Barr Helps Obama Out In New Hampshire

Bob Barr, the recovering Republican turned libertarian (not great but better than the GOP) made news in the Granite State today by turning in the required amount of petition signatures to make the ballot. The required amount was 3,000, but Barr nearly doubled that with 5,000. New Hampshire, with its "Live Free or Die" motto has given itself plenty of choices for the Presidential election this coming November.

From Politicker NH:

New Hampshire voters are one step closer to having the option of picking from two Libertarian presidential candidates.

Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr has collected 5,000 signatures in the Granite State and George Phillies has already qualified to appear on the November ballot. August 6 was the deadline for thirty-party candidates to hand in 3,000 to local election officials who will then verify the signatures.

"There are no sure things when dealing with the two party system, but we have over 5000 signatures submitted for confirmation," New Hampshire Libertarian Party Chairman Brendan Kelly said in an e-mail. "I have turned in 1000 in the Seacoast area and have been getting 90% confirmation. Hope this holds up for the rest of the state."

So in addition to McCain and Obama, Bob Barr and George Phillies will join Ralph Nader as the exceptions to the two-party system. New Hampshire is definitely known for it's independent streak, but it generally skews to the right as opposed to the left. Therefore we should see Phillies and especially Barr take more voters away from the Dems and Repubs than Nader can. With polls already favoring Obama over McCain with only their names on the questionnaire, this can only be good news for the Obama campaign in their quest to solidly win the Northeast.

New Hampshire Accepts Free Venezuelan Heating Oil

When Hugo Chavez first offered free heating oil to New Hampshire for their chilly winters, the state turned him down. Instead of making George Bush look bad, they declined the opportunity to reduce the economic cost for New Hampshire residents during the bitterly cold nights of December through March. Now that heating oil is expected to be nearly double the cost this coming winter, the times, they are a'changin.

From The Huffington Post:

With the state's blessing, New Hampshire residents will be receiving some of the fuel this winter.

New Hampshire becomes the last state in the Northeast to embrace the offer.

"A lot of people have said, `We need help and we value any help we can get,'" said Amy Ignatius, director of New Hampshire's office of energy and planning.

The oil giveaway will be managed by Citizens Energy, a nonprofit organization set up by former Massachusetts Rep. Joseph Kennedy to help the poor stay warm. But the state energy office plans to help Citizens publicize the aid and sign up fuel-oil dealers.

New Hampshire may be one of the more conservative states in the Northeast, but in 2008 and the coming winter of 2009, they aren't stupid. When you have a chance to keep people warm....and alive when the bitter elements of nature arrive, it is far more important to make sure the supply is there and it is affordable than to stand on false pride.

Big Girls Don't Cry.....Or Do They?

Cenk Uyugr examines when it is and is not ok to cry. Hillary got slammed by the media, being compared to Ed Muskie, while George Bush can shed a tear for a fallen soldier (that he sent to the spot where he died), wtf?

Allen Raymond Tells All: How To Jam The Phones And Steal An Election

The name Allen Raymond is a bit vague to most people, but if you paid attention to politics in the last five years, you will remember how the Republican party had Democratic offices' phones jammed and subsequently winning the New Hampshire Senatorial election for John Sununu. Now that Raymond has served a long, hard prison term of three months for his crime, he is looking to capitalize on his anti-democratic (small d, as in "democracy," not "Democratic") efforts with a brand new book.

From ABC News:

Raymond blames the Republican Party for making him the fall guy and claims that his scheme was approved by a top state GOP official and the Republican National Committee's northeast regional director.

Raymond says that the RNC's former New England chairman, James Tobin, called him Oct. 18, 2002, asking, "If I had a couple of phone numbers that I wanted to shut down on Election Day, could you do that?"

Tobin and state official Chuck McGee were later convicted of charges related to the ploy, which helped John Sunnunu win a 19,000-vote victory to the Senate over Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.

What a shocker, he blames someone else for the crime. Escaping blame and being a Republican operative seem to go hand in hand these days. Though to be fair, he does know how to jam phone lines and perpetrate other dirty tricks if you ask him. Some pointers include making phony press releases, pointing to crimes the other candidate may have committed even if they only share a last name with the real criminal and be sure to call your opponent's supporters in the middle of the Super Bowl and say you are from the opposing candidate.

Wow, what an interesting read that must be. I'm sure Karl Rove and Ed Rollins are desperate to pick that up for some weekend entertainment....and to compare notes as well.

Campaign Stories

While the media covers a lot of bullshit about the candidates in their horse race narratives, there are softer stories out there that do not deal with $400 haircuts, Madrassas and the obsession of some that one of the candidates is a woman. Being a veteran of field operations for candidates, I could tell a lot of different tales that probably wouldn't be displayed on a nightly news segment, but would definitely catch the ears of other people that have volunteered or worked on GOTV operations before. But enough about me, there are hundreds if not thousands of dedicated staffers and volunteers on the ground this weekend braving the cold weather of New Hampshire so that their candidate may have a shot at the political "gold."

