Sarah Palin: Scripted (For Now)

by: Chaz Proulx

Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 20:54:44 PM EDT

Remember how shocking it was when Tim Russert died suddenly?

When Russert died it was obvious that no one had the experience and depth of knowledge to take his place on Meet the Press during an election year. Heavyweight Tom Brokaw is standing in for now. Imagine if an unknown sportscaster with no experience with national politics--someone who didn't know the issues or the players, had replaced Russert. Could someone cram hard enough in a week to ask tough follow up questions of people like Barack Obama, John McCain, President George Bush and the other leaders who frequent Meet the Press?

That would be absurd of course. The American people deserve better. No network in its right mind would do that.

That's what makes John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin so bizarre and so irresponsible.

We have higher standards for the people who ask the important questions of the day than we do for the people who (should) answer them.

That's why the McCain Campaign is keeping her isolated from the press. When will she face tough questioning from Tom Brokaw or George Stephanopoulos? Probably not until the televised debates.

Palin did agree to an interview with Charlie Gibson. She had to appear someplace to avoid making headlines for avoidance. She squeaked by with scripted phrases like I "didn't blink," we "can't blink" and we shouldn't "second guess" our allies. She had no idea what the Bush Doctrine is.

She squeaked by, but looked very uncomfortable doing it.

Much of the media has given her a pass so far. They cover the important issues like lipstick on pigs and contrived cultural warfare. Pathetic.

The responsible press, however, recognizes that with just seven weeks to Election Day it's time to dig hard and unearth the real Sarah Palin.

An hour ago I read an in-depth piece in the Sunday New York Times. The Times reporters interviewed dozens of Alaskans to flesh out the canned Palin the McCain/Rove campaign has served us.

I'm predicting that the trooper fiasco we've been hearing about is just the tip of the iceberg. Palin has packed government with old friends. Many go back to her high school days. She also has an inclination to overstep the bounds of public office. From settling scores, firing people who don't do her bidding, to pressuring librarians to remove books about homosexual dads from their shelves, Sarah Palin can't seem to keep her personal agenda in check.

Lastly, Palin thinks she's so special that knows God's will. Then she lies to Charlie Gibson and the American people about it.

If anyone who has seen the tapes of her invoking God's blessing on the Iraq war really believes that Palin was just echoing the words of Abraham Lincoln-well, I've got a Bridge in Alaska I'd like to sell you.

Another "Liberal" Murdered: Why I'm Not Surprised

by: Chaz Proulx

Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 19:20:17 PM EDT

Last month a gunman opened fire in a Unitarian Church in Knoxville TN. He killed two and wounded seven "progressives." A note in the killers car expressed his "hatred of the liberal movement."

Today Bill Gwatney, the Chairman of the Arkansas Democratic party was murdered by a lone gunman. He was shot three times at point blank range. Judging from the rhetoric I see on this site I would imagine that some of you are chuckling. The liberal got what he deserved!

I'm not surprised. I've written many times about the undertone of violence that is pawned off as free speech in NH. I never get any traction with those columns of course.

When Neil Rowland writes that a "slap" would do our Congresswoman some good, I don't see any outrage. And to make matters worse, Neil Rowland is helping a candidate running for the United States Congress. This isn't some obscure bar fly muttering in his beer folks!

When a front page blogger rags on Unitarians for no good reason just a month after the shootings, no one blinks an eye. Those comments were jarringly out of place in the bloggers own thread. I know that writer isn't a violent or threatening person, but I would have thought that under the circumstances he might have thought twice before hinting that Libertarians aren't good Christian Churchgoers.

When a front page blogger shows a video of a man hollering and intimidating Democrats-mostly women-the usual suspects here see an act of political courage rather than thuggish behavior.

Constitutionalists are quick to tell us that the Constitution advocates political killings in certain circumstances.

Well yes it does, but there are a lot of people who think liberals should be killed because they are liberals and that God and the Constitution will be on their side when they pull the trigger.

You reap what you sow people.

