Pledge Politics Create a Moral Vacuum

In 2013, State Senator Nancy Stiles of Hampton sponsored SB 190, a bill titled: relative to admission fees for certain persons at state parks and historical sites. It turned out to be a bill to charge persons over the age of 65 for admission to NH state parks and historical sites. Seniors are admitted free of charge. The bill would “allow them” to purchase a Granite Parks Pass at a third of the cost of an individual season’s pass.

An individual pass cost $60. That means that seniors would be “allowed” to purchase a pass for $20. For $10 a US citizen aged 62 or over can purchase a LIFETIME pass to our national parks. Here in NH, Senator Styles and her cosponsors wanted to sell a SEASON’s pass to a senior for $20. Such a deal!

On the day of the hearing, members of the committee referenced the $400,000 budget deficit that the NH park system always has. The park system constantly runs at a deficit because it is the only state park system in the country that is funded by user fees. At the hearing, it was taken as a given that this is the way it is, so gouging old people is one way to fill the gap Apparently it never occurred to any of the legislators to do something about a failed system. Apparently it hadn’t occurred to them that there’s a reason why NH is the only state that does it this way.

I testified before the committee. I pointed out that this was gouging old people who already had property taxes to contend with. I mentioned that it was disproportionately unfair to women, given that they make less than men over the course of a lifetime.  I was asked how I would fund the national parks, given that they’re having some funding problems. I said that if we cut the Pentagon budget in half, there would be plenty of money to fix all kinds of things. They asked me how I’d fund the state parks and the state. I said that I’d support an income tax, so that our state’s 27,000 millionaires were paying their fair share, and not living here in tax-free splendor. I was even asked why I cared about this, why I was paying attention – which was the most depressing question of all.  

The bill didn’t go anywhere in 2013, but in NH, bad ideas never die. They return again and again. This year, Senator Stiles is sponsoring SB 471, an act relative to discounts and admissions without charge at state parks. This bill doesn’t call for charging a fee or  “allowing” seniors to purchase a season’s pass. This bill opens the back door so that in a year or two some fees can be slipped in without anyone even noticing. It also stipulates that seniors will pay full price for using the Tram at Cannon on weekends and holidays, and more importantly, the elderly con artists who have been gaming the system will be paying full price for parking.

According to the numbers compiled by the Dept. of Resources and Economic Development, nearly 20,000 seniors were granted free admission to NH state parks last year. There were 1500 that accessed the Flume. A whopping 49 seniors scammed free admission to the Tramway at Cannon last year. I’m guessing the real problem is the 7, 704 seniors who were granted free parking at two state beaches. Senator Stiles represents the seacoast. That free parking could have raked in $115,500 if it weren’t for those darned elderly grifters.

Thanks to the way we fund our state, we have some of the highest property taxes in the nation. One of my friends retired and had to choose between the upkeep on her historic old house or paying her exorbitant property taxes. She sold the house and moved out of state. And good riddance to her! That’s one senior swindler that’ll never take her grandchild to the park for free again!

Even if the elderly mountebanks pay full price, it only brings in about $200,000. That’s only half of the deficit, so perhaps the senate can find another marginalized group to fleece in order to make up the difference.

It doesn’t stop there. SB 471 is an act relative to parking for persons with disabilities. There is no cost for a handicaped placard at the present time. This bill would establish a $5 fee for both temporary and permanent placards. The permanent placards would be renewed every five years. The fiscal note attached to the bill estimates that this new fee would bring in $162, 285 per year.

It’s worth pointing out that at the same time these bills are being proposed, our legislators are working diligently to cut millions of dollars worth of revenue out of our state budget by decreasing business taxes. It seems they’re going to try to fill in the gaps by taking from the elderly and the disabled; people who are largely on fixed incomes.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I have a handicapped placard.)

The five-dollar fee isn’t even the issue, though it might be a hardship for someone who is getting a series of temporary placards, in increments of a few months at a time. This is just another illustration of the complete moral bankruptcy that governs our state, thanks to our ridiculous tax system, and our allegiance to pledge politics. If this bill goes through, it would make NH the only state in New England to charge for a handicapped placard. Now there’s something to be proud of.

