Unbelievable – do the Establishment Republicans feel THAT secure that Hess can openly insult NH Seth Cohn on TV – and all those that ascribe to many of the same stances? I am sorely wishing to violate my own standards to use a four letter Yiddish word that ends in “z” – but I shan’t (cute way not to violate my “adult themes, kid friendly rule; maybe I should have Seth explain it to him).
One of the big problems within the NH GOP is this divide: why be a Republican when you won’t speak, act, or vote like one? Given that the TEA Party / 9-12ers / Libertarian part of the Party gave new spirit in the last election and a new attitude, why are you going to take them publicly to task? Do you REALLY think that you can “muscle” votes out of these folks just on your whim? Are you nuts? Or do you have so little sense of the movement that you have forgotten that the TEA Party started out hating the Republicans first because they thought you all knew better than what you showed?
The problem is that this divide, this fracture made evidently clear when Papa Smurf’s handpicked lost the Chair race to Jack – and the feeling was that it would only be a matter of time before a coup would be consummated (and it was). It continued during some of the internal races (you could easily see, unless you are being willfully blind, where that fracture is simply based on who lined up behind who) and is being carried out, once again, as to who is coming out for which gubernatorial candidate (in the general case, with a few exceptions).
Back to the show: Josh McElven had Rep Seth Cohn (R-Cantebury), Rep David Hess (R-Hooksett), and Rep Ben Baroody (D-Manchester) on the first segment to discuss CACR 12 – a Constitutional Amendment attempt take the Courts out of the Education Funding morass that the State has been in ever since Claremont was handed down years ago.
Sidenote: once again, we see people all too willing to stick their fingers into someone else’s wallets and using the courts to cover up for their own failures. Yes, I said failures – long term failure of managing their town and being unable (or unwilling) to make that changes needed in order to attract new people and businesses to widen their tax base.
So, after the setup of the segment, Rep Hess decided to let loose on Rep Seth Cohn:
Hess – an unholy alliance between the Democrats on the Left and the so-called Libertarians (I call them Anarchists) on the Right who misunderstood the import and the significance of the amendment and the fact that this was not only our best chance to pass an amendment but was our last chance at passing, and in my opinion, our only chance.
Anarchists? Again, Hess, come again? Either you do realize that the foundations of the TEA Party help to stand up good folks like Seth up, or you are so full of hubris, you’re dripping. Republicans have always said that they were the Party for limited Government – the TEA Party arose because you Establishment Rs couldn’t follow your own rule book (er, the Platform). These folks do – and then you and the rest of the Establishment folks keep insulting them for it? Look, I don’t agree with full blown Libertarians on social issues – not at all. On issues of smaller government, open and transparency, and the like – you bet I do! But most Establishment types don’t trust Libertarians – and then do the deed to them like they decry what Conservatives do to them (voting them out of office).
I can’t WAIT to see how well the RLCNH is going to go RINO hunting this primary season – I’ll pitch in if you find someone to primary Hess just for this public attempt to humiliate an active wing of the Party!
Meanwhile, Seth (yes, I count Seth, and a whole group of folks like Seth, as political friends) decides to make things plain on this CACR 12 – this was NOT just a vote out of thin air but one that was carefully researched and (read carefully here) deliberately telegraphed to Leadership: this far, and no further. We say what we mean and we mean what we say. Forwarned is forearmed.
They didn’t take these folks, who stand on Principle more than any other set of folks I know, seriously. And now, are blaming them for doing, well, exactly what they said they would do:
Seth laughs at this (and rightfully so) and says “I’m the fiscal conservative here and this would have enshrined Claremont. The language absolutely enshrines Clarement…I voted for [CACR] 12 in the House version was as far as I could go and O’Brien knew it and all the supporters knew it and we said that if you go to the Senate and you soften this, we’re going to turn on it.We’re not going to support it. You didn’t listen and they got what they knew what they were going to get.
Hess – This is the problem with that element in the Republican Party I’ll call the Extreme Right that they want perfection instead of possible.
So called Libertarians? The Extreme Right? Hess has decided he has free rein to basically sound like NH Democrat Chair Ray Buckley and insult those have decided to stand on Principle rather than the go-along to get-along politics of “per usual’.
OK, Speaker O’Brien – what say you on this? Is this standard protocol? Was he given the “high sign”? These “so-called Libertarians” and TEA Party folks help get you that office (I saw the Gadsden Flag with the signatures) – are they going to get hung out to dry? Or will Hess get a well deserved dressing down?
Chairman MacDonald, same ques….oh, never mind; I won’t waste my breath.
Hess continued:
Hess – A Constitutional Amendment you have to get 67% of the people to vote on it in addition to 60% of the House. If you want to go perfection in terms of the ideal that the Right wants to have you wouldn’t get 50% of the vote of the population.
I betcha there’s a whole bunch of folks in other States that would sadly shake their heads at your and go “er, we got TEA Partied” – and no longer get to sit in a Legislature. Or in the US House. Or in the US Senate. And hopefully, POTUS.
Hess – And I understand that the positions that both of these gentlemen are emotionally and sincerely held.
Do I dare say that his use of “emotionally” is the equivalent of “unthinking and unwilling to get with the program”?
Seth – this is the core of my issue is you are saying this would have changed the standard and I absolutely, and we found lawyers that agreed with us that said that not only would this not change the standard this would make it so that the courts would ALWAYS have oversight and we were not willing to give up that fight yet.
Seth – They sold my vote for the House version for nothing
At the end of the show, Josh asked ” if something has been lost with this session by Josh with the Republican majority? There has to be some healing to be done here?” Hess decided to go all Marketing and backslapping – compare and contrast that with a more sober (and realistic) take on the situation as it actually exists:
Seth – I think a huge opportunity lost. It was lost by the Moderates, people like Rep Hess, that said we’re the radicals and didn’t recognize…(crosstalk)
And then Hess insults Seth some more by telling Democrat Baroody “Nothing like having a 100 votes in the House and being in the majority“. That’s the way to make more friends – make kissy face with the opposition, make the little joke – just shove that shiv a little bit deeper into the ribs. But no, there’s no problem in the Party! I’m just having a little fun here – we’re all one great big happy family!
Hess – Parties in the United States have a tradition of healing themselves. We’re coming together now; we’re going to rally around our gubernatorial candidate after September. We’re going to work hard together to elect a Republican Governor, Republican Executive Council, Republican Senate, Republican House in November as well as a President and two Congressmen, so we’ll come together. We may defuse a bit after we come together but we’ll come together before the election.
But they only come together when the wise guys men shut up and let the wounds heal. Or better yet, extend an olive branch and really make the actions fit the words. In Hess’s case, he’s got a heck of a lot of ground to cover – and I’m in the mood to keep moving the goalposts.
Seth – I will say that I think that Rep Hess is being very optimistic. I think that the Republican Party here in NH is very divided and the history of what happened with Jack Kimball is a great example and that division has not yet healed. It will be interesting to see if it does.
And then Hess makes his biggest mistake in his retort to Seth:
Hess – Jack is back in the fold.
I know what Hess THINKS he said with that last line. I can assure you that the message that will come across is FAR from being what he meant. I’m not sure that he’s gonna get it.
Seth, explaining that “z” word? Don’t bother…..let him continue to be part of the Stupid Wing of the NH GOP.