I'll bet my last dollar that somewhere in NH, someone is making a joke about the Chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. "Too bad it wasn't...

Democrats Unite and Ignite in Unity New Hampshire

by: Chaz Proulx

Sun Jun 29, 2008 at 13:52:39 PM EDT

To see Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes give the introductory speeches in a New Hampshire field on a Summer day makes it all worth it. When Governor Lynch spoke --it was all worth it.  

In the name of the Granite State and the United States of America--it's all worth it!

Then Jeanne Shaheen spoke to a widely enthusiastic crowd. I'll be writing much more about her campaign. She has a ton of momentum and Democrats are loving it. The Shaheen campaign seems to be doing everything right.

Finally, the introduction we were all waiting for fell to  Ken Hall, the "honorary" mayor of Unity. That was fitting - all politics is local.

What a moment for New Hampshire and the nation. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton chose the perfect location to bring the Democratic party together. Someone - perhaps it was Hillary - mentioned that maybe there was some divine intervention afoot. I mean Barack and Hillary both received 107 votes last January in Unity. What an amazing and symbolic coincidence. How could they pass up the opportunity to return?

The crowd loved it. This event was yet another shot in the arm for New Hampshire Democrats. I'm sure everyone present made a little personal vow to work just a little harder between now and November.

We've come a long way from our frigid primary. The political climate has changed as much as the weather. Today sealed the deal.

So thank you to the kind folks in Unity.

Now its time for Democrats all across New Hampshire to work like we've never worked before to send Barack Obama to the White House.

Drill? Let Our Children Decide

by: Chaz Proulx

Sun Jun 22, 2008 at 19:55:24 PM EDT

Today every newborn American child assumes $30,000 of our national debt. That number continues to grow. Nearly every cent of this money is attributable to the Republican supply--siders from Reagan to Bush. We owe more to China alone than my generation can possibly pay. And don't forget that the trillions of dollars that Iraq will cost us aren't even on the books. Our debt grows every day and we are leaving the whole mess to our children.

Now the crooks that sold us out are now trying to grab everything they can while Bush is still in office. It doesn't occur to them to leave what's left of our natural resources to our children and grandchildren. It doesn't occur to them that our children will face monumental environmental issues. Nope, George Bush, the oilman and President, (in that order) is selling the idea that America's pain at the gas pumps can be solved by drilling immediately.

Does anybody still trust this guy and his parrots from D.C. to New Hampshire? The whole bunch including the Union Leader, Fergus Cullen and a slew of Republican candidates are braying in lock step on this one.

Enough!

Here's a novel idea: Let's let the next generation of Americans decide what to do with our untapped oil reserves.

Under Republican policies we've squandered eight precious years. For eight years Republicans favored big oil over working Americans. For eight years Republicans ignored the environment. For eight years Republicans ignored green business opportunities and alternative energy development. For eight years Republicans gave mileage breaks to SUV's and ignored the need for efficient automobiles. That was great for Detroit, but as usual when crunch time comes, it's the Japanese and Europeans who are ready.

So why, why, why, can't Republicans at least leave something for future Americans?

Why can't Republicans see where this self-defeating greed is leading us?

I expect my "markets-are-always-right" friends to claim that I don't understand the realities of business cycles and investment in exploration and technology blah blah blah.

Baloney to that!

It's time for big oil and the party of big oil to adjust to the realities of American life not the other way around. Let the companies keep their profits. They've stuffed their pockets. Good for them, may they enjoy it.

But, would it be too much to expect our oil industry and the Republican Party to think about America's future instead of exploiting American's pain at the pumps?

Nah! Not this crowd.

They don't have it in them.  

Memorial Day: Two Heroes of Mine

by: Chaz Proulx

Sun May 25, 2008 at 20:59:49 PM EDT

Sammy and I were classmates at Raymond High School. For a time his mother worked with my mother in the Bourque Shoe Factory in town. Sammy's dad ran a diner in Raymond and the Margaritis children all pitched in. Sammy always had money in his pocket and was one of my first classmates to own a car.

