As I've stated a number of times, I'm retiring from my stint here at NH INSIDER.
I would like to thank Stephen DeMaura and Bob Demaura, the son / father team that built this site.
What drew me here was the idea of a place where opposing views could get aired on [...]
I'll be writing a more reflective and heartfelt last column, but for now I just can't help myself:
MISSION ACCOMPISHED
[...]
Well here we are.
Unbelievable as it may seem, this endless election will come to an end and another era of the American experiment will begin.
There is nothing left to write except this: VOTE
[...]
Today's UNH WMUR tracking poll shows NHraces tightening. That always happens, but the swing in the first district is so wild that I am back to my old skepticism about that poll. Does it tell us anything of value? I don't know.
Tensions are high at this point and polls tend [...]
Jeb Bradley has two tax plans. One is called the fair tax which is a national sales tax. The other is Jebs version of Steve Forbes failed flat tax.
Both plans would raise taxes on most Americans. They would hit the middle class and people below the poverty line especially hard.Carol [...]
Not only has Carol's lead expanded, but the UNH WMUR tracking poll is showing strengthening numbers across the board for Dems.
Here's the latest numbers.
Obama 58
McCain 33
Lynch 71
Kenney 18
Shaheen 50
Sununu 36
CSP 50
Bradley 37
Hodes 51
Horn 21
WMUR / UNH New Hampshire Tracking Poll
SHEA-PORTER [...]
Trailing Carol Shea-Porter in the polls, Jeb Bradley needed a decisive performance in tonight's debate. He didn't deliver it.
He also had to be hoping that Carol Shea-Porter would have a bad night--she didn't.
I've seen every debate this year and just like two years ago, Carol Shea-Porter gets sharper with each one [...]
Here's the results of the UNH WMUR Poll.
As I always say, I take this with a grain of salt. This poll has Carol Shea-Porter leading Jeb Bradley by 8 points. Sunday's Boston Globe poll called it a five point lead for Shea-Porter.
The real number is in there somewhere I hope.
We'll [...]
[...]
Jeb Bradley carries a lot of personal baggage on wallet issues. The former congressman portrays himself as guy whose economic belief system is guided by the best interests of New Hampshire’s middle class. The center piece of his campaign is a proposal for a federal flat tax. We’ll crunch all [...]
This piece is from some NH disability activists who really know the score
When New Hampshire Families Needed Him, Jeb Couldn't Get the Job Done
(Manchester) In Wednesday night's debate hosted by the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council at Memorial High School in Manchester, Jeb Bradley tried to defend his record on special [...]
Two years ago I was writing about Carol Shea-Porter's efforts to unseat Jeb Bradley.
I was also working on the campaign. Every day I would drive to Manchester where I was the only CSP volunteer working in the co-ordinated campaign headquarters on Elm Street. We had NO paid staff at all.
Every day [...]
Recently Jeb Bradley has taken the low road. It's not worth going into the details, but believe me he's pulled some nasty stunts this week.
The stunts haven't worked for Jeb, but they work for me and a growing army of grass root activists who will go to the mat for Carol Shea-Porter.
Piss us off [...]
Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Metal Trades Council
Report Card: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Give Carol an A+
Veterans of Foreign Wars-Political Action Committee
Veterans and Military Families for Progress
Teamsters Local 633
Communication Workers of America
[...]
Politicker NH
New Hampshire readies for another Democratic wave
Democrats will keep both New Hampshire congressional seats as part of a national trend that will net them at least seven U.S. Senate seats and 16 House seats nationwide, according to James Pindell, the editor of Politicker.com's Pindell Report, which provides independent analysis [...]
Shea-Porter has earned a second term
Portsmouth Herald October 22, 2008 6:00 AM
Earlier this month on these pages, we encouraged U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., of Rochester to vote for the $700 billion financial rescue plan under consideration in Congress. When the bill first came up for a [...]
Jeb Bradley has stated that he will do “Whatever it takes” to win this election.
