Gilford Town Republican Committee

U.S. Senator     Former Governor Shaheen (D) has defeated incumbent
                         Senator John E. Sununu (R)

U.S. CD-1          Incumbent Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (D) has defeated
                         former Congressman Jeb Bradley (R)

U.S. CD-2          Incumbent Congressman Paul Hodes (D) has defeated
                        Jennifer Horn (R)

Governor           Incumbent Governor John Lynch (D) has defeated
                         NH Senator Joe Kenney (R)

Exec. Council   Incumbent Exec. Councilor Ray Burton (R) has defeated
                         Mike Cauble (D)

NH Senate D-4  Incumbent NH Senator Kathleen Sgambati (D) has defeated
                         Laconia City Councilor Greg Knytych (R)

NH Senate D-2  Incumbent NH Senator Deb Reynolds (D) has defeated
                        NH Representative Bill Tobin (R)

NH House Races

Belknap County District 1    Incumbent Representative Fran Wendelboe (R)     unopposed

Belknap County District 2    Dennis Fields (R) elected
                                         Liz Merry (D) elected

Belknap County District 3    Incumbent Representative Steve Nedeau (R) elected
                                         Kate Miller (D) elected

Belknap County District 4    Incumbent Judy Reever (D) elected
                                         Incumbent Don Flanders (R) elected
                                         Incumbent Beth Arsenault (D) elected
                                         Richard Stuart (D) elected
                                         John Veazey (R) elected

Belknap County District 5    Incumbent Doc Pilliod (R) presumed elected
                                         Incumbent Alida Milham (R) presumed elected
                                         Jeffrey St. Cyr (R) presumed elected
                                         Bill Johnson (D) presumed elected
                                         Incumbent Laurie Boyce (R)  presumed elected

                                         Still waiting for additional results to come in
                                         (11/5, 1:06am)  If the last precinct does not
                                         change the positioning, the next winners are:

                                         Peter Bolster (R) presumed elected
                                         Elaine Swinford (R) presumed elected
                                        
                          The above will be corrected when the results are known.

Belknap County District 6    Incumbent Representative David Russell (R)     unopposed

Belknap County Commissioner:   Ed Philpot (D)
                                                 Incumbent Commissioner Brad Long (R)

Belknap County Sheriff:           Craig Wiggin(R)

Belknap County Treasurer:       Mike Muzzey (R)

Belknap County Attorney:        Jim Carroll (D)

Belknap County Register of Probate: unknown at this time

It is being reported that the NH GOP has gone to court to stop possible voter fraud.  It seems that Republican poll watchers are being kept up to 40 feet away (can't read or hear stuff from that distance) from the Registration areas at the poll locations - THIS IS ILLEGAL!

More later!

 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008
7:30 AM to 11:00 AM

Address:          100 St Anselms Dr
                        Manchester, NH 03102





Please click here to RSVP online for this event

Ticket Locations

Victory Offices
250 Commercial Street, Manchester
139 Daniel Webster Hwy, Nashua
151 Portsmouth Ave, Stratham
57 Mechanic Street, Lebanon
664 Main Street, Laconia
42 South Street, Milford
47 N. Main Street, Concord
145 Tremont Street, Boston

GOP Offices
10 Water Street, Concord
356 S. Broadway, Salem

Because of all of the work that Greg did in helping the campaign staff, Secret Service advance team, and the myriad of other people and organizations, He was asked to be the Master of Ceremonies for the event.  Below are a few pictures that were taken:

Date:                October 14, 2008

Contact:           Fergus Cullen, Chairman, New Hampshire Republican Party
                        603-225-9341 office, 603-520-5450 cell


CONCORD – In an interview with the Keene Sentinel last week Executive Councilor John Shea admitted that his main reason for running for office is to maintain a Democratic majority on the Council so he can be a yes man for Governor John Lynch’s appointments and proposals.

Shea also indicated in the interview that Governor Lynch’s staff are calling the shots for his campaign, including setting up his campaign committee for him and raising money for his re-election efforts. Discussing the change in campaign strategy this year, Shea said “This year the governor’s staff has told me I don’t understand the situation here - ‘We want this seat.’”

Explaining himself to the Sentinel, Shea said “The Governor, of course, wants to keep those three seats,” continuing to add, “When you’ve got three Republicans, he cannot get people through.”

“I’ll bet that voters across the state from Brookfield to Chesterfield will be surprised to find out they elected John Shea to be a rubber stamp,” said Fergus Cullen, Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

“In fact they will probably be as surprised as John Shea was when he got the call in Belgium notifying him that he’d been elected in the first place. Voters in the Second Council District deserve to be represented by an independent watchdog of taxpayer dollars, not someone who describes his job as doing Governor Lynch’s bidding,” Cullen said.

“That’s why voters will reject John Shea and elect an independent voice in Dan St. Hilaire on November 4,” Cullen added.

The Executive Council is a part of the executive branch of New Hampshire government and is intended to serve as a check on the power of the Governor.

BACKROUND

Shea Sees his Role on the Council to be Lynch’s Puppet: “The once-mystery candidate who two years ago won a seat on the N.H. Executive Council says he is running for re-election for two reasons — he loves his job, and his party loves having a majority… ‘The governor, of course, wants to keep three seats,’ Shea, a Democrat from Nelson, said Tuesday afternoon in a meeting with Sentinel editors.” (“Executive Councilor John Shea runs an activist campaign this time around,” by Dan Greisman, The Keene Sentinel, 10/8/08)

Shea’s Priority, Getting Lynch’s Appointments Through: “‘When you’ve got three Republicans, he cannot get people through,’ Shea said of Democratic Gov. John H. Lynch.” (“Executive Councilor John Shea runs an activist campaign this time around,” by Dan Greisman, The Keene Sentinel, 10/8/08)

Lynch’s Staff is Pulling the Strings on Shea’s Campaign: “‘I had never taken a contribution up to this year,’ Shea said. ‘I refused them. And then this year the governor’s staff has told me I don’t understand the situation here — ‘We want this seat. You can’t do it without raising money. We are going to form a Friends of John Shea committee.’” (“Executive Councilor John Shea runs an activist campaign this time around,” by Dan Greisman, The Keene Sentinel, 10/8/08)

Read the Entire Article Here: http://sentinelsource.com/articles/2008/10/08/news/local/free/id_326529.txt

Michael Hamilton
Executive Director
New Hampshire Republican Party
10 Water Street, Concord, NH  03301
603-296-5116 (c)
603-225-9341 (o)
mike@nhgop.org

Date:               October 14, 2008

Contact:          Fergus Cullen, Chairman, New Hampshire Republican Party
                        603-225-9341 office, 603-520-5450 cell


CONCORD – A paid staffer for U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter’s re-election campaign has accused Alaska Governor and Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin of using her special needs infant a “prop.”  Six-month old Trig Palin has Down Syndrome.

“Barack Obama would fire a member of his staff for making that sort of offensive comment about Governor Palin’s infant child, and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter ought to consider doing the same,” said Fergus Cullen, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.  “Imagine the outrage on the left if a Republican made a similar comment about the Obama children.”

“Susan Bruce, left-wing activist, can say whatever offensive things she wants.  But Susan Bruce is a spokeswoman for Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter.  For Shea-Porter to tolerate that sort of despicable comment from a member of her paid staff says a lot about Shea-Porter’s judgment,” Cullen said.

BACKGROUND:  Bruce’s full quote is found at http://www.politickernh.com/brianlawson/4112/palin-visit-dover-high-school#comment (posted October 12, 2008).

Middle America Values
posted by Susan Bruce

If Sarah Palin has middle America values, I'm glad I live in elitist northern NH. I don't think that making women pay for rape kits the police use to gather evidence on their bodies after a rape is a value we should be proud of. I don't think that putting a scarlet letter on your own teenaged and throwing her to the wolves in front of the whole world is something to be proud of. I don't think that using a special needs baby as a prop on late night TV appearances is a value to crow about. I don't think that preaching hate, and encouraging racism, fear, and violence at campaign rallies is something to be proud of.

If those are the things we value in Middle America, I want no part of it.
10/12/08 12:36 am

  Bruce is a paid Shea-Porter staffer: 

“Hi everyone. I've taken a part time job with Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter's campaign - I'm working on netroots outreach around the nation.”

– Susan Bruce, bluehampshire.com, July 29, 2008. 
http://www.bluehampshire.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4720

Fergus Cullen
Chairman, New Hampshire Republican Party
10 Water Street
Concord, NH  03301
603-225-9341 o
603-520-5450 c
fergus@nhgop.org

                 

Just got the news from a VERY informed source (H/T: G) - Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, Senator McCain's Vice-President running mate is coming to Laconia!

It's official now.  Sarah Palin will be at the Weirs on Wednesday directly in front of the Mt. Washing building.  It is open to the public starting at noon.  Expect long lines getting through the Secret Service so get here early.  This info can be posted on the 'Grok or elsewhere

Call if you have questions.

(H/T: Greg)

Details are sketchy right now - as I get more, I'll update this post.  So far:

Place: Down at the Weirs at the Mt. Washington building (the railroad depot).

Date: Wednesday, October 15.

Time: Noon

Parking: at the Weirs Drive-in (across the street)

Caution: attendees will be screen before getting "in the area" - and only 1 spot to do it.  Think lines....long lines....

More later!

UPDATE:

Inclement weather (er, Hurricane Hanna) is expected to make its way up the coast this weekend.  Please know that we may have to end early as the forecast is for rain in the afternoon. 

Please check back often in case the Picnic is delayed until the rain date (Sunday).  However, please know that the weather, as of now, is being forecast to be worse than Saturday.

A determination will be made on Friday.  Please let our friends and ticket holders know!

=======================================================
The Belknap County Republicans are happy to announce their annual picnic to be held at the Gunstock Mountain Resort (Gilford, NH).  Come for a sky high experience when you ride to the top of Gunstock ski area and enjoy the lovely vistas.  Get high again as you listen to your Republicans that want to represent you!

Come out and show support for your candidates!  And of course, great picnic food as well!

Schedule:

11am - 12:30pm     Lift Rides to the top of the mountain!
12 noon                 BBQ Lunch
1pm                      Speeches by the candidates - and the time to meet and grill them!

Tickets are $25 each.  To purchase, contact:

Bill Tobin
Stephen Nedeau
Frank Tilton

(Rain date is Sunday, Sept 7)

For Immediate Release                                                                                                 Contact: Press Office
Friday, August 29, 2008                                                                                               703-650-5550

ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain today announced that he has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate and to serve as his vice president.

Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her Administration and has a record of delivering on the change and reform that we need in Washington.

Governor Palin has challenged the influence of the big oil companies while fighting for the development of new energy resources. She leads a state that matters to every one of us -- Alaska has significant energy resources and she has been a leader in the fight to make America energy independent.

In Alaska, Governor Palin challenged a corrupt system and passed a landmark ethics reform bill. She has actually used her veto and cut budgetary spending. She put a stop to the "bridge to nowhere" that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars.

