Sigh. Once again, we see an instance of what I call the Republican Republicans’ for the Sake of the Republican Party (“RRftSofRP”). I don’t consider myself the brightest bulb in the lot; just an ordinary schlub from Central New Hampsha.
That said, I try to watch and listen to political things, and as an engineer, see if what happens “before” matches the “after” in the results. What has happened is that positive outcomes (defined as more opportunity for us to make choices as Government withdraws from making them, keeping more of our own money, and Govt no longer intruding on our Rights) doesn’t necessary depend on which Party “owns” a branch of Government but which people are in those seats.
A non-quick back and forth I had on this in a private group in which I protect the innocent/ guilty, depending on your point of view, as it is the POINTS that are made that are important and not who was making them.
In fact, I’m going to try an example here. Normally I note who said what. This time, just see if you can pick out what I said (and yes, there is a purpose for me in doing this post this way):
Point 1:
The best way to stop bad legislation is to make sure it never passes the legislature in the first place and that is why a gop majority in either the State Senate (which is very doable) or the NH House ( a hard row to hoe) is more important than Sununu’s reelection. If we concentrate on flipping 4 seats with Daniels, Avard, Gannon, and Gargiulo, we can stop the bad bill express. We should be helping these candidates before giving our vote to Sununu.
Point 2:
That’s all well and good but when a Republican Governor signs really bad legislation (e.g., SB263, HB142), it doesn’t matter.
Point 3:
and that is why the State Senate races are important.
Point 4:
Insufficient. Sununu COULD have vetoed those two bills – he didn’t. Remember the gas tax bill that Republicans pushed through a bit a go as well? That wasn’t helpful either.
It would be nice to think that just electing Rs would be the ticket – the problem is WHICH R is on the ticket. When the Rs hold the majorities, it’s almost a green light for RINOS to go crazy. Seriously, at those times, there are some Dems that have “better” voting records than some Rs.
Point 5:
Governor Sununu vetoed a LOT of bills….and every single one of them was upheld by the Republicans. REMEMBER THAT, FOLKS! If he is not elected, there is a very good chance that the idiot who steps into that position WILL NOT VETO such bad bills!
I was… See More
Point 6:
I named four GOP seats that the Dems flipped in 2018, are they not good enough for you? For years, the NH Senate (GOP controlled) was a firewall to block most of the sh*t that passed (usually with significant GOP support) the NH House. I think the NH House is a lost cause even if by a miracle the GOP retakes it, the membership and the leadership will be fractured to make any real difference. Our best defense is to stop the [crap] from ever reaching the Governor’s desk is the NH Senate. Our efforts are best spent to help Daniels, Avard, Gannon, and Gargiulo.
Point 7:
the [crap] doesn’t reach the Governor’s desk if we have a GOP Senate or NH House. Regaining the NH Senate for the GOP is doable.
Point 8:
Maybe…and maybe not. But if we don’t get at least one of those, then we damned well BETTER have the Corner Office… or our goose is cooked!
Point 9:
And Jeb Bradley was the Republican in the Senate that got Medicaid Expansion (contra the plank in the NH GOP Platform) passed into law. LaChance, in the House, also a Republican, got the extension passed.
Saying that having Rs hold both chambers sounds nice, doesn’t it? Reviewing actual history (and I’ve now given you several examples) says that it is insufficient. WHO you put into those seats matters, not just anyone with an R next to their name.
Point 10:
Look around, our goose is boiled. The NH economy took a huge hit, tax revenues are down big time creating a budget deficit of anywhere between $340 million to $900 Million by the end of FY 2021. I helped create three state budgets during my time in the legislature and this is huge. Sununu’s actions have opened the door to an income tax, especially if this goes on into next spring. Sununu is a wrecking ball and NH’s tax base is small businesses. These Emergency Orders and the Governor’s fantasy that DC will bailout NH (not going to happen) will leave lawmakers with two stark choices, cut spending by nearly 1/3 or pass an income tax. Who you elect to the NH Senate will determine which one becomes reality.
Point 11:
The we start to take out our meat cleaver and CUT THE BUDGET! NH does NOT go around imposing INCOME TAXES on our citizens. And for what it’s worth, I served 2 years on the House Ways and Means Committee, so I know how good budgets are craft… See More
Point 12:
Bill O’Brien defused a similar financial bomb when Speaker…
Point 13:
and lost 130 GOP seats in the NH House a year afterwards.
Point 14:
So, be like Democrats and have Republicans raise taxes? Yep, that’s the ticket!
Why SHOULDN’T Govt take the same kind of financial haircut the rest of us get during hard times? Or is “every govt dollar sacred” as my friend used to say often (in derision, of course)?
So, Readers, which ones were mine? I would think that for long term Readers, it should be rather easy – all points I’ve made in the past (Hey, this is turning into a “GrokExam” of a sort!).
Hint: 2 other people in addition to me are “in on this”. Bonus points if you can figure out which is which.
