Steve MacDonald

Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, blogger, and a member of the Board of directors of The 603 Alliance. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor of GraniteGrok.com, a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, and a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

More inconvenient truths for the global-warming crowd

by Steve MacDonald

I don’t know if it’s just me, but it sure seems like more and more scientists and weather & climate types are taking a more vocal, prolific stand against the notion that man’s activities are the primary cause of global warming. In this recent post, I noted a hurricane specialist that attributed the current more active … Read more

Didn’t he get the memo?

by Steve MacDonald

I’m sure this guy will be out of a job before too long… Expert disputes storms’ link to global warming By Zane WilsonThe Sun News COLUMBIA – As population continues to grow on the coast and people build more structures, losses from hurricanes will go up drastically but it isn’t because of global warming, one … Read more

Can Sununu cut it in the new New Hampshire?

by Steve MacDonald

So I’m reading my NH Sunday News, (as I’ve done since 1985) pondering how much the Granite State has changed since then. When I moved here, it was the most Republican of states, and I was the envy of all the conservative friends I left behind in RI (well, I say "conservative", but heck, we … Read more

Education funding problem? No. Dysfunctional governement? Yes.

by Steve MacDonald
Attorney Ed Mosca submits the following commentary about the latest nonsense being bandied about as a "solution" to the ongoing education funding mess here in NH:

NO SHAME AND NO SENSE 

In an Op-Ed in the February 2nd Union Leader, ersatz Republican Mark Carter called for a grand compromise on education funding:  a constitutional amendment that allows “targeted aid,” but that also “allows for legal action should the state ever abuse its obligation to our communities.”  Now I’m just as opposed to obligation abuse as the next person, but think for a minute about what this lovely euphemism means.  It means that whenever anyone doesn’t like the result produced by democracy, he can run into court and sue to get his way. 
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Ersatz Republican Carter claims that this “preserves the checks and balances power of the judicial branch.”  What poppycock.  The way that our system of government is supposed to work is that in matters of policy, and that includes education funding, we are supposed to attempt to persuade each other, and then decide the issue by voting.  We are not supposed to sue each other.   
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Carter’s amendment would also write into the State Constitution the canard that the quality of public education is determined by the amount we spend on public education as it requires the State to provide financial assistance whenever a school district lacks the “fiscal capacity” to provide the “opportunity for an adequate education.”  This myopic approach ignores that a variety of factors affect education performance besides spending.  These include the competence of administrators, the quality of teachers, the talent and motivation of students and the involvement of parents.  Because of these variables, the cost of an “adequate education” varies not just by school district, but by student.  This means that in order to reliably calculate the cost of an “adequate education” the calculation must be done on a student-by-student basis and the calculation must account for the particular effect of non-financial variables on each student’s performance. 
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For this and other reasons, defining an “adequate education” and determining its cost is the proverbial fool’s errand.  Yet Carter would make this fool’s errand a permanent part of the State Constitution.  What Carter and his ilk apparently don’t understand is that the State does not have an education funding problem it has dysfunctional government. 
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Campaign ’08– GraniteGrok Analysis- A View from Central NH. Part 1: Republicans

