Congresswoman Carol Shea – Porter visits Laconia

 

Yet another political meeting.  This time, it is for NH District 1 Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter at the Laconia Community center (Sun, 9/16, 3pm).  Pretty much only older people present – met Ron Tunning (a former guest on Meet The New Press) who greeted me as a member of the Right Wing Establishment (He is the Democratic Chair of Laconia – all in good fun…I think) and Brenda Bahr (City Councilor in Laconia), Matt Lahey (Laconia Mayor), Bob (Northeast POW/MIA Network).

So, per normal, here are my notes.  Comments in bold.  I’ll have an MP3 up later on today click here to listen to an MP3 I did.  Given that the PA system was all but non-functional and she was about 30 feet away, you may need to turn it up and listen well.

• My question  (at 34:56)
• My follow up  (at 36:19)
• Doug’s question  (at 38:14)
• First Follow up  (at 39:09)
• Second follow up  (at 40:46)
• Bob Jones’s question about changing back to POW/MIA  (at 43:23)

Matt did the intro for her – she is on the Armed Services and Education and Labor committees.  Matt and the airport director just got her call that she got a $1.9 million grant for Laconia Airport for improvements. 

I wonder how much traffic the Airport really gets outside of the two Nextel Cup races? Not a complaint – I just don’t know, as this is a local airport and not one that I would consider a regional one like MHT.

She believes it is important to travel around to talk about the military.

She is not endorsing anyone for President (Skip – at least so far?).  She believes that she is an ambassodor of the state.

Describes DC as Thanksgiving with a dysfunctional family.  We all have to watch our tone and be civil to each other….not attack each other at a personal level.  Says that they get along on the Armed Forces Committee.

She just came back from China – both Repubs and Dems on the trip (she said even on the Pelosi to Syria there were Rs [RINOs!]).  She is making great pains to say that she was in Hawaii in getting over there but as the junket was on military transport, there was no tourism there. 

She brought up the Flying Tigers – the Chinese have a memorial there for them.  She related that the Chinese are not transparant.

The Chinese like Ike Skelton, so they honored him by letting us on board the destroyer.When she asked her escorts, while touring a Chinese destroyer, she asked "how many do you have?" and the response was simply "several".  She emphasised that despite this we have to have this dialog.

And this is new information?  Not to be snarky, but who’da thunk it of a Communistic regime that has been recently launching a LOT of cyber attacks on the US, Britain, and a number of other Western nations.  Why in earth would they be upfront and open on anything – I do not believe it would be in their national interest (maybe ours, but not their’s)? Let’s be clear here – they still see us as enemies that need to be defeated.

She didn’t eat much while there (she didn’t know what was being served so she used the old kid trick of cutting things up and moving them around on the plate). 

They care that we care. How?  One discussion was on product safety and unfair trade market – she had brought up unfair prices.  When she was doing the tourist deal [I believe - check the recording] at the Great Wall, Foreign Ministry then called and chatted for 20 minutes.  Her observation:   Contrasted that cell phone call on Wall vs Spaulding turnpike – we have to invest more.  The Great Wall connection was flawless.

Well, when the Chinese government brings you to visit something, you can be sure that things will be planned to have gone well.  If connections were iffy, do you really think they would have placed that call?  Don’t you think that IF the Chinese gov’t want something to work, it will.  Here, private capital requires an ROI (as opposed to a governmental entity that doesn’t have to worry about little details like staying in business. 

The Chinese brought up Taiwan – they are adamant that they do not want Taiwan to go free (the said that equivalent example would be as if Florida left).  Claims that President is not in favor of Taiwan having the upcoming referendum on that issue.

Note: some talk here on Iraq, missed some of it.

Went to Gulf Coast during the August break due to Katrina.  Headline there – "Congress brings hope".  The Congress Reps were there to say that they (New Orleans) had not been forgotten.  She is concerned about their mental health concerns due to PTSD since they have been under stress for the last two years and lack of hospital / mental health facilities.

None of us want to forget those folks and the devastation.

Not one word from the Congresswoman about how much we have actually spent so far, and the job is not done yet.  Look, she complains about the war cost – but not one mention of the about $120 billion – for everyone there, it is the equivalent of two houses and a car.  

Look, if someone wants to live there, fine.  But why do we have to subsidize a city on the coast, below sea level, and rebuild them after most of the blame should lie on the New Orlean levy boards for being corrupt and inept, the Democratic Major for being worse, and the Democratic Governer being paralyzed and inactive at the wrong time.  

I know what the law states, but do we have to do this again if another hurricane comes in? 

They blame FEMA for a lot of the problems, especially with turnover.  Concentrated on desperation.

A native remarked – "If you don’t want us, France will take us back"

CSP mentioned gas and grain….we need them.

She is right on this – much of the Midwest grain coming down the river does go through the Port of New Orleans.  However, that is not the problem – rebuilding the commercial part is easy compared to the entire city. Gas and Oil too?  Is CSP advocating helping the private sector?

