Onward and Upward

And no, I'm not talking about the new Democratic majorities all over state government.

Blue Hampshire has arrived, the progressive's blog of choice for the Granite State!

Blue Hampshire

Be sure to head on over and sign up for your low, low, user ID, and the ability to post your own blog entries and rate other's comments in a more intelligent thread design than what's offered here (think Daily Kos, Swing State Project, or any of the soapblox blogs such as Green Mountain Daily.

As for Yankee Doodler, it's been a wild ride, even without the excitement of sockpuppets. What started with the big canvas of New England quickly became my obsession with a great candidate and a winnable race on no one's radar screen.

Well, Paul Hodes won (ha!), and it's time for me to spread out again to New Hampshire at large. We've got a landslide of Democrats statewide, two new US Reps., a phone jamming scandal that won't go away, a robocalling scandal just getting started, one very vulnerable Republican senator, and, oh yes, that little business of the First in the Nation Primary.

I don't know what will become of Yankee Doodler at the moment, but I do know that I can't wait to join Keener and Laura at Blue Hampshire (where I'll be going simply by "Dean") and I'm looking forward to seeing lots of new contributors there.

To those who came here and may have found of interest anything I may have written or noted: thank you.

Now, a toast to the future of NH blogging: Blue Hampshire!

Wow - That Was Fast...

I didn't think abybody would beat me in the race to be first off in officially pushing for Sununu's defeat, but I am happy to be wrong:

An LTE:

Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, looked at votes on four consumer issues by congressmen and three by U.S. senators. Lo and behold, Bass and Bradley each voted against consumer interests on all four votes. And Sununu voted against consumer interests on three out of three in the Senate.

Even Judd Gregg, not known as a flaming liberal, managed to vote for the consumer on one of the three votes - a measure to improve fuel efficiency in cars.

If Sununu's record is just as bad as Bass and Bradley, that should tell us something.

These next two years are going to be a wild ride.

Lynch v. Sununu Not to Be

I'm actually happy about this:

A key aide to Gov. John Lynch confirmed a published report that the governor has “no plans” to run for the U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent John E. Sununu in 2008.

Lynch has done and is doing a great job as governor, but consider this. He would be coming into the race with huge expectations, and his two previous opponents were a walking pile of corruption and arrogance two years ago, and a nice fellow who was a terrible, almost incompetent campaigner this time around.

Guilty. Again.

The relentless prosecution of the 2002 phone jamming scandal continues. Down goes the telemarketer who did the deed:

Shaun Hansen faces two federal counts of conspiracy to commit interstate telephone harassment in a deal with prosecutors. No sentencing date was posted.

...Three former Republican officials were convicted in the phone-jamming plot. Former state Republican Committee Executive Director Chuck McGee served seven months in federal prison after admitting to devising the scheme.

A deal, huh? That's very interesting. What else will unfold in this four year saga? It will be great fun reporting on this in the coming two years, because it will continually remind me and many voters that John Sununu's election was not really legitimate. Sort of like another guy I've heard of, back in 2000. And it will also bring to mind those thousands of illegal robocalls that the NRCC made this time around.

I really am looking forward to our NH schools getting the funding they need from the prosecution of those robocalls. And no, I'm not kidding.

Union Leader to Bass: Please Go Away

After endorsing Bass on three separate occasions...Ouch!

Rep. Charlie Bass must've sustained a head injury in the "thumpin'" Republicans received at the hands of angry voters last week. He's thinking of a comeback.

What Granite State Republicans need is a house cleaning, not a rearranging of old furniture. First, they must revitalize their party's executive leadership. That means thanking Chairman Wayne Semprini for his service in a time of need, then finding a dynamic, energetic replacement to rebuild the party.

I agree completely. What the GOP needs most, here and nationally, is serious reform (a good start would be to get their hands out of the CEO's pockets) because right now the traditional values that made the Republican party great, fiscal restraint, accountability, privacy, conservation, skepticism on foreign adventures economic and military - these issues are owned by the new breed of Democrat that's coming to Concord and DC next January.

So Many New Dems, I Can't Keep Count

It isn't easy counting all the pebbles in a landslide:

Revised election totals show they won 239 seats Tuesday -- two more than first reported, according to the House Clerk Karen Wadsworth. That gives Republicans 161 seats.

The vote is almost an exact turnaround of the margin held before Tuesday's election when Democrats held 149 seats to 241 by Republicans. Ten were vacant.

