The NH GOP, Belknap County Republicans, and in conjunction with the McCain 2008 will soon be opening their Laconia office. As part of the opening (date and time TBD), 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:
All will be welcome!Republican Laconia Office
664 Main Street (next to Barbary Barbers) on the left side of Main Street
Laconia, NH
03246
For further information, contact:
Robert Brennan Heuchling
New England Coalitions Director
John McCain 2008
Office: 603-369-4972
Mobile: 603-369-7558
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:
Tickets are $25 each. To purchase, contact: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!
Bill Tobin
Stephen Nedeau
Frank Tilton
(Rain date is Sunday, Sept 7)
Party Lines: The E-Newsletter of the New Hampshire Republican Party
August 14th, 2008
QUICK HITS FROM THE CHAIRMAN
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:
For your viewing pleasure, click on the camera guy to watch:
- the Business part of the meeting
- Greg Knytych (NH Senate District 4 candidate)
- Bill Tobin (NH Senate District 2 candidate)
- Vern Dingman (NH Senate District 2 candidate)
- Fergus Cullen, Chair of the NH GOP
From the Union Leader today:
Horn in the 2nd: A new Republican voice
There are several strong candidates running for the Republican nomination for Congress in New Hampshire's 2nd District. The strongest of the lot is Nashua's Jennifer Horn. We cannot recall a novice candidate so clearly ready to step into the job of representing New Hampshire in Congress.
Horn, a former newspaper columnist and radio talk show host, understands the issues of the day very well. And she comes down on the right side of them, too. We found her views to be well-reasoned and articulate. She understands the need to reduce spending and shrink the size of government, and not just around the edges. She is a strong advocate of tackling the runaway entitlement spending that leads to high taxes and slowed economic growth.
On energy policy, she proposes that government get out of the way and let the market solve the supply problem, which is a wise policy. She supports more nuclear power and domestic oil production as well as making it easier for companies to pursue alternative energy sources.
She is adamant that the government must control our borders and win the War on Terror, including its primary front in Iraq.
And she supports term limits, which is the best reform of Congress we could have.
Horn is up against some quality opponents. State Sen. Bob Clegg, though not as conservative, would be a big improvement over current 2nd District Rep. Paul Hodes. Grant Bosse, former aide to Sen. John Sununu, has an impressive political mind. He would make an excellent representative one day.
But for now, Horn is the best choice for Republicans hoping to recapture the seat and send someone to Washington who would represent core New Hampshire values. She is smart, likable, energetic and solid on the issues. She stands the best chance of beating Paul Hodes this November, and if elected, she would vote the way a New Hampshire representative ought to -- for smaller, more responsible government, a strong national defense and low taxes.
We urge Second District Republicans and independents to vote for Jennifer Horn in the Republican primary on Sept. 9.
Date: 8/13/08 (Wednesday)
Time: 5:30pm Buffet Dinner (Note: this month, the Buffet Dinner will be a fund
6:30pm Meeting
Place: Shanghai Restaurant
331 South Main Street
Laconia, NH
(603) 524-4100
Map of Shang-hai:
(map)
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
Speakers:(see map below)
Candidate for NH Senate District 4
Candidate for NH Senate District 2
Vern Dingman
Candidate for NH Senate District 2
Map of Shang-hai:
(map)
Boston Globe: NH's 2nd CD candidates tackle economic issues
By Holly Ramer
Associated Press Writer / August 11, 2008
CONCORD, N.H.—When Congressional hopeful Jim Steiner attended a recent family reunion, the crowd was significantly smaller than in past years. And the campground where they gathered had far more open sites than usual for a midsummer weekend.
"Clearly, families had to balance the gas costs and their other monthly costs in making a decision whether to attend," he said in responding to an Associated Press survey on economic issues.
Steiner, a lawyer from Concord, is one of five 2nd District Republicans competing in the Sept. 9 primary for the chance to challenge Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes in the general election. Whoever wins will face a nation struggling with high fuel prices, rising unemployment, a housing crisis and other economic woes.
National and state polls show that voters are clearly more concerned about the economy and gas prices than about the Iraq war and national security. In New Hampshire, three-quarters of adults expect the country will face bad economic times in the next year, and 60 percent say they are worse off financially now than they were a year ago, according to a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll last month.
