GraniteGrok

Well, Dean Barker from Blue Hampshire (who we had on MTNP a bit ago; promo here and podcast here; we had a pleasant time and we want to have him back on!) has seemingly put himself in the situation of "be careful for what you wish for". Why? Well, he "made nice" on Grant (and us) by writing this a while ago:

Grant Got Grokked

Believe it or not, I think this is good and healthy news for a few reasons.

First, Grant Bosse, from my perspective on the other side of the fence, has been working harder and more creatively than the others in the CD2 GOPer derby. Secondly, he has been much more policy specific than Horn and Clegg.  And finally, Bosse seems to get New Media better than the others, which makes the Granite Grok endorsement even more appropriate, since they are the only conservative blog worth reading in New Hampshire, imho.

Obviously we're all working hard for Paul Hodes here.  But he at least deserves an opponent with whom we can all disagree on issues, which would be something of a novelty these days.  Frankly, it's a little tiresome going up against a party that's long on corruption and empty rhetoric.  Going up proudly against the other side, and winning, because we believe our ideas are better than their ideas is much more satisfying than looking out in disgust at the wreckage the GOP has wrought these last eight years.

And we have to say that it was a fair estimation.  One does not have to agree with the guy's ideology in order to respect/like them (for instance, I think Dennis Kucinich seems to be a nice guy, but his ideas are absolutely loony-tunes - but I can still talk to the dude!).

Anyways, I digress. Well, this is part of a post that Dean just put up:

Oh Dear - Bosse Gets Monitor Endorsement

Could he actually win this primary?

I've had a few kind things to say about Bosse, mostly because I think Hodes deserves a candidate he will defeat soundly on the issues, instead of fluff. 

The 'Grok's answer is naturally - Yup!    And we absolutely believe this to be true - if voters evaluate his ideas and his stances, he's got a Real Good Shot at winning - that's why we endorsed Grant Bosse here! He never stops working, has thoughtful answers to almost everything policy wise, and IS a genuinely nice guy to boot!

So, why is Dean dazed?

Why this from the Concord Monitor, as they have just endorsed Grant too! (emphasis mine):

Four Republicans are vying for the chance to unseat Paul Hodes, the 2nd District's freshman Democratic congressman: state Sen. Bob Clegg, Grant Bosse, Jim Steiner and Jennifer Horn.

Elections are about ideas and resumes. The former is the strong suit of Bosse, the later is Clegg's forte. Our choice is Bosse.

[snip]

Republican voters will know exactly where Bosse stands on every issue. He has thought through all the basic policy questions. He's smart, well-informed and an extremely effective and genial advocate for his free-market, conservative positions.

He wants to shrink government, cut spending and look to private enterprise to solve the problems of health care.

Bosse would also work to privatize Social Security, but he realizes any change must protect the benefits of older workers and the transition to a different system would take a generation. Because he has spent five years in Washington as a member of Sen. John Sununu's staff with significant responsibilities, he knows what's doable and what isn't.

[snip]

Despite an ideology that is consistent and highly conservative, Bosse shows similar flexibility in his positions on energy. While he backs drilling for oil in Alaska and offshore and a resurrection of the nation's nuclear power industry, he supports tax incentives for alternative energy and a cap-and-trade program to reduce carbon emissions.

[snip]

Bosse knows so well where he stands and why that he needs no filler. Because his positions are conservative and clear, he gives Republicans their best chance to replace Hodes.

As a result, Dean had a little more to say:

But make no mistake - if Bosse wins, we will show in no uncertain terms how his stridently conservative views are totally out of touch with the 2nd district's electorate. 

A challenge?  Really?  Heh!  I darn tootin' bet that Grant will rise to that challenge - and do very well.

Several times, Dean has said that the 'Grok is Blue Hampshire's worthy conservative adversary - we graciously accept and return the accolade to those Liberal dudes.  I've said several times that I like the odds - the 2 Groksters vs the 1500 Hampsters.  After all, the motto of the Texas Rangers is "One mob, one Ranger". To paraphrase Grant ("I may be outspent but I'll never be outworked"), I'll add this:

We may get out-posted, but we'll never get out-idea'd!

This is going to get good!

Load up yer six-shooter, Dean - we'll be a'waitin' fer ya at the GG / MTNP corral!