In protest of the behavior of the Democrats with regard to the legislative process, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee ‘walked’ today and demanded a meeting with the Governor.
Here is their statement:
Last night (June 20th) we enjoyed the ‘Friday night fights’ in Dover, as someone said, courtesy of the Strafford County Republican Committee. This report, though well done, does say that we had about 125 in attendance. Every time one of the candidates made a point it was met with loud cheers and clapping from their supporters. Seems each candidate brought their own cheerleading squad and it sure made for a fun and lively evening.
Pictures and press helped up put the Strafford County Republican Committee on the map and the number of folks in the audience that stood when I asked who was running for office, was a testimony and encouragement to all of us who have worked so hard to get candidates to promote our message, and take back our state.
Photos: Bradley and Stephens - The Stage
Foster’s
June 21, 2008
DOVER — Boxers take off their robes. Congressional candidates take off their suit jackets before they go into battle — at least when they’re in a stuffy auditorium.
Jeb Bradley and John Stephen used their first debate in the run up to the First Congressional District Republican primary to pick apart one another’s records and claims to restore fiscal conservatism in Washington.
Bradley, who held the seat for two terms, came with a copy of a tough audit on the Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services, which Stephen oversaw as commissioner.
Stephen came with a notebook detailing Bradley’s support for lawmakers’ pet projects and his opposition to federal budgets tied to inflation.
The debate turned personal at points, giving the 100 people gathered inside Dover City Hall on Friday night plenty to cheer about.
“Your spending blueprint, John, went up 13 percent. Thirteen percent is not being a fiscal conservative. That’s why we have a huge deficit today,” Bradley said.
Stephen maintained he saved taxpayers $143 million during his four years as commissioner. “Don’t try and reinvent me,” he said. “I’m a fiscal conservative. You’re not.”
This isn’t the first time the candidates faced off. Bradley beat Stephen and six others in 2002, propelling him to his first of two terms in Congress before losing to U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-Rochester, in 2006. The economy is likely to be a bigger factor this time around, as driven home by the candidate’s debate messages.
Bradley said Stephen’s efforts to free up bed space at county nursing homes has downshifted tens of millions of dollars to the local level, putting the state on the path to a broad-based tax to lessen the burden on property taxes.
“What he calls cost-shifting, I call keeping seniors in their home and not a nursing home,” Stephen said.
The state’s nursing home population decreased by several hundred in recent years, removing about $85,000 in per-resident federal revenue, Stephen’s campaign said. In turn, counties running the homes have looked to the local level to pick up the funding — but after the debate, Stephen said that’s “not my problem.” The onus is on the homes to find innovative ways to restructure their cost structure, he said.
Perhaps sensing a vulnerability, Bradley later returned to Stephen’s DHHS history, bringing up the audit and its conclusion that the department’s rate-setting methods for nursing homes was “nearly incomprehensible.”
“How can you bring transparency to Washington,” Bradley asked, “if you can’t even do it in your department?”
Elsewhere, Stephen lumped Bradley in with a D.C. culture of deficit spending that has been spearheaded by earmarks for things like a tea museum.
“First and foremost, we need people who are courageous enough to stand up and control spending … it’s been out of control for the last six years. … We also have congressmen” — Stephen said, motioning to Bradley — “that don’t keep their eye on the ball on spending.”
Bradley, who hails from Wolfeboro, defended the 2003 tax cuts for creating new jobs and helping businesses invest, and he tried to turn the table on Stephen’s pledge to cut non-defense discretionary spending and never use earmarks.
“I think every veteran in the state should be concerned with the position you’ve just taken,” Bradley said. Veteran programs are not part of the Department of Defense’s discretionary spending. Bradley said using earmarks were critical to getting night vision goggles to troops and supporting the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Stephen, who lives in Manchester, said there’s a cleaner way to bring money back home — through the appropriation process that requires an up-or-down vote.
Two other candidates vying for the nomination — Dave Jarvis of Hooksett and Geoff Michael of Merrimack — were invited to attend, along with Shea-Porter.