As the head of Alaska's National Guard and as the mother of a soldier herself, Governor Palin understands what it takes to lead our nation and she understands the importance of supporting our troops.

Governor Palin has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of. Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today.

From the Citizen:

Republicans talk about victory as they open Laconia headquarters

New Hampshire Republicans spoke confidently of making a political comeback as they officially opened their Lakes Region office Monday in downtown Laconia.
 Sen. John Sununu who is up for re-election and 1st District congressional candidate Jeb Bradley made a guest appearance at the grand opening for the Lakes Region's headquarters at 664 Main St. for Republican John McCain's campaign for President. The facility will serve Belknap and Carroll counties.

"This is going to be a team effort." said Peter Spaulding, a former executive councilor who was representing presumptive presidential candidate John McCain. "We have great volunteers throughout New Hampshire."

There are five other Republican offices in New Hampshire, located in Concord, Manchester, Nashua, Stratham and Lebanon.                       

Sununu was excited about the facility. He exclaimed that the New Hampshire GOP is an outstanding organization and he thinks the volunteers will "get out the vote, get out the message."

The senator claims that Republicans understand the issues and challenges today such as energy conservation and rising taxes. He wants to open up offshore drilling, produce more oil and energy alternatives at home and "keep the money in the United States." "We're going to win because we've got the best candidates," Sununu said.  

Jeb Bradley, who held the 1st District seat in Congress for two terms before he was defeated two years ago by Democrat Carol Shea-Porter, also made an appearance at the opening and said that "Democrats are after our pocketbooks" and that Shea-Porter promoted multiple tax increases because she wants to spend all our money.

Bradley said he is "ready to take back our state and turn it around and make it red again."

[Note: Other NH candidates in attendance were Greg Knytych, Tom Brown, Bill Tobin, Frank Tilton, Karen Brickner,  and Barbara Luther (there may have been others that I have missed; my apologies -Webmaster)

(cross posted at GraniteGrok)

The NH GOP, Belknap County Republicans, and in conjunction with the McCain 2008  will be opening their Laconia office on Monday, August 25th from 5pm to 7pm.  


will be dropping by, arriving between 5:00 and 5:15pm and staying for a while to greet any and all Republicans at the new office.

As part of the opening, Robert Brennan Heuchling is looking for for volunteers to help make phone calls to Belknap County and to go door to door in Laconia and other local towns.   Our biggest push is to have volunteers in here on Tuesday (8/26) and Thursday (8/28) evenings (or during the day) and on Saturday. Stop by for a few hours or for the whole thing, we will have pizza and light refreshments for lunch.

Since all Republicans and Republican candidates are well, please feel free to stop by to leave your campaign literature and signs.  Lists will be available for phone calls and neighborhood walks.

We also have signs, bumper stickers and other goodies to hand out for those that want them.)

Location:

Republican Laconia Office
664 Main Street (next to Barbary Barbers) on the left side of Main Street
Laconia, NH
03246

All will be welcome!

For further information, contact:

Robert Brennan Heuchling
New England Coalitions Director
John McCain 2008
Office: 603-369-4972
Mobile: 603-369-7558

For media questions, please either email Mark Hamilton (NH GOP Executive Director) or call him at 603-219-3933.

Click here to go over to that entry (and to get to the video of the meeting)

August 14th, 2008


 OK, I'LL ASK:  If a nationally prominent Republican did what John Edwards has admitted to, would it get the same level of media coverage?

IMPRESSIVE CANDIDATES:  I was one of the crowd of 130 people watching the First CD debate between Jeb Bradley and John Stephen in Ossipee on Monday night, and I have to say both of them were outstanding.  Look out, CSP (who was recently rated among the five incumbents most likely to be defeated this year by Politico)!

Congrats to Henry Mock and the Carroll County GOP for putting on a great event. 

OUTSTANDING REGIONAL COMMITTEE:  Also on Monday, Councilor Ray Burton and I had the honor of doing the ribbon cutting to open the Pemi-Baker Valley GOP's headquarters in Plymouth.  Omer Ahern, Henry Ahern, Lud Flower and the whole Pemi-Baker gang have done a model job of re-starting a defunct town committee, and now they have even put together the wherewithal to open and fund a headquarters to support our candidates.  If there isn't a town committee in your community but you have the iniative and leadership to start one, contact tom@nhgop.org and we will help you get the ball rolling.

LET'S GIVE 'EM SOMETHIN' TO TALK ABOUT:  Bonnie Raitt's got some good licks.  It's her left-wing, blame America first politics I can do without.  But there was Raitt in Concord this week doing a concert to raise money for Jeanne Shaheen.  Some of us recall that back in 2000, when sanctions was the extent of our opposition to Saddam Hussein's regime, Raitt signed a letter in the New York Times blaming the US, not Hussein, for causing the deaths "of over one million Iraqis, mostly children under five."  Does Shaheen share Raitt's blame America first mindset?

AND THE GOLD MEDAL FOR FLIP-FLOPS GOES TO:

Our next meeting will be held Wednesday, Aug 27 at 6:30pm

Place: Gilford Town Hall, lower level Lunch room area

We'll have a special speaker:


Greg is running to unseat Kathy Sgambati (D-Tilton) in NH Senate District 4 - (Alton, Barnstead, Belmont, Gilford, Gilmanton, Laconia, New Durham, Strafford, Tilton)

Just trying to catch up on some things that I didn't have to put up when I ran across them.  This from Betsy's Page is one of them:

Incredibly this man is one of the leaders of our nation. Watch this video of Harry Reid explaining over and over and over again that the United States has a voluntary tax system. Libertarian interview, Jan Helfeld tried to ask Reid about how people feel when their money is forcibly taken away from them to pay for welfare for others, but Reid refuses to accept the premise of the question because, as he repeats several times, the government doesn't force people to pay taxes and that we have a voluntary system. He can't claim that he misspoke since he is quite forceful in his repetition that our system is voluntary. His explanation is that we have deductions for mortgages and medical costs and so the entire system is voluntary. Imagine that.

Remember this as you are filling out your tax forms. The Senate Majority Leader insists that the system is voluntary.

Amazing.

When the Democrats try to demonize John McCain for his ignorance on economics, I hope that the Republicans will blanket the media with this video.

Well, we're trying!

I commented earlier (Belknap County Republicans website) that the Democrats are not worried at all with what they wrought with the latest State budget ("The senator insisted that “new” spending measures added up to “barely 3-percent”, with the rest of the increase caused by “things we had no control over”).

Well, in the same article (Daily Sun, P20), an NH House Democrat candidate was quoted this way:

"Ellen McLung of Gilford — a candidate in House District 5 – got off the best one-liner of the day, saying she was interested in mass transit issues but her home state’s only real example to date is ski lifts."

The problem with her statement is that it may well be true that, indeed, the only places that mass transit may be needed is at the area's ski lifts. Mass Transit systems only work where the population is high density (think large urban areas like Boston and New York City). Even with that as a given, Mass Transit systems are not self sustaining - they continue to operate only with massive taxpayer subsidies that yield a "reasonable" fare per rider.  Thus, many are dinged for the few.

Looking around the Lakes Region, it is clear that this fundamental necessity for success, high population density,  is missing.  In fact, even the Winnipesaukee Transit System's own numbers shows that taxpayers might as well give each rider almost $26 each time they get on one of those always empty buses.  It would probably be more cost effective to give out taxi vouchers and let the private sector provide that service more efficiently. 

From the Coordinated Transit Study Final Report:

• A budget of $194,077 per year
• A ridership of 7,566 people per year
• This breaks down to $25.65 / rider - trip
  
• Given an 8 hour operational day, that is only 21 riders / day, or if you prefer 2.5 riders per hour.
• That is out of a possible ridership (as estimated in 2000) of 15,500 living with 1/4 mile of all the stops.

No way that this could be judged to be a successful program (unless you are one of the very few riders that WTS  does have).  It could be said that all that the WTS seems to provide is jobs for the bus drivers and their  management.  And just think of all the carbon offsets that are needed to compensate for burning all that gas / diesel while running empty the vast majority of the time.

The Downeaster, running down from Portland to Boston still requires a taxpayer subsidy of pretty much $20 / rider / trip.  We are talking millions in subsidies!

Once again, Democrats seem willing to provide a solution for which there is no problem.  Once again, they are willing to spend lots of other peoples' money to benefit very few.

Video shot during the June 25, 2008 Belknap County Convention meeting that took place at the Belknap County Complex.  The purpose of the meeting was to decide whether or not to appoint someone to the office of the Belknap County Sheriff, and if so, who?


Length - approximately 71 minutes.  If the video does not work with your browser, click here to go to Google Video to watch it directly.

Well, Rush Limbaugh has made no secret that the purpose of his "Operation Chaos" - having Republicans cross over to vote in a Democrat primary - was to keep the Democrat primary season going as long possible (subscription required, I think) to keep having Hillary and Obama bat at each other like crazed badminton players after a shuttlecock:

So Operation Chaos was born primarily for the purpose assuming Obama was going to be the nominee at the get go of this.  He needs to be bloodied up politically since McCain is not going to do it. Since the Republican Party is not going to be on the field in this way, somebody's gotta bloody up Obama.  The only person that can do it is Hillary, and she can't do it if she's not in the race -- and so the purpose was Operation Chaos was to keep her in the race and to have her bloody up Obama in the process of staying in the race.  I'm talking about politically. 

Well, it looks like the "Kossacks" (writers / readers at the Daily Kos, the largest Liberal blogsite) are realizing that here in NH in Congressional District 1, they have the same capability, except they want to dictate the outcome of a primary instead of merely prolonging it:

I am wondering if anybody on here lives in New Hampshire's first Congressional district represented by Democrat Carol Shea-Porter.  The reason I am asking is that new polls out show her beating one candidate (John Stephen), but trailing the other (former Rep. Jeb Bradley). 

See Politico

I am thinking that anyone who lives in this district should grab a Republican primary ballot on September 9th and vote for John Stephen, who is almost certainly the weaker candidate. 

OK folks, all you Republicans and Right leaning independents, you now have some knowledge if you do not want to keep Carol Shea-Porter as your Representative. Get out there and vote!

Im really surprised that nobody has thought of this yet on here.  Carol Shea-Porter is probably one of our most endangered incumbents and will need everything to break in her favor to win reelection.  She trails Bradley by six points, but leads Stephen by six.  If she faces Stephen in November, I think she will win.  If she faces Bradley, who held this seat from 2002 until she beat him in 2006, she will have an uphill climb.

We should call this our own "operation chaos", like what Republicans tried to do to us in the Democratic Presidential primary... New Hampshire does have an open primary, so I will encourage anybody who lives in the first district to grab a Republican ballot and vote for John Stephen on September 9th.

Well, it can work both ways...but I do believe that as the election comes neigh, we'll have the better candidates.

More details on the polls here.