Sammy was a quiet, mild mannered kid. He just always seemed to be in a good mood. In particular, I remember his near-permanent smile. Sometime in 1966 Sammy dropped out of school and enlisted with the United States Marine Corp.

Sammy sent me a letter from boot camp on Marine letterhead. I think that letter is still tucked away someplace in my attic. I also remember hanging out with him at a town fair in Candia while he was on leave.

I just did a Google search and found a picture of Sammy with Lima Company in Viet Nam. Please pay a quick visit. Sammy and a friend are at the bottom of the first page.

That's Sammy on the right with the smile I mentioned.

Here's the link: http://www.marzone.com/7thMari...

Prior to his death he had been honored for valor. I'm sorry, but I can't remember the details other than he was involved in a firefight.

On August 8, 1967 Sammy stepped on a landmine and was killed instantly.

My father Charles "Charlie" Proulx Sr. fought in World War II. He was on the ships during the D-Day invasion. He was a GI engineer and his mission was to build airfields as soon as the first wave of Allied troops secured a thin strip of land in Normandy. Everyone knows the sacrifices Allied soldiers made that day.

On D-Day plus one, my father landed at Omaha Beach, the scene of some of the heaviest fighting. The GI's went to work immediately putting down airstrips. It would take a long time and a lot of lives to reach Berlin, but in a sense those airfields sealed the Germans fate. D-Day has gone down as one of the great military successes of history.

The Germans had buried tens of thousands of land mines near the coast. The mines had glass covers so they couldn't be detected by metal detectors. The only way to clear them out was to crawl on your belly and gently slip your bayonet into the ground and locate a mine without setting it off. Then you had to dig it out of the ground.

My father, who was a Sergeant by then, led a small group of GI's in a major mine sweep without losing one soldier. When he returned from the War he got a job at Bourque Shoe in Raymond, where he met my mother.

My father turned 92 on Tuesday.

John Stephen, The "Pledge" and Failed Public Policy

by: Chaz Proulx

Wed May 14, 2008 at 19:57:17 PM EDT

The promise is small government and low taxes. The reality is deficits and debt, a decaying infrastructure, a banking crisis and a middle class that too often must chose between gasoline and health care.

Mr. Stephen stood alongside Grover Norquist the conservative lobbyist and founder of Americans for Tax Reform. Mr. Norquist symbolizes many things to many people. The right sees him as the number one crusader for small government and low taxes, the left sees him as a ruthless shill for special interests.

Former NH Republican Senator Warren Rudman has said this about Mr. Norquist:  "Americans for Tax Reform is a wonderful-sounding name. As far as I'm concerned, it's a front organization for Grover Norquist' lobbying activities."

Senator Rudman knows what he is talking about-he has dedicated many years to the Concord Coalition-a prestigious group of Americans dedicated to fiscal sanity and sustainable budgets.

Senator Rudman is right on the money about Grover Norquist. Mr. Norquist is the king of special interests and K street power politics.

Unfortunately, Mr. Norquist was the chief architect of George Bush's massive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations. The scary part is that as the ultra rich get ultra richer and the middle class stagnates, Mr. Norquist considers the past eight years a rousing success.

True fiscal conservatives don't turn the country they love into a debtor nation with a straight face.

Mr. Stephen has now saddled himself with the Norquist/Bush world view.

He not only wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, he is parroting Norquist, Limbaugh and Bush in claiming that failure to make them permanent amounts to the "Largest tax hike in history."

Since when does the end of a temporary tax break become a tax hike? If someone told me I would get huge tax break for the next eight years, I think I'd be pretty grateful and use my time wisely.

Give somebody else a chance? Not this crowd.

Thematically too the event was telling. It took place in a boardroom high above the Merrimack River. I stepped out onto a balcony and it really was breathtaking.  There's nothing wrong with boardrooms per se, I've served on boards that met in comfortable rooms. But there was no mention of the middle class whatsoever. Not even a touch of lip service. There was no mention of recession, the national debt, the huge Bush Deficits or the healthcare crisis. And there was no mention of Iraq and the price to America in blood and treasure.

