May 2009 Archives

A message from the Republican Leader.....

Following a couple of marathon sessions this week at the State House, the Senate Finance committee finally completed their version of the state’s two year budget for 2010-2011. The $11.5B-plus budget will now go before the full Senate and will then undoubtedly be taken up in a committee of conference.

In this week’s Republican Report, I want to give you a snapshot of what the Senate Finance committee did to the budget during its lengthy deliberations this week. While there are a few things that they did that we can be happy about as Republicans, they also dealt a terrible blow to the New Hampshire business community. They reinstated school construction aid in the operating budget, where it clearly belonged (rather than in the capital budget where we would have had to once again borrow from our children to pay today’s expenses).

They reestablished $20M in catastrophic aid and then arbitrarily added $33M for a certain senator’s HHS wish list. They removed the capital gains income tax, the death tax, the gas tax and tax on gambling winnings. Despite the fact that they removed the gas tax entirely, I assume due to the governor’s veto threat, they reestablished his plan for the EZ Pass by removing the discount entirely and capping the rate at $30. As you may recall, the House position was clearly opposed to this provision as a fairness issue. The Senate plan also adds a $15 surcharge to auto registration fees and increases license fees by $10.

The commissions on the status of women and men were both funded at $1, a clear indicator of the uselessness of bureaucracy. One major change that caught us by surprise was the recommendation that the LCHIP fee was going to be split with the general fund, cutting their allotment in half.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ryan Williams
May 29, 2009   
(603) 225-9341


CONCORD – Today, former New Hampshire Governor and Republican State Committee Chairman John H. Sununu released the following statement on the Democrat Senate budget:

“Once again the Democrats have demonstrated their willingness to give lip service to the tax pledge and then find ways to break it in practice. The Senate Democrats have added to the budget a piece of tax legislation which would devastate the New Hampshire business community and destroy the state’s business climate. The suspension of the Business Enterprise Tax (BET) credit will chase businesses out of the state and significantly hurt those that stay.

“Governor Lynch has merely expressed ‘concerns’ about this tax. As usual, he seems unwilling to take a firm stand and clearly state that he will veto any budget that imposes this $40 million tax hike on local businesses. He needs to make it clear that this is a bad tax for New Hampshire.”

There is a special election that will be held for the NH House seat from Lebanon in Grafton County.  The local Republicans from Grafton County are looking for some volunteers to help


in capturing that seat.  Specifically, they are hoping that folks can help on May 30th and May 31st for calling and door-to-door visits.

The Sullivan County Republicans are having their annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday, June 5th, on the Newport Common.  Their special speaker will be former NH Congressman Charlie Bass.

For more info, please contact Harry Gale at 603-496-4400.

Cost: $15. (Includes informational binder, morning refreshments, and lunch.) Please RSVP by Thursday, May28th. You may pay at the door. Please make your check payable to RRCC.
 
Location: American Legion, 94 Eastern Avenue, Rochester NH 03867

The Campaign School is for all candidates, staff, volunteers, and activists, and is customized to running for municipal office in Rochester, NH and the surrounding communities.  It would also good for somebody thinking of running for State Representative in 2010.

Learn how to win your campaign and/or how to become a better volunteer to help your favorite candidate!
The instructors are Sam Pimm and Steve Jerome from the New Hampshire Reagan Network, who have decades of experience in running and WINNING local campaigns. 

For more information, or to sign up, please contact:

Michael Raymond at 603-335-1557 or RochesterNHGOP@aol.com

“House and Senate Republicans this morning called for Gov. John Lynch to veto the same-sex marriage bills so lawmakers may move on to the critical issues facing the state.”


Republicans to Lynch: Veto gay marriage bill, focus on budget
Union Leader
By Garry Rayno
May 21, 2009

CONCORD – House and Senate Republicans this morning called for Gov. John Lynch to veto the same-sex marriage bills so lawmakers may move on to the critical issues facing the state.

Republicans also called for a non-binding referendum on the same-sex marriage to go before voters in the 2010 election. New Hampshire forbids binding voter referendums.

“Now is the time to allow the citizens of New Hampshire to vote on a same-sex marriage referendum,” said Sen. Minority Leader Peter Bragdon, R-Milford.

Former House Speaker and current House assistant minority leader Gene Chandler, R-Bartlett, said the proposed budget is half a billion dollars out of balance and there is only six weeks to resolve it before the new fiscal year begins.

“However you feel about same-sex marriage it is time to move on and deal with the budget of the State of New Hampshire,” Chandler said this morning at a news conference.


CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

Governor Will Regret Gay Marriage Flip-Flop
Nashua Telegraph
EDITORIAL
May 21, 2009

The New Hampshire Legislature added to the confusion surrounding gay marriage legislation on Wednesday by failing to approve changes demanded by the governor.

