LACONIA -- Arnie Arnesen brought her own impassioned brand of liberal evangelism to a rapt audience at a meeting of city Democratic Committee at Woodland Heights School last night. The former state representative, gubernatorial candidate and college teacher, who has enjoyed a nomadic career on radio and television, spoke without notes for some 40 minutes, taking as her theme the fraying of the American social fabric under the twin pressures of global competition and corporate power.
Arnesen took as her text remarks of Herb Meyer, a former associate editor of Fortune Magazine who served in the intelligence community during the Reagan Administration, prophesying that "everyone is on their way to becoming an independent contractor. The new workforce contract will be, show up at the my office five days a week and do what I want you to do, but you handle your own insurance, benefits, health care and everything else." ….continue reading
Animated, humorous and passionate, Arnie Arnesen delighted local Democrats last evening.
In NH, More Money Flowing To Democrats Than To Republicans
Michael Kitch
CONCORD -- After outspending Republicans by a wide margin while holding the governorship and capturing majorities in both the Senate and House for the first time since 1874 at the last state election, Democrats again enjoy a significant edge in fundraising during the current election cycle. Campaign finance reports filed this week show that Democrats, including candidates for the three Senate seats in the Lakes Region, have raised much more, spent much more and have much more money than their Republican opponents
The New Hampshire Democratic State Committee has raised $777,840. spent $719,854 and has $57,985 on hand while the New Hampshire Republican State Committee Republic Democratic State Committee collected $152,514, spent $102,768 and has $46,128 in the bank.
Governor John Lynch banked $1.2-million to fund his bid for a third term, 14 times more than his Republican challenger, state Senator Joe Kenney of Union, who raised $86,868. Lynch has spent $542,761, almost ten times more than Kenney, but still has $689,000 on hand, 22 times more than his rival, who has $31,484. ….continue reading
Seven Houses Add Up To A Snag For McCain
By Jonathan Weisman and Robert Barnes
Sen. John McCain's inability to recall the number of homes he owns during an interview yesterday jeopardized his campaign's carefully constructed strategy to frame Democratic rival Barack Obama as an out-of-touch elitist and inspired a round of attacks that once again ratcheted up the negative tone of the race for the White House.
A week dominated by vice presidential speculation and the run-up to the Democratic National Convention was quickly overtaken by the McCain miscue. In an interview with Politico.com, the presumptive Republican nominee was asked how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, heir to a beer distributorship, owned.
"I think -- I'll have my staff get to you," McCain replied. "It's condominiums where -- I'll have them get to you."
Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee pounced with remarkable speed. By mid-morning, reporters had received a video log featuring Cindy McCain's childhood estate in Phoenix, an Architectural Digest spread on another property the McCains had owned previously, and tax records and photos detailing seven houses and condominiums -- in Coronado and La Jolla, Calif.; Phoenix and Sedona, Ariz.; and Arlington. By 11 a.m., the Obama campaign had produced a television advertisement titled "Seven" and was answering the question McCain could not. ….continue reading
Obama Goes On Attack Before Cheering Crowd In Chesapeake
By Bill Sizemore and Kristin Davis
CHESAPEAKE - Sen. Barack Obama brought a boisterous crowd of Hampton Roads supporters to its feet Thursday night by ridiculing his opponent's seeming inability to remember how many homes he owns.
Days before he is to be nominated for president, Obama said the incident shows that Sen. John McCain is out of touch with ordinary Americans.
In an interview this week, the Republican was asked how many homes he and his wife own. McCain said he wasn't sure and would have his staff check. "It turned out to be seven or maybe eight," Obama said, adding that McCain has called the U.S. economy "fundamentally sound."
"I suppose if you've got seven, maybe eight houses, the economy looks fundamentally sound to you," Obama said.
Obama took questions during a Town Hall Meeting in Chesapeake, Va.