Date:        8/13/08 (Wednesday)

Time:        5:30pm   Buffet Dinner (Note: this month, the Buffet Dinner will be a fund

raiser for Greg Knytych - a $20 donation is requested)

                6:30pm   Meeting

Place:       Shanghai Restaurant
                331 South Main Street
                Laconia, NH
                (603) 524-4100

 (see map below)

Speakers:

 

Map of Shang-hai:
    (map)

From the NH Reagan Network:

TO ALL:
 
Reagan Network is holding an issue forum on Saturday August 9th at the Legislative Office Building (the building behind the state house).  (we had requested Reps Hall and were turned down but LOB will work)

It will begin at 9 and should be over at 2.  Please let us know if you are coming if possible so we can have an idea on how much to get for lunch. (we don't need to use scarce financial resources buying too much food)
 
We will be covering ed funding, the budget, energy, second amendment, family values, respect for life, right to work, nanny state legislation and transportation.

It will also be a good opportunity to meet many of our new conservative candidates, although ALL Republican candidates are invited.  (some of them could use being reminded where we should be on these issues.....)  Please encourage new candidates you know to be sure to come.  We know it is busy election time, but felt this was needed before the primary.  Thanks.
 
Feel free to forward.
 
Fran

To RSVP you can reach Fran at mattwenfran@verizon.net.

Once again, Dave takes on the illogic of the left, proceeds with logic!  From the Laconia Daily Sun (7/28, P5):

To the editor,

Last week, Senator John McCain spoke very passionately, eloquently and adroitly as he addressed questions on Veteran’s medical care from the N.H. Veterans delegation. His concerns and solutions included better medical attention and helping the homeless veterans. There was no doubt in my mind that his words were sincere. The audience in Rochester concurred. Senator McCain’s history of military service and sacrifice is unimpeachable.

The surge in Iraq has succeeded and I am personally glad that Obama has crawled out from his hiding hole, with his new found courage and freshly grown anatomical parts, and is taking this pilgrimage to the Middle East. Some say that he left the country out of fear that Jesse Jackson wanted to harvest these new appendages. This is his fi rst trip in three years. John McCain has been there eight times. John McCain is one of the prime reasons that we even had the surge and its subsequent success. Obama cannot even acknowledge that it was successful militarily and politically. However, as it was billed as a fact finding trip, most wise people would wait until they landed and actually talked to the generals before offering the results of the investigation.

Obama thought it necessary to remove from his website any reference to his two-year opposition to the surge prior to embarking. Why? So now I am asked to go to his website and see how he cares for our military and our veterans. You are trying to convince me that Obama is not the arrogant elitist that has shown open disdain for our troops and steadfastly voted against funding them. Words have meaning. It helps to convince me if they are not changed constantly as Obama does his.

Once upon a time politics ended at the waters edge. Gore, Kerry, Reid, Clinton, Pelosi, et. al. have created a new political art form in their overseas excursions and the blame President Bush, blame America first mantra. Obama has had ample opportunity in the recent past to meet with our Generals, specifically General Petraeus, in Washington. He chose not to. When his prime sponsors, the far left radical, Moveon and DailyKos, ran the “General Betray Us” infamous ad in collaboration with the “New York Times”, Obama could have joined with most of our senators and congressmen and denounced this ad. He opted out. How does Obama’s “fight the smears" site address these truths?

Obama has not held one Senate meeting, let me repeat that, not one meeting, on Afghanistan affairs and he is the chair. Today, he tried to take credit for the financial pressure that has been exerted by the U..S against Iran, claiming it was his banking committee’s efforts. He is not on that committee. Today, he said Iran is a grave threat. He used to say it was a puny country. A year ago he wanted to meet with Iran’s leaders without “preconditions”. He has been waffling ever since. Truth or smears?

Senator John McCain was accurate and honest with his assessments of Obama and most defi nitely justifi ed in making these criticisms. Most people recognize that Obama is not qualifi ed to lead this nation in any capacity.

Cathy Merwin is correct. We need to start paying attention to the truth. I would suggest that she differentiate between truth, talking points and opinion. There is only one set of facts from which truth can be derived.

David R. Horvath, Sr.
Gilford

And who, pray tell, invoked this righteous missive - look after the jump!

When one reads the local papers, it seems that a lot of Left leaning folks are teeing off as they continue to feel their oats after the last election cycle.  Dave decides to "do the slapdown" on one of the that caliber of Letter To The Editor. 

From the Laconia Daily Sun (P. 5)

To the Editor;
 
Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa. There is a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning, to paraphrase Jimmy Buffet's famous song.
 
Mea Culpa? Being war weary and impoverished, high times and peace, neither set of circumstances are excuses for allowing evil to proliferate. I reiterate my statement on President Bush's right and duty to remind the world of the results of appeasement. The United States and the world has let its guard down on multiple occasions, most recently in the U.S. with the Clinton administration. If Mr. Allard insists that these comments were aimed at Obama that's fine, as his and many other liberal feet in Washington fit those same shoes.
 
Mea Culpa? President Bush may have erred in his assessment of Putin. Certainly he was hoping for change ( I've heard that nebulous non-sequitur before? ) in a man that spent his entire Soviet career in the dark side of the KGB. Obviously Putin's dark heart had not changed but this has not deterred President Bush from pressing forward with U.S. interests in the democracies of the former Soviet Bloc countries. The President's early assessment just provides liberals with a good sound bite.
 
Now in response to Mr. Allard's questions, fear does not enter into the equation in speaking with adversaries. One only has to look at the results obtained in engaging with Yassar Arafat and the fate of the Palestinians, the effect on Israel,  to understand why you do not give gravitas and cache to terrorists, thugs and rogue nations. Your continued vague allusions to "other" unconditioned engagements are just that and unfounded. Obama's infamous gaffe has now morphed into liberal doctrine and you jump right in to defend it. Before you continue defending the indefensible I suggest you read Mr. Charles Krauthammer's article in this weeks "Washington Post" and steep yourself in the real history of presidential engagement with adversaries. And also remember that President Reagan walked out of the Reyikevik summit when dogma instead of diplomacy was proffered.
 
Mea Maxima Culpa and Sunday morning? Speaking of judgment, answer these questions. Who along with his wife, spent 20 years in the Trinity Church of Chicago, getting splinters from the pews, listening to Black Liberation Theology with its Marxist, Socialist, Racist viewpoints and just couldn't bring themselves to leave? What current presidential candidate got his start in local Chicago politics in the living room of an avowed anarchist and domestic terrorist? Which underachieving Senator, who is running for President, by his voting record, is the most liberal? The answer to all three questions is the same. What American would want this man advocating anything on their behalf? Whose side would he be advocating for? You have convinced me Mr. Allard, President Bush was targeting Obama in his Knesset speech, get out the Physcologist to assuage the bruised feelings.
 
As a compassionate conservative, I sit abashed. The rants, half-truths, inaccuracies and far left liberal talking points that you provide to the readership in the lakes region had me convinced that you had all of the proper credentials framed and mounted on the walls of your home. I'm sure that this is a minor formality all of which can be rectified by taking your eddy and visiting any of the indoctrination facilities passing themselves off as universities these days. As to the smoke that you are smelling, it may be emanating from the ingredients you used in the last batch of cookies that you put in the oven.
 
"Half-baked cookies in the oven, Half-baked people on the bus..." Thank you Jimmy B.
 
Sincerely,
 
David R. Horvath, Sr.
Gilford, NH 

The Letter to which he was responding is after the jump!

Once again, Dave skewers a liberal Letter writer who has no sense (5/21).

From the Laconia Daily Sun (P 4):

And exactly what school did Mr. Allard go to, The School of Revisionist History, Majoring in Bush Derangement Syndrome with letters in the Jimma Carter School of Diplomacy?

President George W Bush has every right to remind the world of the travesty that was a direct result of pacifism and appeasement. How many million Jewish people died, how many million others died because the world looked the other way?

Mr. Allard needs to be reminded that in recent history only one president met with a foreign adversary without "preconditions". Within two months of this meeting, Khrushchev was building the Berlin Wall, within a year there were nuclear weapons in Cuba, and when all was said and done the United States was withdrawing missiles from Turkey. We came within a gnats eyelash of global nuclear war as a result of a very young and naive president being "tested". Nixon did go to China and Reagan did meet with his Soviet counterparts but with preparation, preconditions and from a position of strength that resulted in strategic military, economic and diplomatic gains. Oh yeah, isn't the Berlin Wall in the ash dump of history now as well as the Iron Curtain?

We now have another young and naive presidential candidate that threatens to meet with all the worst that the world has to offer without conditions. We have a former president that hugs the Hamas terrorists. President Bush did not single out any individual in his speech before the Knesset. He reminded the world that we are doomed to repeat history if we don't learn from it. But this speech obviously has touched a very raw spot in the liberal world of appeasement as every one has their knickers in a bunch.

It would also be wise to remind Mr. Allard that Islamic terrorism did not start with the attack on our embassy but the weakness of Carters Rose Garden strategy certainly emboldened these extremists, one of which is now President of Iran.  Mr. Allard also seems to have forgotten that President Bush's policies resulted in India and Pakistan not going to war, Libya giving up their nuclear weapons and North Korea's ability to export the same being marginalized. By the way, whose naive policy had Secretary of State Albright ( an oxymoron ) dancing with Kim Jong Il and resulted in North Korea getting the weapon in the first place? It is a different kettle of fish one has to deal with when a rogue country already has the nuclear bomb.

However, I see the situation much differently than Mr. Allard does. In addition to the gains cited above under President Bushes administration, we have two fledgling democracy's emerging in Iraq and Afghanistan. Protection and nurturing is needed, not beating feet in retreat. We also have a force strategically placed in the theater that in and of itself is a massive deterrent to Iran and others. If we do leave, who among us really believes that we will either have to go back and fight a more difficult fight or we will have to abandon a true friend and ally in Israel? Will we lose more than 4000 service members? Will the result be worse than the Holocaust, something Iran doesn't even acknowledge occurred? Will this too be appeasement or do you have a different name for this? I do not ask this callously.

We have lost many brave Americans in this struggle against terrorists and my heart aches with each loss. I honor every member of our all voluntary military services and thank God that the United States has these fine people to protect us. I pray to God for them always.
 
Sincerely,
 
David R Horvath, Sr.
Gilford, NH

The Letter that needed such a response is after the jump.

Trying to take lessons from the Teflon / do nothing Gov?  And the press is beginning to notice! 

From Fergus:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:                July 17, 2008
Contact:           Fergus Cullen, Chairman, New Hampshire Republican Party
                        603-225-9341 office, 603-520-5450 cell
 


CONCORD –   The Nashua Telegraph recently reported on Jeanne Shaheen’s campaign strategy of avoiding taking positions on major policy issues, noting that she is short on specifics, never veering too far from the talking points fed to her.

During her campaign for U.S. Senate, Shaheen has already refused to offer specific details on major issues and has rebuffed requests from the media to provide opinions on recent national security legislation and a landmark Supreme Court case. New Hampshire voters are also waiting for her to explain why she has refused to support legislation that will increase funding for the state’s acute care hospitals by over $20 million per year.

“Jeanne Shaheen’s decision to duck many of the major issues in this campaign shows her complete lack of political courage and inability to make any statements beyond her standard talking points issued by Washington insiders,” said New Hampshire GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen.