The debate was hosted by the Strafford County Republican Committee, and featured a return to the political arena for former WMUR political director Scott Spradling, who moderated.
The debate began with a discussion on the nation’s energy policy. Stephen said he appreciated Bradley’s change of mind on drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. “I appreciate the fact that you realize now that circumstances have changed,” Stephen said, but “it’s late.” He also criticized Bradley for blocking greater oil refinery capacity, but Bradley said he did so after conferring with state leaders concerned with its impact on efforts to phase out MtBE.
Both candidates agreed the country needs to consider nuclear power and renewable energy for the long term.
There were other areas where they agreed, including their opposition to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling extending constitutional rights to suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay.
In the end, Stephen said Washington needs to break from the past.
Dave Ward, a 56-year-old voter from Stratham, said he appreciated the “honest politician, honest man” in Stephen. “Jeb’s a nice guy. He’s had his chance … and I don’t think he should be running again. The voters spoke last time. If we Republicans want to get back in Congress, we’ve got to get a conservative Republican back into Congress,” he said.
Doree Townsend, a 75-year-old voter from Lee, said she was leaning toward Bradley for his support of veterans. Stephen, she said, “seems to think that anybody who was there shouldn’t go back there again,” she said.
The primary takes place Sept. 9.
SOMERSWORTH — Close to 75 people braved the wintry mess Friday night to attend the Strafford County Republican Committee Lincoln Day dinner.
Phyllis Woods, Strafford County Committee chair, welcomed the crowd to The Oaks and thanked them for coming out in the bad weather. “I guess this is some of that global warming the Democrats have been warning us about,” she joked, before introducing many of the night’s guests.
In attendance were former U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley, state Sen. Joe Kenney, state GOP Committee Chairman Fergus Cullen and the night’s keynote speaker, U.S. Sen. John Sununu. Massachusetts state Senate candidate Jim Ogonowski was scheduled to speak as well during the dinner, but due to the inclement weather was unable to make it.
“This evening was designed to be a thanks and testimony for Senator Sununu,” Woods said. “We want to especially recognize his efforts that led to the defeat of the inclusion of new energy taxes in our recently passed national energy bill, and we want to thank him for his leadership in helping keep taxes and energy costs from getting further out of control.”
Woods said the turnout for the event was great.
“We usually have a good turnout,” she said. “Republicans come out regardless of the weather.”
There was a standing ovation as Sununu walked to the podium. “I consider myself a pretty normal guy,” Sununu said. “Unlike most in the Senate, I will be brief.”
Sununu spoke primarily about the Republican Party’s founder, Abraham Lincoln.
“Lincoln understood that our country’s freedom was tied to the individual’s freedom,” he said. “What makes our party strong is our confidence in people.”
The senator equated what he said was the strongest economy and strongest country in the world to Republican ideas. “We put trust in the men and women that serve in the armed forces. We put our trust in people, and when it comes to our communities and our country it isn’t the government,” he said. “It is the people.”
Sununu said liberals place confidence in big government and bureaucrats. “They want the government to control health care, to control business and our communities. This all goes against the beliefs that our party was founded on.”
“We are the strongest and best state in the country. We are the strongest and best country in the world and that is because we place our trust in the individual,” he said. “The ideas that have made New Hampshire the greatest state are our low taxes, the limited government, more local control and keeping the trust in the hands of the people.”
New Hampshire’s junior senator said he believes government control over businesses and health care is wrong for everyone.
“It is wrong for the communities, its wrong for the economy. It takes away our rights as individuals.”
State Sen. Joe Kenney said, after Sununu’s speech, how impressed he was with his message.
“He really represents New Hampshire. He is the youngest and brightest senator and the only engineer on the Senate.”
Kenny mused about how strong Sununu’s family values were and how well he represented small businesses.
“New Hampshire needs to hold on to him,” Kenny said of Sununu, who is seeking re-election this year. “He is a bright, young and talented man. He, along with his wonderful staff, has done a lot for this state.”
Source: Foster’s
