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I found this op-ed via Bill Siroty's New Hampshire Newslinks.
The author, Virginia Battles-Raffa, is speaking for many Republicans, at least in the state of New Hampshire. She is obviously saddened and a bit flabbergasted by the shift to the right on social issues.
She compares the religious right to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Taliban once required Afghanistan's male citizens to wear a beard based on religious convictions. Our country fought to free their people of that fanatical regime. We criticize China for placing reproductive restrictions on women and Muslim countries for their oppression of women. How can we support legislation that deprives our female citizens of their right to choose? This is a private decision.
She concludes with this:
We are the party that was once led by Abraham Lincoln in his efforts to abolish slavery and support every individual's right to control his or her destiny, regardless of color, creed or sex. I am a Republican, but a woman and a mother first.
We all must realize the potential ramifications of this election, regardless of party affiliation. If the Republican platform continues to support candidates who rally behind legislation that restricts our private choices, then we must choose a candidate who will protect them. If that means voting for a Democratic nominee, then so be it.
After the orchestrated defeat of Rep. Hager in Concord, and other attempts to unseat moderate Republicans in Amherst, it seems the Republican tent is growing smaller and smaller.
It has become a commonly cited statistic here at BH that New Hampshire receives back $0.67 for every dollar it contributes in federal taxes, and Alaska receives $1.83 to the dollar. Now, we can't expect every state to get a dollar for every dollar, because that would mean the government would be spending nothing on the mechanics of government (like the judicial system, the military, etc as opposed to functions like the postal service, national parks, road subsidies, etc), but that figure in Alaska is pretty egregious.
CNN reports today Governor Palin's federal earmark requests in her first year in office (2007)--and that's just Palin's things, not everything her delegation takes--exceed the total amount of earmark money taken by the entire bi-partisan delegation from New Hampshire, a state with about twice as many people.
New Hampshire's delegation requested took 238 million dollars in earmark money. Governor Palin requested 256 million. Her state's Congressional delegation took a combined total of over 486 million dollars, 456 of which by Senator Stevens--who, by the way, is a longtime political ally, advocate, and collaborator of Palin, not simply another Republican from her state.
Alaska takes more money per person in earmark money than any other state.
And to top it all off, the $27 million in earmarks Palin secured as Mayor of a town of 5,000 people--far more than many members of Congress take in a year, and Congressional districts are generally more than a hundred times the size of Wasilla. On three separate occasions, Palin projects in Wasilla met criticism ("objectionable" on McCain's regularly published pork lists) at the time from Senator John McCain, whose campaign was recently asked about that very same money. Respondeth McCain's people,
Towns like Wasilla in Alaska depended on earmarks to take care of basic needs.
A big change from making a point to object. Furthermore, if that's true, then when he promises to veto any bill with earmarks, isn't John McCain screwing Small Town America?
This issue is vitally important; it may be the only real thing McCain is talking about changing.
h/t in part to CNN
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...
http://www.congress.org/congre...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...
http://marcambinder.theatlanti...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c...
In light of Fergus Cullen's ridiculous statements referring to former three term governor Jeanne Shaheen as a "radical community organizer", I was shocked, shocked to learn by reading the Valley News yesterday that John E. Sununu has people on his staff acting as liaisons to local communities:
A friendly and effective behind-the-scenes player in Upper Valley Republican politics is moving on to a new field. After five years as Sununu's "community liaison" at his Claremont district office, Lebanon resident Melissa Ogle has taken a fundraising/development job at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vt. Ogle said in an e-mail it will enable her to "pursue my career goal of working in a Catholic academic setting."
I was even more shocked to learn that Sununu's staff has met on at least one occasion with community organizers:
Laura Thibault of Thornton and Beth Richards of Concord are members of MomsRising.org, a national online mother's advocacy group. They came to express their support for the Fair Pay Restoration Act, which has already passed the House and is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Penn.
"Our main goal was to urge Senator Sununu to consider the issues," said Thibault, who was accompanied by her 4-month-old son, Rhys."
