“The Democrats are unified only if one ignores the fact that they don’t have a nominee and are engaged is a brutal political civil war between the left and the far left with no end in sight,” Cullen said.

“This press conference is a sign that a certain level of panic is setting in among Democrats, a fear that they are in the process of snatching defeat from what they hoped were the jaws of victory. It’s no coincidence that today’s event comes just two days after a UNH poll shows Senator McCain defeating both Senator Clinton (47-43 percent) and Barack Obama (49-43 percent) in New Hampshire.

“The poll also shows McCain defeating Obama by a staggering 61-27 percent among independents, and topping Clinton by 53-30 among the same group. McCain also wins a healthy chunk of Democrats against either candidate,” Cullen said.

“In John McCain, not only do New Hampshire Republicans get our best candidate, but we also get the one Republican New Hampshire Democrats least wanted to face. Today’s press conference proves that once again,” Cullen said.

“Governor Lynch has a spending problem not a revenue problem,” said Fergus Cullen, Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. “The Lynch budget deficit was created by Lynch and the Democratic leadership increasing spending by 17.5%, not declining revenues or the national economy.”

“Had Governor Lynch shown some political courage and leadership last year by reigning in spending, we would not be in this mess. Though given his record of tax increases, it’s no surprise he’s passing the costs of his runaway spending along to New Hampshire taxpayers and businesses.”

Today’s increases come on top of previous Lynch tax hikes, including raising highway tolls twice (with more increases on the way), raising tobacco taxes twice previously, and increasing the fee on car registrations.

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“Governor Lynch owns the budget deficit, and strong leaders accept responsibility instead of passing blame,” said Fergus Cullen, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

“Gov. Lynch allowed state spending to increase by 17.5 percent -- or nearly a half a billion dollars -- last year at a time when lots of people had concerns about a declining housing industry and rising energy prices. The situation called for fiscal restraint and caution, but Gov. Lynch and his Democratic legislature went on a spending spree and adopted rosy revenue forecasts. Today the state has higher revenues than ever before but still faces a budget deficit because of Gov. Lynch’s inability to say no to higher spending. New Hampshire’s budget deficit is Gov. Lynch’s responsibility,” Cullen said.

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“To succeed in the ongoing struggle against organized terrorism, we need experienced leaders in Washington with principles and vision,” said Mike Moffett of Concord, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.

“John Sununu has shown that he is a steadfast senator whose commitment to our national defense is strong and unwavering. This is in sharp contrast to Jeanne Shaheen, with her reputation for expediency and for following the political winds. Her equivocation doesn’t inspire confidence and doesn’t represent the kind of leadership our servicemen and women expect and deserve.”

“While Shaheen seeks to distance herself from her own earlier positions on the Iraq conflict, John Sununu is consistently working to make sure our men and women fighting the war on terror have the tools necessary for victory.”

SHAHEEN THEN AND NOW

Shaheen then…

“Look, if we're going to go into Iraq -- and again, I think we've got to keep all the options on the table -- we need to know what we're getting into and we need to be prepared to stay there for as long as it takes to make sure that the successor to Saddam Hussein, whatever that regime turns out to be, is going to be one that can build democratic institutions and provide stability in the country.” (Transcript from CNN’s Novak, Hunt, and Shields, aired September 21, 2002, emphasis added)

“Well, I think if we go into Iraq, that it will require sacrifice from people in this country. I think it does mean that we need to consider a long-term commitment there . It will require the dedication of resources. And that would mean that people in this country would have to support the effort and be willing to help sacrifice to make that happen. So I think that is something. That's why we need to have the support of the American people in doing that.” (Transcript from CNN’s Novak, Hunt, and Shields, aired September 21, 2002, emphasis added)

In an Oct. 25, 2002, interview with the AP, Shaheen said, “I came out very early in support of the president on Iraq and I came out very early the day the White House and the House leadership negotiated the resolution on Iraq.” ( Harry R. Weber, “Leadership, Abortion, Taxes, Independence, Education,” Associated Press, Oct. 25, 2002)

…and now.

Shaheen’s campaign spokeswoman now says that U.S. troops “‘have done everything that has been asked of them. It is time to bring them home.’ Bedingfield said Shaheen had turned against the war by 2004. She said Shaheen believes Bush ‘misled us into the war.’” ( John Distaso “GOP Hits Shaheen Record on Iraq,” Union Leader, March 21, 2008)

“This week, Shaheen said the U.S. is ‘five years into a war we were told would last a matter of weeks’…She said the war ‘has diverted our military focus from pursuing terrorist threats around the world’ and has made the U.S. ‘more vulnerable to terrorist threats’ than the country has been since 2001.” (John Distaso “GOP Hits Shaheen Record on Iraq,” Union Leader, March 21, 2008)

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“Jeanne Shaheen won’t fool New Hampshire taxpayers with her double talk on taxes,” said Fergus Cullen, Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. “She had her chance as Governor to lower taxes, but instead she broke her pledge to the voters and raised them. Now she has flip-flopped again on the tax cuts.”