“Her unwillingness to answer simple questions about her positions reminds Granite Staters of the mediocrity and failed leadership that epitomized her six years in the corner office. It’s no surprise that Jeanne Shaheen wants to avoid a discussion on the issues given her history of election year flip-flops and her legacy of increased spending and higher taxes,” said Cullen.

Jeanne Shaheen Has Refused To Take Positions On Major Policy Issues:

The Nashua Telegraph: "[T]his is the posture Shaheen will take for as long as she can: Keep her own specifics to a minimum, except on those issues she believes are in her favor…In the meantime, the mantra is to keep this campaign in full metal jacket, attack mode against the incumbent… She tipped that strategy quite clearly during a Concord Monitor editorial board meeting late last month." ("State House Watch: Three Bills Waiting For Action” The Nashua Telegraph, 7/13/08)

The Eagle Tribune Reports That Jeanne Shaheen Failed To Take A Position On The Recent Supreme Court Ruling Affirming Second Amendment Rights: "U.S. Sen. John Sununu's office released a statement saying the Supreme Court ruling got ‘it right.’ Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen did not return calls asking for a comment." ("N.H. residents, GOP politicians applaud high court gun ruling," The Eagle Tribune, 6/27/08)

The Keene Sentinel Also Reports That Shaheen Also Refused To Comment On The Ruling: "New Hampshire’s Washington delegation was nearly unanimous in its delight. Republican U.S. Senator Judd Gregg said the ruling was ‘a historic moment,’ adding, ‘I applaud the court’s ruling.’ Republican U.S. Senator John Sununu said the ruling ‘gets it right.’ All the candidates we heard from applauded the decision. We didn’t hear from Governor John Lynch or Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen, however.” (Editorial, "Firearm Clarity?," The Keene Sentinel, 6/30/08)

Jeanne Shaheen Refused To Say If She Would Vote For Or Against The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) According To The Nashua Telegraph: "Presidential candidate Obama is still stuck in some hot water with his liberal base for voting to support the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act legislation that gives retroactive immunity to telecommunication companies that cooperated in the wiretapping President Bush approved after the Sept. 11 attacks…So how would [Jeanne Shaheen] have voted? We’re still waiting for an answer to that question, posed Thursday afternoon." ("State House Watch: Three Bills Waiting For Action” The Nashua Telegraph, 7/13/08)

Good Afternoon

I just wanted to give you an update on some happenings with Team McCain and the Victory 08 effort. If you can make a phone bank of the town hall meeting please contact the individuals listed below.

You are formally invited to attend the official Kick-Off Event of the Knytych 4 Senate campaign. This event will run from 1 - 3 PM on July 20th.

This is a free event and there will be Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Chips and Corn. There will also be Ice Cream courtesy of the Kellerhaus.

I have invited the candidates for the 1st Congressional District, NH House candidates from the towns in the 4th NH Senate District (Alton, Barnstead, Belmont, Gilford, Gilmanton, Laconia, New Durham, Strafford and Tilton) and many of the residents of these towns. This will allow you the opportunity to meet with the others that are running for office in our area and to hear why I can win this election.

I look forward to seeing you there.

The Grandview is located at 291 Endicott Street North between
the Weirs Beach Sign and Funspot.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             CONTACT: Stefani Zimmerman
July 14, 2008                                                      (603)792-2008


Manchester, NH – U.S. Senator John Sununu (R-NH) issued the following statement today on President Bush’s decision to lift the executive ban on offshore exploration:

“The President’s decision today to lift the executive ban on offshore exploration is a good first step towards lowering energy prices and reducing our dependence on foreign sources of oil. With oil at over $140 per barrel, the time to act is now. For too long the liberal special interests have blocked every reasonable attempt to increase domestic production. Only politicians as out of touch as Jeanne Shaheen have maintained their opposition to these common sense energy policies despite the increasing financial burden on New Hampshire families and small businesses. I have supported and will continue to support a balanced approach using the best and cleanest technology to produce more energy here at home. A balanced approach, including new domestic exploration in addition to conservation and renewables, is the only way to bring down prices and make America more energy independent.”

By Dave Horvath
Laconia Daily Sun, P. 4  7/8/08

To the editor,

Ellen McClung, wife of Scott Cracraft, self-proclaimed proud ultraliberals, recently announced she was running for the District 5 legislative seat that includes Gilford, Belmont, Alton and Barnstead. McClung’s letter was very understated in its announcement. Her and her husband’s viewpoints, published on many occasions in this newspaper, are admittedly part of the far left, agenda-driven culture that has overtaken the once proud Democrat party. This is true locally, statewide and nationally. It is my opinion, of a person raised in a Democrat household, that most Democrats are centrists and don’t hold the extreme viewpoints that McClung and Cracraft have espoused in the past.

I found it funny that now that she is a candidate that she has shied away from the hard left wing rhetoric. Perhaps I shouldn’t find it that funny as Obama, the most left wing presidential candidate (and least qualified ) this nation has ever seen is now running to the right of Senator John McCain. Why do ultra liberals feel its necessary to hide who they really are? Or call themselves “progressives”?

Many things in her announcement should be addressed, space allows me to only comment on a few. Whether McClung and her cohorts want to wish us into a recession, the United States is not in one and haven’t been since the one that President Bush inherited from Clinton and his terrible tax policies. As she and her husband continue to remind us that they are educators (indoctrinators? ), they might want to do some fact checking before they speak.

A married couple earning $60,000 a year pays $3,000 per year less in federal income taxes now than in the last year of Clinton’s presidency. Look it up. That extra money is helping me with my choices in life. Liberal Democrats want to repeal this and other beneficial policies initiated by President Bush that help the average American. They want to create more government.

Once in my life I would like a liberal to say the high taxes we are imposing on our citizens is making difficult choices for Americans. Our citizens have to chose between medical bills, food, energy and are struggling, WE MUST CUT TAXES NOW! But that won’t come from an archetypal left wing liberal like McClung. She would rather see my home and lifestyle in jeopardy than to renounce high tax, big government entitlement programs. Whether in Concord or on a national level, government does nothing better than the private sector. But it is precisely McClung’s policies that make it more difficult for the poor and elderly.

The $400-million dollar, 17.5-percent budget increase given to us by the current ultra liberal Democrats in Concord is costing a family of four in New Hampshire over $1,200 more per year than we have already been paying. I for one would like that money back to make choices with. My lifestyle has not improved because of this tax increase, has yours? We don’t need a McClung to add to our statewide fiscal woes. The first Democrat Legislature in Concord in one hundred years has been nothing short of a disaster. McClung doesn’t seem to understand that this tax increase hits the least among us the hardest.

The problems that we see in the cost of energy have been building for over 40 years. We can’t build nuclear plants, clean coal fired plants, refineries or drill for oil at locations of large known reserves. Wind farms and solar power are okay as long as you can’t see them from Senator Kennedy’s cape compound. But these are unreliable and the power grid needs backup sources at higher costs still to support such an ill conceived sole source program. McClung states that she wants good paying American job opportunities, great, you and your liberal policies need to get out of the way. Over 500 high paying union jobs were lost in Laconia alone, at Bergen-Paterson Corporation when nuclear power fell out of favor because of liberal policies. Do some more homework and find out what one power plant or refi nery would do for job creation let alone going forward with a coherent national energy policy.

So as McClung asks for your support, I ask that you as fellow taxpayers do your homework. I have. I have followed the liberal litany of her and her husband’s past stated positions. We do not need any more high tax, big government liberals at any level of elected office. Find someone better to vote for than her.

David R. Horvath, Sr.
Gilford

By Rep. DAVID HESS
For the Monitor
July 13, 2008 - 12:00 am

No matter how hard they try, Democrats in Concord just can't sugarcoat their tax, borrow and spend policies of the last two years. A case in point is the recent opinion piece authored by House Speaker Terie Norelli ("Republicans left costly problems for us to solve," Monitor Forum, June 25).

Despite the harsh accusations, half-truths and just plain misstatements, she can't turn this year's budget disaster into an M&M chocolate.

Let's look at the facts. First, state spending. In the 2006-07 biennium, general fund appropriations totaled $2.71 billion. Under the leadership of the Democrats this session, that figure jumped to $3.19 billion; that's an increase of $475 million, or 17.5 percent. This money is raised from taxes and fees paid by you, the taxpayers of New Hampshire.

So how are the Democrats planning to pay for this? First they raised no less than 15 taxes and fees, including a second increase in the cigarette tax in two years. They also found new things to tax, such as charitable games of chance, cigars, registry of deed filings, court filings and many more.

But that wasn't enough to correct the deficit, so they decided to bond $90.5 million to pay the state's current expenses. They did that in a single, hurry up "special" legislative session that ended at midnight June 5 - all without referral to a committee, without a public hearing and with inaccurate information and misrepresentations
on the House floor.

Bonding school building aid

The history of this issue is particularly disturbing. In early May, the governor proposed bonding $80 million in school construction aid to help pay for the budget deficit. After a hearing before a joint House-Senate committee, this proposal was unanimously rejected - with the House Democratic leadership leading the charge. Then, barely three weeks later, during our midnight special session, and without a word of explanation or justification, the Democratic leadership did a 180-degree turnaround and passed this bonding on a straight party- line vote.

Not only that, but they threw in another $20 million in bonding to boot, all with no public hearing or any public input whatsoever. So much for the democratic process.

And what about some of the other misleading comments in Speaker Norelli's piece? Yes, indeed, the State House roof was leaking in the spring of 2007, but it was the previous Republican House that passed the appropriations to fix it.

As for the vaunted retirement plan fix, the House did - unanimously, and on a voice vote - pass an excellent bill that was fair to retirees, current employees, employers and taxpayers alike, only to see the big public employees' unions dismantle it in the Senate. In the face of extreme union pressure during the committee of conference, the House Democratic leadership backed down on virtually every major point. So we will be back trying to fix this again next year.

10-year highway plan

Finally, the 10-year highway plan. The Democrats didn't fully fund that either. In fact, when Commissioner Charles O'Leary presented the plan, he realistically asked for a six-year plan, which was unanimously endorsed by committee Republicans because it was fully funded, honest and straightforward in its design. Again, the Democrats chose smoke-and-mirrors legislation.

Maybe if Speaker Norelli and House Democrats were less concerned with blaming Republicans and appeasing the governor, but instead concentrated on doing the work of the people, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in today.

(Rep. David Hess of Hooksett is the deputy House Republican leader.)

From the McCain NH campaign, a note to those that wish to assist:

Town Chairs, 

 

My name is Ben DiSesa and I am writing to you on behalf of the McCain campaign from the Manchester Office on 250 Commercial Ave, Manchester, NH.  We are strongly involved in gathering volunteer support for McCain and as you probably know, just opened the office last week.  We now need volunteers to come down and help to organize volunteer events.  We are also opening up offices around NH and are going to need dedicated people to staff them.  My cell phone number is (603) 978-5710, my email is Ben@nhgop.org, and you can contact me at anytime if you have any questions about what you can do to help McCain and other Republicans get elected.  With only 120 days left until the election, we can't stress enough how important it is to build a strong support network of volunteers.  Starting tonight at 5 pm people will be coming to the Manchester office and anything you can do, either by volunteering yourself, or giving this information to people who you know can help, would be appreciated. 