(Nice piece... Eyes on the puck everyone. - promoted by Mike Hoefer)
I have said it before and I will say it again: Gov. Palin is irrelevant. She is the decoy, the rodeo clown, the half-time show, the red cape, the cipher, the straw (wo)man, whatever flummery will serve to distract critical attention from the main puppet show (and from the Wizard of Rove behind that curtain over there) and attract more general attention from the cheap seats.
It's the oldest trick in a book written by P.T. Barnum, and his spawn are still getting the rubes to part with their pay envelopes when the carny comes to town. These operators are using every trick and shill they can think of to convince ordinary well-meaning and otherwise sensible folks to vote against their own best interests in favor of some special interests.
Fifteen of New Hampshire's one hundred State Representative districts have contested primaries on Tuesday, with five of them right in Manchester.
The day's biggest free for all takes place for the nomination in Hillsborough 17 with eleven filed candidates vying for eight slots, and only returning incumbents in Jane Bealieu, George Katsiantonis, and Joel Winters.
Hillsborough 17, consisting of Manchester's wards 10 through 12, comprises all of the demographically diverse West Side of the city. It is the only race of the day that has an excess of more than one candidate fighting for the Democratic Party nominations.
Elsewhere in Manchester, contested races are being held on the North Side in Ward 1 and 2 , as well as on the far east side of the city in Ward 6 , and the areas near Gill Stadium and Queen City Avenue in Ward 7 and 8. Each of these Wards contains its own State Rep District, Hillsborough 8,9,13,14 and 15 respectively.
Three races have seen procedural questions arise.
In Merrimack 11, consisting of all of Concord west of the Merrimack River as well as the area stretching from the State House to White Park to Cavalary Cemetary, Klee Dienes has dropped out of the race due to obligations in the National Guard.
In Coos 2, which stretches from Whitefield to Randolph up to Stark, saw tragedy with the untimely death of Bill Cowie by electrocution in upstate New York, Cowie filed along with three other candidates.
In Hillsborough 3, consisting of Peterborough, New Ipswich, Greenville and Sharon, one candidate has stated that he is no longer a part of the party which he seeks the nomination of. 9/11 conspiracy theorist Mike Casnerstated in the August 23rd edition of the Keene Sentinel that he does no longer considers himself a member of the Democratic Party, changing his affiliation to the Green Party after the filing deadline.
Casner went on the state that incumbents should be replaced due to "hush money" making them ineffective.
Other contested races around the state will be held in Portsmouth and Newington (Rockingham 16), Cornish, Grantham and Plainfield (Sullivan 1), Hopkinton, Warner and Webster (Merrimack 4), Bradford and Henniker (Merrimack 5), Amherst and Milford (Hillsborough 6) and the neighborhoods surrounding Crown Hill and Rivier College in Nashua making up the city's 7th ward (Hillsborough 25).
-----
Alright, let me get out of my reporter voice and get back into my politician voice. Apparently writing inverted pyramids are like riding bicycles.
Those are the Democratic State Rep primaries, but i'd be remiss if I did not mention the Republican State Rep primary in my own town of Merrimack, also known as Hillsborough 19.
All of the GOP incumbents except for Maureen Mooney will be running along with former selectmen in Dick Hinch and Tony Pellegrino, a former state rep from the Seacoast in Bob Dodge, and CEO Peter Jennings.
Any one of them is a formidable opponent, but unless there is a large turnout from the anti-tax base that unseated Hinch from the town's last board of Selectmen in 2006, my assumption based on signage, name recognition and what i've been hearing is that all six incumbents will win the nomination along with Hinch and Pellegrino.
So far I have seen one sign clearly on a lawn or business for Dodge and none for Jennings. To contrast, currently I have 61.
However, I may be biased since i've met the other eight candidates, and because when I told a good friend of mine that Peter Jennings was running, he asked me how and why a Canadian newscaster would return from the dead to run for State Representative in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
I am %99.99999 sure that all the candidates in town are indeed not deceased network anchors, but if that or anything else unusual happens from Merrimack, you'll hear it from me first.
Last week, in a ruling on the issue of internet neutrality, the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau released an order to Comcast directing that it "end discriminatory network management practices".