By a vote of 188-186, the House refused to add the protections for religious institutions demanded by Gov. John Lynch as a condition of his signature.

It wasn't immediately clear whether lawmakers who previously voted for the bill changed their minds about gay marriage, did not want to make the changes demanded by the governor, or did not like the compromise that emerged from the Senate.

Whatever the case, Lynch now finds himself in a lose-lose situation with gay marriage opponents.

If the bill is ultimately modified to his satisfaction, and he signs as promised, they will most certainly feel betrayed.

If he vetoes the bill, he will alienate much of his Democratic base and still incur the wrath of conservative voters who will never forget that he stood ready to sign it.

In fairness to the governor, he never said he would veto a gay marriage bill should one cross his desk. However, he left little room for doubt about his position: Marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and the civil union legislation on the books in New Hampshire is adequate to provide equal protection under the law to same-sex couples.

We believe the governor had it right the first time. A gay marriage law is unnecessary in a state that recognizes the civil union of same-sex couples. The energy of gay rights advocates and their supporters in the state Legislature should be directed toward ensuring that same-sex couples in civil unions truly do enjoy the same rights and protections as marriage.
….
The governor would have been better advised to stand his ground – to veto the gay marriage bill as it was initially proposed, while pledging to work harder than ever to ensure that the legal actions of the New Hampshire Legislature are respected in the other 49 states and by the federal government as the Constitution intended.

Instead, he has provided powerful political ammunition to those who oppose any legal recognition for same-sex couples, whether through marriage or civil union.

Click here for the entire article

 

New Hampshire Senate Republicans

               Media Advisory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  Contact: Senator Peter Bragdon

                       May 20, 2009                                                                          (603) 271 - 2675

WHAT:        House and Senate Republican Press Conference
WHEN:        Thursday, May 21st at 10:00 a.m.
WHERE:      LOB Lobby
WHY:          Same-Sex Marriage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ryan Williams
May 20, 2009   
(603) 225-9341


CONCORD – Today, former New Hampshire Governor and Republican State Committee Chairman John H. Sununu released the following statement on the New Hampshire House voting to reject Governor John Lynch’s same-sex marriage amendment:

“Now even the Democrats are angry at Governor Lynch for trying to have it both ways. The Democrats are clearly saying to the Governor that his style of avoiding making important decisions is not the New Hampshire way. It is fitting justice that the Democrats are sticking it to the Governor for going back on his word.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ryan Williams
May 20, 2009   
(603) 225-9341


CONCORD – Today, the New Hampshire Republican Party called on the New Hampshire Democrat Party to apologize for intentionally distorting Foster’s Daily Democrat’s reporting in an official press release.

“The New Hampshire Democrat Party has sunk to a new low in creating political fabrications. The Democrats should immediately apologize to Foster’s Daily Democrat for intentionally distorting the publication’s reporting and using it in their latest political smear,” said NHGOP Communications Director Ryan Williams. “Clearly, facts are proving to be no obstacle to the New Hampshire Democrat’s willingness to issue phony and deliberately false statements.”

In a statement released today, Democrat Party Communications Director Victoria Bonney falsely accused Foster’s of reporting that New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman John Sununu was skipping a Republican National Committee meeting this week in Maryland. However, Foster’s story clearly states that Governor Sununu has been at the meeting since Monday:

“The Republican National Committeewoman was joined in Maryland Monday by former Gov. John H. Sununu, chairman of the New Hampshire GOP,” reported the publication.

Citing the Foster’s story, Bonney used the fraudulent claim to falsely accuse Sununu of “blatant absenteeism.” She also falsely claimed fellow Republicans criticized Sununu for missing the meeting.

Foster’s story clearly shows that both claims are blatantly untrue.

“In the future, the Democrats should read the newspaper more carefully before issuing anymore embarrassing press releases and doing any further damage to their credibility with the media,” said Williams.

Governor Sununu is still at the RNC meeting in Maryland this afternoon.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOSTER’S DAILY DEMOCRAT STORY

CLICK HERE FOR THE DEMOCRATS FRAUDULENT RELEASE

-Senator Judd Gregg On The New Hampshire Democrat Leadership’s Abysmal Record

Live Free - Or Become Massachusetts Jr.
The Wall Street Journal
Brian M. Carney
May 19, 2009

On his way out of the Senate, Judd Gregg's outlook is mostly downbeat. He sees an Obama administration determined to grow the government beyond all historical bounds and a Republican Party without the votes to stand in the way.

But in one respect, the senior Senator from New Hampshire was remarkably upbeat: He believes the GOP is poised to come surging back in 2010 -- at least in his native New Hampshire. "This election," he said during a visit to the Journal offices recently, "will settle the future of New Hampshire -- whether we stay the refugee camp for entrepreneurs in New England, or whether we become New Hampshirechusetts."