We need volunteers as soon as possible!  Thanks,

 

Ben DiSesa

Victory Campaign Staff

603-978-5710

Ben@nhgop.org

From RedState:

The GOP is the Party of Freedom of Choice

The Party that Believes in Your Right to Direct Your Life

Charles Manson stole this song from the Beatles – now, we’re stealing it back.

The Republican Party has always embraced a wide range of ideological beliefs – and this diversity of thought has sometimes inspired conflict, as it has also led to great achievement. Yet through all debates, despite all regional or political concerns, the foundation of Republicanism has been the same since its inception: the freedom of the individual, and the value of every human life.

These principles have guided the party from its origin as a political force to destroy slavery, to the long fight against communism, to the ongoing battle for the sanctity of the unborn, to the present war against the forces of Islamism. Those principles will guide the Republican Party through the twenty-first century, and beyond. And we believe the GOP must rededicate itself to the idea of individual freedom – of being the party that believes not in government mandated parity, which wields the power of the bureaucracy to force a false equality of outcome, but in a level playing field for all Americans regardless of race, class, or creed – ensuring an equal opportunity to compete, succeed, and thrive.

The Republican Party must reclaim its rightful mantle as the leading champion of Freedom of Choice.

People must be free to decide how to direct their lives for themselves, and then be responsible for their choices.

On education, Republicans believe you must be free to choose how you want to educate your children. Government should not stand in the way of your choice, whether in the form of home schooling, government schooling, charter schools, vouchers to leave a failing school for a thriving school, or other opportunities.

On healthcare, Republicans should embrace an end to regulatory regimes that prevent citizens from buying healthcare across state lines. Republicans should embrace reforms that allow the free market to play a greater role in health care, not a lesser role. Republicans should embrace total portability of health insurance so workers can be free to choose a new job without fear of losing their insurance.

On taxes, Republicans should embrace the Republican Study Committee plan for an alternate flat tax. If you want to go through the regular 1040 process with itemized deductions, etc., do it. If you want to bypass that route, file a postcard return based on a flat tax — the taxpayer’s choice.

On energy, Republicans, including our Presidential nominee, should embrace every option. You want nuclear power? Republicans should favor that choice. You want to use the resources we have instead of buying it from our enemies? Republicans support legislation to allow us to drill here and now. You want methanol and other biofuels? Republicans should break down trade barriers that prevent the importation of ethanol and Republicans should break down subsidies that raise the price of food stuffs in the name of producing corn based ethanol and other biofuels. Republicans should be in favor of letting consumers decide which light bulbs consumers want for their own homes.

On Social Security, Republicans should favor greater investment options for individuals’ retirements. If an individual wants to keep the current social security regime, we should let them. If an individual wants greater control investing their social security, we should let them have it. And above all else, because the government has already made certain choices regarding social security and medicare withholdings, Republicans should not use FICA/FUTA revenues for anything but social security and medicare/Medicaid payments respectively, in the current year.

When individuals are allowed to choose for themselves, they take an ownership interest in their choices. One of the greatest failures of the present administration has been not aggressively communicating and supporting the President’s idea of an ownership society, which contains at its core the revolutionary undercurrent that motivated America’s founding: that each individual holds within themselves the capacity and right to self-government.

This is an enormous contrast with the Democrats. In almost every area of their agenda, they are opposed to self-government. They advocate less freedom for the individual to direct their lives – they remove the Freedom of Choice from the American citizen, and give it instead to bureacracies and agencies and the many eddies and tidepools of the federal government, all managed with the efficiency and responsibility of your local Department of Motor Vehicles.

Our next meeting will be held this Thursday, May 22 at 6:30pm

Place: Gilford Town Hall, lower level Lunch room area

We'll have a special speaker - TBD.

The next meetings:

• June  19    3rd Thursday of the Month      TBD

Join John on his announcement tour
Please RSVP to info@johnstephen.com

Board of Selectmen Meeting

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
7 p.m.

The time has changed - notice that it is no longer at 3pm!  This meeting is not just for those that can get away during the regular working day hours.

Will it stay that way?  It all depends on you, the townfolk of Gilford.  Show up, it may stay that.  Don't, and it may revert back to the afternoon time.

If you want to let the Selectmen know your feelings about how the town is run, now's the time to show up.

(cross posted at GraniteGrok and GilfordGrok)

pending cap initiative

A conservative group is coordinating efforts in four cities to cap municipal spending at the rate of the consumer price index beginning in 2010.

The New Hampshire Advantage Coalition is working with activists in Manchester, Concord, Merrimack and Rochester to put proposed changes to those communities' municipal charters on the ballot in November.

Coalition chairman Mike Biundo said the effort was sparked by "legislative overspending" last year and by the recent initiative by the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition "to strip away our (anti-broad base tax) pledge and strip away what New Hampshire is, a low-tax, low-spending state."

Biundo said that by tomorrow, language for charter amendments will be filed in the four municipalities. He said plans call for similar filings shortly in Londonderry, Conway, Portsmouth, Keene, Somersworth, Lebanon and Bedford.

"When you add up the 11 communities, this is over 30 percent of the electorate in the state," he said.

Biundo said state law requires the proposed petitions for the charter amendments to be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office and Department of Revenue Administration. He said that when the language is approved, organizers will have 60 days to gather petitions signed by at least 20 percent of the number of local residents who voted in the last municipal elections.

Biundo said his coalition has hired former Ron Paul field director Jared Chicoine and brought back former coalition executive director Tammy Simmons. He claims that such an effort "has never been done before on this scale in this state."

Calling all Republican Men and Women!
$75 per person provides: Campaign School Manual and Lunch.
 
What are the workshops being offered?

• Management
• Media
• Strategy
• Get-out-the-vote techniques
• Opposition Research
• Fundraising

Register Now! or call Christine Peters (673-0959)

(Update: looks like the link is bad and their site is down....call first)

CALLING ALL CANDIDATES

The filing period for state, federal, and county offices opens six weeks from tomorrow and runs June 4 – 13. The political environment for NH Republicans is much-improved compared to 2006. John McCain is going to run strong at the top of the NH ticket, guaranteeing that our state candidates will be evaluated on their own merits this year. Republicans will see a net gain in seats this year. The only question is how many will we win back – and will you be among the winners? If you are interested in running for office this year or want more information about what offices are available and what it takes to run, to win, and to serve, please contact Mike Hamilton at 225-9341 or email

STAFFING UPDATES

Here at NH GOP headquarters, our staff are Mike Hamilton, Executive Director, Pete Flynn, Finance Director, Tom DeRosa, Political Director. We expect to add more staff soon as the coordinated Victory effort takes shape. Stay tuned.

120 CLUB

Join the NH GOP 120 Club and help us make New Hampshire a solid Red State. For $10 a month you can help fund our candidate recruitment and our “Get Out The Vote” effort in November. Your contribution can make a big difference. Please click here for more information.

JEANNE SHAHEEN, FLIP-FLOP QUEEN (this week’s example)

Last fall Shaheen Proposed Rolling Back The 2001 Tax Cuts. “‘Nationally, we've got to do something, not just about costs, but about the 47 million who are uninsured and underinsured,’ said Shaheen adding that rolling back the bush tax cuts of those who earn more that $200,000 per year would pay for about half of that expense.” (Gail Ober, “In Laconia: Shaheen Meets With Leaders,” The Laconia Citizen , November 30, 2007) However, earlier Shaheen Said She Would Have Voted In Favor Of The Tax Cuts If She Had Been In The Senate. Shaheen: “One is on the Bush tax cut, where I said that I would have voted for the Bush tax cut had I been in the Senate.” (Harry R. Weber, “Leadership, Abortion, Taxes, Independence, Education,” Associated Press , October 26, 2002)

NH POLITICAL LIBRARY

The NH Political Library’s annual Awards Dinner is Wednesday, April 30 at 5:00 p.m. at the Center of NH Radisson in Manchester. Honorees are former US Senator Bill Bradley, former Governor Mitt Romney, CNN’s Candy Crowley, and former Governor Walter Peterson. Tickets are $150. For more info, call Celina Hurley at 225-4617 x11 or register online.

EVENT HONORING SENATOR WARREN RUDMAN

On May 13, Americans for Campaign Reform is holding a fundraising dinner honoring former U.S. Senator Warren Rudman. Keynote speakers are former Senators Howard Baker and Nancy Kassebaum Baker. The event is at 6:00 p.m. at CR Sparks in Bedford. Tickets are $50 each. For more info, call 227-0626.

CAMPAIGN SCHOOL
The National Federation of Republican Women is holding an all-day campaign school on May 17 in Nashua. The school is open to men as well as women! For more info, contact NH NFRW Chairwoman Christine Peters at 673-0959 and go check it out

We saw the political railroad at full steam here in NH as the newly annointed Dems rammed through and ran the table to enact civil union legislation in all but record time right after the election.  Not a whisper of this issue appeared during the campaign; after the election, it  became a whirlwind.

Well, it happens in other places, too!  And sometimes, instead of the tornado, the political process becomes a glacier:

Those who remember almost any recent election will likely stop to read that headline again. After all, isn’t it the Democrats who have been making the claim every other year that their voters have been disenfranchised?

[snip]

Since 2004, SJR 127 has been introduced into the Tennessee Senate and passed by a wide majority each time. Each time it has gone to the Tennessee House where it has died in Committee, the Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee of Health and Human Resources Committee to be precise. It was the same earlier this year. On a party line vote, the Subcommittee refused to allow SJR 127 to come out of committee to the full House where it would pass and then be put on the ballot in 2010 for all Tennesseans to vote on. Six committee members, all Democrats, are preventing six million Tennesseans from having their say. Talk about disenfranchising voters!

The resolution these six anti-democracy Democrats are keeping from appearing on the ballot is as follows:

Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.

[snip]

In 2008, in the United States of America, who could oppose letting the people vote on such an important issue and have a say in the way things are done in their state? Who, indeed? It is the Democrats who oppose such a thing! It is the Democrats who insist the people be forbidden from voting on the matter!

Once again, the phrase of "elections count" rings true.  In this case, as in MA where legislators refuse to allow a ballot measure to reach their constituents on gay marriage for a wider vote, we see Dems acting badly and refusing to allow the full flower of democracy to spread its petals.

Again, we hear so often from Dems that Republicans freeze out their voters.  In this case, the Democrats are freezing out ALL the voters.

Sad...
(cross posted at GraniteGrok)

Sure, LET'S use the taxpayers as an ATM machine!  After all, it's THEIR money (ha! not ours!)!  NH Advantage, what's that?

It is becoming quite clear that the NH Democrats have seriously overreached in this year's State budget, especially in the area of revenue forcasting.  They decry that the national and local economies are to blame: "that's why revenues are down!".

