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Plain Politics

GraniteGrok Analysis: Bass Wins in NH. Blue state RI turns bluer: Chafee out.

by Doug
With the countdown to election day ticking, the dynamics of the assorted races seemingly change by the minute. "He’s up. She’s down. The election is won. The election is lost. It will  be bad for the GOP. All is lost. Dems get control. Republicans hang on." And all before  a single vote gets cast. Thankfully, for better or worse, it all ends Tuesday.
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I never really know what to make of the political polling- As can be often heard at the lunchroom table or by the watercooler, I too must confess I have never been polled. Neither, to the best of my knowledge, has anybody that I know. What does this mean? I know plenty of people that vote that don’t really have a traditional phone by which they can be reached- they instead use cell phones. How are these folks polled? It is widely agreed that opinion and exit pollsters badly called the last string of elections. Should this one be different?
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With that being said, reports indicate that polls are showing the Democrat candidates are surging ahead. Pundits question whether "the base" of the GOP will even bother to turn out. As I’ve previously noted, none of the people that I know who are card-carrying members of "the base" will sit this election out- as they would not in ANY election. Most of them that don’t care for their candidate will "hold their noses" and do the right thing. They, more than most people, understand the implications of a Pelosi-led House aided and abetted by wingnuts like Charles Rangel. No, this election will hinge on that large group of voters in the middle- the so-called "swing voter"- or, as myself and others are wont to call them, "the great unwashed".
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This is how I see it: The electorate is roughly split into 3 groups. (1.) Left. (2.) Right. (3.) Don’t know. Those on the left will always be there, much as those on the right (my camp) will stay put where they are. No amount of persuasive argumentation will cut it with either group. You might call them collectively, "the base". Then we have the aforementioned "great unwashed" or, more accurately, those who "don’t know".
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These people pay no attention to politics or government whatsoever, and get most of what they do "know" from the traditional main stream media (MSM). When it’s election time, they rely almost completely on TV ads and whatever their chosen MSM outlet decides to tell them for help in making a "decision".. It is the hearts and minds of these people for which all both sides fight. Sadly enough, when voting day comes, some will simply cast a ballot for whoever was in the last TV ad they saw as they headed out the door…
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Let’s consider two key congressional races with perennial favorites of "don’t know" voters (moderate)- Sen. Lincoln Chafee in RI and Rep. Charles Bass here in NH.
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Doug endorses… a DEMOCRAT?! Watch out for flying pigs!*UPDATE*

by Doug

On September 27, 2005, just a little over a year ago, the Portsmouth Herald (NH) reported that “Gov. John Lynch and New Hampshire’s four congressmen called for the resignation of Executive Councilor Ray Burton Monday, citing recent revelations about the criminal record of one of his campaign workers.” You remember the story- the long time … Read more

The devil you know… Consider the “big picture”. Vote Republican Tuesday.

by Doug

Other than the NH Governor’s Executive Council race, I will be voting for Republicans across the board. Is it because they’ve done great things lately? Of course not, because they haven’t. At the state level, while the majority Republicans once again dithered away the chance to enact a constitutional amendment to keep the courts out … Read more

The Romney campaign plays the victim card early in the game.

by Doug

Regular readers know that, because the GraniteGrok "bunker" is located here in the heart of NH, the still "almost first in the Nation" presidential nominating state, we will be reporting on the race to the White House ’08 from time to time… . With the silly season leading up to the midterm elections in high … Read more

Lies, damned lies, and campaign rhetoric. The silly season reaches its apex.

by Doug

The midterm congressional and state office campaigns are now in the final push to election day. The airwaves are filled with ads- "I’m candidate Joe Inyoorface and I approved this message." This time is alway inevitabley accompanied by the traditional calls of unfairness and accusations of mudslinging from all quarters. . Here in NH, the Dems are in … Read more

Now THAT’S gravitas! Lynne Cheney reams CNN.

by Doug

Back when Dick Cheney was getting excoriated for telling Pat Leahey to go "f" himself while on the floor of the Senate, I jumped for joy. Finally, somebody told the Vermont Senator something he needed to hear for a long time! Now THAT’S gravitas, I thought. . Behind every successful man is a good woman … Read more

Shipyard union ingrates toss Bradley overboard.