He acknowledges it may be too soon to say whether his state's voters have fully grasped what the Democratic-controlled legislature is up to. "The legislature is moving dramatically in the direction of Massachusetts. I mean, basically anything that gets passed in Massachusetts, the Democratic legislature introduces the next week and tries to pass in New Hampshire." But he likes the GOP's chances. "We have a lot of talented people in the Republican Party right now," he says.
……

Mr. Gregg says New Hampshire Democrats "have performed so poorly in the area of fiscal responsibility, in the area of pushing a very, very liberal social agenda that I think [voters] are beginning to realize that they made a mistake. And they didn't let those folks in because they thought the policies at the state level were incorrect. They were just voting straight tickets against Bush and the Iraq policy."

With that "overhang" gone, Mr. Gregg smells a comeback.

2010 Season Has Arrived
Eagle Times
Editorial
May 19, 2009

Let there be no doubt, the 2010 political season has arrived in New Hampshire.

Just three weeks ago, Arnie Arnesen, an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor in New Hampshire in 1992 and U.S. Congress in 1996, told a group of Sullivan County Democrats their party lacks a voice at the state level while the Republicans have John Sununu. "The problem for us is there hasn't been any real leadership on many of today's issues," she said.

Back in January the Republican State Committee decided the time was perfect to enlist the help Sununu, New Hampshire's former governor from 1984 to 1989, naming him chairman of the state Republican party. It was a brilliant choice. When it comes to Republican politics in New Hampshire, he is like a giant vitamin pill.

After his first four months on the job, the Granite State's GOP has sprung to life. Regaining Republican control in both the New Hampshire House and Senate is a top priority for Sununu. Accomplishing those two goals and electing a Republican governor would complete the trifecta for Sununu.

Since Sununu came to the political forefront in 1984, New Hampshire citizens have come to understand he is an outspoken politician. Sununu doesn't dance around in the political arena. He's always moving forward, leading with quick jabs, looking for an opening to deliver a knockout punch.

Appearing at a Republican breakfast Saturday in Sunapee, the former White House Chief of Staff didn't hold back any punches. Expect him to come out swinging at all future functions he attends.

He played political hardball at the breakfast, especially making critical remarks about New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch. He understands if the state's Republicans are to overtake the Democratic advantage in New Hampshire, he can't wait until the late innings to step to the plate.

Sununu challenged the Saturday gathering to spread the Republican word in the upcoming months. "Be warm, but obnoxious, whatever your style is." he said. For Republicans, he's probably warm and fuzzy, for Democrats throughout the state, well, they may be leaning toward obnoxious. Either way, Sununu doesn't care, as long as the word of the Republican movement spreads.

Sununu has set ambitious goals for the Republican Party as it attempts to regain control in Concord. Certainly, the state's Democrats will not sit back and watch that happen. That's what makes politics so interesting and educational.

Yes, the New Hampshire political season is in full swing and it's going to be fun watching all the players as they make their moves.

Hi All,
 
Here's the information that you've all been anxiously awaiting - our next monthly meeting of the Barnstead-Alton Republican Committee (BARC) is set! 
 
Date:          Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Time:          Dinner (at your option) 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm; Meeting begins at 6:30 pm
Location:    J.J. Goodwin's Restaurant
                   769 Suncook Valley Rd (Rt 28)
                   Center Barnstead, NH 03225
                   (603) 269-8300 
 
 
I'm very pleased to announce that this month’s guest speaker will be State Senator Jeb Bradley of Wolfeboro.  Senator Bradley recently won the special election for the vacant 3rd District Senate seat running on a platform of no new taxes, limited government, and family values. He will discuss the numerous, sometimes controversial, bills he dealt with during his first week on the job.  In addition, Jeb will share his perspectives of the contrasts between working in Washington as our Congressman and working in Concord as State Senator.  This is a great opportunity for you to meet Jeb if you haven't already met him, to hear his views on the future of the Republican Party, and to ask him any questions you may have about the Party, the elections in 2010, and his new position in our state government.   
 
In addition to Jeb Bradley as our guest speaker, our agenda also includes:

    * Belknap County Republican Lincoln Day Mount Washington Cruise - May 29
    * Update on forthcoming special state elections
    * 2010 Elections for Governor, US Senate, and Congress

As most of you know, BARC meetings tend to be somewhat informal, offering the townspeople of Alton, Barnstead, and surrounding towns an opportunity to make new friends, to see "old" friends, and to socialize.  J.J. Goodwin's restaurant is reasonably priced and offers a casual environment to hear about the Republican Party, to discuss issues and concerns such as the economy, pending legislation, etc., and to hear from your elected officials.
 
Don't forget to MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW AND JOIN US NEXT TUESDAY, THE 12TH !!
 

