Heh – filed under Humor! Who knew – a circus all in a single part of one column (from the Union Leader, John DiStaso’s after my take on it). It goes on for a bit, so, let me give you the ‘Grok abridged version:
Steve quotes the ruling of the NH Supremes to set off the fuse, Binnie & crew get horrified looks on their faces ("incoming!?!?") & get a bit of a whack, other political operatives are scrambling to get out of the way of the flying food (some landing), Lynch via Manning is throwing Ayotte under the bus as if Lynch’s hands are clean, Ayotte thinks Steve is shady to blow off culpability and gets called on it by Carney (a Repub actually defending the Right to Private Property & the First Amendment – who’d a thunk it??). Ovide uses this whole thing to fake a slap at Steve who started it but really sends the roundhouse at Kelly (Hmm: velvet glove and magical misdirection; well done!), Manning still thinks that the Supremes are wrong and still doesn’t like private property and believes Government owns it all (a Democrat – who’d a thunk that?? Surprised yet?) and Hynsie is sitting on Mt. Olympus merely surveying the carnage below while Democrat attack dog Kathy Sullivan is either bewildered or is munching on popcorn.
OK, what am I talking about? The column (keep up, please):
Ayotte, Lynch hit back at ‘attack group’
BINNIE, CARNEY: WE’RE NOT INVOLVED. A veteran GOP consultant and a spokesman for Republican Senate candidate Bill Binnie said Thursday they had nothing to do with the "HandsOffNH" program being launched against former Attorney General and GOP Senate hopeful Kelly Ayotte and Democratic Gov. John Lynch by the Virginia-based Americans for Job Security.
Bryan Lanza, Binnie’s campaign manager said also said Binnie did not contribute to the effort.
"The first we heard about it" was what the Granite Status report earlier today, Lanza said.
David Carney, a nationally-known GOP consultant based in Hancock, said he is a consultant for Americans for Job Security, but had nothing to do with the anti-Ayotte and anti-Lynch effort focusing on an attempt last year to use $110 million in medical malpractice premium funds to help balance the state budget (see earlier items below).
"I have never met Bill Binnie," said Carney, who worked in the 1980s with top Binnie consultant Paul Collins in the first Bush White House and, previously, former Gov. John H. Sununu’s office.
"It’s not about Kelly Ayotte," said Carney. "It’s about public officials trying to take private property and making the public aware of their secret dealings.
"Politicians should be held accountable for their actions," said Carney. "Not one word in the AJS communication is wrong. The arrogant ruling class should get a grip. The First Amendment allows folks to speak out, and nowhere do the politicos get to pick who or when folks can speak up."
On Thursday afternoon, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte today called the pro-business Americans for Jobs Security an "outside shady organization" that is distorting her role in an effort last year to use $110 million in medical malpractice funds to balance the state budget.
The Granite Status earlier today reported that AJS was launching a Web site, web advertising and a mass mailing criticizing Ayotte and Gov. John Lynch for their role in the state’s failed attempt to tap the Joint Underwriting Association’s medical malpractice premium fund to balance the budget (see our item below). The move was banned in by the state Supreme Court.
AJS called it a private property rights issue, with its president Steve DeMaura saying, "The people of New Hampshire deserve to know the truth about John Lynch and Kelly Ayotte’s unconstitutional attempts to take private property."
Ayotte said this afternoon, "This is an outside group which, from what I understand, has a demonstrated record for false and sleazy attacks, and they are distorting my record. It is an outside shady organization."
One of Ayotte’s GOP Republican primary opponents, Ovide Lamontagne, came to her defense, sort of.
Lamontagne said Ayotte "has a lot to answer for concerning her role in the JUA matter, which involved the unconstitutional theft of $110 million in private funds" and her explanations "have only raised more questions."
But he also said he was disappointed that an out-of-state organization is getting involved in the New Hampshire race, and should "butt out."
Lamontagne said that just as "party bosses and Washington elites" should stay out of the race, so should "out-of-state groups who try to influence with neither accountability nor disclosure."
Lynch spokesman Colin Manning also responded to the AJS attack.Manning emailed the Status:
"The JUA was established as a government run and government subsidized malpractice insurance program for doctors. The doctors who paid their premiums, got the benefit of the insurance."
Manning wrote, "The governor agreed with the attorney general, the insurance commissioner and the Legislature that any surplus funds rightfully belonged to the taxpayers of New Hampshire. The Governor also agreed with the two Supreme Court justices who in the dissenting opinion wrote that the majority misapplied New Hampshire law, ignored critical evidence and expanded the role for judicial view of economic legislation."
Manning continued, "Clearly, this out-of-state attack group doesn’t have its facts straight, referring to the private accounts of doctors, nurses and health care providers. That certainly does not describe the JUA."
Also today, veteran GOP strategist and web expert Patrick Hynes, who operates the Now!Hampshire political web site, confirmed he is a member of the AJS board of directors, but said he had nothing to do with the group’s effort in New Hampshire.
In response to questions raised about his possible role in the AJS effort by state Democratic National Committeewoman Kathy Sullivan on the progressive BlueHampshire.com site, Hynes said, "The first I heard about this was in the Granite Status."
Hynes said, "The board has an advisory role in terms of keeping the books and the financial aspect of the group, which is the responsibility written on the charter. We don’t have a role in the day-to-day or strategic operations.
"I didn’t have any decision-making authority in this at all," said Hynes who added, referring to the Senate primary, "I don’t have a horse in this race."
Regarding the AJS "HandsOffNH" effort, Hynes said, "Generally speaking, I’m in favor of any organization speaking out about issues they care about."
AJS president Steve DeMaura also said group board members "have no day to day control of the organization. They serve in a oversight role."
And finally, I do appreciate the call out for what it really is (Carney speaking to the "ruling class" and the First Amendment). Ah yes, politics at its finest – Hilarity all around!"
"May I have some more, please?"