In fairness to Mr. Stephen he was very cordial to me. He and I talked both before and after the public part of the event. I enjoyed talking with him. I had a very nice chat with his wife too. I wish the three of us could have talked longer.

So this isn't personal. What is personal though, is the lives that Americans live.

We've squandered too much of our precious time. We've squandered too much of our money. We've weakened our military's effectiveness. In short, Bush Norquist policies have created problems that will haunt the next five generations of Americans.

The policies that have failed us so badly have no place in our future.  

John Stephen's Jarring Contradictions

by: Chaz Proulx

Tue Apr 29, 2008 at 20:32:54 PM EDT

With friends we usually zip our lips and absorb those tingles of anxiety. Scratching a friends psyche that deeply invites all sorts of pain and doubt.

But politicians have to face up to our doubts-we demand it.  

A case in point is John Stephen's bewildering contradictions on deficits, the Iraq war and the Bush tax breaks.

Here's a quote from  an op-ed written by Mr. Stephen. This appeared in the Union Leader on Friday October 19, 2007.

"We have seen record spending increases and deficits in Washington...

It's time for us to get back to New Hampshire values."

What are Washington values? Over the last five years, we have seen $1.5 trillion in deficit spending."

The op-ed, titled "In The Past Five Years, Congress has Lost Its Way", was an attack on Congress for running up deficits, but failed to mention fellow Republican George Bush and Iraq.

Now we see that John Stephen wants us to elect him to Congress to make the Bush tax cuts permanent even though they contribute mightily to our huge deficits.

And on Iraq's price tag Mr. Stephen is still keeping us in suspense.

Something just doesn't square here.

Its time to force John Stephen to reconcile his most jarring contradictions.

Where Does John Stephen Stand on Iraq?

by: Chaz Proulx

Mon Apr 28, 2008 at 23:23:13 PM EDT

Why is foreign policy blank--is John Stephen ducking the Iraq War?

Of course he is. Does John Stephen really want to tell the people of New Hampshire that he's in favor of spending trillions of more tax dollars in Iraq while New Hampshire families are struggling to make ends meet?

No, of course not. He'll duck that question for as long as he can.

Mr. Stephen's web site is filled with plenty of rhetoric about returning NH values to Washington.

The voters of New Hampshire value open discussion over rhetoric. We are world famous for vetting candidates.

Perhaps he's taken a stand and I've missed it. But a campaign web site is where I go for definitive answers.

In the meantime can anyone tell me where Mr. Stephen stands?

Hillary Clinton for President

by: Chaz Proulx

Sat Oct 13, 2007 at 21:58:27 PM EDT

I endorse Hillary Clinton and look forward to working closely with her campaign. A number of factors have gone into my decision, but in the end it boiled down to experience coupled with a sound, achievable plan to put America back on track.

Hillary’s Clinton’s policies on all the major issues I care about are intricately thought out and her three decades of public service are unequaled. She has been a visionary on health care, which tops my personal list of domestic concerns. Under her leadership America will finally join the rest of the industrialized world and have Universal Healthcare.

Iraq, of course, continues to drag our country down in every imaginable way. Hillary Clinton has authored the Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act of 2007. But George Bush seems determined to drag this thing out and hand it to the next president—that’s the most likely scenario. Rational people understand that America will need the help of the international community to end this war. We can’t solve the Iraq problem alone and we simply can’t wait for a President to build credibility worldwide.

Hillary Clinton has the clear advantage of experience in international affairs. She can put together the coalitions we need in the Middle East. She played a major role on the world stage during her husband’s two terms. She represented America in 82 countries. Since that time Bill Clinton continues to make Americans proud working to relieve aids, hunger and poverty worldwide. He is received warmly wherever he goes. To me, that work exemplifies the values of both Clintons--values that have been missing from the oval office for too long.