I guess “whatever it takes” includes turning a blind eye to ads by the Republican National Committee that unfairly attack the character of Carol Shea-Porter. These ads are so full of lies that they are an [...]
On Tuesday, October 21st, the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire (PFFNH) will formally endorse Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter for reelection. Demonstrating her strong momentum, Congresswoman Shea-Porter will attend three separate events with New Hampshire Fire Fighters across the district.
“New Hampshire has the best Fire Fighters in the country and I [...]
When Colin Powell sold the U.N. and the US on weapons of mass destruction I was hugely disappointed. Something just didn't compute, but Powell went through with it anyway.
For a man with Powells reputation for integrity I saw that day as one of the low points of the Bush administration.
Powell really let [...]
Very few people in New Hampshire are aware of this, but while in Congress Jeb Bradley was opposed to expansion of Tricare—the health insurance plan that covers enlisted troops-- to include National Guard reservists serving in Iraq.
Jeb sided with the Bushies who claimed the program was too expensive. The cost [...]
I just returned from Conway. There was supposed to be a debate this afternoon between Carol Shea-Porter and Jeb Bradley. Bradley shunned the event though, so it turned into a town meeting type event with Carol Shea-Porter.
As always Carol was great and very good time was had by all.
After the [...]
You are invited to meet
Bob Bruce
Candidate for Executive Council
Wednesday, October 15th
Bo’s Riverside Room
Inside Milly’s Tavern
( WZID Building )
500 Commercial Street
Manchester , NH
6-9 P.M.
Entrance is at rear of building
PS from Chaz: You can contribute on-line at www.bobbruce.org .
You [...]
In a repeat of 2006 Carol Shea-Porter easily beat Jeb Bradley in today’s AARP debate.
Bradley’s defeat actually started before Scott Spradling even welcomed the candidates to the stage. Shea-Porters grass-root troops were out in force, while very few people came out to support Bradley.
When the debate [...]
ABC News and Associated Press
Oct. 10, 2008—
Sarah Palin abused her power when she fired her Public Safety Commissioner this July, a state investigation has concluded.
The Alaska legislature voted today to release the [...]
As Democrats start pulling ahead in NH a lot of observers are becoming obsessed with the candidates, debates, television ads, issues, finger pointing and so on.
All of these things are important. But what so many bloggers and pundits miss is field organizing. I'm not going to give away any secrets, but I [...]
I'm not big on polls--especially in NH. Usually resources are too low to do them right. For example, the UNH Poll and WMUR are so joined at the hip that a poll still drives the news long after its shelf life has expired
Despite my skepticism it's nice ( on my my nerves at least) to see [...]
Interestingly, according to Karl Rove, NH could very well be the state to deliver a victory to Barack Obama.
On Fox I just watched Rove say that things could of course change, but if the election were held tonight, Obama would win.
Election 2008: State of the Race 39 new state polls [...]From Politiker NH
A Saint Anselm College poll shows U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-Rochester) and U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-Concord) beating their Republican opponents. This is the first poll that has shown Shea-Porter ahead of former U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro).
Shea-Porter is ahead of Bradley 42 percent to 35 percent in [...]
NH: Veterans support Shea-Porter
Press release
October 07, 2008 4:30 PM
MANCHESTER — Just days after the Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee endorsed Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter for re-election, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America awarded Shea-Porter with an "A+" rating. For more information on the IAVA scorecard, see: [capwiz.com].
"In [...]
Without deception and scare tactics where would Jeb Bradley’s Campaign be?
Consider this statement on taxes:
“--- New Hampshire taxpayers will confront an average $3200 tax increase under this Democratic budget.” source: Jeb Bradley press release
How does Jeb arrive at $3200 dollars? [...]
A month from today, the voters of New Hampshire will cast their ballots.
After the dust settles I'll write my farewell to the readers of this web site.
For myself and a lot of activists this month is the culmination of years of hard work.
Anyway, here are my "predictions." [...]
Sarah Palin didn't win tonight's Debate, but she didn't have any Katie Couric moments either.