“We can’t trust Jeanne Shaheen on taxes, which is why New Hampshire voters will reject her record of failed leadership and broken promises.”

As Governor, Shaheen pledged to never support a broad based tax, but instituted the first ever statewide property tax. Shaheen also proposed a 4.5% capital gains tax, and attempted to enact a 2.5% sales tax, which would have had a devastating effect on the state’s economy.

In Washington, both Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes have taken their marching orders on taxes from Nancy Pelosi and the liberal Democrats. They opposed making the tax cuts permanent and voted for big Democrat budgets that include massive tax increases.

In Concord, Governor John Lynch has followed the lead of his party’s national leaders. Lynch has raised taxes and fees by $100 million dollars, including increased fees on car registrations and two toll hikes.

“In this time of economic uncertainty, the Democrats’ prescription of higher taxes and spending is bad medicine,” said Cullen.

SHAHEEN’S TAX FLIP-FLOP

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)

SHEA-PORTER AND HODES RECORD OF FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY

In 2007, Hodes And Shea-Porter Voted To Pass A $2.9 Trillion FY2008 Budget Resolution That Includes The Largest Tax Increase In U.S. History. (S.Con.Res.21, Roll Call Vote #377, Adopted 214 - 209: R 0 - 196; D 214 - 13, May 17, 2007, Hodes and Shea-Porter voted Yea)

This Year, Both Shea-Porter and Hodes Voted for a Budget That Paves the Way for an Even Larger Tax Increase. In the House, every single Democrat -- including New Hampshire Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes -- voted for a budget resolution that would officially raise taxes by $683 million, The Post reported. (H. Con. Res 312, Roll Call #141, Adopted 212-207, March 13, 2008, Hodes and Shea-Porter voted Yea)

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The rally, scheduled for the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord (tickets available online!), is hosted by the sponsor of the impeachment resolution, Rep. Betty Hall (D-Brookline) and features appearances by several left-wing activists including Paul Stookey of the ’60s folk group Peter, Paul, and Mary.

But will it feature appearances by Gov. Lynch, Jeanne Shaheen, Carol Shea-Porter, or Paul Hodes?

“Perhaps they can sing a round of ‘Puff, the Magic Dragon,’” Cullen wondered.

“Ironically, the ‘move on’ Democrats just can’t seem to move on themselves,” Cullen said. “Instead of wasting time on this silly impeachment resolution, Gov. John Lynch and his Democratic legislature should be focusing on the budget deficit caused by their 17.5 percent increase in state spending. Education funding continues to be a mess, and the Constitutional Amendment appears to be foundering due to Gov. Lynch’s lack of leadership. These are the real issues Gov. Lynch and the Democratic legislature ought to be focusing on, not the impeachment resolution,” Cullen said.

But since the Democrats bring it up, it’s fair to ask where party leaders are on impeachment:

• If she were a member of the US Senate, Jeanne Shaheen would vote on impeachment. Does she support the resolution? Is she planning to attend the rally on Monday or will she be conveniently out of state, like she was when she skipped voting on the pledge resolution at Madbury Town Meeting?
• Will Gov. Lynch attend the rally? Does he support the resolution? If he doesn’t, why won’t he say so publicly?
• Will Shea-Porter or Hodes attend? As members of Congress, they would vote on impeachment. Do they believe the president and vice-president should be impeached? Will Shea-Porter offer the protesters refreshments, like she did with war protesters in her first month in office?

Hall’s House Resolution 24 is scheduled to come to the floor for a vote on Wednesday, April 16.

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“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,” said Fergus Cullen, chairman of New Hampshire Republicans. “As one Rules Committee member said, ‘What happened this year to make anyone think our nominating process is broken?’” Key points of the Ohio Plan:

• Retains Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada as early carve out states;
• Specifies that South Carolina and Nevada must go after New Hampshire;
• Establishes a “pod” of small states for a second round of voting beginning not earlier than the third week of February;
• Establishes three rotating pods of larger, geographically diverse states (as opposed to regions) that will vote in separate rounds of voting separated by three week intervals;
• Backs up the start date of primaries to February to avoid peak campaigning over the holidays;
• Retains the existing 50 percent delegate penalty for states that break the rules by going earlier than their scheduled window.

“This plan retains the best features of the current system while improving some of its weaknesses,” Cullen said.