This is what our legislators are willing to do - nickel and dime seniors and people with disabilities, rather than appropriate enough money to properly run our state agencies. In their desperation to come up with some cash, any cash, (to fill in the holes they’ve created) they’ve chosen to go after the vulnerable. After all, the vulnerable don’t have former governors lobbying for them.

That this is what we’ve come to, as a state should be a source of shame to us all.

This was published as an oped by the Conway Daily Sun newspaper, January 22, 2016

Pledge Politics for Seniors, 2013

My notes  from the hearing in 2013. 

Nipples and Nonsense

It’s the start of the new year, and that means that the legislature will be back in session! The fun has already begun, with some of our NH Republicans covering our state with glory in the national media.

You may have read that a couple of male legislators made boobs of themselves over the horrifying thought of being subjected to the view of a female nipple. It seems that State Representative Josh Moore was so incensed at the idea, that he told a female state rep that any woman who was putting her nipple on view deserved to have it stared at or grabbed. This is especially fun because Josh is Ted Cruz’s “faith based outreach” director in NH. (Be sure to ask Josh or Ted whose nipple Jesus would grab.) The other offender was Representative Al Baldasaro, who also made crude remarks, but stopped short of justifying assault.

This all came about because last summer some women staged a “free the nipple” topless protest at Hampton Beach. This apparently was too much for the Patriarchal Police, so
a trio of male legislators filed a bill (HB 1525) to define the circumstances that comprise indecent exposure and lewdness.  

NH has some serious problems. We have the 11^th worst infrastructure in the United States. Our roads, bridges, dams, and water systems are in serious need of repair. We need telecommunications infrastructure. Young people are leaving the state in droves, because there are no jobs and no affordable housing. NH invests less than any other state does in higher education, so our college students have a tremendous debt load. We’re unwilling to raise sufficient funds to run the state as if it were a going concern, so all state agencies are insufficiently funded and don’t run properly. Our property taxes are some of the highest in the nation, and prevent young people from buying houses, and force old people to sell theirs.

The response of our legislature to the very serious problems our state faces? Nipples. Nonsense.

There are 8 bills attempting to eliminate abortion. Republican  men may not know diddly about planning future, but one thing they do know is that women can’t be trusted with their own bodies. There are 11 gun bills. There’s a constitutional amendment to try to ensure college students can’t vote here.  There’s a bill to require TANF recipients to be drug tested, another to dictate where SNAP benefits can be spent, and a resolution to encourage the governor and executive council to open their meetings with a prayer. Yeah, that’ll help. The legislature opens every session with a prayer, then they go on to do the best they can to ensure that the state’s poverty rate continues to rise.

Some of the bills are very familiar. Our legislators are not deterred by bills that fail to pass for decades – they just keep filing. There’s the usual attempt at defining “domicile” in ways that are aimed at preventing voting as opposed to encouraging it, this time in the form of a proposed amendment to our state constitution. Another constitutional amendment would require a 3/5 vote in the House to override any veto. We’ve heard these before.

HB 1629 would disqualify members of foreign terrorist groups from receiving public assistance. Is there a box that folks check off (yes or no) to notify the state that they’re members of a terrorist organization? HB 1542 would require drug testing of people receiving TANF benefits. This is one of Representative Don Leeman’s favorite hobbyhorses, brought back again. Kansas spent $40,000 on drug testing TANF recipients and got 11 positive test results. Mississippi spent $5,290 and got 2 positive test results. In a state that can’t afford to fix bridges, this seems like a bizarre use of funds, but hey, those poor folks aren’t going to demonize themselves.

HB 1115 stipulates that NH residents would only be required to obey our own state and federal laws. The laws of other states wouldn’t apply to us. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Frank Edelblut, a Republican who wants to be our governor. HB 1128 would designate the second week of September as Patriot Week. Because legislating patriotism makes it happen!

