I guess the good news is that Governor Hassan did not nominate gambling Lobbyist Lucy Hodder. Instead, the Union Leader reports today that Joseph Foster is her pick for NH Attorney General.
Foster is a former NH House rep 1994-1998, former State Senator from 2002 to 2008 (D- Nashua), in the employ of McLane law in Portsmouth. (I’ve never heard of him so I have culled a few things from the Internet– but feel free to add anything in comments we should know or explore moving forward.)
Here is a quick overview of his personal details and professional experience, and here is a link to his large dollar political donation history.
The only details we have of his political preferences, short of digging through his legislative voting record, are his Liberty Ratings from 2006 to 2008 and a Project Vote Smart political survey completed in 2004.
State Senator Joseph Foster’s Liberty ratings…2006 D+, 2007 D, 2008 – Constitutional threat. (Well, isn’t that promising?) Oh, and it does look like Foster has experience as a lobbyist, I’m just not sure representing whom exactly.
The complete Project Vote Survey is on the jump.
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Joseph ‘Joe’ A. Foster
Joseph ‘Joe’ A. Foster’s Issue Positions (Political Courage Test )
Project Vote Smart does not permit the use of its name or programs in any campaign activity, including advertising, debates, and speeches.
Joseph Foster REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY
RESPONSES TO CITIZENS ON ISSUES THROUGH THE 2006
NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY Key national leaders of both major parties including:
John McCain, Republican Senator
Geraldine Ferraro, Former Democratic Congresswoman
Michael Dukakis, Former Democratic Governor
Bill Frenzel, Former Republican Congressman
Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart PresidentOver 100 news organizations throughout the nation also urged their candidates to supply their issue positions through the National Political Awareness Test.
RESPONSES TO CITIZENS ON ISSUES THROUGH THE 2006
NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY Key national leaders of both major parties including:
John McCain, Republican Senator
Geraldine Ferraro, Former Democratic Congresswoman
Michael Dukakis, Former Democratic Governor
Bill Frenzel, Former Republican Congressman
Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart PresidentOver 100 news organizations throughout the nation also urged their candidates to supply their issue positions through the National Political Awareness Test.
What is the Political Courage Test?
New Hampshire State Legislative Election 2004 National Political Awareness Test
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion. |
|
| a) Abortions should always be illegal. | |
| b) Abortions should always be legal. | |
| c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy. | |
| d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. | |
| e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. | |
| f) Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions. | |
| X | g) Allow pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptive pills without a prescription. |
| X | h) Other or expanded principles |
| Abortions should always be legal except for late term abortions which may be regulated if the life and health of the mother are not at risk | |
State Budget: Indicate the funding levels (#1-6) you will support for the following general categories. Select one level per category. |
|
| Slightly Increase | a) Education (Higher) |
| Slightly Increase | b) Education (K-12) |
| Maintain Status | c) Environment |
| Maintain Status | d) Health care |
| Maintain Status | e) Law enforcement |
| Maintain Status | f) Transportation and highway infrastructure |
| Maintain Status | g) Welfare |
| Greatly Increase | h) Other or expanded categories |
| Homeland security | |
State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels (#1-6) you will support. Select one level per tax. |
|
| Slightly Increase | a) Alcohol taxes |
| Eliminate | b) Capital gains taxes |
| Greatly Increase | c) Cigarette taxes |
| Maintain Status | d) Corporate taxes |
| Slightly Increase | e) Gasoline taxes |
| Eliminate | f) Property taxes |
| Maintain Status | g) Vehicle taxes |
| h) Other or expanded categories | |
| No | i) Should Internet sales be taxed? |
j) Do you support the adoption of a taxpayers? bill of rights, which would : |
|
| No | 1) cap spending at the rate of inflation plus population growth? |
| No | 2) require a two-thirds majority to override the cap? |
| No | 3) require a two-thirds majority to raise taxes? |
| k) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform. |
|
| No | a) Do you support limiting the number of terms for New Hampshire governors? |
| No | b) Do you support limiting the number of terms for New Hampshire state senators and representatives? |
c) Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates? |
|
| No | 1) Individual |
| No | 2) PAC |
| Yes | 3) Corporate |
| No | 4) Political Parties |
| Yes | d) Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information? |
| No | e) Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns? |
| Yes | f) Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying, and ensuring accuracy of votes? |
| Yes | g) Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in New Hampshire are closed? |
| Yes | h) Should New Hampshire recognize civil unions between same-sex couples? |
| i) Should New Hampshire restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman? | |
| j) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime. |
|
| a) Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff. | |
| b) Support the death penalty in New Hampshire. | |
| X | c) Raise the minimum execution age in New Hampshire from 17 to 18. |
| X | d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released. |
| X | e) End parole for repeat violent offenders. |
| X | f) Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders. |
