News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
John O’Sullivan (special assistant to PM Margaret Thatcher and National Review Editor-in-Large), spoke to the assembled Hillsborough County Republicans on the occasion of their Lincoln-Reagan Gala,as the featured speaker for the evening. Here, he continues on his varying takes on the themes of “What now, GOP?” as well as reminiscing on what it was like working for Prime Minister Thatcher during that time well looked upon by Conservatives.
Part 3 is here; Parts 4 & 5 after the jump
Pretty much, any speech to a political crowd means that questions wish to be asked and answered and last night was not exception. Given the time of the evening (the entrees at this dinner were served a bit later than scheduled) and the length of the speech, there were only three questions asked: The President, … Read more
At the end of the Hillsborough County Republican Committee Lincoln-Reagan Gala, we started to breakdown the livestreaming equipment pretty quickly – it was late, it would take a while, and then there was the long drive home (and the Mtn. Dew WAS failing me!). However, John O’Sullivan did come over to our disheveled table (a prime scenario for a disorderly conduct citation, audio equipment wise!) so Grokster Mike and I quickly thanked him for his willingness to extend his already long evening and started the camera rolling:
Sidenote: “…camera rolling” – such a quaint old fashioned term for recording an event, being that there is no longer anything (i.e., tape) to be rolling when all goes onto a flat SDmicro chip….
Well, per our usual operating standards after livestreaming an event, we put up “smaller chunck” videos (and thanks to Grokster Mike for manning this camera). For those of you that missed it: Last night was the Hillsborough County Republican Committee Lincoln-Reagan Gala where two Lincoln-Reagan Award winners were recognized: Former Congressman Charlie Bass and Former … Read more
Continuing with the agenda for the Hillsborough County Republican Committee Lincoln-Reagan Gala, the next two items: US Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) sent a Letter to be read to the Committee as she could not attend – Kevin Smith did the reading Lincoln-Reagan Award winners – Former Congressman Frank Guinta (unavailable due to a family emergency) and … Read more
OK, I know this is a couple of days old, but still worth posting as an object lesson. We here at the ‘Grok raised a fuss and a big ‘ole stinkeroonie as we figuratively shined our flashlight into a dark corner – the kind of one where taxpayers end up paying for the mistakes that Government makes, either in actuality or in priority (e.g., not doing what it should be). We berated those Republicans that voted to raise the gas tax (that Pike Industries loves so much) that would hurt ordinary working folks.
Well, our motto is to “Spank’em when they’re wrong and Thank’em when they’re right”; we did the former and now time for the latter:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19th, 2013
Contact: 603-271-3665
House Republican Leaders Comment on Gas Tax Increase Bill
CONCORD – Today House Republican Leader Gene Chandler (R-Bartlett) and House Republican Policy Leader Laurie Sanborn (R-Bedford) offered the following statements on the committee vote on HB617, a bill that would raise the gas tax. The House Ways and Means committee voted 11-7 to recommend the bill ought to pass with amendment. The committee amendment would raise the gas tax by 67%. Republicans on the committee were unanimous in their opposition to the bill.
It is now 4:45 am. I am wide awake, thinking about the vast number of things that need to be accomplished today. As a wife, mom, legislator, volunteer, and music educator, I can tell you there are lots of sleepless nights. I suspect it is a difficult time for most of us as we struggle with the financial, personal, and political challenges of our time. Life is definitely a test these days.
Much of my worry seems to be rooted in the insecurity of what is coming down the pike. What country will our children/grandchildren possess as they grow older? Will our children still have all the opportunities our generation enjoyed? Will our grandchildren enjoy the personal freedoms we always assumed would be there for them? All of these questions are overwhelming in scope and stop many of us dead in our tracks. As our country becomes deluged with crushing, liberty-stealing debt and disingenuous politics, people are checking out. Many folks have just become immobile under the weight of it all. But, most frightening is the fear this is exactly what those in political power desire. If “the people” drop out of the process and leave governing to others, (especially those who may not be looking out for our Constitutional Republic) well, let’s just say this is NOT what our Founding Fathers had in mind!
I joined the NH legislature because I could no longer be part of the silent majority. I unequivocally believe the majority of our neighbors ARE for conservative principles of smaller government, smaller debt, and broader personal freedom. But we are hitched to a leviathan of debt and corruption. How can we possibly hope to stand under such weight? One answer – we become politically active in the Conservative movements in our communities.
The featured speaker of last Wednesday night’s Belknap County Republican meeting was the new NH GOP Chair Jennifer Horn. She talked about some of the issues that confront the State Party and some of the ways she is going to try to mitigate them.
Please note that there is a section of her speech that I have deliberately not show dealing with fundraising.