House Majority Leader Jack Flanagan is the lead sponsor of HB 1668, a bill that would create a registry for people convicted of heroin related offenses, and require the registration of those offenders. NH offers very little in the way of treatment for addicts. The GOP is determined to eliminate the NH Health Protection Program, (aka expanded Medicaid) which enables 40,000 low wage NH workers to access health insurance that they wouldn’t have otherwise. Insurance that covers treatment for addiction. Offering young people a future might be more helpful, (affordable education, good jobs, home ownership) but we’re not about to do that – so the only thing left is trying to prosecute our way out of a heroin epidemic. That it hasn’t worked yet is not a consideration.

Coming to us from the small gummint crowd is HB 1596, a bill aimed at changing the paperwork requirements for marriage. Representatives Itse, Hoell, Hill, and Ingbretson do not believe that the state should license anything, so they want to go forward into the past to the way things used to be, with couples filing a certificate of intent to marry, and then a certificate of marriage, which gives interested parties the opportunity to object to the marriage. I’m not making that up. It’s in the text. The text also only refers to couples that are comprised of a bride and a groom. It’s nice to see the same guys who moan and wail about gummint interference working hard to interfere in the personal lives of NH residents. Bravo, libetea dudes!

You can check out all 812 potential bills filed thus far at www.gencourt.state.nh.us . On the right side of the page, you’ll see the section labeled “State Legislation Dashboard” where you can find all bills – the good, the bad, and the peculiar. Presidential primaries generate a lot of heat and noise, but what happens on the state level has the greatest impact on our lives. Make it your New Year’s resolution to pay more attention.

published as an op-ed in the Conway Daily Sun on January 8, 2012

WNWJG?

This is a comment (since deleted) by NH State Representative Josh Moore, a Republican from Merrimack. Here's the story.  
Here's his website. He's a big family values, Constitution, and GOD guy. 

One wonders - would Josh Moore feel compelled to grab ANYTHING that was public? Your lunch? Your wallet?

Obviously women have even less value than objects to Josh. 

Moore is currently on the payroll of Ted Cruz for President, in this capacity:

Representative Josh Moore: Representative Moore lives in Merrimack and was elected as freshman State Representative in 2014. Moore serves on the House Education Committee and has been active in the state’s conservative movement for three years.  Moore will serve as a Field Director and as the Faith-Based Outreach Director.

That's right. Young Josh is in charge of "faith based outreach." 

WNWJG - Whose Nipple Would Jesus Grab? 



edited to add:

Rep. Moore is sponsoring 11 bills (thus far) in the 2016 legislature. Over half of them are related to controlling women's bodies.

HB 1525 - relative to the acts that constitute indecent exposure and lewdness

HB 1560  - aimed at eliminating abortion

HB 1684- prohibits the use of public funds, employees, or facilities in performing abortions.

HB 1623 - prohibits abortion based on genetic abnormalities.

HB 1636- prohibiting abortion once an unborn child can feel pain.

HJR 3 - a resolution calling for the investigation and defunding of Planned Parenthood.

Conservative Crybaby vs. First Amendment

This is Alexandria Knox. She recently ran for Alderman in Manchester, NH. She didn't do too well. 

As you can see, she was ousted in the September 15 primary. Forty-four people chose to leave the space blank rather than vote for her. And they didn't even know that in another age she would have been throwing books on a fire. 

Now she's running for state representative in District 10. 

Miss Knox claims to be a person of strong conservative values, who champions the Live Free or Die ethic of our state. Yet twice she's had me banned from Facebook for challenging her. One assumes she, like others of the libertea persuasion, worships at the altar of the US Constitution. 

Except for that pesky first amendment. 

One wonders how this magnolia blossom will handle the world of politics if she should ever get elected to public office. I've seen the things that go out over the all reps listserv. Miss Knox would spend the entire session on her fainting couch with the vapors. Live free or die, unless you make poor little Alexandria uncomfortable. 

Here's the comment that Miss Knox complained about today. 

This was a chance for her to explain to me why she had me banned the first time. Like a big girl might do. She could have said, "I don't like your tone, I don't like it when you respond to me, I don't have to explain myself to you" - or just about anything, really. Instead, she behaved like a frightened child. This frightened child thinks she has the strength and integrity to represent a district in the NH House? 

