Hodes Nabbed For Push Poll

The big news this morning is that the democrats are eating crow.  Yes, after all the caterwauling about Republican complaints over a push-poll conducted for the Hodes campaign–which they were unwilling to admit they commissioned, or that it was even a push poll–has resulted in a fine of $20,000.00 against the firm that conducted the poll, and an admission by the Hodes campaign that they did pay the company to conduct the poll for which they were fined.

The Union leader reports that Mountain West Research has agreed to pay a $20,000.00 fine for violating New Hampshire state law by conducting a push-poll against Kelly Ayotte.

The ambassadors from Hodesistan have admitted to paying to have the poll done but still refuse to acknowledge that it was in fact, a push poll.  Sounds like bitter clinging to me.

It was a push poll.  So did you know it was a push poll?  Of course you did.

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Smacking Hodes On The Wiener

I Scooped this up from Matt over at Red Hampshire. American Crossroads is hitting Paul Hodes right in the…well… wiener.  Using the now laughably famous Hodes"Hot Dog" ad for context, they point out just a sliver of the waste Hodes voted for from a fraction of one spending bill out of many–the Porkulus. Give it … Read more

Something Stupid This Way Comes

Photo Credit-Red HampshirePaul Hodes August recess has afforded him the opportunity to engage in what he is calling his Wake up Washington Tour.   My first thought was…who is sleeping in the State of Washington and why does Paul Hodes want to wake them up?  As it turns out, he’s talking about the District of Columbia and how to deal with "Business as usual."

Paul Hodes is bringing his "Wake Up Washington" Tour across the Granite State!  Stop by an event near you to sit down with Paul and share your ideas about changing business as usual in Washington, standing up to the special interests, and rebuilding our economy for the middle class.
 
Paul is running for the U.S. Senate to be an independent voice for you, and no one else.  Join your neighbors and friends for some good food, great conversation, and the chance to learn more about Paul’s campaign.

I’m not entirely sure what business he’s talking about.  As part of the partisan majority Mr. Hodes has gone out of his way to ignore the will of the people.   He has voted for trillions in spending, grown debt and government, and funds his campaign with donations from the PAC’s of the Senatorial elite–cash rich entrenched democrats who are business as usual.  So my suggestion on how he can help–lose the election.

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Hodespocrisy–The Max Baucus Edition

Money money money money...Max Baucus, Democrat Senator from Montana, is the chairman of the Senate Finance committee and his Glacier PAC has donated $10,000.00 dollars to Paul Hodes for Senate.  Baucus may be best known for his influence on Health Care reform or Climate change legislation.  But what he should be known for is his relationship with lawyer/staffer Melodee Hanes, (here, here and here) whom he left his wife for, and also nominated for a job as US district attorney from Montana. (then there’s this) Talk about inside baseball.  But banging a staffer, dumping your wife, and then trying to hook-her up with a well paying federal job–even if it is love–demands questions about your core values and integrity so it’s a good thing he’s a democrat.

If Baucus was Mark Sanford for example, the media would have hung him from the pillory by his man-parts and shamed him out of seeking higher office which makes you wonder if Mark Sanford would have faired better if he’d tried to get his Argentinean mistress a job at the State Department?  Buy her a blue dress and hello Oval Office?  I guess we’ll never know, but since Baucus is a powerful Senator and a democrat, everything about it is a non-scandal-scandal to the unbiased media so he was never in any serious danger over that cozy relationship; but should it make Paul Hodes think twice?

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Welcome To The Hodespocrisy!

Hodespocrisy.jpg

On July 31st the New Hampshire Democrat Party declared open season on Paul Hodes political PAC money so I’m not wasting any time taking up the challenge.  The challenge?  Find hypocrisy in the donors or the donors to the donors—to Paul Hodes campaign.  Let me tell that it’s no challenge making Mr. Hodes and his NHDP supporters look like hypocrites.  So courtesy of the NHDP’s new ‘rules’ I am pleased to bring you an ongoing series of campaign finance investigations suitably called the Hodespocrisy.

First up is DANPAC, one of nine leadership PAC’s that have given Mr. Hodes $10,000.00 dollars this election cycle.  DANPAC is run by Senator Daniel Inouye, democrat from Hawaii, the chairman of the Senate appropriations committee.  DANPAC has given $10,000.00 to Paul Hodes, which Mr. Hodes has accepted despite glaring contradictions.

Contradictions you ask?  What might they be?

