If you watch enough hours of the Senate, it’s routine to hear Queen Sharon say, “Senator So and So is recognized for…” You can fill in the blank with a comment, a question, a parliamentary inquiry, and a few other things. Both sides of the aisle have talkers. I call them motormouths when it’s Watters, Prentiss, or Altschiller. I call them orators when it’s Daryl Abbas, Regina Birdsell, or Sharon Carson. Both sides have quiet ones also, but all 24 of them occasionally say something because they find the matter important. Denise is one of the quiet ones, known to the spectators just as much for her humility as she is for her hairstyle.
On Thursday, Denise addressed the rest of the body in dissent on two housing bills: HB 631 and HB 685. They aren’t long speeches, about 3 minutes each, but they’re loaded with talking points, including a few cleverly worded ones that I hadn’t thought of. One of them invoked the commonly used words “unfunded mandate.” I hadn’t watched the Senate from the gallery since 5/5/22, the day Kevin spoke for 6 minutes in a valiant effort to convince his peers that HB 1215(uniform vax exemptions) was worth saving. Sadly, all of NH lost that day in a 19-5 roll call because Jeb wanted his darling CMS money protected at all costs, but that debate was an early example of a popular Nurse Terese maxim, “courage breeds courage.” Gary Daniels spoke that day, and so did Senator Giuda; in fact, he double-dipped. Senator Reagan joined them in voting correctly, and so did Harold French. Those four are no longer in the senate, but they were examples of what “the power of one” (another Nurse Terese maxim) can do. She’s been preaching these concepts for years, and I’ve been observing this since the summer of 2021, days outside Concord Hospital, but let’s get back to Denise.
Whether or not most commoners recognize it or even know it, lots of bullying goes on in the legislature, and it’s not limited to one party or one chamber. Just ask Donna Soucy and Kevin about Mr Swan. Or look no further than Jonah Wheeler or Dr Nagel. No matter who you support or oppose, the cold fact is that it does happen, and I’m certain that there is a lot more that I don’t even know about. It’s common knowledge that Nurse Terese is a woman of faith, and I should point out that so is Denise. I learned some of that in our recent phone call to discuss HB 649. When the Senate chaplain prayed for Denise in her absence the previous time the Senate met, I mentioned it to Terese. She said she planned to talk to Denise, and I didn’t give it much thought beyond a nurse doing a wellness check, but I followed up with Terese days later with a casual “how’s Denise doing?”
The day before yesterday, Terese said Denise had plans to address the Senate and wanted to fill the gallery with supporters. I said I would make myself available, but other than lobbyists and Ms Virginia’s school groups on tour, it was just us. Terese said she rallied up Denise because it turns out that Denise, a former/Bedford town councilor, is just as “apoplectic” to use Kevin’s preferred word in his March 20 speech against SB 84. The plan was to make courage breed courage and convert some of the senators on the wrong side of this housing bill madness controversy. I had pointed out to Terese that 9 Rs voted correctly, and having one of the normally quiet Rs come forward and play the spokesperson to save NH from being “Massed up” is a great move.
There is a rumor that Bedford Republicans are plotting to get Denise primaried. Keep in mind that Denise represents Bedford, Hinsdale, and all the towns in between. A long time ago, she was reprimanding me for a comment that crossed the line. In that reprimand, she said, “I represent ALL of District 9, not just the people who voted for me,” something Mr and Mrs Newman ought to consider emulating in their House votes.
If you don’t want NH Massed up, please take a few minutes to play this video, starting at Minute 40 and Minute 53, and send Denise some kind words of praise and encouragement as more House Housing bills get processed in the Senate.