My criterion (yours may differ): The band's identity (or individual's identity) is political. That doesn't mean every song, but it also excludes bands that may do one or two political songs. I reserve the right, as should you, to add honorable mentions of songs as the thread grows.
Of course, the usual rap against political music is that when politics comes to the fore, the music suffers. I say: bollocks.
Eric Green, 29, was collecting signatures to support putting a tax-cap petition on Concord's ballot in November when the assault took place, the police said. Green was volunteering for the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition, a group that's coordinating a push for tax caps in several cities. The caps would limit cities' tax increases to the rate of inflation.
"It's unfortunate an alleged incident occurred involving one of our volunteers," Biundo said. "If it did occur, it's not something that would be condoned at all."
According to a police report, Green was collecting signatures from passers-by July 28 in front of City Hall when he became engaged in a "lively debate" with the man, whom the report describes as having a physical disability. The two did not know each other. During the conversation, Green allegedly asked the victim to back away from him. The victim, who uses a cane, backed up and continued talking with Green, the police report said. The victim told the police that Green came closer to him, standing "nose to nose" with him, and told him to back up again. As the victim approached the curbing, Green pushed him, the report said. The victim lost his balance and fell to the ground.
"if it did occur" - that reminds me of something former RNC committeeman Tom Rath said about phone jamming back in the day - "if it happened".
(But God forbid NH get its highway money, right? Thanks for a great post, Kathy. - promoted by Mike Caulfield)
Senator* John E. Sununu, protege of Ted Stevens, has been selling himself as a fiscal conservative throughout his political career. But, while Sununu was sitting at the same committee table with his mentor, Sununu didn't say "boo" or even "gulp" or even "hey" while Ted Stevens was shipping billions of dollars in our tax dollars to Alaska:
Taxpayers for Common Sense has released the last four years of earmark data for Alaska to help create an understanding of how powerful Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) has remained as an appropriator. The new research has found that Senator Stevens has secured or played a significant role in securing more than 891 earmarks worth $3.2 billion, which comes to $4,872 per capita over the last four years. This is more than 18 times the national average of $263 per capita for the same four years.
This number is higher than the numbers reported by others because TCS researchers have obtained the locations of many of the defense earmarks which typically are not disclosed.
I saw most of Obama's speech live on MSNBC. it was amazing to see him speak at the Siegesaule, with people stretching out to the Brandenburg Gate to hear him.
I lived in West Berlin a few years before the wall came down. When I was there, two walls and barbed wire (and God knows what else) were between those two points. Friedrichstrasse, one of the crossover points, was like a no man's land. Now, you'll be happy to know there's a Starbuck's there, among other things.
But enough of my nostalgia--the speech rocked. The people were with him. They were even waving American flags. They never do that. And we know they weren't US Foreign Service wokers
TPM has the speech's transcript.
Obama was basically healing the "you're with us or against us" mentality of the last eight years. He urged the Berliners and by extension Europeans in general, to work with the US to help end world poverty, terrorism, and all the other plagues of the present. He said it will take work and sacrifice. He said--hide your eyes if you're squeamish--America hasn't been perfect. Imagine!
Not perfect ! I'm sure McBush will jump all over that one after his lunch at a German restaurant in Ohio. Who schedules this guy's campaign, anyway?
I have very close ties to Germany and am very partial to Europe in general. Shhh, I even lived in France for a while.
We have to deliver NH blue up and down the ticket. That's all there is to it.
Granite State Progress has issued a call for a public apology from both Executive Director Tammy Simmons and the NH Advantage Coalition. Tammy's inappropriate use of Blue Hampshire aside (although still a serious offense), what is really troublesome is that Tammy is not just an ordinary staffer. She's the Executive Director, which means that she should be held to a higher degree of accountability. Instead, she used insults and deception to try to sway people to her opinion.
Do we really want her messing with our local budget policies? No.
Below the fold, you can read Granite State Progress' press release calling for a public apology - and for Tammy to step down or be removed from her position with the NH Advantage Coalition.