The plan is not finalized, however, and could be changed at the Republican National Convention in September. It will be reviewed there by the RNC Rules Committee, then by the broader convention Rules Committee composed of delegates, and finally by the full convention of delegates.

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On WMUR’s “Close Up” program broadcast yesterday, Shea-Porter said she viewed the DC gun ban as a state’s rights issue. This is consistent with her spokeman’s explanation, quoted in the Union Leader on March 10, that Shea-Porter “respects the rights of the states…to enact the laws that are best for their people.”

“The state’s rights argument was used to justify slavery and, more recently, racial segregation. Thus it seems especially unusual for a liberal ideologue like Shea-Porter to cite state’s rights as a defense of anything,” said Fergus Cullen, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.

“Most Americans believe the question of whether state’s rights or the Constitution prevails was settled with the Civil War. I’m not sure Congresswoman Shea-Porter understands that the Constitution trumps state laws,” Cullen said.

“Does Shea-Porter believe that First Amendment issues involving free speech or freedom of religion are up to the states to decide? That some states can allow slavery in defiance of the Thirteenth Amendment, or prevent African Americans from voting on account of their race in defiance of the Fourteenth Amendment, or deny the right to vote on account of gender in defiance of the Nineteenth Amendment?” Cullen asked.

“If Congresswoman Shea-Porter opposes the right to bear arms, she should just say so. But surely she doesn’t really believe the Second Amendment is up to the states to interpret as they see fit,” Cullen said.

Fact Sheet:

From the Union Leader’s Granite Status column, March 10, 2008:

“[Shea-Porter’s] spokesman, Clark Pettig, said that [Shea-Porter] ‘is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and she also respects the rights of states, or in this case the District of Columbia, to enact the laws that are best for their people. Because two fundamental principles of our Constitution are at odds,’ Shea-Porter believes ‘that this issue should be resolved by the judicial branch as our Founders intended.’"

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Hodes Claims That Passage Of Legislation Creating An Independent Congressional Ethics Office Represents “Another Step Democrats Have Taken To Clean Up Washington”

“Hodes Spoke In Favor Of Establishing The Panel . . . [Saying] It Represents ‘Another Step That The Democrats Have Taken To Clean Up Washington.’” “Hodes spoke in favor of establishing the panel before Congress took a two-week recess in mid-March. He said it represents ‘another step that the Democrats have taken to clean up Washington.’ The new Office of Congressional Ethics, slated to be functional in July, would include three members appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and three by Minority Leader John Boehner. None may be current House members, federal employees or lobbyists.” (Matt Negrin, “Hodes Helps Give Birth To Independent Ethics Panel,” Union Leader , March 28, 2008)

Yet Hodes And Shea-Porter Both Voted To Protect A Democrat Leader Accused Of Violating House Ethics Rules

In May 2007, Representative Jack Murtha (D-PA) Was Accused Of Violating House Ethics Rules By Threatening To Deny Funding For A Colleague’s Project

Murtha, The Democratic Chairman Of The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Was Accused Of Threatening To Deny Funding For Projects Requested By Republican Representative Mike Rogers (R-MI). “Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) threatened to deny any further spending projects to a Republican who challenged him over an earmark, his antagonist has charged -- a potential violation of House rules. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) had challenged money that Murtha inserted into an intelligence bill last week.” (Patrick O'Connor, “Murtha Accused Of Rules Violation,” Politico , May 18, 2007)

“House Rules State That Lawmakers Cannot Make Spending Projects Conditional On How Another Lawmaker Decides To Vote.” (Jonathan E. Kaplan and Jackie Kucinich, “Dems Save Murtha A Slap,” The Hill , May 23, 2007)

Ø “Lawmakers ‘may not condition the inclusion of language to provide funding for a congressional earmark, a limited tax benefit, or a limited tariff benefit in any’ legislation, according to House rule XXIII, clause 16.” (Patrick O'Connor, “Murtha Accused Of Rules Violation,” Politico , May 18, 2007)

But Hodes And Shea-Porter Both Voted To Kill A Bill That Would Have Reprimanded Murtha For His Actions

Hodes And Shea-Porter Voted With A Majority Of Democrats To Table The House Resolution To Reprimand Murtha. (H. Res. 428: Roll Call #402: Passed 219-189, May 22, 2003, Hodes and Shea-Porter voted Yea)

Passage Of The Resolution Would Have Been A “Slap On The Wrist” To Murtha. “House Democrats spared Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) from a parliamentary slap on the wrist by defeating a resolution aimed at reprimanding him for allegedly threatening to revoke another lawmaker’s earmarks.” (Jonathan E. Kaplan and Jackie Kucinich, “Dems Save Murtha A Slap,” The Hill , May 23, 2007)

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