And how cool is it that part of the Blue Wave consists of young blood? Progressive Democrats Jeffrey Fontas and Andrew Edwards edged out the competition in Nashua to become two new reps in the 24th and 26th district. Considering that the average age for NH Reps is somewhere in the 60s due to the practically non-existent salary ($100 and travel expenses), this is certainly going to mess with the average. You see, they are both nineteen:

Edwards said he “worked his tail off” campaigning in the weeks leading up to the election.

Now that he won, Edwards said he thinks balancing college classes and serving in office will be difficult, but not impossible.

Who better to help solve our school funding crisis than two folks who just passed through New Hampshire's public schools?

Ahhh, I love the smell of democracy in the morning.
(photo from the Andrew Edwards from the Edwards for State Rep website)

FREEDOM

The Democratic Surge Gets Some Definition

Excellent article from Landrigan in the Telegraph on what's shaking out for leadership posts from last Tuesday's revolution. This line particularly caught my eye, both for the fine leadership he's shown in my particular area of the Granite State and also his tireless work on behalf of both Paul Hodes and the NH State Senate Democrats:

Look for [Peter] Burling to be the likely Senate majority leader.

A new day for New Hampshire indeed.

(and if Lynch decides to go against Sununu for the Senate, will this be Peter's launching pad for governor?)

Also, the aforementioned article cites Sylvia Larsen as the likely Senate President. I admit, I'm not used to anyone being in charge who might actually share my values. This is going to be an interesting couple of years, statewide and nationally. The children of this great state, e.g., are eager to know how their schools will stay afloat.

(photo of Burling when he was leader of the House ten years ago)

Post-Election Exam

Charlie's post mortem:

Bass, who is serving his sixth term in Congress, said he saw a while ago that the Democrats could make gains, faced with the situation in Iraq, an unpopular president and GOP scandals.

"Over a year ago, I went to the speaker and said to him, 'We are in 2006 what the Democrats were in 1994,'" Bass said.

Question #1: Based on your perception of how this race played out, was the statement above uttered a year ago, or made up on the spot, in your opinion?

Question #2: In respect to your answer to question #1, why or why not?

A NEW BEGINNING FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE

After years of being lost in the wilderness, a new direction comes to the Granite State. Congratulations to Paul Hodes, Congressman-Elect of the second district of the great state of New Hampshire:



And that's not all. New Hampshire has undergone nothing less than a political earthquake. the dimensions of which were far deeper than I had imagined

Carol Shea-Porter, you may have won the biggest upset of the evening in the entire nation. Wow. I am dumbstruck by this victory. I am thrilled that you will also be heading to Washington to represent this great state.



Governor Lynch delivered the landslide that everyone expected.

I was guessing that the Dems might take the State Senate, but who knew they would take it so decisively and then go on to take the House in overwhelming numbers, and then soldier on to capture the Executive Council?

As Paul Hodes said yesterday evening, "It's a good day to be a Democrat in New Hampshire."

Endgame

It's been a long journey, and full of surprises.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine back in June that I would learn so much about my Congressman, and discover what a chasm there is between his political persona and the reality of his votes and character.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that this little slip of a blog would have any impact at all, let alone be a part of a wonderful community quartet that on occasion would become part of the story itself. Thank you DavidNYC, MissLaura, & Keener. Your constant excellence kept me at my best.

And never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that on the eve of the election, we are looking at the possibility of real change. The final UNH/WMUR tracking poll has Hodes at 48% to Bass' 39%. And what about the remaining undecided 11%?

[Andy] Smith said that history shows that two-thirds of undecided voters will go to the challenger.

"You know who the incumbent is, and you're deciding whether or not to vote for or against the incumbent," Smith said. "And if you're still undecided about voting for the incumbent the day before the election, you're probably going to vote against him."

At the end of the day, it doesn't even really matter that I happen to agree with Paul on a wide range of pressing issues. What matters (and I told him this once) is that, even if I had fundamental disagreements with him, I would still vote for him because a vote for Paul means a vote for accountability in Congress.

The media says over and over that this election is about Iraq, and even a cursory glance through this site would give one that impression here as well.

But the truth is, the nightmare that is Iraq is in essence the consequence of a broken government at home. Iraq is simply the most egregious example of an executive branch drunk on power, and a Congress that has forgotten its basic Constitutional duty.

If Paul Hodes wins tomorrow, indeed if the Democrats can manage to gain the House and even perhaps the Senate, there is still some slim hope that we can be the Republic again that our Founders intended. It is for this reason that I have devoted every spare second of free time to this race over these past four plus months; I don't wish to see the death of our great democracy during my lifetime. If you think that's hyperbole, then you really haven't been paying attention.