Though the candidates generally agreed that pushing the country toward energy independence and helping small businesses are key to reviving the economy, they offered different ideas on how to achieve those goals.
Hodes said the economic stimulus package Congress passed this year provided a small but significant help to working families, and that he supports a second round that would triple funding for a program that helps low-income people heat their homes.
"It should also include investments in job creation and infrastructure, to help build new jobs and invest in the competitiveness of our businesses," he said.
Republican Jennifer Horn of Nashua said she would support "anything that leaves more money in the pockets of those who earn paychecks" but that sending checks to people doesn't address the larger problems. "The real problem here is that Congress failed to act until there was a crisis," said Horn, a former newspaper columnist.
Steiner echoed those comments, saying the stimulus checks helped a bit, but the true solution lies in lowering tax rates so people keep more of their paychecks in the first place. Republicans Grant Bosse and Bob Clegg were more blunt.
"The economic stimulus package this spring gave taxpayers back $600 of their own money. But in order to get it, those very same taxpayers spent millions of dollars so Congress could tell us they were giving us our money back and then millions more actually delivering it," said Clegg, a state senator from Hudson. "This wasn't an economic stimulus package, this was a PR stunt."
Bosse, a former legislative assistant to Sen. John Sununu, said Congress threw money at the struggling economy without lessening the taxes, mandates and over-regulation that slowed it down in the first place.
"This year's economic stimulus package seemed designed primarily to stimulate campaign contributions to incumbent Congressmen," he said. "The first and best step Congress can take to stimulate the economy is simply to get out of the way."
To bring down fuel prices, Bosse, Horn and Steiner said they support lifting the federal moratorium on drilling for oil and gas offshore, building more refineries and nuclear plants and looking at alternative and renewable energy sources.
By Holly Ramer
Associated Press Writer / August 11, 2008
CONCORD, N.H.—When Congressional hopeful Jim Steiner attended a recent family reunion, the crowd was significantly smaller than in past years. And the campground where they gathered had far more open sites than usual for a midsummer weekend.
"Clearly, families had to balance the gas costs and their other monthly costs in making a decision whether to attend," he said in responding to an Associated Press survey on economic issues.
Steiner, a lawyer from Concord, is one of five 2nd District Republicans competing in the Sept. 9 primary for the chance to challenge Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes in the general election. Whoever wins will face a nation struggling with high fuel prices, rising unemployment, a housing crisis and other economic woes.
National and state polls show that voters are clearly more concerned about the economy and gas prices than about the Iraq war and national security. In New Hampshire, three-quarters of adults expect the country will face bad economic times in the next year, and 60 percent say they are worse off financially now than they were a year ago, according to a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll last month.
Though the candidates generally agreed that pushing the country toward energy independence and helping small businesses are key to reviving the economy, they offered different ideas on how to achieve those goals.
Hodes said the economic stimulus package Congress passed this year provided a small but significant help to working families, and that he supports a second round that would triple funding for a program that helps low-income people heat their homes.
"It should also include investments in job creation and infrastructure, to help build new jobs and invest in the competitiveness of our businesses," he said.
Republican Jennifer Horn of Nashua said she would support "anything that leaves more money in the pockets of those who earn paychecks" but that sending checks to people doesn't address the larger problems. "The real problem here is that Congress failed to act until there was a crisis," said Horn, a former newspaper columnist.
Steiner echoed those comments, saying the stimulus checks helped a bit, but the true solution lies in lowering tax rates so people keep more of their paychecks in the first place. Republicans Grant Bosse and Bob Clegg were more blunt.
"The economic stimulus package this spring gave taxpayers back $600 of their own money. But in order to get it, those very same taxpayers spent millions of dollars so Congress could tell us they were giving us our money back and then millions more actually delivering it," said Clegg, a state senator from Hudson. "This wasn't an economic stimulus package, this was a PR stunt."
Bosse, a former legislative assistant to Sen. John Sununu, said Congress threw money at the struggling economy without lessening the taxes, mandates and over-regulation that slowed it down in the first place.
"This year's economic stimulus package seemed designed primarily to stimulate campaign contributions to incumbent Congressmen," he said. "The first and best step Congress can take to stimulate the economy is simply to get out of the way."
To bring down fuel prices, Bosse, Horn and Steiner said they support lifting the federal moratorium on drilling for oil and gas offshore, building more refineries and nuclear plants and looking at alternative and renewable energy sources.