On the day she is elected President, the rest of the world will know that the America they used to respect is back.

It is said that nothing prepares a person for the Presidency. It may seem like a small thing, but Hillary Clinton won’t have to adjust to the pomp and circumstance of life in the White House. Our problems are too pressing for on the job training. We need a president who can hit the ground running. No candidate is as ready to take the reigns as Hillary Clinton.

I have spent months making this decision. I’ve tried to be open and helpful to all of the campaigns. I’ve talked personally with most of the candidates, and have attended one live debate and a few dozen speeches. I’ve also met with and fielded hundreds of phone calls from many staffers. It’s been a real pleasure.

Throughout this process I kept asking myself this question: If I had to vote today, who would I vote for? For the last few months the answer has been Hillary Clinton--the candidate I can really commit too.

Senator Schumer, What Are You Thinking?

by: Chaz Proulx

Tue Sep 18, 2007 at 18:42:39 PM EDT

This quote from New York Senator Charles "Chuck" Schumer, the Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is the single most tone deaf statement I've heard from a Democrat all year.

"Jeanne Shaheen will be a great candidate and a great Senator. We are excited that someone who represents the best of New Hampshire and American values is our candidate for the Senate."

Senator Schumer, In New Hampshire "our candidate" means the one who gets the most votes in OUR primary.

I've been preaching peace and love amongst Democrats since last year and usually think the world of Senator Schumer, but he blundered badly this time.

I'd like put this into perspective because there is much more here than meets the eye. This is also a thorny issue to write about publicly.  Guaranteed, I'll end up in more than one dog house, but I just can't ignore it.

I'd like to start with a disclaimer. I have neither endorsed nor worked exclusively for any candidate in either the presidential primary or in the eventual U.S. Senate Primary races. New Hampshire's year in and year out political cycles can eat you up if you don't take a break and I'm taking mine now.  I've made myself available to everyone, my phone rings constantly and I accept invites to meetings and events. I'm peaceful and happy with that arrangement. Amen.

That said, I've been following Steve Marchand, Katrinna Swett and Jay Buckey's campaigns for John Sununu's Senate seat with great interest. I've met them all and have heard them all speak on a number of occasions. Like a lot of NH Democrats this year I've felt blessed with our line up. And like almost everyone, I expected Jeanne Shaheen to jump in and she did. Already Steve Marchand has dropped out and the whole dynamic has changed in an instant.

Since Jeanne Shaheen's announcement I've been hearing a lot of grousing from progressives that she is an "annoited" candidate. Frankly I've been pushing back hard against that accusation. Kathy Sullivan lead the "draft Shaheen" effort. As a matter of record I talked with Kathy early on and urged her to "go for it." Everything has been public and fair in my opinion.

There's also been a National Blog making the rounds that is portraying the Shaheen Candidacy as an insider deal and an afront to the net roots who still want all the credit for winning in 06. The author lives in Pennsylvania. I guess he doesn't know that Bill Shaheen helped upstart Carol Shea-Porter after she won last years primary. Bill Shaheen and Jim Craig became co chairs of that campaign. They were a class act. I watched Bill Shaheen crunch numbers on election night. He was into it. Can we please give credit where credit is due?

So, I didn't buy into that one completely either. I voiced my opinion on e-lists and not all of my friends are happy with me. (I dunno-maybe I like the dog house.)

So this morning all this was a dead issue for me. Then  I read Chuck Schumer's quote.

It was almost forgivable that Representative Rahm Emanuel blew it so badly when the DCCC ignored Carol Shea Porter and endorced Jim Craig last year. He just didn't know what he was getting into. Its one thing to toss money at a candidate, but to make believe another doesn't even exist can backfire. Rahm Emanuel energized the heck out of Carol's supporters and it just about killed Jims chances. The newpapers were all over that story too. It was big news here. Rahm Emanuel is a good man and a relentless worker for Democrats and I know he now "gets it."

That's why Senator Schumers miscalculation is so jarring.