by Steve MacDonald
Given the crop of presidential wannabees all jumping into the fray in the past two weeks, I’m beginning to think that perhaps it’s time for me to throw my hat in the ring as well. The way things are going, if I don’t hurry, I may be the last guy in America that ISN’T running for President in ’08. (Vote for Doug– he’ll cut taxes and kick some butt over in Iraq and Iran, solving the problem once and for all. Doug’s plan calls for winning the hearts and minds of any survivors. Oh, and he’ll build a wall as high and deep as necessary along the entire length of the southern border.) Unfortunately, I am otherwise occupied and hereby announce that I will NOT run for the Presidency in ’08. Because of this, I am desperately seeking a candidate I can support to do the job in my stead. Let’s review…
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I’ll consider the Republicans first. Being a conservative, I’m fairly certain that whoever I end up supporting, he or she will most likely be of the GOP. I will review the Dems in a second posting to follow from the viewpoint of which one scares me the least. Partisan? Definitely– Not in a Repub/Dem way but in a conservative/liberal vein. The list is in alphabetical order, NOT in some kind of preference order. It includes declared and speculative candidates. I am using the list as presented on Ron Gunzburger’s Politics1.com site, which is an excellent starting point for candidate investigations for anyone who is so inclined.
  • Senator Sam Brownback:– He’s very conservative on the issues– he and I are in agreement on many. His name recognition at this point is mostly derived from recent Sunday morning appearances on the talking-heads shows– where he generally seems articulate and knowledgable– until this past Sunday. When pressed by Chris Wallace to substantiate his claim of being different than the other conservatives in the race, his inabilty to answer made him sound like he "shoulda stayed in a Holiday Inn last night." Certainly he’s a longshot, at best. Oh, and he’s pro-amnesty.
  • Jim  Gilmore: Former Virginia Gov. who’s great on the borders, the tax issue, and small government beliefs. He announced an exploratory committee on January 9th and has no web presence, other than a draft Gilmore site run by others. A grasp of the new media is an important criteria for me as I assess candidates. He looks particularly strong, however, in homeland security issues. After all, his state was one of the ones attacked on 9/11 (Pentagon is in VA) This previous post features a report from Ed Naile of the CNHT who had a chance to meet in a small group with Gilmore. Perhaps Jim will take off? He’s got a long ways to go, for sure.
  • Newt Gingrich: 5 main issues: 1. Securing America and her Allies By Defeating our Enemies; 2. Defending God in the Public Square; 3. Protecting American Civilization; 4. Competing and Winning in a Global Economy; 5. Promoting Active, Healthy Aging. Almost sounds like some sort of "contract," doesn’t it? Newt is this campaign’s wildcard. He is the one guy that, whenever he appears on TV, I tend to bump into people the next day who ask me if I saw Newt. He is extremely active in all media, has multiple websites, and needs neither spokesmen or cue cards to articulate a coherent, plain argument that is easily understood by ordinary folks. He is one of but a handful of people in the world that is recognized by first name (i.e. Hillary, Diana, Condi, Rush) alone. While he’s not yet declared his intentions, he still has a leg up on all but a couple of the wannabees in many aspects of a run. He’s my kind of politician who leads by actions on the issues. DO SOMETHING and, if it’s good, people will follow. For what it’s worth (hopefully  a lot), Newt came in first in RWN’s right of center bloggers’ poll. And then there’s his recent joint editorial effort with the next guy on the list…

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The DNC unloads on Mitt

by Steve MacDonald
This is exactly what I fear about the future if Mitt Romney gets the GOP nomination. Remember how John Kerry never shook the "flip-flop" label? From the DNC:

Under Fire for Gun Flips, Fined for Campaign Violations, and Accused of ‘Abandoning’ Massachusetts – All in One Weekend!

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following is a statement by the Democratic National Committee: By any measure, Smooth Talking Mitt Romney had a rough weekend. An Alaska newspaper revealed that the Republican Governors Association was fined for breaking state elections laws under Romney’s leadership, the Boston Herald accused him of abandoning Massachusetts voters, and the Boston Globe highlighted his recent flip-flopping on gun control issues.
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"Smooth talking Mitt Romney’s effort to run from his record has hit a  rough patch," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera. "From his dismal tax raising record, to his newfound support of President Bush’s failed Iraq strategy and his waffling on gun rights, Mitt Romney seems to think that he can talk his way out of his problems with primary voters and into the Republican nomination. What Romney doesn’t understand is that voters want real leaders with strong principles, not blatant panderers who will shift in whichever way the political winds take him."
Ouch! Keep in mind– the ones writing this are the opponents the GOP nominee will face in the general election. Keep reading…