Joe Biden was terrific. He showed his tremendous depth of knowledge while keeping the tone friendly. No one will accuse him of beating up on Sarah. They don't call Biden the "Happy Warrior" for nothing.
Despite Biden's [...]
The VFW-PAC Endorses Carol Shea-Porter because She Supports the Troops
by
Bill Duncan
10/1/2008
The VFW Political Action Committee has endorsed Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter for re-election to the House of Representatives. For anyone who follows vets' issues, this should not be a surprise - Carol's has been out front supporting the troops and [...]
For all its unvarnished truth, this quote from former Bush speechwriter David Frum captures only part of this Thursday's high stakes debate:
‘I think she has pretty thoroughly — and probably irretrievably — proven that she is not up to the job of being president of the United States. If she doesn’t [...]
John's Sununu has to go.
I know it's attack ad season, but his attacks and distortions of Jeanne Shaheen are giving me a stomach ache. It's the dullness that's so nauseating. Deceive and scare over and over until you surrender. Ever since George Bush and Karl Rove hooked up, it's the [...]
Please enjoy this informative piece by Susan Bruce. You'll learn something--I sure did.
In 2002, when Jeb Bradley ran for Congress, he said he was against privatizing Social Security. A funny thing happened after he went to Congress. He went from being a moderate Republican state legislator to a conservative Republican Congressman. In [...]
Carol Shea-Porter voted today (Monday) against the Bush / Paulson bail out of Wall Street.
Taxpayers calls to Washington have been running up to 100 to one against the bill, despite the predictions of dire consequences if the bill doesn't pass soon.
Shea-Porter and Second District Congressman Paul Hodes [...]
REP. SHEA-PORTER CALLS ON BRADLEY/AARP TO RESCHEDULE DEBATE
Critical vote on America's financial security to take place
"Due to the fact that Congress is still working to solve the financial crisis, the Congresswoman has called Jeb and asked him to agree to reschedule the AARP [...]
DRAFT: Carol Shea-Porter Supports the Troops
by
Gerald S. Reilly
Jeb Bradley says Carol Shea-Porter doesn’t support the troops and that he’s the patriot who does. This is central to his campaign. This is what he’s running on. So let’s just look at it straight on.
Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter has shown a deep commitment [...]
According to post debate polls, it looks like Americans think Barack Obama bested John McCain.
CBS Insta Poll shows Barack Obama won 39% to John McCain's 25% with 36% saying the debate was a draw.
Insider Advantage reports of those polled Obama won 42% to McCain's 41% with Undecided 17%
CNN reports voter [...]
What a farce.
It's eleven at night and the negotiations of this momentous day--a day that started with Bush, Obama McCain and congressional leaders addressing the cameras--has ended with no deal.
After the photo op, things headed south fast.
By all accounts John McCain has offered no new ideas and brought no [...]
Warning, Katie Couric's interview of Sarah Palin is a wincer.
Whether you agree or disagree with Palin, it's hard to watch.
Here is just one exchange. It looks better in print that in video. Couric bails her out twice when she is at a total loss for words.
Couric: You've cited [...]
Assuming Jeb Bradley doesn't pull a "John McCain", there will be a debate next monday.
It's being sponsored by the AARP and will take place at Sparks restaurant in Manchester. The doors are opening at 10:30 AM.
For those of you who watched the Carol Shea-Porter / Jeb Bradley debates two years [...]
The McCain campaign continues to resort to media surprises.
As Barack Obama's poll numbers rise, McCain is desperately trying to wrestle the media spotlight by cancelling this Friday's debate.
The Maverick is gambling on a long shot.
Wednesday morning it was Obama who reached out. He called John McCain about a bi-partisan effort [...]
One thing we all share right now is anger. I know people from the right and the left, from Liberals to Libertarians who feel like revisiting 1929 just to make sure that the people responsible for our plight get what they deserve.
That's pretty drastic but I can relate.
Myself, [...]
“Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation”
Source: John McCain in the current issue of Contingencies, the magazine of the American [...]