Here's the thing - I don't think anyone should get banned unless they harass or threaten a person. My daughter, for example, is seriously being harassed by a subhuman from Rockland, Maine, but to lodge a complaint on FB one has to make it from a computer, not a tablet or a phone. 

I've never threatened Miss Knox. I've challenged her twice. Rather than respond (like an adult might do)  she tattles.  It's clear that telling Daddy gives her a sense of power, and she's undoubtedly getting high fives from her fellow Constitution worshipping compatriots for showing "that commie bitch" who is boss. Knox's tattletaling is emblematic of her character.  She's someone who will rather run away than face a challenge. She's a coward. 

The screengrabs will make great campaign lit to hand out as I help campaign against her in Ward 10 next year. 

UPDATE: Less than an hour ago, Knox tweeted this out: 

Sadly, she thinks she's achieved some sort of stardom. If her goal was to reveal that she lacks the courage and strength to represent a NH House district, than she has succeeded. 

She came by my blog not long ago to leave a comment - full of sanctimonious blather.

And what did she do when questioned?

She deleted and ran. Unable to stand by her comments, unable to handle a question. 

A regular pillar of jello, our Miss Knox. 

Wanted: Evangelical UU's

Late in September, I was the guest speaker at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Tamworth. I called on my fellow UU’s to fight back against the inflammatory racist and xenophobic rhetoric that are a part of our current national dialogue. Since the shootings in San Bernardino, the hate speech is ratcheting up – and that comes with consequences. This week a sixth grade girl in NY City was beaten up by a bunch of boys who hit her and tried to pull off her hijab while calling her, “Isis.”

A friend in the congregation suggested I publish my sermon as a column. With some adaptation, this is what I said on September 27. At a time when we hear so much angry religious rhetoric perhaps we can all try to be more UU.

After the accident last year, I spent two months in the hospital. I met women who worked there, women from all over the world. Many came here as refugees. There were women from Haiti, who told stories of political unrest and having to move their families to safety. There were women who were bringing up their grandchildren because their children had become addicts. They bathed me and cared for my broken body. They were so kind to me. We humans are capable of such kindness and compassion.

For months I was in an isolated bubble where I didn’t pay that much attention to what was going on in the world. It was my job to heal. It was my job to learn how to stand, and how to walk. As the months went by, little by little I moved back into the world. Then I went back to work, and I was immersed in reality again.

And then along came Donald Trump. He was something of a breaking point.

Racism, bigotry, homophobia, misogyny; all of these things are increasingly tolerated by our society. Throw in some science denial and rewriting of history, and this is a scary time. In an effort to show leadership skills, presidential candidates are trying to outdo one another with racist rhetoric or loathing for the poor. 

It’s time to stop tacitly accepting this. UU’s have a long history of action when it comes to all social justice issues. We also have a reputation for being quiet and relatively unobtrusive in our approach.

We don’t cause scenes or make a mess. We aren’t a big visible presence on the word stage. We don’t have mega churches or a values voter summit, like the Christian right does.

We ought to. Our values include justice, compassion, and love. Inclusion and not exclusion.  At a time where there is so much hate, violence, and ugly rhetoric, it’s time for us to vocalize and apply our UU principles loudly, proudly, and zealously.

As UU’s we are not bound by scripture or dogma. We have our seven principles, the first being our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We need to try hard to love our neighbors, even the most difficult and bigoted. Love them loudly and proudly. When hate comes to town, we must counter it in the way that Dr. King suggested: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Our planet is suffering. There is no part of it that isn’t being affected by climate change. Here in the US a particularly virulent form of denial exists, the kind where non-scientists deny science. We need to get out there and preach about that interdependent web. We can’t live without our planet.

Our principles call for justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. That, too, is hard to argue with, but it is not the way that human interaction works these days. The right of conscience. The goal of world community, with peace, liberty, and justice for all. These aren’t feel good phrases. These are values, and they are values that need to be spread around with evangelical zeal.

There are so many angry people in our country, our state, and in our municipalities. You probably have one shouty uncle who rants on your Facebook page or at holiday dinners. You know, the one who thinks the president is a homosexual Muslim communist from Kenya.