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Bush details four main goals of the so-called “surge”

by Steve MacDonald
In his radio address this week, President Bush provided more detail on the plans for Iraq he discussed in his prime-time speech this week.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Wednesday night, I addressed the Nation from the White House to lay out a new strategy that will help Iraq’s democratic government succeed.
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America’s new strategy comes after a difficult year in Iraq. In 2006, the terrorists and insurgents fought to reverse the extraordinary democratic gains the Iraqis have made. In February, the extremists bombed a holy Shia mosque in a deliberate effort to provoke reprisals that would set off a sectarian conflict. They succeeded, and the ongoing sectarian violence, especially in Baghdad, is making all other progress difficult.
Not to mention the ongoing badmouthing of the President, the war, and the new plans for success in Iraq by the Democrats, antiwar moonbats, assorted Bush-haters, and moderate squishes. This makes progress difficult too.
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The President continued, defining four main points in the strategy:
Only the Iraqis can end the sectarian violence and secure their people. Their leaders understand this, and they are stepping forward to do it. But they need our help, and it is in our interests to provide that help. The changes in our strategy will help the Iraqis in four main areas:
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First, we will help the Iraqis execute their aggressive plan to secure their capital. Eighty percent of Iraq’s sectarian violence occurs within 30 miles of Baghdad. The new plan to secure Baghdad fixes the problems that prevented previous operations from succeeding. This time, there will be adequate Iraqi and U.S. forces to hold the areas that have been cleared, including more Iraqi forces and five additional brigades of American troops committed to Baghdad. This time, Iraqi and American forces will have a green light to enter neighborhoods that are home to those fueling sectarian violence. Prime Minister Maliki has pledged that political or sectarian interference with security operations will not be tolerated.
There can’t be any real peace with the Iraqi people unable to safely exist in their homes and neighborhoods. Michelle Malkin has an excellent photo series here, showing the current plight of some of the poorest of the poor in a Baghdad slum.
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Bush went on to number two:

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George Bush looks forward to working with Dems. Likewise, I’m sure.

by Steve MacDonald
In this week’s radio address, the President welcomed the new Congress with its new majority led by Democrats. He laid out certain areas of agreement that he thinks he shares with many within the Congress that they can and should work together to achieve.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Earlier this week, the newly elected members of the House and the Senate took their oaths of office and became part of the 110th Congress. I congratulate them all, and I look forward to working with them over the next two years.
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Since the November elections, I’ve had a number of productive meetings with the new leaders in Congress, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. I was encouraged by our discussions, and I’m confident that we can find common ground in our efforts to serve our fellow citizens and to move our country forward.
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One area where we are already finding agreement is in our effort to spend the people’s money wisely. This week, I announced that I will submit a five-year budget proposal that will balance the federal budget by 2012, while making the tax relief we passed permanent. Some Democrats have indicated that balancing the budget is a top priority for them as well. By holding the line on spending and continuing our pro-growth policies, we can balance the budget and address the most urgent needs of our Nation, which are winning the war on terror and maintaining a strong national defense, keeping our economy growing, and creating jobs.
It’s too bad President Bush wasn’t this focused on spending restraint when the GOP was in charge. I believe the lack of fiscal discipline was one of the contributing factors to Republican losses. Bush continued…
 We also see bipartisan agreement emerging on reforming the earmark process in Congress. Earmarks are spending provisions that are often slipped into bills at the last minute — so they rarely get debated or discussed. Many earmarks divert precious funds away from vital priorities like national defense and education to wasteful pork-barrel projects. I appreciate Democratic leaders who have pledged to maintain our current levels of spending without additional earmarks this year. And I support the temporary moratorium on all new earmarks announced by the Democrats.
Ah yes, earmarks. This is another area the GOP took a beating for. The Dems are very smart to take this up as an issue. Whether their reforms last, or are even real remains to be seen. At the end of the day, earmarks are the "crack cocaine" of the so-called bacon brought back to congressional districts, and those in Congress, on both sides of the aisle, are hopelessly addicted. Bush adds his own idea to this problem, but as with many other new initiatives, seems a day late…

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Another person weighs in on President Carter…

by Steve MacDonald

Insight of a Sergeant Major (The author, J.D. Pendry, is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major who writes for Random House.)
 
NO PUNCHES PULLED HERE
 
Jimmy Carter, you’re the father of the Islamic Nazi movement.  You threw the Shah under the bus, welcomed the Ayatollah home and then lacked the spine to confront the terrorists when they took our embassy and our people hostage.  You’re the Runner-in-Chief.
 
Bill Clinton, you played "ring around the Lewinsky" while the terrorists were at war with us.  You got us into a fight with them in Somalia, and then you ran from it.  Your weak-willed responses embolden the killers.  Each time you failed to respond adequately they grew bolder, until 9/11.
 