Er, not so fast.  While revenues have not met expections, actual revenues are up year over year.  Hear that?  Actual revenues are up.  This small, simple fact gives lie to the Democrats claim that the NH economy has tanked; the only thing that has tanked is their revenue projections!

So, do they admit that overreach?  Do they admit that perhaps the glasses they wore at the time had a tad more tinge of rose in them than warranted?  Of COURSE not!

So, what is their sole way to fix their self-induced problem?  Of COURSE - let's raise taxes and fees (never "how do we protect the taxpayers" and perhaps ramp down the cost of government).  Here's a prelim list:

Increased Taxes and Fees this Session:

• HB 1309—A new tax on cigars that will adversely affect sales along the NH border.
  

• HB 1426—Motor fuel imported into NH will be taxed higher and dedicated to a cleanup fund that DES testified, “does not need money right now.”
  

• HB 1594—Establishes new fees that will be levied on the backs of small business owners in NH.
  

• HB 1286—Requires mortgage originators to pay a $100 licensing fee and a $100 renewal fee.
  

• HB 1414—Increases the bail commissioners fee by $15 per day.
  

• HB 1360—House Democrats defeated a bill that would have repealed the civil court filing fee that they adopted last year. Adding a fee of $25 for filing any civil case is just another step in preventing our citizens from seeking redress and is yet another example of the mismanagement of the budget.
  

• HB 1547—House Democrats refused another attempt to repeal the fee charged to the Register of Deeds in an attempt to fund LCHIP by using a method that is harmful to citizens experiencing an already fledging real estate market.
  

• SB 528—Created a $5 incentive for recycling mercury thermostats that would be paid by manufacturers and passed along to the consumer.
  

• SB 519—Imposes a per diem fine on dam owners and operators for failure to repair damage.
  

• SB 317—Raises the tobacco license fee—once again hurting small business and chipping away at the New Hampshire Advantage.

Notice the pattern - a death by a THOUSAND cuts (or pennies, or dollar bills in this case)....just to show that NONE of it will be sufficient to put in a broad based tax.  Yup, we created a crisis for which the only answer is MORE of YOUR money!

When I was asked to help restart the Gilford Town Republican Committee, I accepted, but with one condition - we were not going to be yet another, "not doing much" group of Republicans.  Thus, and since being elected Chair, I see my role as being twofold:

• Help to rally Republicans around a message that can be believed
• Begin to put that message into force with concrete actions

Simply put, let's give people a reason to choose to be and vote Republican!

Tonight, after discussing the NH GOP Platform, this item caught our attention:

Promoting a limited government that is open, responsive and fully accountable to and in touch with its citizens without interfering in their personal, daily lives.

and began a discussion in how it would apply to the GTRC.  Combining that with Charlie Arlinghaus's column on transparency in government relative to the mess that the Democrats have made in Concord (no, its not just the economy, as total State revenues are up year over year, the Democrats just went WAY over the cliff on spending and are now looking for cover), the attendees decided to put that into action:

As Gilford Republicans, our first goal is to request an opening up of local government by making all public information more easily available  by the local govenmental bodies with which we are concerned:

• Town of Gilford
• Gilford School Board
• Belknap County
  

What is lacking is a plethora of flashlights - citizen overwatch of their own government and with the current outcry by some when Right To Know requests are filed, the easiest solution is to make those requests irrelevant by bringing that information to our citizens instead of forcing citizens to come to the information.

One of the easiest ways to do that is with more fully operational and informative governmental websites that would provide portals totally open to the taxpayers. The minimum each website should contain can be seen after the break (and is modeled after requirements listed by the Sunshine Review).

Thus, we call upon the Town of Gilford, the Gilford School Board, and the Belknap County Commissioners to more fully use their websites to more fully open up their levels of government and make it easier for their citizens and taxpayers access the information that is, by right, theirs.

The technology to simply put them out on the web is simple (i.e., put PDF copies of information on the web sites).  The next step is to then put information that can be analyzed (e.g., Check Manifests) out in formats that ordinary citizens can then download and examine (e.g., EXCEL spreadsheets).

The relevant Press Releases can be found after the jump.

Our next meeting will be held this Thursday, April 17 at 6:30pm

Place: Gilford Town Hall, Conference Room A.

We'll be having a "working" session this month (no special speaker).

























The next meetings:

• May 22      4th Thursday of the month     Town Hall, lower Level lunchroom area
• June  19    3rd Thursday of the Month      TBD

The reminder about the upcoming fundraising event for the Belknap County Mt Washington cruise is here.  Thanks to a vote this past Wednesday, the Belknap County Republicans will split any profits from any of the tickets that the Gilford GOP sells for this event.

Let me know if you want some to sell and if you are looking for names to call, let me know that too!

Also, the video from that meeting where John Stephen (candidate, NH - CD 1) and Jim Steiner (candidate, NH - CD 2) spoke can be seen here.

-Skip

Date:        4/9/08
Time:        5:30pm   Dinner ($12)
                6:00pm   Meeting

Place:       Shanghai Restaurant
                331 South Main Street
                Laconia, NH
                (603) 524-4100

Speakers   John Stephen
                Candidate for Congress - District 1
                John Stephen For Congress
               

                Jim Steiner
                Candidate for Congress - District 2
                Jim Steiner for Congress

General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker returned from Iraq to testify to the relevant Senate subcommittees.  Senator Sununu, R-NH, had the following statement:

SUNUNU STATEMENT ON PETRAEUS, CROCKER TESTIMONY

WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator John Sununu (R-NH) today (4/8) released the following statement regarding the testimony of General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker on the Iraq War before the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

“No American should serve a day longer in Iraq than is absolutely necessary, but an immediate withdrawal of all coalition forces would leave behind an unstable and dangerous environment.

“Over the past year, our men and women serving in Iraq have performed bravely and exceeded every expectation.  Security has improved significantly, the Iraqi military has taken on greater responsibilities, and the government has enacted vital legislation for debaathification, reconstruction, and sharing power among the different regions.

“General Petraeus has provided outstanding leadership throughout this time, placing us on a path to bring home 30,000 soldiers and working with Ambassador Crocker to press Iraqi political leaders for more progress.

“Now, we need to let General Patraeus and his commanders on the ground finish the job. They should be given the chance to evaluate the situation, set goals for bringing home the rest of our troops safely, and leave behind a more secure region.”

Once again, the Belknap County Republicans will be commandeering the M/S Mount Washington cruise ship.  Leaving from its dock in scenic Weirs Beach, we'll be water-borne for a few hours of meet-and-greet, conversations, speakers, and good food. Start planning for it now!

If you are interested in going, see me for tickets. 

If you are interested in perhaps selling some, I'll come to you! The more we sell, the better chance / leverage we'll have in trying to persuade the County level folks to share some of that fund raising money with us!

I've updated the Town, County, and National GOP organizations in the blogroll (to your right). Also, the known GOP candidates for Congress and Senate are now listed as well as Governor.

Hopefully, we will be getting them in to talk with us soon!

From PolitickerNH:

RNC plan keeps New Hampshire first
By Brian Lawson
Tags: RNC, Ohio plan, New Hampshire Primary, Jim Splaine, Fergus Cullen

The Rules Committee of the Republican National Committee has adopted a plan that would preserve New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary status.

By a vote of 28 to 12, the committee passed the "Ohio plan" that would allow New Hampshire to be the first primary state and specifies that South Carolina follow New Hampshire.

"This is an important first step in the process of preserving our first in the nation primary. There is broad consensus that our Republican nominating process has worked well, and the way John McCain earned our nomination is prima facia evidence of that," Fergus Cullen, Chairman of New Hampshire Republicans, said in a statement.

The plan could be changed at the RNC Conventional in September.

State Rep. Jim Splaine (D-Portsmouth) said he thought the Democratic Party should establish similar rules.

"It would be good if the Democratic National Committee does something similar, although that decision might not come for another year or two. Having states like Michigan and Florida continually challenging New Hampshire could be head off by bringing some sanity to the process," Splaine said.

Splaine also pointed out that under New Hampshire law the Secretary of State must pick a date that is "seven days or more" before a "similar election."

Last week, the GTRC met and had a special speaker - Jeb Bradley.  I think that it would easy to say that all present had a great time listening to Jeb and getting all their questions answered. See the:


Note: we did have another special guest there as well - just not one that was invited.  As Fergus Cullen had told folks, Democratic operatives are showing up where ever GOP candidates are showing up to video them.  They are looking for any gaffes that they can create 30-second sound bites to use against them.  Here she is:

Nicole Cameli
New Hampshire Democratic Party
(you know, the one that uses cars with Wisconsin plates!)
ncameli@nhdp.org
(O) 603-225-6899

(Cross posted at GraniteGrok and Belknap County Republican Commitee)

Date:   This Thursday, 3/27/08
Time:   6:30pm

Where:    Gilford Town Hall

47 Cherry Valley Rd,
Gilford, NH 03249

Conference Room A

Special Speaker:      Jeb Bradley

Candidate for NH Congressional District 1

Manchester Mayor Guinta who "may" be running for Govenor spoke for a while along with Grant Bosse who is looking to be the candidate to unseat Paul Holdes.  The Citizen had a good article on them....

I'll be posting the video of the meeting over at BelknapCountyRepublicans.org later on.

From the Citizen: (Guinta and Bosse)

For not having officially announced his candidacy for governor in this coming November's election, Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta sure sounded like a candidate when he addressed the Belknap County Republicans at their monthly meeting at the Shang Hai restaurant in Laconia.

"It's great to see Republicans energized talking about the possibilities for 2008," said Guinta.

Guinta is in his second term as mayor and outlined his accomplishments, including lowering crime, curbing spending and maintaining an ability to work across party lines to get the job done.

Over the course of his address, Guinta covered several topics including keeping the New Hampshire advantage, parental notification and the 171⁄2 percent spending increase.

The mayor initiated the budget discussion by fielding a question on the property tax issue posed by John Downs, or JD the Barber as he is known in Laconia, who offered a proposal for a property tax cap.

"We don't have a revenue issue in this state, we have a spending problem," said Guinta, laying responsibility at the door of current Democratic governor, John Lynch.

He noted that he would support a property tax cap as he believes it would force whoever is in Concord to spend wisely and for things that are truly needed.

"We've already seen a small part of what the other party will do to this state," warned Guinta. "Someone has to step up."

Whether it will be Guinta who steps to the Republican plate for an at-bat as Governor is something that remains to be seen. When asked about that directly by Rep. Laurie Boyce, R-Alton, Guinta said he was looking at the possibility of running but had yet to make a formal decision.

Guinta also tackled the retirement system issue by saying that he would start by looking at other states and make sure the problem was not used as an excuse to implement a broad based tax system.

"Do you see solutions being brought to the problem, or excuses?" asked Guinta.

Another Republic candidate was present at the evening meeting.  Grant Bosse, who is running for the 2nd District congressional seat preceded Guinta by giving a brief address to county Republicans about his own campaign.

Bosse, who severed as a staff member for Sen. John E. Sununu, is one of four Republican candidates seeking the seat now filled by Paul Hodes.