Now, if you happen to be reading this on Tuesday, 7 November, I urge you, please, to get off this blog and do everything you can to bring voters to the polls. Countless men and women before us have shed blood to give us this right, and so much hangs in the balance.

Oh, and after you've voted, head on over to Swing State Project to ring in the election results with us.

NRCC Facing $100M Penalty for Illegal Robocalls for Bass

Here are some relevant grafs (no link at the moment, it was just emailed to me) from the latest New Hampshire Democratic Party press release (who seem always to be dealing with GOP phone crimes; remember the 2002 phone jamming scandal?):

MANCHESTER - After days of Congressman Charlie Bass's refusal to do anything to stop the illegal National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) calls that were pouring into the Second Congressional District sounding like they were from the Hodes campaign, the New Hampshire Democratic Party received confirmation this afternoon from the NRCC that it will stop making the negative, illegal calls.

...Over the weekend, Democrats and Paul Hodes were able to work with the NH Attorney General's office to contact the NRCC's attorneys and demand the calls stop immediately. The NRCC's General Counsel informed the Deputy Attorney General that it has stopped making the illegal calls.

...According to state statute, each violation that occurred against residents registered on the "Do Not Call" list results in a $5,000 fine. The NRCC admitted in press reports this morning that over 200,000 calls were made which could potentially lead up to over a $100 million civil law suit. (NH RSA 664:14-III, and according to NH RSA 664:14-IVa each violation shall result in a $5,000 penalty.)

Here's another question: 5,000 X 200,000 = a cool billion. I'm not sure why the NHDP cites a lower number, but either way, it could go a looooong way towards helping our state fund its schools, to use just one example.

Now, Keener's been all over this here, here, here, and here, and I've weighed in as well here, here, and here. And to be fair to the MSM, the story is getting some traction in the state (see below). However, the damage has already been done, and although the polls look pretty darn good for Hodes right now, this will be a race to the finish.

How many votes did these robocalls suppress do to their miselading harrassment? And if you think it's not a problem, remember this LTE the Concord Monitor just received?

A letter-writer to the Monitor said she had been "bombarded by recorded election messages from Paul Hodes." Marilyn Jewell of Concord wrote that she would be sure to vote for Bass, in part because "he doesn't pester me to death."

And what's going on in the other states where this is occuring? Is there recourse to legal action?

The NRCC deserves to lose every penny of that $100 million for this dirty election trick on behalf of a man who refuses to stand up to his own party.

Charlie Bass is a Small, Small Man

And no, I"m not talking about his height.

I'm talking about the way he's weaseling out of any accountability for the ILLEGAL robocalls being done on his behalf by the NRCC. The BassMaster throws up his hands and puts on a show:

During a campaign stop yesterday, Bass said he opposed the calls. "Believe you me, I do not like all of this stuff," he said. Bass added that he had contacted the NRCC to tell them he doesn't want the calls made.

I don't like it either, Charlie. But I'm not the one who's a Congressman benefitting from it. You think it's just end of the campaign "silly season" hijinks? Think again:

A letter-writer to the Monitor said she had been "bombarded by recorded election messages from Paul Hodes." Marilyn Jewell of Concord wrote that she would be sure to vote for Bass, in part because "he doesn't pester me to death."

Kathy Strand, speaking for the Democratic party, pretty much sums up Bass inability unwillingness to put a stop to these ILLEGAL robocalls:

"If he can't stand up to his party on this, he can't stand up to his party on anything. His constituents are being harassed with misleading, negative phone calls."

Congressman Bass, when you lose (and you will lose), it is my sincerest wish that what the good people of New Hampshire remember most about you are your actions on this, your final campaign. The sockpuppetry from your office, the insults hurled at the working class, and the ILLEGAL robocalls you claim you have no power to stop. They all speak volumes about your inability to lead on more important issues of war and deficits and Congressional oversight.

What a small, small, man you are.

p.s. In case you feel you have exhausted the depth's of Bass' hyposcrisy about his vaunted indypendence, check out DavidNYC's collection of old school quotes from when Bass tried successfully to wrap Clinton like an anchor around Swett's head in 1994. This is my favorite one when you replace the words "Bill Clinton" with "George Bush":

"I don't believe the people of the 2d District of New Hampshire believe that Bill Clinton is right 90 percent of the time."

- Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH), Boston Globe (9/15/1994)

Bass Admits No Control Over His Own Red-Handed Party

So Charlie "Mr. Positive Campaign" Bass refuses to put a stop to his national party's ILLEGAL robocalling of folks on the Do Not Call list. It's bad enough that the calls are meant to deceive one into thinking it's from the Hodes campaign. It's bad enough that people are being dialed repeatedly by these robocalls so that they get annoyed with the political process. It's bad enough that this practice is ILLEGAL when someone is called who is on the Do Not Call List.

But the worst part? Charlie Bass is willing to let it go on while claiming that he has no control over it:

Officials at the state Democratic Party and the campaign of congressional challenger Paul Hodes said they continued to be swamped Saturday with complaints from residents receiving automated phone calls opposing Hodes.

...Bass said he has no control over the calls, which are not connected to his campaign.

"It's an independent expenditure and I don't like any independent expenditures, be they Democrat expenditures, Republican or anything else," he told WMUR-TV.

Unbelievable. Just like in Iraq, the buck stops everywhere else but with the BassMaster. Just like in Fairlee, it was the camera's fault for recording his insults to the working class folks, not the fact that he insulted us.

Does he even care how shamelessly hypocritical he is? When MoveOn ran their "red-handed" ads against him a while back, he didn't like that independent expenditure, but he certainly took some control there.

Here's hoping that enough people will hear about this story so that there is an widespread voter backlash on Tuesday to this last minute sleaze tactic.

(by the way, Keener's all over this developing story, so you should go there for much more...)

HAD ENOUGH OF BASS? HAVE YOU VOLUNTEERED YET?

Call Bethel: 603/223-3006, or
bethel@hodesforcongress.com

Excited Yet? Hodes 49% - Bass 36%

Who knew that UNH was going to come out with additional tracking polling?

(Oct. 30 - Nov. 2)
Hodes: 49%
Bass: 36%
Blevens: 3%
Other: 1%
Undecided: 11%

It's nice to see the BassMaster so far below the 50% danger zone. About as nice as seeing the new CQ rating change from "leans Republican" to "no clear favorite."

And via Swing State Project, Chuck Todd predicts a Hodes victory. Of course none of this means anything unless we can get out the vote.

HAVE YOU VOLUNTEERED YET?

Call Bethel: 603/223-3006, or
bethel@hodesforcongress.com

Charlie's Karma Crashes into Bass Bandwagon

The excitement of this election has even begun to reach larger national papers who are accustomed to calling him "Charles". The WaPo:

Touring a start-up technology firm here, the six-term Republican looked anxious and a little weary. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had just increased its investment in New Hampshire's 2nd District to $1.1 million and had bought ad time in the pricey Boston media market.

"I am the same candidate I was two years ago, four years ago, six years ago," Bass told business leaders who had gathered at the plant. "I know my constituents, and they know me." But, Bass conceded, it is "a terrible year to be running for reelection."

For once, my Congressman is right. His consitituents do know him. For example they know that he pledged and voted for a House term limits not exceeding twelve years. Any year where you openly break your own "Contract with America" without explanation is a terrible year. And then, of course, there's that pesky little matter of the invasion and occupation that had nothing to do with 9/11 and WMD. You know, the one that's costing us thousands of lives and billions of treasure. Just sayin...

HAVE YOU VOLUNTEERED YET?

Call Bethel: 603/223-3006, or
bethel@hodesforcongress.com

ACTION ITEM: Desperate Bass Resorts to 11th Hour Illegal Robocalls

So much for Charlie's "positive" campaign. From an NHDP Press Release:

The New Hampshire Democratic Party has received numerous reports today from residents across the district who say that they have been receiving repeated misleading recorded auto-calls from the National Republican Congressional Committee that start off sounding as if they are from the Paul Hodes for Congress campaign, but are actually misleading attacks against Paul Hodes. The Party is asking Congressman Charlie Bass to demand these negative, illegal automated calls be stopped immediately.

"Charlie Bass must stop these negative, illegal auto-calls
immediately," said Nick Clemons, Executive Director of New Hampshire Democratic Party. "If he can't stand up to his Party on illegal phone calls in his
district, he can't stand up to them on anything."

The Party has received confirmation these calls are going to individuals on the "Do Not Call" list from Martha Child, a registered Independent from Hillsborough, who, after receiving five calls in two days, filed a complaint with the New Hampshire Attorney General's office this morning. The Attorney General's office is investigating the report. Delivering an automated phone call to a person on the Federal Do Not Call list is a violation of NH RSA 664:14-III, and according to NH RSA 664:14-IVa each violation shall result in a $5,000 penalty.