John Kerry, dishonesty is your most prominent attribute.  You lied about American Soldiers in Vietnam.  Your military service, like your life, is more fiction than fact.  You’ve accused our Soldiers of terrorizing women in Iraq. You called Iraq "the wrong war, wrong place, wrong time"… the same words you used to describe Vietnam. You’re a fake.  You want to run from Iraq and abandon the Iraqis to murderers just as you did the Vietnamese.  Iraq, like Vietnam, is another war that you were for, before you were against it.
 
John Murtha, you said our military was broken.  You said we can’t win militarily in Iraq.  You accused United States Marines of cold-blooded murder without proof.  And said we should re-deploy to Okinawa.  Okinawa, John?  And the Democrats call you their military expert.  Are you sure you didn’t suffer a traumatic brain injury while you were off building your war hero resume?  You’re a sad, pitiable, corrupt and washed up politician.  You’re not a Marine sir.  You wouldn’t amount to a pimple on a real Marine’s ass.  You’re a phony and a disgrace.  Run away John.

Dick Durbin, you accused our Soldiers at Guantanamo of being Nazis, tenders of Soviet style gulags and as bad as the regime of Pol Pot who murdered two million of his own people after your party abandoned South East Asia to the Communists….

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John Edwards- Dope of the Week (Again!- Our first “triple crown” winner!)

by Steve MacDonald

Maybe Democratic presidential wannabee John Edwards should stick to suing doctors into bankruptcy and leave the anti- Wal Mart (free-market) shtick to those better suited… . DCE at Weekend Pundit has the lowdown. Click here.

President’s Radio Address: Giving thanks, remembering our military men and women.

by Steve MacDonald
The President spoke about reasons Americans have to be thankful during his weekly radio address:
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, Americans across our Nation gather with loved ones to give thanks for the many blessings we share. We’re grateful for our friends and families, who fill our lives with meaning and purpose. We’re grateful to live in a land of plenty and during a time of great prosperity. And we’re grateful to Almighty God for the freedom to enjoy all these gifts.
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Every Thanksgiving, we remember the story of the Pilgrims who came to America in search of a better life and religious freedom. Much has changed in the four centuries since these humble settlers landed at Plymouth Rock. While they were only a shivering few, we are now a strong and growing Nation of more than 300 million. And the desire for freedom that led the Pilgrims to the New World still guides our Nation today.
He then rightfully acknowledges our brave troops standing in our defense
Americans believe that every person has the right to live, work, and worship in freedom. And we’re thankful to the men and women of our Nation’s armed forces who risk their lives to protect those rights. This Thanksgiving, we are mindful that many of our finest citizens are spending the holiday far from their homes and loved ones, and we know that their service makes it possible for us to live in freedom.
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Friday Humor

by Steve MacDonald

Everyone who has ever bought a house will enjoy this. A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client who lost his house in Hurricane Katrina and wanted to rebuild. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to the parcel of property being offered as collateral. … Read more

You cannot escape reality through the ballot box.

by Steve MacDonald

Item: Plutonium at atomic waste site in Iran. Reuters reports VIENNA (Reuters) – U.N. inspectors have found traces of plutonium, of possible use in atom bombs, at an Iranian nuclear waste site as Tehran pursues a nuclear program despite the risk of sanctions, an IAEA report said on Tuesday. . The International Atomic Energy Agency … Read more

A chance to rebuild. “Purgation is often the beginning of a cure”