Continue reading NH's 2nd CD candidates tackle economic issues.
Boston Globe: 1st CD: N.H. candidates tackle questions on economy
By Kathy McCormack
Associated Press Writer / August 10, 2008
CONCORD, N.H.—The way to ease the pain of high prices at the pump, the grocery store and winter heating contracts is to invest in renewable energy sources and expand oil drilling at home, most of the candidates in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District agree.
But Congress can take some steps in the short-term to stabilize prices or possibly reverse the trend of higher prices, said Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, responding to an Associated Press questionnaire on economic issues.
"Removing speculators from our oil market is one way, releasing a small amount of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is another," she wrote. She said long-term answers also are required.
"I agree with T. Boone Pickens, a well-known oil man, that this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of," Shea-Porter said. "We must encourage responsible drilling here at home, we must invest heavily in renewable energy sources and we must conserve energy where we can."
Last month, Shea-Porter voted against lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling.
Shea-Porter, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination, will face one of four Republican challengers following the Sept. 9 primary.
"We should move quickly to remove restriction on oil exploration in Alaska, oil and gas exploration offshore, oil shale in the Rockies, tar sands in Utah and for other opportunities to increase our energy supply," said John Stephen of Manchester, former commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Congress also needs to extend tax credits for renewable energy and otherwise promote energy independence "by giving businesses and individuals the financial incentive to put renewable energy strategies to work," Stephen said.
Jeb Bradley, who represented the district for two terms before losing to Shea-Porter in 2006, said domestic supplies of oil and natural gas must be increased by allowing exploration in previously off-limits areas such as coastal regions and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
"We should proceed with new nuclear generating plants and resolve the waste disposal issue," Bradley said. "Clean coal technology offers promising opportunities."
Among the renewable and energy-efficient technologies Bradley advocates are wind, solar, tidal and geothermal, hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid autos. "A New Hampshire power plant in the Seacoast burns wood, not coal, due to legislation I wrote when serving in the New Hampshire Legislature," he said.
By Kathy McCormack
Associated Press Writer / August 10, 2008
CONCORD, N.H.—The way to ease the pain of high prices at the pump, the grocery store and winter heating contracts is to invest in renewable energy sources and expand oil drilling at home, most of the candidates in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District agree.
But Congress can take some steps in the short-term to stabilize prices or possibly reverse the trend of higher prices, said Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, responding to an Associated Press questionnaire on economic issues.
"Removing speculators from our oil market is one way, releasing a small amount of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is another," she wrote. She said long-term answers also are required.
"I agree with T. Boone Pickens, a well-known oil man, that this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of," Shea-Porter said. "We must encourage responsible drilling here at home, we must invest heavily in renewable energy sources and we must conserve energy where we can."
Last month, Shea-Porter voted against lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling.
Shea-Porter, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination, will face one of four Republican challengers following the Sept. 9 primary.
"We should move quickly to remove restriction on oil exploration in Alaska, oil and gas exploration offshore, oil shale in the Rockies, tar sands in Utah and for other opportunities to increase our energy supply," said John Stephen of Manchester, former commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Congress also needs to extend tax credits for renewable energy and otherwise promote energy independence "by giving businesses and individuals the financial incentive to put renewable energy strategies to work," Stephen said.
Jeb Bradley, who represented the district for two terms before losing to Shea-Porter in 2006, said domestic supplies of oil and natural gas must be increased by allowing exploration in previously off-limits areas such as coastal regions and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
"We should proceed with new nuclear generating plants and resolve the waste disposal issue," Bradley said. "Clean coal technology offers promising opportunities."
Among the renewable and energy-efficient technologies Bradley advocates are wind, solar, tidal and geothermal, hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid autos. "A New Hampshire power plant in the Seacoast burns wood, not coal, due to legislation I wrote when serving in the New Hampshire Legislature," he said.
Continue reading 1st CD: N.H. candidates tackle questions on economy.
Union Leader: Stephen in the 1st: Finally, a fiscal conservative
In the 1st Congressional District, there is one clear choice for Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who want a representative in Washington they can trust to vote for lower spending, lower taxes, sound economic policy and a strong defense. His name is John Stephen.