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Hodes + BP + Lobbyist + Rhetoric

Hey That's My SubsidyNo one doubts that BP has a responsibility to clean up after themselves but Paul Hodes has taken the opportunity to play word games and politics. Yesterday he announced that because of BP’s complicity in the release of the Lockerbie Bomber they are no longer entitled to the tax cuts the government gives them out of the goodness of its frozen black little heart. Hodes calls them ‘Tax subsidies. ‘

That is lib-speak for money you legally earned that the government lets you keep. Imagine a mugger leaving you a twenty for cab fare after he takes everything esle including your car keys. That twenty is a subsidy provided by the mugger to you. Hodes is the mugger and he has decided that BP is not entitled to the money it legally earns–and likely needs to stay solvent to help pay for that mess down in the gulf.

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Why Did They Donate To Paul Hodes?

  Why would an engineering firm from Colorado employed to help clean up and rebuild after Hurricane Katrina be donating money to Paul Hodes 2010 campaign?  MWH America is, in their own words, a global leader in wet infrastructure, but MWH has recently been charged with poor invoicing practices and even overcharging the city of … Read more

Hodes: I believe it’s important to be open and accessible”

by Doug

  Here’s a video showing NH’s 2nd Congressional District representative Paul Hodes taking heat before and after press conference for not allowing constituents accessibility in an open town hall style meeting. With the canned response obviously stuck in his head, the hard to find Democratic Congressman claims he has "spoken to thousands of constituents in … Read more

Maybe they should try one of those alerts?

by Doug

Fox News is reporting that Carol Shea Porter and Paul Hodes, NH’s House representative have turned up missing… This is, of course, a result of the stories originally running here and here. I would add our two US Senators Shaheen and Gregg to the list of those among the missing. Just as I got ready to … Read more

Ovide Lamontagne: I would have voted NO

by Doug

Potential Republican Senate candidate Ovide Lamontagne weighs in on the Sotomayer vote. Anyone care to guess how Judd Gregg’s hand-picked successor, Kelly Ayotte would have voted, given that her benefactor cast his vote in the affirmative? 

(MANCHESTER) – Ovide Lamontagne, potential candidate for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire, made the following statement today regarding the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Providing “advice and consent” on a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court is among the most important duties facing a Senator.  Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life, and they have extraordinary power.  Our government is based on the principle of three separate and independent branches of government which serve as checks upon one another.  Our Constitution demands this independence, and Americans expect and deserve this independence.  I strongly believe that the Constitution requires that the use of that judicial power must be restrained.  Put simply, judges apply and interpret the laws duly enacted by our elected representatives; judges must not make the law.

Judge Sotomayor has a truly remarkable life story which every American can admire.  The child of Puerto Rican parents who spoke no English upon arriving in New York, she taught herself English and became an outstanding student at both Princeton University and Yale Law School. 

Professionally she has continued to succeed and accomplish a great deal, first as a prosecutor and most recently, as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals.  There is no doubt that Judge Sotomayor possesses the experience and qualifications to be considered as a Supreme Court nominee.

 

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Et tu, Judd? Oh well. At least I’ve got a good supply of those spiffy little notepads with his picture on it to remind me of him after he’s gone…

by Doug

Judd Gregg

Famous Judd Gregg notepad– Gracing many a political banquet place-setting since 1993.

When I got my Union Leader out of the tube early this morning and saw the blurb on the left hand side of the front page touting a story about Senator Judd Gregg and the ongoing bailout-mania, I nearly choked on my coffee when I read the words:

Adding to the federal deficit with an economic stimulus package should lead to greater long-term fiscal stability for the federal government, as well as greater productivity and economic competitiveness, U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg said yesterday.

Huh? Spending more money that we DON’T have will HELP our long-term fiscal stability? I can’t think of any big-spending, government loving liberals that could have articulated their beliefs more clearly than has Judd with the above sentiment. Has he completely lost his mind? Having announced his intention to run for yet another term in the Senate in 2010, is his plan to throw all of his supposed long-standing conservatism (and the conservatives that rely on him) out the window? The last thing we need in the next two years– one dominated by a Democratic ruling majority– is another key Republican "leader" dishing out "Democrat-lite." 

Conventional wisdom held by many Republicans and Independents alike is that part of the reason the GOP finds itself on the outside looking in is because they blew it when it came to any pretense of fiscal restraint. Now, when taking on the Democrats– the REAL pros when it comes to taxing hard-working, productive Americans and giving it away to the many takers– they have no credibility… and we all suffer (and our children’s children’s children).

Perhaps someone should remind Senator Gregg of the words of another Republican that shows the extent to which he has strayed. From Ronald Reagan’s First Inaugural Address:

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Drat!

by Doug

I’ll git you my little pretties! Heheheheeeeee!