by Steve MacDonald
The following is Bill Asbell’s (Dover, NH) take on the election, and the recipe for reconstructing the Republican Party following its decimation in the election. Sometimes you have to wipe a slate clean and start anew. The opportunities are endless at this point. Bill’s letter is in response to an email from a friend obviously sending his sympathy over the election’s outcome…
Condolences accepted, but the glass is half-full, and this political Katrina can be an excellent brief opportunity to learn from our mistakes so as to come back stronger two years from now.
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What this election showed is that the Northeast is getting more liberal as the south is getting more conservative. (Another GOP House seat was picked up in GA). We in NH have been under siege by liberals coming from all sides for some time now, and the Republicans that remain in New England with the exception of John E. Sununu are all moderate to liberal. Olympia Snowe, a Whitman clone is a typical example. In Maine, they prefer their Republicans neutered. But, Lincoln Chafee who voted against John Roberts, and publicly announced he was voting for John Kerry in ’04 lost, thank God, as did some other RINOs. Too bad Arlen Specter wasn’t running. Anyway…
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Purgation is often the beginning of a cure. Rhode Island liberals figured, why vote for a pretend Socialist when you can have the real thing, which combined with a general feeling of "throw the bums out", anti-incumbency animus that was everywhere. Maine will eventually replace Snowe and Collins as Vermont replaced RINO Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords with avowed Socialist Bernie Sanders. Still, the turnover number was average for a 6th year in a two-term presidency.  This was nothing like ’94. NH may remain a live-free-or-die state for a while yet, simply by being able to point to the surrounding states and say, "Do you really want to look like THAT?!" which is a powerful tincture against self-induced lunacy most of the time.
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As I worked for Chuck, Jeb, and the local Dover candidates last Saturday, I spoke to Republican voters who told me point blank that they were going to "send a message", so I saw this coming. The message was two-fold, 1. Bush needed to WIN the war quickly or get out, instead of bleeding us to death by a thousand cuts, and 2. Republicans were going to be punished for their anti-conservative, decadent behavior over the past 6 years: Namely, "a bridge to nowhere", runaway spending, new entitlements, Abramoff-like influence peddling, Foley-page porn, failure to want to stem the flow of illegal immigration etc. The drive-by media’s considerable bias doesn’t help us either.
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The activist assessment. NH- the day after.

by Steve MacDonald
Friend Ed Naile of the Coalition of NH Taxpayers (CNHT) writes
Ouch!!!!!!!!!
Having been at the Ward 3 Manchester polls from 6:30 Am to 7:00 pm I have no idea what was going on around the state other than very somber phone calls late last night. Here is your chance to email back what happened in your town.
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My take from "news" reports about the NH Congressional seats:
It looks like the theory of placating RINO Republicans by bouncing all over the map on votes and positions did not endear Bass and Bradley to the conservative base they think has gone away forever. And it certainly was gone to them last night.
Some of this is coat-tails of big out side money as much as any candidates.
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No one except activists on the far left have any idea who has been just elected to the DC House seats so the left will be giddy about that until Hodes and She-Pot take off the mantle of CHANGE and actually start doing what comes naturally to libs.  Arneson, Swett, Fernald, and Shaheen not showing their faces helped the Libs as well.
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As I watched the ballot clerks stack the absentee ballots on the table we were working at in Manchester it was apparent that Questions One and Two would win in Manchester, of all places.
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Does anyone have any sense of WHO was showing up at their local polls last night? In Manch. there was a very large crowd of last minute same day registrants, young, few little kids. The older crowd came early. The Moderator estimated about 1,200 -1,300 would show up but about 1,500 did, many new. There were many 04 voters who were on the Manch. voter list who moved and no longer receive mail leaving over 20% of the list full of names needing to be purged. Just last November many of these same voters in Manch ousted Mayor Baines and would have voted in a tax cap if it had been on the ballot. So I would guess that taxes and Baines’s arrogance are still issue. Chalk this election up constant Iraq and scandal news. Pounding the scandal and arrogance theme worked on Benson for the Dems. so how long can they ride that pony if they are now  "in charge" of everything?
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Last night’s election could provide an opening for conservatives who have been pinned under the Republican Party’s "Main Street" crowd since they sold out Bob Smith (who began leaning the same way himself). How many elections do Republicans have to see full page "Republicans for this or that liberal" advertisements to get the message?
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Libertarians could have openings for seats in state offices with the demise of the Republican Party if they pick carefully.
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I always feared NH would slowly drift into some sort of Ma., Maine, Vermont type of state but last night’s sweep by uber-libs leaves an opening for opponents. 
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Ed Naile
Ed’s right- this must be viewed as an opportunity to rekindle conservative philosophies and opportunity within what has become a moribund party with nothing but the retention of power as  the goal.

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