From Blue Hampshire:

Bill Richardson will be in town today, speaking in the town square, which is a small park area in the middle of town on a large rotary.

Normally the square can accommodate hundreds of people -- it's the place where during the summer bands play. If you want to go hear a concert on the square you get a blanket, bring a lunch and sit or stand right there on the grass.

Problem is it's January 6, and there's a foot and a half of snow on the square. So I got curious as to how they were going to deal with this conundrum.

The answer is that they came enmasse and dug the square out. It's pretty inspiring.

Watch the video via the link above. Blue Hampshire is right, this is inspiring, especially knowing the fact that their candidate has absolutely no chance other than to hopefully become Hillary's VP candidate. Good for his supporters to sacrifice a Saturday night to shovel a ton of snow. That is just the kind of stuff you do when working the ground game. Thankfully I did most of my ground work in Arizona, so ya know, cold was 30 degrees on a bad night, not wind chills of 30 below.

The Beginning Of The End For Hillary?

Iowa delivered a third place finish to Ms. Inevitable Thursday night, but could that really start a chain of events that could unhinge one of the most impressive campaigns ever built? Hillary has plenty of money, dozens of super-delegates and an amazing ground operation in many states along with the polls to back it all up. Yet those super-delegates can disappear in a moment's notice and it could all be from getting one less delegate in tiny little Iowa. Of course, there's much more to it, and that "more" is exactly why she is at the bottom of my list of choices for the nomination.

From Time:

There are senior officials within the campaign — notably, outside advisers say, media consultant Mandy Grunwald and adviser Harold Ickes — who have been worried for months that Clinton was missing the fundamental shift in the electorate. However, their entreaties have gone nowhere. Bill and Hillary Clinton have put enormous faith in Penn, and given him veto power, aides say, over every word that goes into her television ads and every line in her mailers. "He had her and the President's trust very deeply," says one adviser who is close to the campaign. Adds another: "He's a one-man shop."

If Clinton also loses New Hampshire to Obama, Penn's future with the campaign may well be in jeopardy, strategists say. But that may be wishful thinking on their part. For one thing, there is no obvious candidate to replace him. Hillary's advisers and Bill's have never gotten along — and she has been particularly suspicious of his team. "Who they both trust — that's a very small group," says one former Clinton aide. "She is going to be very, very resistant to all of the white boys coming back."

Another problem is that some of those who might potentially be brought in have already been sidelined. Former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, for instance, is running a 527 organization called the Fund for America and is forbidden by law to even consult with the campaign.

Basically she built a very strong house with a foundation that was set in a swamp. The house may look mighty from the outside, but if there is a tremendous groundswell in the electorate, the money, the strategists and the hype all means nothing when a message of change can sweep people into another candidate's lap. If Obama takes New Hampshire on Tuesday, this thing might just be game, set and match.

Polling New Hampshire

Even the locals up there do not know what to make of it:

Ron Paul's New Message

For the New Hampshire voters that love to "live free or die." No other Republican certainly endorses the state motto like he does.

Rudy Has A Hillary Moment...Yankee Style

As a loyal dyed in blue Dodger fan, there are certain things I am not allowed to do, like support the Angels and certainly not the Giants (I could tell you some stories but I wouldn't want to get in trouble). So when I heard that Yankee "fan" Rudy Giuliani was rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series I was a bit taken back. It was a pretty low moment of pandering even for Rudy.

From AM New York:

BOSTON - Sounds like a baseball flip-flop. Rudy Giuliani, a lifelong New York Yankees fan, said Tuesday he's pulling for their most hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox, to win the World Series over the Colorado Rockies.

"I'm rooting for the Red Sox," the Republican presidential contender said in response to a question, sparking applause at the Boston restaurant where he was picking up a local endorsement.

"I'm an American League fan, and I go with the American League team, maybe with the exception of the Mets," he said. "Maybe that would be the one time I wouldn't because I'm loyal to New York."

First of all, Met fans have nothing to do with Yankee fans. If you watch baseball in the New York area, you would know that there is no love between the two sets of fans. Rooting for a NY team is somewhat acceptable for a politician, but going for the Red Sox is sacrosanct here.

If New York gave Hillary hell over her baseball mishap, Rudy deserves even worse.

The Autumn Leaves

I didn't post anything this weekend was because I was too busy relaxing up in Vermont for my birthday. My wonderful girlfriend took me to the Northeast Kingdom as it is known up there to see the autumn leaves and a few unique sights, like the Ben and Jerry ice cream factory (Mmmmm) and an afternoon in New Hampshire's Franconia State Park. So to make up for the quiet blogging weekend, here a few of my favorite shots from that beautiful part of the country.



This is just from the parking lot at Franconia State Park.


The path to the famous "Flume."


It was all picturesque.


After taking the aerial tram, we found ourselves on top of a 4180 foot mountain.

At that height, you are literally on top of the clouds.

Sorry, no pics from Ben and Jerrys, too busy eating all that ice cream.