VLOG: Shaheen faces the music at BAE Systems, admits being “upset” with the state party and her “displeasure” with their “unfortunate” statements…

by Doug

Jeanne Shaheen, the Democratic challenger for NH’s US Senate seat currently held by Republican John E. Sununu, had to answer today for her party’s charge back in July that BAE Systems and other NH companies are "war profiteers"     BAE Systems of Nashua employs 4,700 employees in NH and another 1,000 in their MA operations. … Read more

A few words with Charlie Bass about Obama and McCain, and how the differences in their policies affect us here in New Hampshire…

by Doug

Charles Bass

Earlier today, GraniteGrok spoke with NH’s former 2nd District Congressman Charles Bass…

What are the key differences between John McCain and Barack Obama with regards to their solutions to the present economic woes that ordinary New Hampshire citizens– the "Joe the plumbers"– need to know?

There are 3 areas of concern with what Obama has in store:

  1. He proposes to raise taxes. This is EXACTLY the wrong thing to do in the present situation. This is not what he says in his rhetoric, but when you look at the details, many people will be paying more taxes in some form or other.
  2. He is looking to restrict free trade. New Hampshire is NOT Youngstown. Many small businesses are involved with and successful BECAUSE of free trade. You run a great risk of toning down successful NH businesses when you restrict free trade.
  3. He proposes to spend a trillion more dollars in addition to everything else, including the wars and economic bailout monies. He never answers the question of where the money is supposed to come from, other than he says he will end the war in Iraq. Of course, even the best estimates prioject that an "immediate" pullout still realistically leaves a significant number of troops there as late as 2012, so the anticipation of real savings is just a fantasy.

And of course, there’s a difference in how Obama and McCain would spend the relief money itself. Obama offers an impressive list of benefits to almost everybody, with large amounts to go directly to "working people." While trying to help such people isn’t in and of itself bad, you have to ask whether or not it’s what’s best to actually achieve the goal of fixing the broken economy.

John McCain believes that the steps taken should be those that seek to shore up and actually rebuild the economy as a whole– one that strengthens businesses– especially small business, which, here in NH provide the majority of our jobs– for the long term and provides good, stable jobs. This is what is of the greatest benefit for ordinary people.

The only proposal made by Obama that appears helpful to small businesses is his proposal to cut capital gains taxes for some, including startups. That’s fine, but capital gains are not the norm during startup times, when there is generally little to no money made at that point.

Perhaps at some risk, Senator McCain talks about cutting corporate tax rates and other taxes. This truly helps small businesses and allows those dollars to instead be left in the economy.

These are complicated issues that require underlying experience if we are to find solutions. Ask yourself– Do we need someone with a good tongue and a good speechwriter to produce "happy talk", or do we need someone that is honest and has the experience and depth to truly fix the present situation?  Senator McCain will balance the need for transparency and accountability while still maintaining America’s competitiveness. It’s a delicate thing, and the last thing we need is an Obama swinging a blunt bureacratic club on Wall Street, given today’s extremely complex and new economic conditions.

A recovering economy that brings along with it jobs means that business– especially small business– needs to thrive and prosper. In many cases today, American companies are competing in a globalized marketplace through both imports and exports. Tell us about the approach to trade taken by each of the candidates and which would be better for American businesses and their employees– especially right here in the Granite State…

 

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Jeanne Shaheen: Weathervane Principles

by Doug

New ad from Team Sununu reminding folks that if there’s one thing you can count on from Jeanne Shaheen, it’s that she’ll jump on any bandwagon that’s popular at the moment…    

Jeanne Shaheen: Off to Washington to help some old pals? GULP!

by Doug

Given Jeanne Shaheen’s sordid past relationship with a financial institution that she granted special favors and pulled strings for while governor, why on Earth would we send her to Washington, DC given the current environment? Would she do for the big banks and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac like she did for Providian— whose subsequent … Read more

“That’s the point. Jeanne Shaheen has been a consistent opponent of nuclear power and oil drilling, where there is oil, for 25 years before her latest poll led to her switch of positions.”

by Doug

Seabrook.oil platform

         Seabrook Station, no thanks to Jeanne…              Offshore drilling? No way!

Jeanne Shaheen

I’ll git you my little pretties… hehehe!

refinery. Seabrook protest

                      Refineries? Nope!                              Assault on Seabrook. May 1, 1977

Back in the 80’s, former NH House Speaker Marshall Cobleigh spent many a Sunday morning debating future Governor Jeanne Shaheen on a number of issues. At the time, the battle over the Seabrook Station nuclear power raged on, with the sides plainly split along partisan lines. Republicans favored the facility and Democrats opposed it. As reported in this post earlier this week, The NHGOP has released several YouTube videos showing Shaheen and Cobleigh going at it over the issue. At the time of the original airing, according to GOP state party chair Fergus Cullen,

she was organizing the radical anti-nuclear community in support of former Portsmouth Mayor Paul McEachern’s 1988 gubernatorial campaign. Shaheen served as the campaign manager and senior advisor to Paul McEachern, an extreme nuclear opponent, in both his 1986 and 1988 bids for the corner office.