"Congress is broken and I'd like to fix it," said Bosse, who advocated a return to the core of democracy concerning national defense and economic stability though responsible governmental spending, among other things.

On a personal note, Bosse attributed much of his success and coming to politics to the late House Minority Leader Michael Whalley. Like many Republicans from around the state, both Bosse and Guinta had attend Whalley's funeral last week.

Gilford Elections are Tuesday, 3/11/08, from 7am to 7pm.  Weather is expected to be Great (no excuses!)


Republicans Running for positions:

Selectman:
    John Goodhue(R)
    Joe Hoffman(R)

Budget Committee:
    Sue Greene(R)
    Bob Brent (R)
    Joe Hoffman(R)
       
Library Trustee:
    Weldon Bosworth(R)

Fire Engineer:
    Don Spear(R)



Trustee of Trust Funds:               Moderator:                        Town Clerk / Tax Collector:
        Wayne Snow(R)                      Joe Hoffman(R)                   Joe Hoffman(R)

Town Treasurer:
        Karen Saunders(R)
        Joe Hoffman(R)

It is rumored that Mayor Guinta may be running for Governor this time around.  Grant Bosse may also be there, and is running for the opportunity to take Paul Hodes's Congressional seat from him in NH 2nd District.

Interested?  This Wednesday at the Belknap County Republican Committee meeting:

Date:   3/12/08
Time:   5:30 pm Buffet
           6:30 pm Meeting

Place:   Shang Hai restaurant
             331 South Main Street
             Laconia, NH  03246

In addition to Mayor Guinta, Grant Bosse (who is running to wrest the seat held by Paul Hodes (D) in NH 2nd Congressional  District), will be at the meeting.  His website is here

Time to talk about the upcoming elections, take care of some old business.

Date:   This Thursday, 6:30pm
Time:   6:30pm

Where:   DGF Industrial, GIlford
             25 Waterford Place, Gilford, NH
                                                  03249
             (603) 528-6591

From PolitickerNH:

Mike Hamilton named new NH GOP Executive Director

Mike Hamilton has been hired has the new Executive Director for the New Hampshire Republican party.

Hamilton is a former field representative for Mitt Romney's campaign and a graduate of Dartmouth College. He replaces Steve DeMaura who left the position to take a job in Washington D.C.

"Mike has practical campaign experience in
New Hampshire and has deep roots in the state," Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen told PolitickerNH.com.

A New Hampshire political strategist said, "Mike is a highly organized individual and will be great for the party."

The Executive Director is responsible for day-to-day operations of the state party.

We wish him good luck!

(Bumped and Updated):

Well, it WAS a nice article in the Citizen that let others know about this website - the publicity and recognition is much appreciated!  However......

This Thursday the Gilford Republicans will hold a meeting at the Gilford Town Hall. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and feature guest speaker Fergus Cullen, chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

Er, that was a couple of weeks ago (I am away on business, so I'm just hearing about the article now); click here to see the meeting notes.

Our next meeting is not this Thursday but a WEEK from Thursday
_______________________________________________________________
Good evening!  As I said in this Post, I'd be letting you know the "whens" - here they are!

• Feb 21       3rd Thursday of the month     DGF Industrial

                                                     25 Waterford Place, Gilford, NH
                                                                                   03249
                                                     (603) 528-6591

• March 27   4th Thursday of the month      Town Hall, Conference Room A
  

• April 17      3rd Thursday of the month     Town Hall, Conference Room A

• May 22      4th Thursday of the month     Town Hall, Conference Room A

If you do not know where DGF is, Think Pepi Hermann's near the airport.  After the jump is a map!

And yes, he did speak about his 10 reasons to be optimistic!  I just got the chance to read The Gilford Steamer's and saw the media's take on the meeting, and on Fergus Cullen himself:

Some might think it is odd that the chairman of the Republican Party in New Hampshire would come to a little town like Gilford to speak to a crowd of very few, but for Fergus Cullen that is just part of his job, and, after all, Gilford is his hometown.

Cullen was raised in Gilford and graduated from its school system in 1994. He went on to Yale College and then earned a master's in public administration from Harvard Business School. Since then he has served on many political campaigns serving in such positions as political director, financial director, deputy press secretary and deputy campaign director. His current elected position allows him to use all those skills. Cullen manages an office, fund raises and speaks to crowds looking to form republican groups. He is the second youngest republican state chairman in the country at 35 and got interested in politics very young as well.

"People get into politics because they believe in policy," said Cullen, "and that the ideas or groups that win make a difference."

Read the rest!

Good evening!

Comments are now open - feel free to leave a message at any post.  All I ask is that you keep it clean - we aim to be "kid friendly" in our language even as we discuss adult topics.

After all, we'll leave the bad language to the far-left Liberal sites...and if you spot a bad one before me, email me at Skip  GraniteGrok.com and you know what goes in the middle - "@"

I think that it is fair to say that we have work to do here in Gilford.  The following charts show current registrations here in Belknap County - notice what happened in Gilford.

01/08/08	NAMES ON CHECKLIST				Reg.
Belknap County	Rep	Dem	Und	Total	at polls	Rep	Dem	Und
Alton	1,545	606	1,731	3,882	174	438	542	606
Barnstead	654	249	2,302	3,205	200	243	425	533
Belmont	1,649	1,152	1,741	4,542	323	418	524	392
Center Harbor	381	216	249	846	52	87	153	124
Gilford	2,428	1,524	2,304	6,256	199	561	812	894
Gilmanton	891	562	910	2,363	168	245	415	515
Laconia Wd 1	693	363	767	1,823	140	152	192	345
Laconia Wd 2	478	338	583	1,399	161	132	232	184
Laconia Wd 3	452	331	622	1,405	152	134	245	201
Laconia Wd 4	468	355	602	1,425	170	144	268	152
Laconia Wd 5	384	321	530	1,235	152	98	204	186
Laconia Wd 6	686	430	794	1,910	131	195	236	194
Meredith	1,616	851	2,480	4,947	316	435	723	313
New Hampton	547	384	576	1,507	95	143	274	324
Sanbornton	778	623	927	2,328	157	192	346	289
Tilton	814	777	846	2,437	156	176	365	325
Totals	14,464	9,082	17,964	41,510	2,746	3,793	5,956	5,577

Also, here's how Republicans voted in Belknap County:

“Senator Clinton said she would support our troops in Iraq, but then she voted against critical funding. Senator Clinton says she’s fiscally responsible, but she’s proposed nearly a trillion dollars in new government spending, and says she wants to quote ‘take things away from you on behalf of the common good.’ How can we trust Senator Clinton to lead America?”

To listen to Fergus, click here.

“Barack Obama was elected to the US Senate just three years ago and has had his eye on the White House ever since. Now he’s calling himself an agent of change, but what kind of change? He voted against funding our troops, he voted in favor of the largest tax increase in history, and he wants new government bureaucracies to play a greater and more expensive role in our health care system. That’s not the kind of change voters are looking for and it’s further proof that Barack Obama is not ready to be Commander-in-Chief.”               

To listen to Fergus, click here.

“It looks as if the Democrats may take weeks or months to choose their nominee, but the American people have already made their decision clear. They’re going to support principled leaders who support our troops, keep taxes low, and keep government out of their hair. Unfortunately, Senators Clinton and Barack Obama both voted for the largest tax increase in America, attempted to choke off funding for our troops, and proposed massive government spending increases. That’s not principled leadership.”                     

To listen to Fergus, click here.

As always, the Belknap County Republicans will be having their monthly meeting in couple of weeks - 2/13/08 to be exact!  From the BelknapCountyRepublicans.org site:

Date:   2/13/08
Time:   5:30 pm Buffet
           6:30 pm Meeting

Place:   Shang Hai restaurant
             331 South Main Street
             Laconia, NH  03246

Special Speaker:    Frank Guinta - Mayor of Manchester, N

While the turnout may not have been the highest, we did have some spirited discussions as Fegus Cullen, Chair of the NH GOP came to give us his outlook on the future on the Party here in NH, but also to talk about the revitalization of the grassroots of the Party, especially here in Gilford. 

Fergus's gave a talk - 10 Reasons Why Things Are Looking Up For the NH GOP - video can be seen here (note: webcam quality only).  Trust me, while this allows you to see what happened, it was better in person!  And yes, you missed the serious discussion of "the near future" - and we missed you as well.

Doug took better notes than I did and posted his thoughts over at GraniteGrok - my excerpt of that below.

I also want to thank Dave Horvath for taking over the finances for us.

Come join us next time!  And if you are planning on coming, I ask one thing - invite two others!  Those that did come out have promised to do so for our next meeting.  I've made the promise to call many more than that - as Chair, hold me accountable!

We've already lined up our next meetings:

• Feb 21       3rd Thursday of the month
• March 27   4th Thursday of the month
• April 17      3rd Thursday of the month
• May 22      4th Thursday of the month

I'll be making arrangements for "where" in the near future.

Top 10 Reasons things are looking up for the NH GOP

10) More than twice as many people voted in the recent Republican primary than did in the 2006 election.

9) The presidential campaign will be competitive. New Hampshire is an important swing state, and much attention will be paid to us.

8) John E. Sununu's polling data and approval numbers are solid and improving.

7) The party has had candidate recruitment "coups" in all of the major positions

6) Hodes approval: 35%; Shea-Porter approval: 33% (UNH survey)

5) The emerging Democrat scandal over the sale of the state voter files. Look for big news to come soon.

4) National issues are moving our way.

3) State issues are moving our way. With the looming deficit, and Democrats in charge across the board, Republicans are positioned to benefit.

2) 2008 is a "change" election.

1) The Democrat Party has been taken over by the angry left wing. They have abandoned the center, proven by their record of "nanny-state" bills that most ordinary people find overly excessive.

Kind of late notice, but here goes:

Place:   Gilford Town Hall
Date:   Thursday, 1/31
Time:   7 p.m.

Our guest speaker will be NH GOP Chairman, Fergus Cullen.  His bio can be seen here

Best wishes this holiday season. I want to invite you and your committee to join the New Hampshire Republican Party at the First in the Nation Presidential Brunch. 

On January 6^th, 2008 the New Hampshire Republican Party is holding the First in the Nation Presidential Brunch, featuring top presidential candidates, major media and a salute to our Senator John Sununu. We will be honoring the Senator during the event as well as offering a salute to him in the official event program.

I would like to invite you to be apart of this great event by organizing a table for your committee or purchasing an advertisement saluting Senator Sununu. Please find the sponsorship form attached.

When: January 6^th, 2008, 11am to 1pm

What: First in the Nation Presidential Brunch

Who: Republican Presidential Candidates and GOPAC Chairman Michael Steele

Where: Hampshire Hills Sports and Fitness Club, 50 Emerson Road, Milford, NH

Register Online:  www.fundraisingbynet.net/fbn/eventeticketnhgop.asp  

Questions?

Stephen DeMaura
Executive Director
NH Republican State Committee
Office: (603) 225-9341
Cell: (603) 801-7620
steve@nhgop.org

Given the press that the Belknap County Convention has received concerning the appointment of the Sheriff and now the impending appointment of the replacement Registrar, I went to the meeting this past Monday where that topic (as well as the proposed budget for the county - large tax increases coming up, folks!) was discussed.