It’s easy to ignore the angry. You can unfriend Uncle Al on Facebook. You can’t do is argue with them and have any kind of a reasonable discussion. What we can do is be kind to them. Talk to them – and really listen. Try to understand their fears. It’s harder to hate people when you’re talking to them face to face.

I realize this all sounds kind of humorous, especially coming from me. I am deadly serious. We’re in a mess, people, and love is the only way out.

We UU’s are uniquely qualified to take a greater role. Some of the greatest names in our nation’s history were UUs – names like Emerson, Thoreau, Vonnegut, Seeger, Anthony, Stone, Adams, Cummings, Bradbury, Darwin, and Nightingale. UU’s have been visionaries and activists. We still are. We’re just modest about it. I am suggesting that we need to speak up when there is injustice and hateful rhetoric on the national, state, and local level.

We need to get zealous. We need to become fundamentalist Unitarian Universalists, ready to preach the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Ready to preach about loving our planet. Wendell Berry said, “Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.”

People, the planet, equality and justice. These are the biggest things we face. They are all things we UUs have been talking about for years. Who better to lead the way in our communities than us?

We’ve been working quietly in the background for a long time. What’s next will make us uncomfortable – and that is true whether we do anything or not. We’re going to be just as uncomfortable if we stay in the background, so we might as well make some noise.

Unitarian Universalist 7 Principles:

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;

7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

This was published as an op-ed in the December 11 edition of the Conway Daily Sun newspaper 

Susan DeLemus: I've Never Been Involved in Politics

CNN aired a segment today where they spoke with some NH Trump supporters. 



This woman has a bit of a meltdown about the president - he gets on her teevee and LIES! She's never been involved in politics! 

Never involved,  except when Ted Cruz named DeLemus and her husband to his NH leadership team back in May. Did she ditch Ted for Trump? Did they break up? 




OOPS

This woman is NH State Representative Susan DeLemus. She's serving her second (nonconsecutive) term in the NH House. 

Representative DeLemus distinguished herself during her first term, by causing a scene at a ballot hearing. DeLemus is a birther, and not afraid to say so. 




It was also reported on in The Atlantic.  

Susan DeLemus isn't the only infamous member of her family. Husband Jerry DeLemus was head of security at Cliven (welfare moocher) Bundy's Ranch debacle. In fact, it was Jerry who sent spree killers Jerad and Amanda Miller on their way. Refused admission to Bundyville, they went to Las Vegas and killed 2 cops and a bystander. Here's Jerry trying to weasel out of any responsibility

Here's Jerry, complaining about Scott Brown "trompling" on the Constitution. It seems former US Senator Scott Brown is a trompler.  This calm, level-headed individual was running for Sheriff in Strafford County. He's an Oath Keeper, a 9/12'er, a Tea Partier, and a proponent of the Constitutional Sheriff's movement. 

Back in June, Jerry announced that he wanted to hold a "Draw Mohammed" contest, as reported here by the Southern Poverty Law Center.


CNN should be embarrassed. Even the most cursory google search would have turned up most of this. Now they're being mocked - and deservedly so. 



[Note: she may have been trying to say The Donald has never been involved in politics, she's so incoherent, it's hard to know. One thing is for sure, either way she meant it - she's lying!]

An Account of the NHDP JJ Fundraising Event

I don't do it often, but from time to time I accept a piece written by another blogger. This next piece was written by someone who wishes to remain anonymous, and asked me for blog space. I agreed, because I know and trust the writer. I want to be clear - I was not at this event. The views expressed are those of the writer. It's also worth noting that I've heard similar accounts of this event from other people. 

Susan 

                       

Let me preface this by explaining who I am. I'm posting this anonymously, but I am a middle-tier political activist here in New Hampshire, who has been active in state level races and a few federal races supporting progressive candidates up and down the ballot. This cycle, I'm supporting Bernie Sanders' run for President. Over the last decade I've been active in New Hampshire politics, I've essentially been in the 'activist bubble'. Very little interaction with party insiders, very little in-person exposure to party leaders or elected officials. That said, I am a Democrat and I feel the need to be honest with my friends, hence this letter. 