| g) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. | |
| h) Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes. | |
| i) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults. | |
| X | j) Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth. |
| X | k) Increase funding for state and local emergency agencies to prevent and to respond to terrorist attacks. |
| X | l) Other or expanded principles |
| I support (h) & (i) but believe current law in NH is sufficient | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education. |
|
| a) Support national standards and testing of public school students. | |
| b) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any public school. | |
| c) Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school. | |
| X | d) Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure). |
| X | e) Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers. |
| f) Funds from affluent school districts should be redirected to meet the needs of poorer districts. | |
| X | g) Increase the cigarette tax to raise revenue for education. |
| h) Support teacher testing and reward with merit pay. | |
| i) Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools. | |
| j) Require public schools to administer high school exit exams. | |
| k) Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries. | |
| X | l) Increase funding for Head Start programs. |
| m) Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable. | |
| X | n) Support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods. |
| o) Support abstinence-only sexual education programs. | |
| X | p) Other or expanded principles |
| Public school vouchers should be examined if state has adequate revenue source. Merit pay for excellent teachers should be examined. | |
Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment. |
|
| X | a) Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today?s job market. |
| b) Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion. | |
| X | c) Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses. |
| d) Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families. | |
| e) Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families. | |
| X | f) Increase the state minimum wage. |
| g) Other or expanded principles | |
Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity, or gender be taken into account in state agencies? decisions on : |
|
| Undecided | a) Public employment |
| Undecided | b) State college and university admissions |
| Undecided | c) State contracting |
| d) Other or expanded principles | |
| Affirmative action is appropriate when there is evidence of past discrimination | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy. |
|
| X | a) Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology. |
| X | b) Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, and oil). |
| c) Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned. | |
| X | d) Increase funding for New Hampshire?s Land and Community Heritage Investment program. |
| e) Increase the penalty for taking land out of Current Use status. | |
| f) Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law. | |
| X | g) Other or expanded principles |
| I would support (f) if Federal Government weakens its laws. | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns. |
|
| X | a) Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. |
| b) Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |
| c) Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns. | |
| d) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns. | |
| X | e) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns. |
| X | f) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows. |
| X | g) Require a license for gun possession. |
| h) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health. |
|
| X | a) Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary. |
| b) Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs. | |
| c) Limit the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits. | |
| X | d) Support patients’ right to sue their HMOs. |
| X | e) Support patients’ right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied. |
| f) Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government. | |
| g) Legalize physician assisted suicide in New Hampshire. | |
| h) Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes. | |
| i) Other or expanded principles | |
Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty. |
|
| X | a) Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients. |
| X | b) Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients. |
| X | c) Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work. |
| d) Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare. | |
| e) Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations. | |
| f) Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to extend health and child care subsidies to the working poor. | |
| g) Support marriage promotion programs for welfare recipients. | |
| h) Eliminate government-funded welfare programs. | |
| i) Other or expanded principles | |
| Please explain in a total of 75 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding. | |
| CHILDHOOD OBESITY. I plan to submit legislation to help curb childhood obesity, which if it is not addressed will become a huge health care crisis in the near future. Nutrition needs to be taught and emphasized in our schools.Access to soft drinks and snack foods shold be limited. In addition, a greater emphasis on physical activity should be placed in our school curriculum.MALPRACTICE. Plan to introduce legislation to examine no-fault malpractice insurance for obstetricians because I believe so-called tort reform will not address the problem in this specialty area. | |
That was 2004, four years before the Liberty Alliance pegged him for a Constitutional Threat. I can only begni to wonder what he thinks now that he might be appointed as the states top cop?