The Democrat then asked: "Are you better off now than you were when George Bush took office? If you are, then you should vote for John McCain. But if you think we can create a better future for ourselves and our children, then I ask you to get out and work for me."
His Chesapeake appearance capped a two-day campaign swing in which Obama vigorously courted Virginia voters but - at least to all outward appearances - he left the state without proposing to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. ….continue reading
U.S., Iraqi Negotiators Agree On 2011 Withdrawal
By Karen DeYoung and Sudarsan Raghavan
BAGHDAD -- U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have agreed to the withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces from the country by the end of 2011, and Iraqi officials said they are "very close" to resolving the remaining issues blocking a final accord that governs the future American military presence here.
Iraqi and U.S. officials said several difficult issues remain, including whether U.S. troops will be subject to Iraqi law if accused of committing crimes. But the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were unauthorized to discuss the agreement publicly, said key elements of a timetable for troop withdrawal once resisted by President Bush had been reached.
"We have a text," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said after a day-long visit Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Rice and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki spent nearly three hours here discussing key undecided issues. The accord must be completed and approved by both governments before a United Nations mandate expires at the end of the year. ….continue reading
Democratic State of the States 2008: New Hampshire
By Rachel Kapochunas
Unlike the other five New England states, which regularly provide Democratic presidential candidates with comfortable margins, New Hampshire is one that even Barack Obama 's advocates have to write into their column in pencil rather than ink.
The state in the region least eager to abandon its Yankee Republican traditions, New Hampshire went for George W. Bush over Al Gore in 2000 by 1 percentage point. And though it was the only state four years later that flipped its four electoral votes to Democrat from Republican, its voters picked John Kerry over Bush by the same tight margin.
Seacoast Dems
Off To Denver
By Michael Mccord
PORTSMOUTH -- The husband and wife team of Larry Drake and Joan Jacobs are heading to Denver to volunteer at the Democratic National Convention next week.
This is nothing out of the ordinary for the retired Portsmouth couple. They are making their fourth lengthy road trip of the year in support of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
"I really like Portsmouth, but there's something special going on in Denver," Drake said. "There's a great sense of history with him speaking on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King (Jr.'s) 'I Have a Dream' speech. We don't want to miss that historic moment."
Drake and Jacobs will help out the New Hampshire Democratic Party and the 150 Granite Staters -- including many from the Seacoast region -- who are expected to attend the convention. ….continue reading
John McCain is clearly competitive here, and Democrats will have to work especially hard to try to undermine the appeal of his "maverick" posture to the unaffiliated voters who make up roughly a third of the electorate. McCain, who stunned Bush with a big win in their 2000 showdown in New Hampshire's traditional first-in-the-nation primary, also won this year's GOP contest, and his 37 percent to Mitt Romney's 32 percent on Jan. 8 was a mortal blow to his leading rival's hopes. ….continue reading
Bush reverses Earlier Decision On Disaster Status For Region
By Josh Rosenson
NEW DURHAM -- On Friday, Gov. John Lynch requested President Bush to reverse a decision against awarding disaster declarations for Strafford and Merrimack counties in the wake of the recent tornado.
On Wednesday, Lynch's request for public assistance in New Durham in Strafford County and Epsom and Pittsfield in Merrimack County was granted.
"FEMA will be working with the towns to determine what assistance they need, in terms of repairing any infrastructure that was damaged," said Colin Manning Lynch's press secretary.
Bush initially approved public assistance last week for Belknap, Carroll, and Rockingham counties, but the damage in New Durham, as well as Epsom and Pittsfield prompted Lynch's request, according to earlier Foster's reports.
"I am pleased the president has included Merrimack and Strafford counties in the disaster declaration based on the concentration of damage in the communities of Epsom, Pittsfield and New Durham. I want to thank FEMA Administrator David Paulison for his prompt consideration of this request," Lynch said in a press release Wednesday. "These communities experienced a tremendous amount of damage during the tornado and this assistance will help these towns rebuild their infrastructure." ….continue reading