I've been meaning to post this powerful letter by my friend Susan Bruce. Glad I just roamed my files and found it.
September 4, 2008
An open letter to Sarah Palin,
Dear Sarah,
Congratulations on becoming the Vice Presidential nominee for the Republican Party in the [...]
Is this week's financial meltdown the death knell of the Laissaiz Faire fantasy? That's the idea that you can play football without referees, and baseball without umpires--everyone will play fair and the best most deserving team will win. Bliss man!
Just joking of course, but that's how absurd the last [...]
Please consider joining the roster of right wing bloggers at NH INSIDER.
If you hate taxes and own a computer you qualify.
Don't even waste your time writing a bio or letting readers know who you are or why you're an "insider."
Nope, just fire away.
Think about it. Every time you feel that persistent pet peeve against liberal [...]
Sarah Palin is good with a gun and spunky and she gives a good speech. She is also totally unprepared to be vice-president or heaven forbid, president of the United States. Given that John McCain would be the oldest first term president in our history, the idea of a President [...]
We FINALLY know. Republicans are giving Jeb Bradley a chance to unseat Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. He beat out John Stephen by 3%. I thought the low turnout would favor Stephen, but Jeb Bradley's base pulled out the victory.
Jeb is short on new ideas, but will add his kooky ( Whatever happened [...]
Boy am I looking forward to Tuesday's Primary. Let's get this show on the road!
The race I'm watching the closest is the Jeb Bradley, John Stephen contest in the first Congressional District. The winner, of course will face Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. I watched Bradley and Stephen debate last week and they [...]
Frank Rich is a Sunday New York Times Columnist.
September 7, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
Palin and McCain’s Shotgun MarriageBy FRANK RICH
SARAH PALIN makes John McCain look even older than he is. And he [...]
By GAIL COLLINS
“There is only one man in this election who has really fought for you in places where winning means survival and defeat means death,” Sarah Palin told a crowd in Wisconsin on Friday. [...]
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Can the super-rich former governor of Massachusetts — the son of a Fortune 500 C.E.O. who made a vast fortune in the leveraged-buyout business — really keep a straight face while denouncing “Eastern elites”?
[...]I just watched Hillary Clinton speak at the Democratic Convention in Denver. She was just incredible. She was fiery, and serene at the same time. This was not a "shrill" Hillary Clinton. This was a master at the peak of her game.
When she finished I changed channels to Fox. Brit Hume sounds [...]
Barack Obama’s choice of Joe Biden is the best news I’ve heard all month.
During the Democratic primary, Joe Biden distinguished himself as a statesman. He won over a lot of Democrats, young and old. His thirty years in the United States Senate have shaped him into one of America’s [...]
This is a guest piece written by the Concord Monitor Editorial Staff. Mr. Corsi is up to his old tricks.
According to a press realease here at NH INSIDER, Mr. Corsi is a top billed speaker at the Constitutional Party's up coming Chuck-a-Thon. ( Sounds like food [...]
Bill Duncan : Carol Shea-Porter is the veterans' best friend in the 1st District
Friday, August 08, 2008 NH UNION LEADER
I'm a Vietnam veteran, Annapolis graduate and proud member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, but I disagree with almost everything in Paul Chevalier's [...]
My last column stirred up a lot of "sentiment." (I guess!)
Now that we've all calmed down a bit, I'd like to clarify a few points.
When I wrote that some people might be "chuckling" about the killing of a Democrat I didn't mean front page bloggers. I was refurring to [...]
Last month a gunman opened fire in a Unitarian Church in Knoxville TN. He killed two and wounded seven “progressives.” A note in the killers car expressed his “hatred of the liberal movement.”
Today Bill Gwatney, the Chairman of the Arkansas Democratic party was murdered by a lone gunman. He was [...]
On Sunday, the Union Leader endorsed John Stephen as the Republican congressional candidate of choice in district one. This is just what the Stephen campaign needed as his primary race against Jeb Bradley heats up.
The Union Leader wrote, "John Stephen offers Republicans the chance to send a true fiscal [...]