I'm not sure what Katrinna Swett is going to do in the next few days, but I do know that Jay Buckey is staying in the race.

But regardless of what happens Senator Schumer's statement is an insult to Katrinna Swett and her supporters and to Jay Buckey and his supporters.

But the worst insult is to every Democrat in New Hampshire.

Fergus Cullen: Peddling More Baloney

by: Chaz Proulx

Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 12:30:23 PM EDT

Fergus' Republican wordprocessor defaults to phrases like left wing extremists, tax and spenders and the usual thread bare Republican talking points. Where are the new ideas?

Today Mr. Cullen has attacked Jean Shaheen on her supposed record, but he includes the same talking point that he is trying very hard to sell. You know, the Democratic party has been taken over by extremists.

Here's the quote: The extreme left wing has taken over the New Hampshire Democratic party. Pragmatic centrists like Jim Craig are being purged in a party now dominated by left-wing extremists like Rep. Carol Shea-Porter.

My response. This is just baloney. During last years' election I got to know just about everyone in the Democratic party, both "new"
and "establishment" Dems.  I also became good friends with Jim Craig by the way.  I came away convinced that ideologically Democrates are on the same page across New Hampshire. There is NO rift on that one.  I started preaching that to coastal Democrats as a revelation.

Honestly, there really aren't major ideological differences. The substantial differences are simply georgraphical differences--the political Cultures of say Manchester and Portsmouth are different, but those are being sorted out and we learned last year that we work very well together. That's been a personal project of mine and we've come a long way.

If anything Carol Shea Porter and other "newcomers" have preserved the best of Democratic values that got a little lost a ways back. Progressives in NH always stress fiscal responsibility. And its not just words, Representative Shea-Porter has adheared strictly to a pay-go policy in Congress. I don't speak for her, but that is public record.

Fergus, I guess you didn't read my column on pragmatic progressives. Follow this link if you want to see what you are up against. http://www.nhinsider...

So keep firing away with the old ideas and we'll keep working on solutions to the mess the Republican Party has gotten us into.

Test

by: Chaz Proulx

Tue Sep 11, 2007 at 09:29:59 AM EDT

I think I finally tweaked my browser correctly and can finally participate in this site.

( I believe it when I see this in print)

Technologically challenged, but blundering through any way...

Cz

Hillary Clinton: For Serious Political Junkies Only

by: Chaz Proulx

Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 10:48:51 AM EDT

I wrote about my impressions of Hillary Clinton a few weeks ago and promised a follow up. On Friday I saw both Clintons in Manchester and again came away impressed.

I'm still schmoozing with other campaigns, but this one is top notch. You cannot see Bill and Hillary together without reflecting on her vast experience.  Bill told how Hillary had visited 82 countries in her role as first lady. And we know that she wasn't just travelling for photo ops. That's not in her nature.

But still Hillary Clinton faces hurdles in her own party. Many progressives remain skeptical of her. Strategically, the progressive "net root" community is vital to her success. 

So let's talk about that.

Please allow me plenty of poetic license, but here's a brief history.

Many members of the "netroots progressive movement" of recent years have long held a distrust of the Democratic Leadership Council. The DLC was largely the work of Bill Clinton and his political strategists and was based on centrist public policy. The organization has been very powerful in Democratic Party circles and of course Hillary Clinton has played and continues to play a major role.

When Howard Dean ran for president his stump speech alluded  to the Democratic Party establishment as "Republican Lite".  Now Dean was delivering as much RED MEAT as we could eat up.--and God it was inspiring. 

But subconsciously at least, many of us were thinking DLC when we heard "Republican Lite".

end of History--thanks

Now I'll get myself into trouble. I think some of us may be a wee bit stuck on the Republican Lite rhetoric. I also think its reached its expiration date.

In politics things change very rapidly sometimes. The Democratic party has gone through some huge and positive changes of late and I think that we owe it to ourselves to at least examine Hillary Clinton with that in mind.

What do you think?