Turning New Hampshire Blue

Politically New Hampshire is already pretty blue. Both Members of Congress are now Democrats in the state as of last year as well as the Governor. Now we need to take that Senate seat back from John Sununu. His biggest threat is former Governor Jean Shaheen and guess what? She's running. New Hampshire is one of many pickups for Democrats in 2008, including Nebraska, Idaho and Virginia. Who knows, by the time election day we might have a few others ready to jump the GOP ship.

N.H. GOP Boos Brownback

Even Republicans up here for the most part do not agree with banning gay marriage. It's "Live Free Or Die" here buddy.

Giuliani Tells Voter To "Leave My Family Alone," Rudy's Family Leaves Him Alone Instead

Up in New Hampshire citizens take their Presidential politicking seriously. One likely Republican got up to give Rudy some praise, but then asked about why his family isn't supporting him. The other week his daughter Caroline had informally announced her support for Barack Obama on her Facebook page. Of course Rudy couldn't give a good answer since any truthful reply would look pretty damn bad. So instead he attacked the questioner and then gave the audience some bullshit about health care.

From the AP:

The questioner, Derry mother Katherine Prudhomme-O'Brien, opened by thanking Giuliani for how he handled the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and introduced him to her 5-year-old daughter, Abby, who was playing on the floor next to the platform where Giuliani stood.

Prudhomme-O'Brien, 36, wasn't certain about Giuliani's answer.

"If a person is running for president, I would assume their children would be behind them." she said. "If they're not, you've got to wonder."

She said the issue is a question mark that is "going to stay there for a lot of people."

(snip)

Giuliani wants to give families a $15,000 tax credit to buy insurance privately rather than through employers and he proposes that any money left over from the credit be kept in tax-free health savings accounts.

Prudhomme-O'Brien is on to something. Your family should support you, regardless of divorce or separation, especially when it is your own daughter. After Rudy snarled in self-defense, he talked about his health care "policy" that would give tax credits only to people that could actually save $15,000 on their taxes. If you are in the working class and pay little taxes already, you won't save a dime. No wonder his family won't support him, no one can trust the garbage that comes out of his mouth.

GOP In Manchester, NH Desperately Tries To Prove Manliness

After suffering two stinging defeats last year for representation in the House of Representatives and taking a thorough beating in their own state legislature, Republicans are trying hard to boost their sagging egos. What would one do when you are beaten down for your failed ideas and unconscionable support of the war in Iraq? Get out your M-16s and Uzi and find out!

From The Union Leader:

Tired of the usual chicken dinners, the Manchester Republican Committee is planning to arm supporters next month with Uzis, M-16 rifles and other automatic weapons for a day of target practice at a Pelham firing range.

"The thought just struck me one day: a machine gun shoot. What the heck?" said Jerry Thibodeau, the committee chairman.

Thibodeau, who is himself a hunter and skeet shooter, pitched the Aug. 5 event as a fun social gathering, as well as a demonstration of the party's support for Second Amendment rights.

The concept prompted shudders across the political aisle. Chris Pappas, the city Democratic party chairman, called the event "not just in poor taste; it is downright offensive."

"The citizens of Manchester have lived through a deadly spike in violent crime the past year-and-a-half, despite the campaign promises of (Mayor) Frank Guinta to lower crime rates," Pappas said. "That the mayor's political party would seek to glorify the use of machine guns for political gain is unconscionable."

There is no power in their ideas, those have already been shot to hell by common sense. No amount of ammunition or firepower is going to save these guys.

Down And Dirty Debate #2

In the first Democratic debate in South Carolina, all of the candidates were mostly friendly to each other except for Mike Gravel. Gravel's incendiary comments got him the press he wanted and was generally considered to be a good move. But now that we have moved beyond the introductions of the first go around, tensions rose even up in front-runner land.

From RawStory:

"You're about 4 1/2 years late in leadership on this issue," Senator Barack Obama of Illinois said to John Edwards, the former North Carolina Senator who is running third in the polls among Democratic candidates for the party's nomination.

Obama was responding to a remark that Edwards had made about the decision by Senators Obama and Hillary Clinton of New York, the front-runner in the race, to vote against the recent funding bill for the Iraq War.

"There is a difference between leadership and legislating," Edwards said, accusing Obama and Clinton of quietly voting their opposition to funding the war.

Although Obama had a nice soundbite response to John Edwards' charge, what matters is the here and now. The facts are that Hillary and Barack were mostly quiet about their opposition to the Iraq supplemental bill that essentially caved to Bush's demands. We need real leadership in the White House, not voting for or against a bill depending on the health of one's campaign.

To Obama's credit he has been against the war throughout the last five years. Yet that makes it even more infuriating that he didn't speak out as loudly as Edwards and Christopher Dodd. We already know Hillary's motives (win, win, win) so her actions surrounding the legislation was to be expected.

The debate heavily focused on the war, but other issues surfaced as well. Health care, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the energy crisis and education were also discussed. All of these are pressing matters of course, but Iraq dominated the debate just as it does throughout the country these days.