I have posted the audio on GraniteGrok here if you care to take a listen.

I've been remiss in commenting on things Republican to keep we Gilfordites up to speed (what with Budget Committee meetings, biz travel, and other such meetings).  Anyways, for those that missed the latest meeting this past Wednesday, here's my meager meanderings:

• Treasurer's report: $9,769.53 and money spent to secure the Mount Washington for the "Lincoln Day" cruise / fund raiser.
• Emphasis is being requested for Letters to the Editor for AFTER the primary.  My thoughts were at this were "so what the heck are they planning on doing on assisting the Republican Prez campaigns - look at what the Ds are doing??"  It was mentioned that legislative talking points (past out at the National Committeewoman election) are available if so led.
• The meeting was poorly attended - other than Kelly from McCain and Dr. Hugh Cort and his assistant, there were only 15 present.
• Kelly from the McCain campaign sort of did a good-bye at the meeting.  I'll be sorry to see her go as she was always kind and hospitable to both Doug and I when we were attending any of the events.
• I offered to help with email blasts.
• I had given a proposal to Frank Tilton on hosting a new website for the Belknap County Republican Committee; Frank had me give a brief talk about what it entailed.

We also had a guest speaker, Dr. Hugh Cort III spoke about his candidancy for the  Presidency of the  United States.  I had brought my webcam with me  just to try out - the video of his  speech can be watched by clicking here (66MB, approx 26 minutes)

It's getting down to the wire with respect to the Primary (hey, they've been at this for well over a year in some cases!).  Senator McCain is returning to the Lakes Region!  From NH Presidential Watch:

Sunday, December 16, 2007

7:00pm
Town Hall Meeting
Laconia VFW
143 Court Street
Laconia, New Hampshire 03246

Monday, December 17, 2007

9:45am
Lincoln Financial Employee Town Hall Meeting
Lincoln Financial Group Cafeteria
1 Granite Place
Concord, New Hampshire 03301

11:40am
Meet and Greet at The Barley House
The Barley House
132 North Main Street
Concord, New Hampshire 03301

5:30pm
House Party
Home of Marcia Moran
115 School Street
Concord, New Hampshire 03301

I  got a tip from a campaign staffer:

WHO:	 Rudy Giuliani Town Hall Event
WHEN:    Saturday, November 24, 2007
WHERE:   Laconia VFW
TIME:    10:30 AM
SPEAKER: Rudy - not sure if there will be any others.
AGENDA:  Rudy will be speaking - hopefully there will be time for Q & A from the 
	 floor

Everyone is invited to attend!

While it has yet to be confirmed, it probably is a go!

From Frank Tilton, Belknap County Chair:

BELKNAP  COUNTY REPUBLICAN MEETING
WHEN:    Thursday, November 15, 2007
WHERE:   Laconia Public Library
TIME:    5:30pm
SPEAKER: Allison Welch
AGENDA:  Workshop on voter vault instructional training. If you have a
	 laptop please bring it with you.

Everyone is invited to attend this informational meeting on voter vault.

This afternoon, the 'Grok went over to Weirs Beach in Laconia, NH to see Governor Mitt Romney (of Massachusetts, formerly) as he is criss-crossing the state.  No WiFi there, so no immediate blog report.  However, a bunch of pictures, notes, MP3s and a crack at a video from a new webcam (Doug will have better quality later).

Saw a number of folks there;

• Judy Krahulec - Introduced Mitt
• Frank Tilton - Belknap County Republican Chair (see video here)
  
• Chuck Clark - Representative
• Greg Kyntych - Laconia Ward 1 City Councilor Elect

as well as a few folks that I have met from the Mitt campaign.

The room is packed and Mitt just walked in – it is 4:17pm.

Here is the complete audio of the event: click here.

Judy Krahulec is introducing Mitt to a standing O to the crowd – over 200 people (they expected much fewer). She announced the Red Sox won and the Sachems won. Mitt is her guy (she is the Belknap County organizer for Mitt and his campaign asked her to do the honors). Big applause from those gathered as she turns it over to Mitt.

There was an amusing moment as Mitt retold a Boston voting story about Billy Bulger (former Speaker of the House in Massachusetts and head of UMass Amherst). It was remarked that 246 votes had been recorded from a single triple decker (a three story house, each with a separate family, common in Boston neighborhoods). It was recorded that Billy replied “yeah, the third floor was empty”.

Mitt asked if any in the crowd has been to any of his previous events...and only a few claps could be heard.

Note to candidates: I think that it is telling that local Republicans are willing to come out and see the candidates if only they would come during hours that we working folks can see them! Certainly Mitt seemed to be impressed that he basically was talking to a fresh crowd.

The beginning of his speech was replete with examples of people who showed American values and gives him confidence in the future of America. He especially talked about the Olympic athletes that he had met (both during the Salt Lake City Olympics he managed and others):

• Peekaboo Street - the skier – talk about enthusiasm!
• Dan Janseen – the speed skater – who went to 4 Olympics to finally get his Gold medal – the story of persistence and determination. Quality of the human spirit.
• He mentioned the US Hockey team at Lake Placid - our amateurs vs the world's pros. He praised their patriotism, their spirit and their emotion.
  

Gives him confidence in our future.

As he talks to the crowd, he seems very confident in his material and his style; certainly a lot less formal than what I have seen him on the TV debates. While one could tell that some of the speech was “canned”, it was more an intimate talk instead of a cross swords moment with the moderator and other candidates (and face it, at this time during the campaign, they ALL have canned snippets!).

 

More pictures after the jump along with the MP3s and video (either tonite or tomorrow)!

I have just added a "blogroll" for your convenience - after all, web sites should be linked and make it easier to see what other like minded folks are doing!

Let me know if there are other sites or category of sites that should be added.

Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, will be in Laconia next Saturday, 11/10/07, at around 4:15pm at the Weirs Community Center. 
Given the level of activity that the Democrats are showing about ANY of their candidates that come into the area, come out and support our Republicans as they come to our general area.  Yup, he may not be "your" candidate during the primary, but remember - the general election is coming!

(H/T: Gus!)

Steve DeMaura is the new Executive Director of the NH Republican Party.  Based on Concord, he is working hard at getting the Republican Message out and helping to rev the troops up to get out, help, and vote.

Today, he was interviewed on the Meet The New Press radio show during Hour 2.  Listen to the two part interview as Steve talks about what is going on in NH for local, state, and national politics.

Welcome to the new home of the Gilford Republican Town Committee.  We are a group of Republicans living in the best town in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire that are dedicated to forwarding the ideals and cause of the Republican Party.  Our mission is to get the word out to other Republicans, those that are not affiliated with any party, and Democrats that are miffed over their Party's continued drift leftward.

We are dedicated to the ideals of small government, self-responsibility, and that lower taxes are a results of lower spending. 

Since this is a new website, bear with us as we start to build it up.

On behalf of Gilford's Republicans, thank you for visiting!

Skip Murphy
Gilford Town Chair
Skip@GraniteGrok.com

When:        Wednesday, October 10

Where:       Shang Hai Restaurant
                  331 Main St.
                  Laconia

Time:          Buffet starting at 5:30pm ($10)
                  Actual meeting starts at 6:30pm

Note:         In addition to regular business, State Senator Joe Kenney (who came to our last meeting) is speaking.
 
Contact Person: Frank Tilton
                        franktilton@gmail.com
                        (603) 528-8486

The following are the By Laws of the Gilford Town Republican Committee as voted upon and accepted by those in attendance at the 9/28/07 meeting.

Proposed By-Laws

Article I.

A. Composition: The Gilford Republican Town Committee shall be composed of the Chairperson and such other Republicans registered in the Town as the Committee shall, by the adoption of these By Laws, determine. In order to qualify for membership, a potential member must be a registered Republican, reside in the Town, abide by the State Republican platform, and must attend one Committee meeting at least once per year. The Town Committee shall keep a list of all its members and any registered Republican living in Gilford may join the Committee at any time.

B. Duties: In cooperation with the State Committee, the Town Committee shall have the duty to manage the Republican Party in the Town, to direct the general policy and campaign activities of the party, and to perform all duties by law or custom required of it.

C. Meetings: At least one regular meeting of the Town Committee shall be held each biennial election year, prior to February 1st. If the meeting is not held by the said date, it shall be the duty of the County Chairperson to set the date and place for said meeting. Meetings may be called by the Chairperson of the Committee on his own initiative or upon the written request of twenty-five percent of the members of the Committee. Notice of all meetings shall be e-mailed to each member at his last known email address, at least five days before the dates of the meetings. In addition, at regular meetings where officers are to be elected, notice of this meeting and its purpose shall be posted at Post Office at least five days prior to the meetings. A media release shall be sent to the local newspaper(s), radio station(s) and prominent local Web sites five days prior to the meetings.

Article II.

A. Officers: The officers shall consist of a Chairperson, Treasurer, and other positions as the members see fit.

B. Chairperson: A Chairperson shall be the Chief Executive Officer. He/She will see that Town is organized in accordance with the time schedule set forth in these By Laws and that the Committee maintains complete records and up-to-date roster of all Republican Committee Town members. The Town Chairperson will file an annual activity report with the State Chairperson.

C. Vice-Chairman: A Vice-Chairperson, under the direction of the Chairman, shall assist the Chairperson in the above-mentioned duties and, in his / her absence, shall preside over meetings.

D. Treasurer: A Treasurer shall receive all funds belonging to his / her Committee, shall keep proper books of accounts of all funds received and paid out, and shall pay out funds only with a check counter-signed by the Chair.

E. Secretary: A Secretary shall keep minutes of all the Committee meetings and be custodian of the permanent books and records of the Committee.

F. Executive: An Executive Committee shall consist of the Chairperson and the other officers of the Town Committee. It shall have the authority to act for its full Committee when necessary. The Executive Committee shall forward to the Republican State Committee a complete list of members by the end of the February following the biennial election. An Executive Committee shall establish sub-committees to assist it, as it deems necessary.

G. Vacancies: The Town Chairperson shall fill any vacancies on a temporary basis within 30 days of said vacancy. Such temporary officers shall serve until the next regular meeting of the committee, when the vacancy shall be filled by election. If a vacancy is not filled within 30 days of its occurrence, the State or County Chairperson shall have the authority to fill the vacancy until an election takes place.

Article III.

A. General: The following provisions shall govern the conduct and operations of committees created by these bylaws.

B. Twenty percent of the total membership of a committee shall be necessary to constitute a quorum;

      1. Each member shall have one vote;

2. A majority of those present and voting shall decide any questions in the case of a vote with more than two candidates, in which case a simple majority of the vote is sufficient to elect.

C. Primary: The Town Committees shall not endorse any candidate during a primary election. Officers of the Town Committee however, may not be restricted from working on behalf of a candidate of their choice.

D. Election: No one can serve as an officer of the Town Committee who openly and publicly supports a candidate from another party over a Republican in a partisan election.