by Doug

TheFreeDictionary.com defines an “ingrate” as an “ungrateful person.” It lists a similar word: “ungrateful wretch.”  That is the phrase I say most accurately describes the unionized workers of NH’s Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Remember how bad everybody felt for them when it was announced the military wanted to close their facility down? Luckily for them, that … Read more

Angling for Bass…

by Doug
Our friend Liz Mair at GOPProgress.com informs us that their "Candidate of the Week" is NH’s congressman from the 2nd Congressional district, Charles Bass.
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With control of both houses of the federal legislative branches hanging in the balance, all of the closely contested elected positions are being carefully scrutinized by all. The Bass/Hodes race has suddenly become, according to polls, one of the ones to watch. As the election draws near, survey polls are, says conventional wisdom (more wrong than right in the last couple of elections), supposedly more accurate. If true, we may have a problem right here in the Granite State. Liz Mair writes
While Bass had led his opponent, Paul Hodes, by up to 20 points earlier this year, a poll came out yesterday showing him trailing Hodes by 9 points, with a substantial number of voters undecided.
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Hmmm. As a solid conservative, I have long waited for the day when he departs the seat, replaced by a more traditional conservative Republican. Not that I don’t think Charlie’s a good guy, mind you, it’s just that he’s often times too liberal for my liking.
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This got me thinking- what if some of my conservative friends in that district were to "sit out" the election, perhaps "offing" Rep. Bass once and for all? Nah- one thing’s for sure, they won’t "sit out" an election. Maybe leave Bass’s name unchecked on the ballot, or worse, would they vote for his opponent? Is that what I would do? (I live in the 1st CD- Jeb Bradley’s district) Would I risk turning the House over to Nancy Pelosi and company? Absolutely not!
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The odds of a Charlie Bass voting favorable on issues important to me as a conservative are much higher than his Democratic challenger, should he win. Besides, the time to make a run at Congressman Bass is during the primary. Does anybody really want a Democrat to hold that seat? Anybody remember when Democrat Dick Swett held this seat? Recall that he voted for the so-called "assault weapons" ban. This may have been his ultimate demise– but the damage was done. Do we want a rerun? I think not.
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The GOPProgress posting on Bass calls him
a key moderate, with a strong record of supporting the war in Iraq, pursuing tax cuts benefiting the middle class and small businesses, and working to protect New Hampshire’s environment.
Other than his environmental record, (I want more domestic oil drilling), I agree with the above sentiment. And really, given the more left of center nature of the portion of the state Bass represents, combined with classic NH frugality, I think he most closely reflects the belief of a majority of his constituents.
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Would I vote for Bass? You bet! ————————the word from several conservative friends from his district is that they plan on casting a ballot for Charlie as well.
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I think it will be up to that large group in the middle- the "great unwashed"- (those who never follow politics until a week before the election) as to who gets the seat in Congress. I really see no reason for these people, if they really think about it for a minute, to jettison Charlie Bass. 
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With friends like these…

by Doug

As we start the week, the words of powerful US Senators spoken late last week and during Sunday talking heads shows reverberate across the land. The Dems and their accomplices throughout the main stream media just can’t trumpet them loud enough. "Bush wrong on Iraq," they say. "He must engage North Korea directly," abandoning his own administration’s … Read more

Beltway Blogger pays Central NH a Visit

by Doug

The second installment of the joint radio venture between GraniteGrok and AnkleBitingPundits is now "in the can" as they say. We were quite pleased to have Liz Mair of GOPProgress.com join us in the studio for some discussion on the upcoming election. (You might recall that I posted about her "reasons to vote Republican" a … Read more

Reasons to vote Republican next month

by Doug

Eric at Redstate.com ran a contest a couple of days ago asking readers to state, in 100 words or less, why you should vote Republican in 2006. The winner was Liz Mair of gopprogress.com who really nailed it: I will vote Republican in 2006 because:   I want a prosperous America, where the poorest can achieve … Read more

McCain: When he’s wrong, he’s wrong. When he’s right, he’s right. Today he’s right.