Questions 1 & 2 after the jump
After new NH GOP Chair Jennifer Horn gave her speech, the questions started in (Questions 1 and 2 are here). The next two: Question 3 … Read more
More questions for new NH GOP Chair Jennifer Horn gave her speech, . The next two: Question 5 Question 6 Previous: Jennifer Horn’s speech Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question … Read more
More questions for new NH GOP Chair Jennifer Horn gave her speech, . The next two: Question 7 … Read more
Well, let’s see if I remember HOW to blog – it’s been a bit as I’ve been out straight since this past Sunday with events or tasks to attend to each and every night. Lots of video to put up and other stuff to catch up on, and this is one of the first ones. Wednesday was the regular monthly meeting of the Belknap County Republicans and the new NH GOP Chair Jennifer Horn was the featured speaker. While we did endorse her rival for the position, we’ve been waiting to see how she starts her term. So far, not bad – especially with this. However, that set of videos (a lively set of questions happened after her talk) will have to wait – there was another speaker that spoke before her. To set the table, from the NH GOP Platform: Oppose laws and programs contrary to our founding principles such as Sharia Law, the International Baccalaureate Program, UN Agenda 21 or other “sustainable development” programs
Since the inception of the TEA Party movement, there has been an uneasy tension between the TEA Party and the GOP as the former has seen the latter as complicit in the mess that the Country finds itself even as it sees the GOP Platform (it’s “supposed” beliefs, but more on that later) close to the TEA Party philosophy than the Dems. On the flip side, the Establishment Republicans see the TEA Partiers as a threat to their stranglehold on political power on the Right (as we watch this play out in DC right now). But there are times that things mesh – as the quote from the NH GOP Platform indicates. Tim Carter from Lakes Region TEA Party was allowed to speak to the full room quickly on the Federal Government over reach to Federalize local NH zoning codes in the form of HUD / EPA / DOT’s Sustainable Communities Initiative – otherwise known locally as Granite State Future (why can’t Progressives ever use the plain truth for their programs? Is it because they KNOW people would reject them out of hand if, you know, they actually were truthful and honest about what they were doing?):
More later on today on this topic. Intro from the meeting after the jump.
Well, these should have gone with the “intro” post, but that’s OK – blogging means never having to recycle pixels if you don’t want to. The Vesta Roy is a training program for Republican women and given that the Belknap County Convention just finished setting up its budget (along with cry baby Commissioners), NH State Rep Frank Tilton gave the attendees an update.
Vesta Roy Budget Update
Previous video:
BackStory: Since the national election, much has been made of the Obama Data Machine – hundreds of millions of dollars spent, hundreds of people employed, and a use of advanced IT married with Big Data and Behavioral Engineering / Science for the singular purpose of keeping Obama in the Oval Office seat. Certainly, the GOP, the NH GOP, needs to learn that lesson (one among many) that the terms, conditions, and actions of campaigning have been forever changed. The ability to find, persuade, motivate, and get new and low information voters to go and vote was a model of technology – far beyond what has been yet defined, spec’d out, implemented, and used.
Agreement all around: the GOP, heck – the NH GOP, has to get with it and soon. Or either be relegated to minority status for a long time -or come out with another kind of disruptive technique (perhaps totally orthagonal to even the “new normal” of Big Data / Behavioral Science / Campaigning. If the latter happens, great but in the mean time, it is pretty much agreed that Tech must be upgraded. Pretty much, it is a must – anything to better connect with voters. One email that came in over the transom:
The opening line from Instapundit that caught my eye: IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE TEA PARTY BECOME A TRUE THIRD PARTY, THIS IS HOW TO BRING IT ABOUT: Indeed – and the Republican Party elites will only have themselves to blame. If Republican Leadership thinks that it has a lock on the Right of … Read more
[Note: a compendium of “Dennis-isms” from the just completed Belknap County budget process at the end -Skip]
Boy, this being a “representative” is pretty difficult stuff. I have to admit, even though I take our Wednesday meeting/voting sessions at the State House pretty seriously, sitting through some of these difficult County Budget meetings has really been eye opening. I am happy to say, our conservative majority in the delegation have level funded the county budget for our Belknap County taxpayers. No tax increase this year much to the chagrin of our County Commissioners, County Administrator, Deb Shackett, and the Democrats on our county delegation. However, the most surreal experience of all, has been working with Republican Representative Dennis Fields. Not only did Rep. Fields vote with the Democrats to RAISE the county portion of our property taxes, Rep. Fields has also voted with the Democrats at the State House against our 2nd Amendment rights. And, I have to wonder if Sanbornton voters truly understood what they were getting in their Republican candidate, Dennis Fields when they voted for him. If so, then you need not read any further. If not, then you need to recognize his anti-Second Amendment votes and actions at our county budget meeting prove Rep.Fields is not supporting the proposed Republican Party platform or our Constitutional rights to bear arms. He ran as a Republican and was voted him in as such. Hmmm…..