Talked about making college education more affordable.  Larger Pell grants…looan forgiveness, reduce interest, 10K science / match teachers.

Um, until there is some way that the providers of this service are incentivized to lower the costs, the colleges are just going to run merrily to the bank – this will result in nothing more than more money flowing in….and they can raise rates again!  And once that happens, it will make it harder for poorer students once again.

Iraq question – missed the question as I was taking pix.  ON Iraq about accountability  Story of a guy that takes a bag of money, jumps into a Blackhawk, delivers it, all with no tracking. We have put our treasuer and citizens at risk, the least we can do is know where it goes.

On this, I would agree – it has to be tracked 

She voted against the supplemental vote.  She will vote for a date to leave.  She will not vote for continuing.  She blames the Senate.

Question and Answer time

Complsory service?  Peace corp?Promoting national service?

The soldiers now are much better trained and higher than with the draft.  She does not want a draft.  She does not want more troops that can be sent to Iraq.  We have to grow the number of soldiers.  Were right on Afghanistan (we lost our friends). Half of the West Point graduates, who are supposed to lead our future Army, leave shortly after their term is up.  We have to show that we honor them and their mission.

 

I asked my question about how squaring the dropping of size of the military  and how she would grow the military. 

She said a lot, but never directly answered my question.  She brought up the fact that the age limit has been boosted to 42, bonuses up to $20K for new enlistees, morales waivers, lowerd AVSFAB scores.

 

Gen Patraues – do you not believe him?

He is an honorable man.  She brought up her husband.  He does not carry out policy; he carries out the President’s poolicies [she is trying to discredit his testimony as she did not tell that while Bush decides, it is the General's strategy].  She is quoting the retired general……brought up the alleged differences between him and Admiral Fallon [which has been discredited by Fallon].
His assesment is different than others.  Brought up the WaPo 9/2004  article by Gen P.  Claimed that if she changed the dates it would be the same testimony.
Contrasted the situation with putting 50 cops out – it will make peace but not change the criminals
Said they don’t want to be civil.  Brought up displacement / exile stats.

Bob Jones – people abandoned a different generation of veterans.  Will she support HR111 – to fully investigate as MIA / POW – classification has been changed to other.  What will you do to change it back to POW/MIA?

She shuffled him off to staff.  SHE DIDN’T ANSWER THE QUESTION

Accountability – why hasnt’ the audit already happen?  Will changing the congress make it happen?
Do you agree with Priorities NH that we can have $60 billion out and not effect anything and put it into human services?

1)  Exectuve branch, DOD is responsible – the White House is responsible.  She said that she got shut out of info that another bunch got it (was in the Jones Commission).  Complained about classifying everything.  Congress is doing what it is supposed to do as a co-equal branch.  A Constitutional struggle going on.  Brought up Pay as you Go.  New program means that there has to be an offset (if do schip, then tobacco tax). 

[Note: not once did she ever talk about cutting programs - only tax increases.  With the tobacco tax, she was quite happy that this tax only hit one set of citizens - almost as if their smoking was a moral fault, IMHO].

2)  She does not agree with them all together.  She belives that there is room to cut but we have we have more enemies than before.  But we need to use diplomacy more than we have before. 

She has no idea why we are in Iraq…….She claims that our soldiers could have caught OBL if that had been their mission.

[insinuating that they were deliberately pulle
d off the mission - Skip]

We have 100+K contractors…..25K SF and secret guys.  Not happy with Dem Congress, to end war.  Are dems fearing 2008 prospects?   Afraid of Rs calling Dems a bad name?  Heard we don’t have the votes?  Question – why is it not structurally not possible to not introduce spending bills to not fund the war?

Agreed that her platform was to end the war.  If you believe that folks in the field will not get what they need in the firld, they will not vote against the supplemental.  EG she voted for MRAP, stuff she believes that they need.

Follow up- equipping them is one thing – that is a baloney issue.  Can the Dems not defend themselves against bad names?
This is a serious issue….and many believe it would hurt the troops.  She cannot know what everyone believes in the Dem caucus.  Bush has no choice in withdrawing the troops – there aren’t any.  We didn’t deal with the corruption, the terrorists, didn’t build the govt, didn’t reconstruct…the sheik got killed.  Military has been phenomenal but they cannot run a country for them.

She makes the claim that us being in Iraq is making it worse.  Anbar is not better.  Sheiks decided to work with us, probably temp, to get rid of AQ.  Sunni and Shiites.  Sunnis are working to with us just to get rid of them. AQ was not there bofore.  AQ is not the major problem….Sunni vs Shia is.

Can we challenge it as a war of terror – they are a bunch of criminals.

Brings in General Clark.  Claimed that a rebpu said that any general that disagreed got a new title – retired. DID NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION

Signing Statements – biggest threat to democracy.  How can our Constittion survive?

Bush has done this more than any other Pres in history.  Spector and she sponsored a bill that will do WHAT?  Pres job is to either sign or veto….she admits that they are not illegal