by Doug
Anybody that knows me knows that I am generally p-o’d at John McCain for whatever cause he happens to be championing. Whether it’s stifling free speech with campaign finance "reform" or seemingly protecting the "rights" of terrorists, I regard him as more harm than good for many of the issues important to me. Many crusades upon which he embarks appear designed for publicity and to distance himself from policies of the Bush administration.
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That being said, given the poor polling numbers that continue to dog President Bush, there may be- and it’s a big "may"- some "method to his madness." If large numbers of voters continue to allow themselves to be misled by the President’s detractors (main stream media, Democrats, etc.), the only way for any Republican to be successful in ’08 may be by being the "anti-Bush." Do I like this possibilty? No. In a perfect world, more people would wake up, see the soundness of the present administration’s overall strategy, and choose a candidate running a campaign based upon a continuation.
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The world is not perfect.
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McCain isn’t always wrong, either. He scored 2 positive points with me this week. First, he guest blogged at Captain’s Quarters (which, now that I think of it, earns him another point) on the North Korea situation. He did this nation a great service by reiterating the folly of the ’94 Clinton administration deal with the communist regime, helping people to recognize that mistake so that we don’t repeat it.
The worst thing we could do is accede to North Korea’s demand for bilateral talks. When has rewarding North Korea’s bad behavior ever gotten us anything more than worse behavior?
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I would remind Senator Hillary Clinton and other Democrats critical of Bush Administration policies that the framework agreement her husband’s administration negotiated was a failure. The Koreans received millions in energy assistance. They diverted millions in food assistance to their military. And what did they do? They secretly enriched uranium.
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Prior to the agreement, every single time the Clinton Administration warned the Koreans not to do something — not to kick out the IAEA inspectors, not to remove the fuel rods from their reactor — they did it. And they were rewarded every single time by the Clinton Administration with further talks. We had a carrots and no sticks policy that only encouraged bad behavior. When one carrot didn’t work, we offered another.
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This isn’t just about North Korea. Iran is watching this test of the Council’s will, and our decisions will surely influence their response to demands that they cease their nuclear program. Now, we must, at long last, stop reinforcing failure with failure.
Amen! This is "straight talk" of the kind that I only wish was more common. What’s not to understand? What is surprising about this from McCain is that he followed it up with another correct statement on an important issue- the Iraqi front in the war. 

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Pataki joins the fray…

by Doug

We can now officially add another name to the growing list of probable Republican candidates gearing up for a run at NH’s still "almost first in the nation" presidential nominating process- NY Governor George Pataki. As Chan Eddy over at WeekendPundit noted, Pataki opened a campaign office here in NH last Monday. Engaging in the normal … Read more

There’s waaaaay too much partisanship goin’ on around here!

by Doug
In several prior postings, I have written about NH’s long-time RNC committeeman Tom Rath’s joining the Mitt Romney presidential team. I wrote about Mr. Rath:
This guy Rath is a big party guy, eh? He must be quite the conservative with this resume. Well, er, maybe not- Lamar Alexander? Warren Rudman? Bob Dole? Conservatives? Not hardly. And neither is Tom Rath. He’s what I would describe as a "country club" "Rockefeller Republican". Always looking for the deal. The consummate party man. I guess I’m a bad Republican to feel a "party man" loyalist is in some way bad- so be it. When have I heard Rath say anything in defense of Republican principles lately? Has he defended the war? Supported the troops? Written a letter? Of course not- he’s too busy being that genteel diplomatic, deal making sort. Don’t rock the boat.
While it sounds rather harsh, it is true. As President Bush gets assailed from all quarters on every step he takes on anything, his popularity plummets. As this happens, the Republican party, guilty by association, gets caught in the crossfire. As I’ve said before, I’m no Republican rumpswab by any means, but to allow the Democrats, hostage to the hard left wing, victory and a majority in the government would be a disaster for the war. (Don’t forget- the Dems war "plans" are the same as the terrorists- they want us to exit the battlefield in defeat.)
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And where’s Tom been while all this has been going on? Has "Mr. NH Bigtime GOP Man" been pounding the pavement, spilling ink, or giving big speeches in defense of our Republican president? Of course not. That might be too undiplomatic…
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GraniteGrok Analysis: GOP Prez Primary- An October Snapshot