This deserves a second look:
Mike Marsh wrote this yesterday in the comments section. It perfectly compliments Paul Krugman's observation ( and mine) regarding the GOP's cynical "dummied down" approach to politics.
The lack of rational thought or discussion in the Bush administration, and the replacement of policy by politics [...]
The column below hits a very important nail squarely on the head:
The political rehtoric that destroys important debate in our country starts at the top, not the bottom.
As I've stated many times before, Paul Krugman is my favorite columnist.This piece will go down [...]
Like Andy Sylvia I’m doing a countdown to election day. Mine’s a little different than Andy’s though. Mine is a countdown to “retirement” from blogging. I’ve decided to write a farewell column right after the election and return to other forms of writing.
Please allow me a few observations about the [...]
Here's your one-stop-shopping-link to the organizations running misleading ads attacking Jeanne Shaheen.
[...]In early June I wrote about some Congressional Legislation that Carol Shea-Porter was working on. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee she was building legislative approval for funds that would guarantee that the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard would be doing the work it does so well for a [...]
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By RON TUNNING |
Last week John McCain ventured into Rochester, N.H. for a Town Hall Meeting and before a crowd estimated at 700 people [...]
A few weeks ago, when Karl Rove's team took over John McCain's campaign, I wrote that the whole thing would head into the gutter and fast.
Of course it is now firmly in the gutter and it's only July. The recent ads likening Senator Obama to not-to-deep celebrities like Britney Spears and [...]
Please click here: [www.youtube.com] for a You Tube video of me asking John Stephen and Grover Norquist a big time question about the national debt. Then contrast this with the video that made the NH INSIDER rounds last week.
I asked the question at a May event in Manchester [...]
I hope you'll take a moment to play this video taken at a political event with John Stephen and Grover Norquist in May. Mr. Stephen had just signed Mr. Norquist famous anti tax pledge.
The guy asking the question is me.
As long time readers know, I've written critically about Grover [...]
It’s still too early to even guess who will win the Republican Primary for Congress in District One.
So until the primary is over I’m not going to invest too much time writing about either Jeb Bradley or John Stephen.
Nevertheless, looming questions await both of them.
Jeb Bradley himself has brought [...]
A front page blogger here at NH INSIDER is promoting the dirty work of organized hate troops that are harassing our first district Congresswoman and her staff.
The blogger in question has posted a highly edited and highly contrived “hit” video.
These videos are the snuff films of New Hampshire [...]
The Union Leader’s John Distaso wrote the headline above and of course he is right. Everyone knows that Republicans intend to throw whatever they can at Carol Shea-Porter. Already we are seeing huge amounts of money being spent on TV ads that distort her record. Robo calls are doing the [...]
To understand what’s wrong with the Republican party, all you have to do is read Republican Bloggers here at NH INSIDER. Have you noticed that no one is writing about the upcoming election? Oh sure there’s been plenty of Democrat bashing and liberal bashing. But that goes on year in [...]
Kathy wrote this for the Huffington Post. I've seen these ads and its important to understand the murky back story behind "Americans For Job Security."
As the 2008 election draws ever closer, New Hampshire voters will be seeing lots of political activity. Former Governor Jeanne Shaheen has been out talking to [...]
I respect John McCain, period. In particular I respect the Maverick McCain. Unfortunately Republicans are afraid that the authentic John McCain can’t beat Barack Obama.
Now we see a huge shake up at the top of Senator McCain’s campaign. The master minds of George Bush 2004 are now in charge. [...]
All in good fun department:
I hope Bob Demaura, the owner of NH INSIDER, had a good night’s sleep and is feeling chipper this morning because I’m going to have some fun at his expense.
For new readers let me point out that Bob and I are on different sides [...]
Well known New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman supported the Iraq invasion. In 2002 he wasn’t trumpeting a visionary energy Policy. Friedman also wrote the best seller The World Is Flat about the world economic picture. Agree with him or not—Friedman is an influential voice. Today I heard the article [...]
