The Havenstein-Brown Problem - Granite Grok

The Havenstein-Brown Problem

“Carpetbagging—presumptuously seeking success or a position in a new locality; A politician who seeks public office in a locality where he has no real connections.” —Dictionary

Carpet-Bagger-001Carpet Baggers. This is a term now frequently connected to discourse about Walter Havenstein and Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. Havenstein, touted as a successful businessman, was scrutinized over his residency issues, while Brown was far more obvious as the former bay State Senator who took the late Ted Kennedy’s seat in a special election, then lost to Elizabeth Warren.

Allegations of carpetbagging are not new or novel. Even Jeanne Shaheen has been accused of being a carpetbagger. Now it is not my province to defend a liberal like Jeanne Shaheen, but Shaheen is no carpetbagger. She had a clear distinguishable life here in the Granite State before entering public life. Shaheen is a lot of things left-wing, but a carpetbagger she is not.

New Hampshire has lost its cultural homogeneity…its unique sense of identity…influenced by the folks who move here to allegedly seek a better life…but later decide we are ignorant and backwards and need more of what they fled from. Its no longer uncommon to hear New York or New Jersey accents, peppering our ears like nails on a chalkboard, especially when the word, “coffee,” or “hot dog,” is spoken out loud. Many of these folks are obnoxious “butt-inskies,” cultural interlopers…skunks at the picnics who complain about the lack of public transportation, high property taxes as a pretext to an income or sales tax, or comparators of the education systems they came from to what we have here.  The spirit of America is alive and well with the right and freedom to live anywhere one likes to, but that is not without its own challenges.

The Company one keeps.
The Company one keeps.

Inversely, there are those from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island who have recognized the repressive social welfare states from which they came and came to the Granite State, not to alter her, but to cherish her with the quality of life, liberty and “live free or die” spirit of New Hampshire.

This is the reason why carpetbaggers like Scott Brown and Walt Havenstein gain political traction in the Granite State. Ergo, The Havenstein-Brown Problem. With individuals merely having a Real Estate Interest in New Hampshire, such comes easy to anybody with the money they have. But there is no proverbial dog in the fight.

Some more cynical political observers accuse the GOP of perpetuating the Oligarchy. The establishment choice candidates are well-heeled, come from some place else and avoid facetime with the “unwashed masses.” But aside from the obvious problems of residency and accusations of carpet bagging, Brown and Havenstein have three fundamental problems:

HORN-Drink-the-damned-Kool-AidThe “Republican” Problem. Both candidates steer clear of any social issues…They never speak of the Republican Party Platform or its planks. They listen to the mainstream media, crafting a message steered by polls and focus groups. Lite Democrats is what they are. Both lack the homogenus history to curry favor with the voting base and the NH GOP state party is complicit in assisting them.  All too frequently upon assuming office, it is these folks who partially or totally abandon the party platform.

The “Activist” Problem. People are not likely to see folks standing on street corners doing sign waves, knocking on doors or making appearances at the small local events. The perception is (as a Brown Campaign staffer told me) those things are a waste of time. Neither candidate has any groundswell of enthusiasm for their candidacies. Moreover,  Havenstein and Brown absolutely control their spin and their message,.staying close to the vest where people never really know, or are unclear where they stand on a whole host of issues they think are important.  Instead, Paid political operatives within the campaigns work feverishly to attempt to “script” voters, choosing for them what is and is not important and then denigrate voters through paid surrogates if some disagree.

The “Gun” Problem. Scott Brown is the biggest snake and liar so far. His actions so far are unmatched by any other candidate seeking to curry the GOP nomination to face Jeanne Shaheen. Brown consistently fails to answer questions on where he stands regarding the second amendment, yet Second Amendment voters constitute a substantial block of primary voters. Again, we are hit with the subterfuge of, “Guns are not the most pressing issue in this campaign season.”

Brown-HavensteinDoes Michael Bloomberg believe that? Does Shannon Watts and her group, “Moms Demand Action,” believe that? I’ll bet fifty million dollars they do not. Not just in New Hampshire but across the nation last year, we have seen gun legislation dominate lawmaking bodies and a 24-hour news cycle. We have seen a national spike in gun purchases and ammunition flies off shelves. Don’t believe for one second guns are not a key feature of the 2014 election cycle.

Republican primary voters for far to long have been presented with a a slate of lackluster candidates who have been hand-picked by the party apparatchik. “Vote for McCain! he can beat Obama!” went the hue and cry…Vote for Romney! he can beat Obama! This is what the establishment keeps telling us.

Brown-PoserBrown supporters tell us that not voting for Brown means sending Shaheen back for another five years, never giving voters a reason beyond that notion for why they should support Brown. The average person presently feels they are totally ignored by those who govern and from the appearances so far of the Havenstein and Brown Campaigns, that remains the case. Havenstein touts his business record, Brown touting his opposition to Obamacare…which is devoid of credibility. Brown minions always focus on beating Shaheen, never discussing his record or what he would do beyond Obamacare.

Taxes are going up. Gas prices are up. the cost to live is going up, yet pay is stagnant and people remain underemployed. Most voters are reasonable people. They understand that no candidate is ever going to be 100% on all the issues important to them. On the other hand, no voter is going to vote for a candidate whose perceived liabilities outpace or equally match the perceived assets. People are tired, angry and generally loathsome of the political system as evidenced by low poll turn-outs.  The voter is drawing the line in the sand and refusing to vote for the, “lesser of the two evils,” because it is still voting for an evil.

I predict…If Havenstein is the nominee, he will not win against Hassan and the Democratic machine. Inversely, if he does win, he will barely squeak by with a razor thin margin. If Brown wins the nomination, he will lose big to Jeanne Shaheen. We’ve seen this trend in so-called Republican landslide years. But either way, I am voting for neither of these “kinged” choices. And I can say with certainty that I am not alone in that sentiment.

>