[Mr. Cobleigh appeared on our radio program this past Saturday. Click here to download the podcast.]

Today he held a press conference to discuss the matter in response to what the Shaheen camp has had to say about the 1987 video:

STATEMENT OF FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER MARSHALL COBLEIGH
 AND NEW HAMPSHIRE ENERGY CHIEF 1973 – 1978
DELIVERED AT PRESS CONFERENCE
 MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22 AT THE LOB, CONCORD NH

I called this press conference because I was appalled at my long-time television adversary Jeanne Shaheen’s blatent attempt to rewrite and completely distort her record regarding the use of nuclear power and to point out Shaheen’s factual record as a long-time opponent of nuclear power, as well as her failed record as a big-taxing, big-spending governor who left office with a huge budget deficit of $300 million.  Just exactly the type of person we don’t need representing NH in the US Senate.

First of all, I want to address her campaign’s claim that the tapes now on U-tube that I lent to the Republican party “were taken out of context, and these clips are over 20 years old.”

The facts are that the tapes are from 1987 …. 21 years ago.

That’s the point.  Jeanne Shaheen has been a consistent opponent of nuclear power and oil drilling, where there is oil, for 25 years before her latest poll led to her switch of positions.

It is also a fact that nothing is taken out of context.  That is exactly what she said on the show and exactly what I said.  I challenge Jeanne Shaheen to demonstrate clearly what she claims is taken out of context.  We were on the weekly show for about 10 years.  The facts are that Jeanne Shaheen constantly harped about her distaste for nuclear power.  I know it.  And she knows it. 

I just don’t have the rest of the tapes to prove it.

I also challenge Jeanne Shaheen to put up or shut up.  I am willing to let any member of the press examine these tapes and verify that nothing is taken out of context.

The Shaheen spokesman also claims “what Jeanne Shaheen has CONSISTENTLY SAID …. that nuclear power is a part of our energy mix…. but we should not subsidize it, and WE SHOULD NOT EXPAND IT  until we have a safe way to deal with the waste.”

That is typical Jeanne Shaheen, trying to have it both ways.  She gives the appearance of changing her life-long position and at the same time appeasing her clamshall friends with the qualifier
about nuclear waste. 

I also challenge Jeanne Shaheen to provide to the press any documentation showing that she has “CONSISTENTLY SAID over the years that nuclear power should be a part of our energy mix.”

Most of you know that in the past 3 or 4 months Jeanne Shaheen has outlined a 6-point energy plan and 3 NH op-ed pieces THAT DO NOT MENTION her sudden feigned support for nuclear power.

The Shaheens are famous for political dirty tricks.  You will remember that Jeanne Shaheen’s husband Bill Shaheen was fired from Hillary Clinton’s campaign for his anything-goes campaign dirty tricks of raising the issue of Barack Obama’s drug use.

The facts are that Secretary of Energy James Schlessinger told the nation’s Energy Chiefs  20 years ago, “There are at least 20 ways to solve the nuclear waste for 20,000 years but the politicians won’t make the choice of which way to use.”  France, which gets 80% of its electricity from nuclear power, chose to recycle and reuse nuclear waste but the Democrat-controlled congress put a ban on that technique just as they also banned off-shore oil drilling beyond the Gulf of Mexico.  Today we store nuclear waste at Seabrook Station because the Democrat-controlled congress lacks the courage to choose which of the 20 safe ways to use.

The most astounding statement Jeanne Shaheen made on the few tapes I have, came after I said,

“…. and if we don’t have nuclear power in this country we are going to become more and more vulnerable to the Arabs in the mid east, and that’s why WE ARE IN DANGER OF WAR, because we are not taking care of our energy dependence.” 

To which Shaheen responded,

“that argument just doesn’t wash.” 

Jeanne Shaheen was dead wrong.

The facts are that my 1987 comments were prescient.  We did end up in a mid-east war caused by Jeanne Shaheen, and her fellow NIMBY (not in my back yard) and NOPE (no
t on planet earth) fellow travelers, along with their Democrat allies in congress.  To have the unmitigated gall to blame the war entirely on President Bush and try to tie all Republican candidates to President Bush’s unpopularity caused by the war is the height of chutzpah.

 I believe that Jeanne Shaheen is making these blatently-false statements to hide from her atrocious record on energy, spending, and taxation.

 I enclose a documentation of Jeanne Shaheen’s sorry record on energy, taxes, and spending, which I shall not read so that we have time for any questions from you folks

These attachments [below] of Jeanne Shaheen’s record clearly show that Shaheen shifts positions more often than a windmill in a hurricane:

 

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