During the process of county budget talks (the 9% proposed increase on the county portion of our property taxes was beyond egregious, in my opinion), Fields continually sided with the Commissioners and Democrats, often attacking his own Republican Chair, Rep. Colette Worsman, with unprofessional diatribes and hyperbole. His quarrelsome statements on Worsman holding “secret meetings”, (they are called CAUCUSES, Rep. Field. ALL political parties hold them. There is nothing “secretive” about them
Yeah Steve, the figure I’ve seen is up to $1 Billion in new taxes embedded in HB617 over the next few years – and YOU get to help pay for them each and every time you put the gas nozzle into tank for a fill-up (that is, if you can afford the 83% rise in the State tax). IMHO, simply because the Politicians can’t keep their cotton picking hands outta the proverbial cookie jar called the Highway Fund. They complain that there are roads and bridges that NEED REPAIR NOW – yet most of them were red listed when the Democrats held the supermajorities in the NH House and Senate, and holding the Governorship.
You asked, I provide – the list of Republicans that helped the Democrats in the House making life more expensive for Joe and Jane SixPack:
Frank Tilton Mark McConkey John Graham Shawn Jasper Dave Danielson Charlene Takesian Dave Kidder
David Hess Priscilla Lockwood Bill Friel About Khan Dave Milz Kevin Waterhouse John Sytek
Jim Grenier
Yeah. Two of Gene Chandler’s Leadership team (bolded) – way to go Team! Consistency of action. Discipline of message. What do you say about a Leadership Team that can’t vote straight? Good news coming from this session for taxpayers, I’ll say.
For those of you in my neck of Hillsborough County, or points near and far with the interest, NH-GOP Chair Jennifer Horn will be speaking to the Bedford Republican Town Committee on Tuesday March 12th at 7:30. The meeting will be held at the Bedford Town Library, 3 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford. This might be a … Read more
Dear NH GOP Chair Jennifer Horn,
While it is true that we supported your opponent in the race to replace Wayne McDonald, we have watched you doing the right things as the new Chair. We have needed someone to be on the attack instead of silent. We have needed someone willing to get out of the office and not just to go to yet another GOP meeting.
We have seen both so far. More needs to be seen and the intensity measured as well. Thus far, we have taken the tack of “not actively helping, but not actively griping either” – we can do both (some believe the latter far better than the former, btw) but given that the race was decided, we decided to sit back and see how things would start to shake out.
Do not take this as “a damning with faint praise” moment – so far, we are staying cautiously optimistic. Overall, given the short amount of time into your term thus far, stay on the same road you are on. However, you have an important speed bump that you are about to hit – or have you already bounced over it without wondering “er, what was that and what damage has it done?”. You are confronted with a Branding Moment. A Defining Moment. No, not for you as Chair, per se, but for the Party – what NOW will be the outward face to the Public? Or will the be The Spinning Top Party moment?
HB617 – where every NH House Republican on the Public Works Committee supported a large TAX. Our most prolific commenters (with the quirkiest name and oft, an even more quirky sense of humor and writing), C.dog.e.dog wrote as a comment here:
I looked on the NH Repub Party site and found no position posts regarding the gas tax. You’d think it would deserve at least a mention given it’s the largest tax to feed the maw of New Hamster in some time.
– C. dog bark ravin’ mad
My opinion is that he is wrong; he isn’t raving mad, just mad at a Party that says it is for lower taxes (and indeed, it has the potential to be the biggest “broad based” tax in many a year) but has said NOTHING. I fear that there are many others out there that are waiting to see what the Smaller Government / Larger Citizen Party is doing about this situation and are thinking to themselves “And?” Why is there silence – especially as the NH GOP has come out against other taxes introduced, promoted, voted on, and passed by Democrats?
Where is the Consistency?
I wondered what Jennifer Horn would do as I wrote this; now we know – the non-silent silent answer. She did not “Choose Well”. The Press Release, which went out this morning, is after the jump. This is my Letter just sent:
Dear Jennifer (NH GOP Chair),
Right you are concerning the proposed gas – this should never have made it out of committee with a single Republican vote.
And that’s the problem – it got every single one of them. All of the Republicans on the committee, every one, voted for it; not a single Nay vote amongst them. In other words, they have turned your words below into hollow ones with their votes – that presser is of no importance at all as every single elected Republican just cut you off at the knees. Wait until NH Democrat Chair Buckley sends out his PR about “But Jennifer, all of YOUR Republicans sided with the Democrat Leadership and Maggie Hassan – doesn’t that put you on the wrong side of the issue?”. I see no comeback – your Party members have done just that from a perception standpoint – and voters will see that.
Your press release does make you look rather blinkered for ignoring the very Republicans that put you into such a position – a very foolish one. Castigating the Democrats while ignoring the bad behavior of your own Republicans – including the Minority House Leader? Not good at all and badly played.
Unfortunately, this PR blurb does not “thread the needle” that was necessary – you’ve now given more Republicans cover by not mentioning these chuckleheads at all. You have now given out the message “S’all right, vote for more expensive and bigger government – I’ll just ignore your part in it“. Again, how is this perception going to help in recruiting more voters to the Republican Party?
Yes, Jennifer, my answer would have been: