aren't making any of our seniors healthier.
Full remarks from President Obama's visit below the fold...
So says a man with a megaphone today in Portsmouth, "them" being illegal immigrants:
And he goes on: "Read what Jefferson said about the Tree of Liberty. It's coming baby."
And that woman with the megaphone next to him shouting about how Obama is becoming a dictator? Apparently a Sununu fan.
Meanwhile, a man has been arrested for trespassing at Portsmouth HS prior to the president's visit. He had an "unlicensed loaded gun" in his car.
Is there anyone in the GOP leadership, here or nationally, who has the courage, common sense, and - yes - patriotism to address this increasingly frightening circus?
The following is an email I received last night (name redacted). Apparently the words "blue hampshire" in my email address aren't enough of a roadblock to stop the tradmed's appetite for giving the shouters the media attention they, being in the minority on health care reform, so desperately desire.
from XXXXXXX, XXXXX (NBC Universal) < XXXXX.XXXXXXX@nbcuni.com >
to dean.bluehampshire@gmail.com
date Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 6:05 PM
subject Portsmouth
6:05 PM (12 hours ago)
Dean:
Are you part of the New Hampshire Republican Volunteer Coalition that will be participating at the Obama event tomorrow?
from Dean Barker < dean.bluehampshire@gmail.com >
to "XXXXXXX, XXXXX (NBC Universal)" < XXXXX.XXXXXXX@nbcuni.com >
date Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 6:43 PM
subject Re: Portsmouth
mailed-by gmail.com
6:43 PM (11 hours ago)
Hi XXXXX,
As the managing editor of NH's progressive political blog, Blue Hampshire, I'm going to say no on that one.
I do hope that if you are going to cover a group not indicative of the demographics of the state, and whose only intention is to shout and disrupt their way into press attention, you might also take a look at
* and how the state demographics point clearly to transformation of this state into a reliably Democratic one after decades and decades of Republican domination (links here and here). That the traditional Yankee New England Republican doesn't understand or identify with what the modern GOP has become is a story that I wish the national media would cover.
- Dean
Wasn't it just the bestest idea in the world for Reid and Pelosi to give all of August to this circus?
I'm so old I remember when Obama went to Portsmouth before he was even a candidate. Have fun with these gearing-up-for-the-primary flashbacks I found (and if you remember others, please post a link in the comments). The comment threads are as funny as the initial impressions.
He's been called the Conscience of the Democratic Party for good reason.
As part of a national tour in support of his new book simply titled "Lincoln", the great man will be at the Riverrun Bookstore, in Market Square on Monday July 20th, from 11 to 12:30.
I expect to see a lot of Blue Hampsters there to welcome him!
Senator Obama believes our policies are stronger when they benefit from the input, values and common sense of the American people, and that requires an open dialogue. Obama is discussing his foreign policy vision with New Hampshire voters and some of his top advisors in an open, participatory format today in Portsmouth.
Panel one, 9:00 AM:
Renewing American Leadership
Panelists: John Hutson, Tony Lake, Samantha Power, Susan Rice
Moderator: Denis McDonough
Panel two, 10:00 AM:
Strengthening America's Military for the 21st Century
Panelists: Richard Danzig, Ryan Gray, Sarah Sewall, James Smith
Moderator: Denis McDonough
Panel three, 11:00 AM:
A Clear Choice for America: The Obama Foreign Policy
with Senator Barack Obama
Panelists: Richard Danzig, John Hutson, Tony Lake, Samantha Power, Susan Rice
This is the second of three videos that I made recently when I visited New Hampshire. It is a full length video so if you missed the Town Meeting with John Edwards, you can see it on this video.
The New Market video has already been posted here and the University of New Hampshire - Durham one will be posted in a day or two.
We are excited to announce that we will begin airing our second television ad in New Hampshire -- "Quiet." In the 30 second ad, Barack stresses Washington's failure to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reveals his willingness to take on tough issues in front of challenging audiences - like telling automakers that as President he won't stand for them blocking higher fuel standards for our cars.
In New Hampshire this week, Barack laid out a bold energy plan that will allow America to lead on global warming, and pledged at stops across the state that as President, he won't just tell the American people what they want to hear--he'll tell them what they need to hear.
As a former community organizer, Barack Obama knows that there are few forces as powerful as ordinary Americans coming together to bring about change. Over the past week, many Granite Staters have had the chance to interact with Barack personally, from intimate gatherings in Portsmouth, Exeter, Salem, Bedford and Concord to ice cream socials in Dover and a pre-game picnic at Holman Stadium in Nashua, where Barack did his best to shake every hand. If you weren't able to attend these events personally, you can watch the video below.
Other highlights from the campaign this week:
On Sunday, the Union Leader profiled Howard Morse, super-volunteer for the campaign in NH.
On Saturday, volunteer Danny Gates hosted a house party in the oldest house in Jefferson.
Also on Saturday, a group of volunteers from Rhode Island supplemented our weekend canvass in Portsmouth.
On Friday, the NH Obama campaign blog profiled volunteer and community organizer Dan Grandone and the executive director of Seacost Ouright in Portsmouth.
On Thursday, the Concord Monitor profiled Gabrielle "Gaby" Grossman, a volunteer in our Portsmouth office and one of the latest winners for the "Dinner with Barack" series.
For the latest in the campaign's efforts across the country and right here in New Hampshire, check out the NH Obama campaign blog at nh.barackobama.com.
Tim Foley Proud to be a member of Barack Obama's movement for change.
Steve Marchand at yesterday's Step It Up event in Portsmouth:
Marchand kicked off the speeches with a call for residents to do their part to cut down on their carbon emissions.
"It doesn't matter if you're federal or local, you can make a difference right now," said Marchand. "It is a moral issue for us, because what we're really thinking about is the next generation."
In case you're inclined to think that this is some kind of sily season rhetoric, I encourage you to take a look at the plans for Portsmouth's LEED certified "green" fire station, the first in New England. But not the first public building in Portsmouth to do so. That would be the LEED certified public library.
Berlin State Senator John Gallus is proposing a bill that would allow resort casinos to be built in Berlin and at the Pease International Tradeport. It is scheduled for a public hearing on March 6th.
I don't think it is going to pass. At least, it shouldn't. We're smarter than that, I hope.
I don't think we're desperate enough either in Portsmouth or Berlin to open the floodgates to gamblers either flying in or driving up for "a few days of fun."
We can do better.
Nor are we willing to put at risk the future of New Hampshire by relying on expanded gambling as a supposed source of income.
Oh, expanded gambling. It sounds so good -- such a good deal for the state. But greater gambling causes many side effects, and eventually doesn't bring much money into the state because the gambling interests put up their tent stakes, take hold in the state, and then rent lobbyists and make campaign contributions to "persuade" lawmakers to lower the state take.
Plus, the corruption we have seen in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Nevada should encourage us to turn thumbs down. Not good.
Having a casino as a destination site isn't going to help the Berlin economy all that much, and might well put some of the motels and hotels and restaurants in that area out of business.
Gambling casinos are the Wal-Marts of the "entertainment industry" when located in tourist areas. People go there, sleep there, play there, eat there, spend (as in mostly lose) their money there, and the corporate "profits" are sent out-of-state to the stockholders and corporate bosses.
Plus, local residents who might gamble there only have so much money; if you lose your paycheck playing slots, you won't be visiting your neighborhood restaurant or movie theater quite so often, or perhaps the neighborhood clothing store. The seduction of a quick buck is hard for some people to resist, and that will put more burden on other local services.
And as for Pease, I think we're doing just fine. I was one of the seven members of the original Pease Redevelopment Commission in 1990 and 1991 which set into motion a vision for Pease that has paid off in considerable airport-related businesses being located there. Some 6,000 jobs have been generated, many of them in technical industries and most of those well-paid. We don't need a couple of hundred low-paid service-type jobs with the resulting additional traffic, crime, and addiction problems resulting.
For New Hampshire and for our future generations, we can do better than this.
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