Last Thursday I wrote about a Granite State Progress action during Concord's Market Days that was intended to highlight opposition to the NH Advantage Coalition's town by town anti-tax initiative. Four more NHAC and/or tax-related posts later, and suddenly Blue Hampshire found itself with a number of new users who were aggressively pushing the NHAC agenda, writing what has amounted to hundreds of comments back and forth.
So we took a step back and looked at the initial one, from a user who had signed up on our site right after that first post on Thursday, RockinNH. In looking over the comments, the detailed knowledge expressed about the right-wing NHAC in some of them fit poorly with other ones that suggested someone not associated with it. This aroused our suspicions, and we did a little digging.
I should perhaps note here that despite our previous brushes with unethical sockpuppets and recommend astroturfing, we don't normally take such steps (nor could we possibly have the time).
However, when there are users out there who may be abusing the anonymous nature of blogging to dishonestly portray themselves as something other than what they are, and to do so to pursue an agenda, we have every right to clean our house of fakery.
So. When we did a simple Google search of the email address used to register RockinNH, we were surprised and disappointed to discover that it led to several publicly available web sites showing it to be the email address of Tammy Simmons (one example here with name and the address in question). As this article from Foster's shows, Ms. Simmons is the Executive Director of the NH Advantage Coalition.
(More below the fold...)
Not sure if you folks heard but the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant had ANOTHER leak. To give you an idea what happened, Bob Audette of the Brattleboro Reformer tells the story best.
"It appears now that Vermont Yankee is operating at half its power because of a leak in a cooling tower. Plant officials say they discovered the leak Friday morning during a routine inspection. Officials are calling it a small leak of river water. They say it is not in the same cooling tower that collapsed last summer, but repairs were done at that time on both towers. The towers cool river water after it has been warmed in the plants steam condenser, it then returns to the river. Vermont Yankee does not know how long it will take to repair the new problem.
The latest mishap has really upset Department of Public Service officials (a rarity), Democratic leaders, and now the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Another rarity.
For more on the story, check out Julie Waters excellent coverage over at Green Mountain Daily. But here's the big story.
The leak has caught the attention of Congressman Paul Hodes and state senator Molly Kent. They now join Bernie Sanders, Pat Leahy, and Peter Welch in calling for greater oversight and answers as to why Vermont Yankee continues to mislead them and the public re:safety.
Personally, I oppose nuclear power. But even if I did support it, the fact remains that this plant must be shut down. It cannot be re-licensed next year. This doesn't just affect southern Vermont and western Massachusetts. It also affects Hinsdale, Chesterfield, Winchester, and Westmoreland, NH. The four towns on the opposite side of Vermont Yankee.
His colleagues call him "Big Media Matt." That's because Matthew Yglesias is a respected voice of the liberal blogosphere. The 28 year-old Yglesias has accomplished much. He graduated magna cum laude, from Harvard, served as editor-in-chief at The Harvard Independent, and upon graduating, he became a writing fellow at The American Prospect. Yglesias began blogging in 2002, focusing on American politics, public policy, and foreign policy. Yglesias now writes for The Atlantic Monthly and blogs at the Atlantic blog.
His new book, Heads in the Sand: How Republicans Screw Up Foreign Policy and Foreign Policy Screws Up the Democrats has just been released by Wiley Press. In the book, Yglesias offers a new approach for the Democrats, an outline of how they might restore America's integrity in conducting international affairs. He talked to OffTheBus last week.
Four years ago finding anyone willing to publicly admit to being a Democrat was a rather formidable exercise here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Republicans controlled state government, with Gov. Craig Benson flitting about the state in his uniquely plated Hummer, a suitable symbol of his disdain for the people of New Hampshire and their fundamental ideals.
Senator Rob (I can't hear you, and even if I could I wouldn't listen so just shut up and go away!) Boyce of Alton, whose most memorable legislative initiative was an attempt to make it legal for high school students to bring firearms to school, was cruising to an easy November victory over a far more qualified and energetic Democratic candidate, Beth Arsenault of Laconia.
And here in Laconia, all five of its seats in the New Hampshire House of Representatives were easily captured by a covey of stalwart Republicans more known for their longevity of service than for advocating for their constituents.
