According to legend, the Greek philosopher Diogenes strolled about with a lamp, purportedly looking for an honest man. Were he in New Hampshire today looking for an honest Democrat he could find one in Bow in the person of former congressman and ambassador Dick Swett?
Swett recently showed his integrity by signing on to a letter along with 34 other prominent Democrats criticizing their party’s “unethical” practices of investing money in Republican primary candidates they perceive as easier to beat in general elections. Dems minimize such shenanigans as “mischief,” but a better word would be “fraud.”
Cast your minds back to 1996. GOP Governor Steve Merrill opted not to run for reelection—creating an opening in the State House corner office. State Senator Jeanne Shaheen immediately declared her candidacy and ran unopposed (of course) in the Democrat primary.
On the Republican side, popular three-term Congressman Bill Zeliff declared a gubernatorial candidacy and was the strong favorite. Conservative activist Ovide Lamontagne also ran a long-shot campaign for the GOP nomination. But on that September 10, Lamontagne stunned Zeliff, 47,556 votes to 43,393.
Shaheen received only 52,328 votes in getting the Dem nomination. But that November, Shaheen trounced Lamontagne to become governor. She’d go on to be the first woman to serve as both governor and senator, three terms as each.
What happened in 1996?
What happened was a concerted effort on the part of Democrats to declare as independents and control the outcome of the GOP Primary. The popular Zeliff had experience and name recognition and would be unbeatable in a general election. Despite passionate conservative support, Lamontagne had limited elective experience and could be portrayed as an ideologue.
So the Dems went all in for Lamontagne over Zeliff in that September GOP primary, as they were sure they could beat Ovide in the general election—which they did.
How do we know this? Because some Dems confessed.
The numbers bear this out. Shaheen’s primary vote total was only slightly ahead of that of both Zeliff’s and Lamontagne’s. See the above tallies. Zeliff/Lamontagne combined for almost 91,000 votes to Shaheen’s 53,328 as erstwhile Dem “Independents” voted for Lamontagne.
So why does this matter today?
It matters because, unlike Republicans, Democrats have few contested primaries. So by declaring as faux “independents”, they can vote in GOP primaries and influence outcomes, and select “weaker” candidates to run against in November.
This is keeping with a long tradition of Dem “mischief” going back to Tammany Hall and the beginning of Democrat “machines.” That’s not to say Republicans haven’t occasionally been guilty of their own mischief. But Dems have turned election mischief into an art form. This behavior is what honest Dems like Swett want stopped as they see it as eroding “our dedication to fair elections.”
Dems even laugh about buying or stealing elections, as when John F. Kennedy joked that his multimillionaire father cautioned him about purchasing too many votes.
“I’m not paying for a landslide,” JFK quoted his dad as saying.
Interestingly, JFK and Richard Nixon essentially tied in the 1960 election, each winning about 49% of the popular vote. Kennedy very narrowly took the key states of Illinois and Texas for an electoral triumph. There was significant evidence of voter fraud in both states (especially in Chicago), and Nixon’s supporters pleaded with him to ask for recounts and to challenge the results in disputed districts. Nixon quickly overrode them and conceded to Kennedy, explaining that he didn’t want to put the country through the turmoil of a disputed election.
Would that our 45th president, who lost by around 7 million votes in 2020, had been as considerate of the American people as Nixon was in 1960? There’s no shortage of GOP critics of President Trump. Why can’t more Democrats be similarly introspective regarding their people and policies? (Beyond Dick Swett and the other 34 folks with integrity.)
The numbers of declared Republicans and declared Democrats are virtually the same in New Hampshire. But check out the vote totals after the Sept. 13 primaries. The GOP numbers will far exceed the Democrat turnout. Folks can draw their own conclusions. It would be refreshing to hear Senator Hassan or Representatives Kuster and Pappas decry and discourage the fraud—a la Dick Swett—as opposed to winking, nodding, and averting their eyes.
Diogenes would likely be satisfied with finding one honest N.H. Democrat—i.e. Dick Swett. But shouldn’t Granite Staters expect more?