by Doug
Living in the heart of central NH, home of the "almost first in the nation" presidential nominating vote, we always get a front-row seat view of the early political "ground game" as the race to the White House gets cranked up. With a month left until the mid-term elections, the various Republican hopefuls have been busy traveling the country helping congressional candidates in the final stretch, looking for that return favor less than two years from now. This is not to say that the candidates aren’t still working on their own campaigns, it’s just that much of it remains below the radar screen at the moment.
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With the primary still a ways over the horizon, other than polling data, how would one go about designating the so-called frontrunners? One way that seems as good as any other method is to look at who is attracting the technicians that might be instrumental in any NH Republican party campaign. Who is successful in winning over the potential members of a victorious team? One could safely assume that these veterans would be hanging their hats with candidates they perceive as having a fighting chance at winning (except for those in it strictly for the money).
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Making up the most valuable of these highly prized team members are the party regulars- you know, those stuffy "big shots"- persons some might call the “usual suspects.” Although I am a (somewhat) young conservative more true to actual principles and values than I am to the party, and tend to view the rigid party types as too "establishment" for my liking, I do recognize the obvious, immediate benefit they bring to a campaign. With donor lists, phone numbers, and political IOUs in hand, these party apparatchiks can bring instant momentum to any political organization. The candidate that lands such people early in the game can be granted major candidate status because the people concerned want to be with a winner, and they are more privy than the rest of us to the "inside track." Their judgment must be given a degree of credibility. Count almost as important the successful, professional political operatives. They too wish to work for a winner, which always looks better in the portfolio.
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 Another way to roughly gauge a leading contender is the ability to draw a crowd and build excitement.
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Based upon my criteria as noted, I am designating three main Republican frontrunners here in NH as of the start of October.

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If the Dems win… a look to the future.

by Doug

The taxpayer watchdog group Americans for Tax Reform has issued the following press release. While they may not openly trumpet their real plan for America, Democratic party leaders do give clues from time to time. Discerning their actual agenda should they win in the November elections reminds me of the days of "Kremlin watchers" trying to get a … Read more

Pelosi on Ramadan. Pelosi on Christmas.

by Doug

Nancy Pelosi releases statement on Ramadan: WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ — House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today to commemorate the start of Ramadan, which began on Saturday: . "Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, marks a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control for the more … Read more

It’s official: Rath says Mitt is it…

by Doug

Today’s New Hampshire Union Leader is reporting that longtime Republican National Committeeman Tom Rath will resign that position and officially sign on with Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in his quest for the Republican party’s presidential nomination: Veteran Republican strategist Tom Rath of Concord has chosen his candidate for the 2008 Presidential election: Gov. Mitt Romney … Read more

Mr. Clinton- Take a chill pill!

by Doug
I just watched Chris Wallace interview former president Bill Clinton on Fox News Sunday. It has been quite some time since I’ve paid the slightest bit of attention to the second worst president of my lifetime. (click here for the worst) Ordinarily, I would have just lunged for the channel-changer at the first sight of the impeached president, but, given the pre-airing publicity and the fact that I always watch FNC, I tuned in. I was not disappointed.
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Let me first say that Wallace was flawless in his journalistic approach to the interview. He was as he always is no matter who his subject may be: unflappable. His cool handling of Clinton’s obvious combativeness helped bring out for those watching a side to Clinton that he usually keeps in check- a bitter enmity towards those who oppose him politically. The anger and rage unveiled through his words and body language are what I believe to be the TRUE Bill Clinton- a truth he and his handlers have worked very hard to keep under wraps. 
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The other theme brought out in the interview was that of the "conspiracy." Acting like some sort of paranoidical madman "supreme leader"-type fearing unseen "enemies" always looking to do him harm, Clinton raised that all-too-familiar specter:

WALLACE: … but the question is, why didn’t you do more, connect the dots and put them out of business?

CLINTON: OK, let’s talk about it. Now, I will answer all those things on the merits, but first I want to talk about the context in which this arises.

I’m being asked this on the FOX network. ABC just had a right- wing conservative run in their little "Pathway to 9/11," falsely claiming it was based on the 9/11 Commission report, with three things asserted against me directly contradicted by the 9/11 Commission report.

And I think it’s very interesting that all the conservative Republicans, who now say I didn’t do enough, claimed that I was too obsessed with bin Laden. All of President Bush’s neo-cons thought I was too obsessed with bin Laden. They had no meetings on bin Laden for nine months after I left office. All the right-wingers who now say I didn’t do enough said I did too much — same people.

Sounds like that "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" is still alive and well with…

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Watch the ad. It’s good… and true too.

by Doug

The Rumor Mill at NH Insider.com has a YouTube posting of an excellent ad being aired in support of Republicans in the upcoming election. Now, I am no Republican rumpswab, but I do believe that a Democratic win in November would be a disaster for our war efforts. With the impeachment of President Bush as the … Read more

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