What is it with New Hampshire Republicans and phones???

ACTION ITEM: IF YOU ARE ON THE DO NOT CALL LIST AND GET ONE OF THESE CALLS:
1) Try to record it on your voicemail or message machine.
2) Call up Team Bass to complain (603/226-6000).
3) Consider filing a complaint with the NH Attorney General.

AND HAVE YOU VOLUNTEERED YET?

Call Bethel: 603/223-3006, or
bethel@hodesforcongress.com

We Can't Afford Charlie Bush and George Bass Anymore

Is there anything, anything, that Bush and the BassMastered Congress won't do to hold onto power? Can a clearer and more pernicious example be found that Bush and his Enablers have no interest in keeping us safe, and every interest in keeping themselves in charge?

It's one thing to be a monument to hubris and greed, but when you start affecting the safety and security of other Americans from it, it's time to step down.

The U.S. government has shut down a Web site it set up in March containing documents captured during the Iraq war after arms experts and officials raised concerns it offered a guide to building a nuclear bomb, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said the Bush administration started the site under pressure from congressional Republicans who had hoped to use the Internet to find new evidence of the dangers posed by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

...National intelligence director John Negroponte resisted setting up the Web site, the Times said, but President George W. Bush approved the site after congressional Republicans proposed a bill to require the documents' release.

(Oh, and who just might be an important member of the House Energy and Commerce committee, which has jurisdiction over telecommunications such as the internet? I'll give you a hint: Bush's nickname for him is the BassMaster.)

HAVE YOU VOLUNTEERED YET?

Call Bethel: 603/223-3006, or
bethel@hodesforcongress.com

HODES 45%, BASS 37%, BRADLEY IN TROUBLE!

Do you know how enormously satisfying it is to see the new and final UNH poll, after months and months of an uphill battle? And to think that now Mr. Enshrine Hate Into Our Constitution Jeb Bradley is within striking distance as well? Ms. Shea-Porter, a round of applause to you and your campaign. And to Team Hodes: victory is near. Now go close this deal!!!

Update: Fresh from the Telegraph:

Bass’ 37 percent score in the poll spells trouble for his re-election bid, Scala said. Incumbents who score less than 50 percent in a poll shortly before an election face a greater probability of defeat, he said.

“I think the race is Paul Hodes’ to lose now,” Scala said. “For an incumbent to be under 50 is a warning sign, but the fact Bass is under 40 suggests he’s an incumbent who’s in nearly insurmountable trouble.”

....[Bass] added that he’s unworried about polls, and they have “come out against” him at this point in previous elections.

But a UNH poll conducted a month before the 2004 election had Bass comfortably leading the same opponent, Hodes, by 53 percent to 28 percent. Bass never lost ground, winning the election by a 21-point margin.

NOW GET OFF THIS BLOG AND FIND EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO CAN VOTE.

VOLUNTEER THIS WEEKEND. TAKE TUESDAY OFF TO CHEER ON VOTERS AT THE POLLS. OFFER RIDES TO THOSE WHO NEED THEM.

WE COULD BE LOOKING AT THE GRANITE STATE'S ENTIRE HOUSE DELEGATION TURNING BLUE.

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS: WE HAVE A CHANCE TO HOLD THE WORST PRESIDENT IN OUR HISTORY ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS ACTIONS BY DEFEATING HIS ENABLERS. WE HAVE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP RIGHT THE WRONG THAT HAS BEEN DONE TO OUR DEMOCRACY.

Call Bethel: 603/223-3006, or
bethel@hodesforcongress.com

Can We Afford Two More Years of Support?

Charlie Bass' Support (yesterday):

Bass said, "I'm proud to be a Republican. I'm proud to support the President on tax relief, on winning the war on terror, but when I disagree with him, I disagree with him. But that doesn't mean that I don't support him or that he doesn't support me."

George W. Bush's Support (today):

"Both those men [Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld] are doing fantastic jobs and I strongly support them," Bush said in an interview with The Associated Press and others.

Dick Cheney, 20 June 2005:

"I think we may well have some kind of presence there over a period of time," Cheney said. "The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."

Donald Rumsfeld, 30 March 2003:

"We know where they [WMD] are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."

HAVE YOU VOLUNTEERED YET? CONTACT:

603/223-2006, or
patrick@hodesforcongress.com