Today was one of those days that remind me that all the time, aggravation and heartbreak of politics is worth every ounce of effort we put into it. That’s what ran through my mind as I took my seat today in beautiful Unity NH. It’s all worth it.
To see Carol Shea-Porter and [...]
When she ran for Congress in 2006 Carol Shea-Porter spoke of a comprehensive energy plan in every public appearance. She proposed that the United States dedicate itself to a program as bold and far reaching as the Apollo project.
For those of you too young to remember, the Apollo project was [...]
When I got my drivers license in 1966 the national debt was low and gas was 25 cents a gallon.
Today every newborn American Child assumes $30,000 of our national debt. That number continues to grow. Nearly every cent of this money is attributable to the Republican supply--siders from Reagan [...]
Note: From our oil man President to John McCain, from Jennifer Horn to the Union Leader Editorial page, Republicans across the board are thumping their chests in unison. The corporate party is trying to fool the American people into believing that we can drill our way to cheap oil.
In truth the [...]
The Democratic Primary is over. There has never been one like it. What Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have just done is like crossing the finish line in the Boston marathon only to be told that the rules have changed—the frontrunners have to run all the way back to Hopkington. [...]
This is a Press Release from the office of our first district Congresswoman.
Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter announced today seven projects worth $35.3 million that she secured in the National Defense Authorization Bill that passed overwhelmingly last night in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill also included a 3.9% pay [...]
The piece below is by Maureen Dowd, the entertaining political columnist for the New York Times. I call her entertaining because she uses a lot of adjectives, and is always sarcastic. Dowd is more of a satirist than a dry political analyst. But when she's good she's really good.
Anyhow, her column in the [...]
I posted my first column at NH INSIDER on May 26, 2005 . I’d like to thank the Demura family for keeping this site in operation. Many of us net writers hope to make a living someday in the blogosphere. It sure would be nice to drink coffee, look out the [...]
Marine Corporal Sotorios “Sammy” Margaritis was one of over 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in Viet-Nam.
Sammy and I were classmates at Raymond High School. For a time his mother worked with my mother in the Bourque Shoe Factory in town. Sammy’s dad ran a diner in Raymond and [...]
Thursdays Union Leader carried this from political writer John Distaso:
“Republican 1st District U.S. House candidate John Stephen will meet potential Washington-based supporters at a meet-and-greet in the nation's capital tonight.
Invitations sent by lobbyist Todd Boulanger, a former associate of Jack Abramoff, say, "Come hear first-hand why John will [...]
Last Friday I attended John Stephen’ public signing of the No New Tax pledge. In every way imaginable, this event signaled that Mr. Stephen will run a campaign based on the same public policy gimmicks that have turned us into a debtor nation and significantly weakened the American middle class. [...]
Jeb Bradley now has ads on NH Television and Radio. He is going negative right out of the box against Congresswoman Shea-Porter and ignoring his primary opponent John Stephen. So he gets a two-fer.
Strategically I’d have to say that’s pretty smart. But Jeb Bradley is also sticking his neck [...]
Last weekend I was at two political social functions. Saturday I ate Mexican and Sunday I ate lobster—not too hard to take. I took the opportunity to take a very informal poll. The only question was, who will win the Republican Primary--John Stephen or Jeb Bradley?
The consensus was that John [...]
I enjoy a lively debate. I’ve spent many hours over the past three years debating the role of government with front page bloggers and commenters. I’m usually happy to debate anyone who cares to do so as long as good faith and time allows.
But I’ve reached some time limits [...]
John Stephen is still mum on Iraq.
How much longer can Mr. Stephen evade the biggest foreign policy issue of our times?
The people of New Hampshire value honesty in their candidates.
We also value the dollar here in the Granite State. That’s one reason that Iraq has become such a [...]
We all know people who contradict themselves regularly. It’s especially jarring when they come down hard ( and self-righteously ) on both sides of the same issue. They seem to be oblivious to the obvious—that you can’t be right both times. Their egos somehow short circuit logic and critical thinking. [...]
