Willard "Bud" Martin w/ comrade Billy Shaheen. Artful dodgers, both… Watch me not answer the questions… with a smile!
In addition to dodging questions about certain ruling issued while serving on the bench, the District 3 Democratic state senate candidate appears unable– or unwilling– to answer pointed questions about current NH issues he could possibly face should he be successful in the April special election against republican candidate Jeb Bradley. The NHGOP issued a statement commenting on the excellent interview (IMHO) conducted on WMUR’s "Closeup" program:
CONCORD – In an interview with WMUR TV yesterday, Democrat State Senate candidate Willard “Bud” Martin refused to provide his positions on same-sex marriage and the death penalty and then praised higher taxes. Mr. Martin’s dodges come at a time when the State Senate is considering bills passed by the House last week that will legalize same-sex marriage and repeal the death penalty. The House is also set to vote next week on legislation that will impose a 5% capital gains tax and an 8% death tax that will devastate New Hampshire’s economy.
When asked to respond to the House’s approval of same-sex marriage and attempts to abolish capital punishment, Mr. Martin flatly refused to take a stand on the issues, instead saying that he wasn’t going to “send a postcard out in advance on everything [he] was going to do,” if elected to the Senate.
“Bud Martin needs to stop dodging the issues and answer questions about his support for the radical bills coming through the legislature. Instead of reciting his carefully scripted and intentionally deceptive talking points, he needs to start being upfront and honest with the voters about his liberal agenda,” said New Hampshire Republican State Committee Communications Director Ryan Williams.
Mr. Martin also praised higher taxes, calling them “collective” community efforts by citizens. He lamented that the word “taxes” has become what he called a “pejorative term.”
“Mr. Martin’s views on taxes show how out of touch he is with the values and concerns of District 3. He obviously doesn’t understand that during these tough economic times the last thing we should do is raise taxes. Working families simply can’t afford Bud Martin’s disastrous ‘tax and spend’ agenda.” concluded Williams.