Everyone likes former 1st District Rep. Jeb Bradley, who was beaten in 2006 by newcomer Carol Shea-Porter. We like Bradley, too. But two years after his defeat by a fringe liberal, Bradley still doesn't understand why he lost. He thinks it was only because of Iraq. It was because of spending, too.
During his four years in Washington, Bradley had four opportunities to vote for alternative, fiscally conservative budgets offered by conservative Republican backbenchers who were fed up with their party's embrace of big government. He voted against all of them.
John Stephen offers Republicans the chance to send a true fiscal conservative to Washington. If you want to see John Stephen get excited, ask him about wasteful government spending. He hates it the way most Red Sox fans hate the Yankees -- with a genuine passion. He is the type of Republican who goes out of his way to criticize Republican leaders in Washington, not just Democrats, for their irresponsible use of our tax dollars.
That's the kind of voice the 1st District needs in Congress.
As secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, Stephen showed his commitment to responsible spending. He consistently sought to do more with less, and he succeeded. He actually returned money legislators tried to give him, saying he would find ways to spend less. How many government department heads have you ever heard of who asked that their budget be cut, not increased? Stephen did that.
Stephen also supports a multi-faceted energy plan that includes drilling in currently restricted areas offshore; winning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; increasing border security; reforming runaway entitlement programs; and cutting taxes.
In John Stephen, supporters of low taxes and limited government have a candidate they can whole-heartedly support. If they want to send a message to Washington that the Republican Party needs to return to Ronald Reagan conservatism, they should vote for John Stephen in the Republican primary Sept. 9.
In the 1st Congressional District, there is one clear choice for Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who want a representative in Washington they can trust to vote for lower spending, lower taxes, sound economic policy and a strong defense. His name is John Stephen.
Everyone likes former 1st District Rep. Jeb Bradley, who was beaten in 2006 by newcomer Carol Shea-Porter. We like Bradley, too. But two years after his defeat by a fringe liberal, Bradley still doesn't understand why he lost. He thinks it was only because of Iraq. It was because of spending, too.
During his four years in Washington, Bradley had four opportunities to vote for alternative, fiscally conservative budgets offered by conservative Republican backbenchers who were fed up with their party's embrace of big government. He voted against all of them.
John Stephen offers Republicans the chance to send a true fiscal conservative to Washington. If you want to see John Stephen get excited, ask him about wasteful government spending. He hates it the way most Red Sox fans hate the Yankees -- with a genuine passion. He is the type of Republican who goes out of his way to criticize Republican leaders in Washington, not just Democrats, for their irresponsible use of our tax dollars.
That's the kind of voice the 1st District needs in Congress.
As secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, Stephen showed his commitment to responsible spending. He consistently sought to do more with less, and he succeeded. He actually returned money legislators tried to give him, saying he would find ways to spend less. How many government department heads have you ever heard of who asked that their budget be cut, not increased? Stephen did that.
Stephen also supports a multi-faceted energy plan that includes drilling in currently restricted areas offshore; winning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; increasing border security; reforming runaway entitlement programs; and cutting taxes.
In John Stephen, supporters of low taxes and limited government have a candidate they can whole-heartedly support. If they want to send a message to Washington that the Republican Party needs to return to Ronald Reagan conservatism, they should vote for John Stephen in the Republican primary Sept. 9.
PolitickerNH:
Knytych running on state spendingBy Brian Lawson
LACONIA- State Sen. Candidate Greg Knytych (R-Laconia) thinks the current budget deficit has his opponent's biggest weakness.
Knytych hopes to defeat freshman state Sen. Kathleen Sgambati (D-Tilton) on a message of budget restraint in the race for the district four state senate seat.
"One of the biggest ones is the spending spree that the state went on; she was in full support of that," Knytych said when asked what is Sgambati's most vulnerable position.
The Laconia city councilor also said that voters are upset over parental notification law.
"A lot of people are very upset about the deficit and budget issues" Knytych told PolitickerNH.com in an interview. "But a lot of people are also concerned about the social issues, especially dealing with parental rights and the repeal of the parental notification law."
Knytych is contacting voters throughout the district and is hoping to reach voters in the district's small towns.
"I'm targeting the whole district. There are some areas that have a stronger Republican base and in those I'm being very well received in but even in the smaller rural areas of the district I'm meeting with those people and the same is said for the larger areas."