For more information, please send an email to Barnstead.Alton.RepubComm@gmail.com
 
Regards,

Alan Glassman,
Co-Chairman
Barnstead-Alton Republican Committee

 
Our Annual Convention at the Millyard Museum in Manchester was a great success last Saturday!
 
Paul Smith began the meeting with a thoughtful prayer and Mayor Frank Guinta welcomed us all to his city. Mayor Guinta encouraged all of the NHYR's to run for office, "No one thought I could beat a three-term incumbent Democrat Mayor, but I worked hard, had a great group of people and ran a solid campaign and surprised everyone with a win. It is time for more Young Republicans to consider running for office."
 
NHYR Convention sponsor and founder of STEWARD of Prosperity, Fred Tausch then shared his frustration with the broken promises of the Obama Administration, "Barack Obama promised change but all we are getting is business as usual. He is trying to scare us into just turning over our money and not asking any questions. We don't want business as usual. We want results and honesty." Check out his website www.stewardofprosperity.org for more.
 
Newly elected State Senator Jeb Bradley thanked the group for its efforts on his behalf, "Many of you door-knocked, phone banked and worked on election day for me and did what it took to get us over the top. Thank you."
 
Our keynote speaker, former Congressman Charlie Bass, discussed significant issues that many young Americans are concerned about today.  "Republicans need to talk about solutions when it comes to health care, energy, the environment and jobs and the economy. We must provide a vision for our country," said former Congressman Bass. Solutions that he offered included making all health care costs universally deductible and using information technology to create more transparency and access to pricing at health care providers.  Rep. Bass also encouraged renewable energy development and ending U.S. dependence on foreign oil, which includes expanded offshore drilling.

NHGOP Chairman and former Gov. John H. Sununu concluded our speaking program with these opening remarks with, "By the time I leave you here today, I want you to be so angry that you will go out and tell your friends, family and coworkers how the Democrats are ruining our country and ruining our state." You can view his speech here. http://vimeo.com/4429346

The NHYR's congratulates its newly elected 2009-2010 officers: Kerry Marsh of Concord as Chairman; Will Wrobleski of Dunbarton as Vice Chair At Large; Kurt Strandson of Hooksett as Secretary; Mark Sanborn of Nashua as Treasurer; Jen Wrobleski of Dunbarton as National Committeewoman; Bob Burns of Manchester as National Committeeman; Joey Dauben of Plymouth as Vice Chair-Northern Region; and David Chesley of Concord as Vice Chair-Southern Region.

Please find the contact information for the 2009-2010 officers attached to this email.

A special thank you to Grant Bosse and Karen Sautter for providing breakfast goodies and to The Draft Restaurant in Concord for providing lunch. Owners Andy and Laurie Sanborn are great supporters of the NHYR's and we want to give a big thank you to them for their generosity.

Our final order of business was hearing from the two candidates running for the office of Young Republican National Federation Chair. Audra Shay of Team Renewal (www.yrrenewal.com) and Rachel Hoff of Next Level (www.yrnextlevel.com) shared their visions for the YRNF organization. The election for this race will be at the YRNF Convention July 8-12 in Indianapolis. Find out more at www.yrindy2009.com.

Thank you to all of you who came out to support the NHYR's. We have a lot of work to do this year to grow our organization and support the NHGOP for a successful 2010 election.

Sincerely,

kerry

Kerry Marsh, Chairman
NH Young Republicans
www.NHYR.com

A message from the Republican Leader.....

It was great to see such a good turnout at the House Republican spring social last Wednesday at the Upham Walker House. It was a good opportunity for us all to get together in a casual setting and discuss many of the issues that we have been dealing with during the last few months—and issues still facing us in the weeks ahead.

I have continued to meet with Republicans on a committee-by-committee basis and the feedback that I have been receiving has been valuable in planning our strategy. I still have a handful of committees to meet with and our office will attempt to schedule these meetings around your committee schedule to make it as convenient as possible for you. If for some reason, you cannot attend, please feel free to stop by my office for a chat. Your input is very important to me.

The House Session will start at 1 pm again this week. There are only 19 bills on the Consent Calendar and only 11 on the Regular Calendar. We will be working on this week’s White Sheet and you should receive it via email by Tuesday afternoon. If you are not receiving either the White Sheet or the Republican Report via email, please contact our office to make sure that we have your correct email address. This is the only way that the “sheet” will be sent out prior to our caucus. Please be assured that all personal email addresses are kept confidential. Of course, hard copies of the White Sheet will also be available at our Wednesday caucuses. The response to these new sheets has been very positive and we will continue to “fine tune” them. Our goal is to give members of our caucus as much information as possible as to how Republicans on the committee voted on a bill and where leadership stands on the issue.

Recently there have been some cases where House members were not recognized to testify at public hearings because of a large turnout by our constituents...