China is reknowned for its internet censorship and surveillance efforts, frequently termed "The Great Firewall of China". But according to this ComputerWorld article a similar sort of thing seems to be going on in Sweden.
Now that one of the most remarkable primaries in our nation's history has concluded, attention is turning to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. In less than three months, the Mile High City and the Rocky Mountain West will host this historic event for the first time since 1908.
The Convention also coincides with Denver's 150th birthday - a
century-and-a-half of progress and innovation since its birth at the height of the Colorado gold rush. A hub of opportunity for people seeking new frontiers, people come to Colorado seeking much more than gold these days. The spirit of visionary zeal and limitless possibility is as strong as ever in the New West. So it's fitting that as the Democratic Party marches toward its own new frontier, it will do so through Denver.
A message to all of you in New Hampshire: you don't have to be in Denver - or on the Convention floor - to get in on the action though. The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has organized two interactive ways for people anywhere in America to get involved. We're convening a national conversation about democracy and community and invite everyone to participate.
When I announced that the Bills were legally united to my friends on Facebook, I promised to write something up on BH. Unfortunately, other pressing matters (the SEIU Convention in Puerto Rico) intervened and I was unable to follow through.
Some interesting notes: Judd Gregg's daughter's wedding was featured in the same issue of the NYT but not nearly as prominently as the Bills. (he he). An LGBT blogger pointed out that a picture of Siroty and Stelling kissing was, perhaps, the first example of two same sex persons kissing in the Society pages of that paper.
Someone asked me on the first night of the festivities what exactly had to happen for Bill and Bill to be legally united. My reply: I need to sign the license. That's it. No ceremony. No vows. No food. Nada. But far be it from me to stand between two gay men and a party (or three..excuse me, four. I forgot the after party).
What didn't make it to the Times article was the pure joy that was evident from beginning to end. The ceremony took place in the garden at the Bedford Village Inn in front of a fountain. It was a gorgeous spring day and Stelling's mother and Siroty's aunties walked them down the aisle.
From my vantage point (best seat in the house) I was able to see the reactions of the guests to everything that happened; the laughter, some tears. But the feeling I came away with was simply love. People came from all across the country to be there for the Bills. Over the course of the weekend my husband and I met cousins, college roommates, colleagues and a goateed, beret wearing man who, I assume, still misses the coffee house days. And all of them loved the Bills.
And the Bills love each other. That too was quite evident. Bill Siroty and I met during the Bill Bradley campaign and became BFFs. His Bill and my Doug were also active in the campaign, but Siroty and I truly drank the Koolaid. I can honestly say that I have never seen him so happy. Both of them glowed.
What really saddens me is that at the end of the ceremony I stated: "by the Authority... I now pronounce that you are united in Civil Union." I'm not digging this separate but equal bullshit. Of all the people Doug and I know, Bill Siroty and Bill Stelling certainly deserve to be married and I look forward to the day when I can make that happen.
The other day Kathy Sullivan mentioned in a comment on another diary Nick Clemons' fantastic track record this year with Hillary Clinton, and I woke up this morning thinking Nick deserves a stand-alone diary.
After Nick successfully ran Hillary's campaign in New Hampshire, he was tapped to run New Jersey, Texas, Pennsylvania and South Dakota, all tough states, all wins.
Nick is not a self-promoter, so he doesn't get the credit he deserves for being one of the best political operatives in the business today.
In addition to being an expert on field and getting out the vote, Nick's developed into a darn good stategist. And he's a leader.
I saw his leadership abilities first hand in 2003 when he was the field director for John Kerry's New Hampshire primary campaign. In the very dark months of August through November 2003, when the outside world thought Kerry's candidacy was doomed, Nick kept his young field staff motivated to press on.
I first met Nick in early 1997 when he began working as a constituent services staffer in Jeanne Shaheen's Governor's office. Being able to see Nick develop his skills and advance these last 12 years has been one of the pleasures in this very tough and often heart-breaking business.
I'm really proud to be able to say I knew Nick when he was just starting out.
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