Last night I attended the 2015 Jefferson-Jackson dinner, commonly known in New Hampshire as “The JJ”. I don't normally go to events like this, preferring to donate to candidates directly rather than to the party. This year I broke my pattern, and went with a VIP ticket. This got me into the VIP room before the event, and landed me a pretty good seat for the speeches. In the VIP room I got to meet Martin O'Malley, who was the only presidential candidate to stop in. He was quite cordial, ignored my white Bernie button other than to say “I hope I'm at least your second pick.”, and smiled when I assured him that he is. Both candidates for Governor were there, sitting Governor Maggie Hassan, former Congressman Paul Hodes, a few state senators and state reps – it was a 'who's who' of party insiders. I felt very out of place, but I expected it. Overall, the little pre-event dinner party was fun and an amazing chance to talk to some great folks. 

Then the actual event started, and things went south very quickly. Before I could even get to the room, I was accosted not once but twice by young intern-age men who I presumed to be ushers. Both were decked out in Hillary gear, checked my ticket and asked if I needed a sticker while trying to hand me an H sticker. Keep in mind I was wearing a white Bernie button on a dark shirt, which would have been very hard to miss. I said a polite “No.” to the first one, and kept walking. When the second one tried to push a sticker at me, I became officially annoyed. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked back-and-forth between my Bernie button, and the usher's confused face, 4 or 5 times before he got the message, and showed me through the door. Was this kid there to staff the event, or was he a Hillary staffer who had somehow gained access to the entry for VIP ticket holders? If he was staffing the event, put on by the party as a whole, why was he being permitted to try and solicit Hillary stickers to people? If he was a Hillary staffer, how did he get permission (and who from?) to be where he was doing what he was doing? We will probably never know.

The VIP tickets were color coded. Specific seats were not assigned, but groups of seats were marked with a color that matched the tickets, and it didn't look like there was a pattern or anything. I was near the middle of the pack and when I got in a lot of seats were already taken. The first thing I noticed was that the seats came littered with Hillary paraphernalia. There was a pair of “thundersticks” (those annoying as hell tube balloon things people have had for clapping at events this year), and a Hillary sign, on all of the available seats but nothing for the other candidates. In fairness, it is entirely possible that people had been dumping their unwanted thundersticks onto the empty seats, but it looked like a good number of attendees in the VIP section still had them so I personally don't think this was the case. I also don't know if the “regular” seats were prepared this way. I moved the thundersticks and sign to the floor and took my seat. The seating position I got was deep in the bowels of the party establishment. I was seated in the third row, near the side of the row, but I was surrounded by party elders, state senators, former elected officials, out of state party vice chairs, DNC members, and so on. Almost all of them were wearing Hillary buttons or stickers. I felt slightly uncomfortable, but told myself that these people are professionals and we're all in the same party, at a party building event, so things would be cordial regardless of which primary candidate people were supporting. Oh boy, was I mistaken.

Bernie Sanders was the very first speaker, right after the state chairman Ray Buckley made his opening remarks to start the event. They introduced Bernie before he was ready, and there was a very long delay between the introduction and Bernie taking the stage. It was so long that they had to loop his intro music a second time. This is when the commentary started from the crowd seated near me (see the previous paragraph for a reminder of who I was sitting with). There were more than a few “old jokes” suggesting that he had gotten lost in the hallway, things like “Old people don't move so fast”, etc. Then Bernie made it out, and started his speech. Just about every single sentence was an applause line. However, most of that applause and chanting came from the back of the room in the “regular” seats. It was very very clear in the first 5 minutes that the 'VIP' section and the 'regular' section weren't the same crowd. I can't help but wonder how many of the other folks in the VIP section noticed this disconnect, or how many would have cared if they became aware of it. Anyway, Bernie went through his normal stump and was given ample time to finish. Throughout his entire set of remarks, there were snide and rude comments from the people around me accusing him of pandering, copycating Hillary (ironically, on issues where SHE “evolved” to adopt HIS positions….). All of this was said in hushed tones and I wouldn't have heard any of it if I was one or two more rows back; a lesson in what the establishment crowd says when they think they're in closed company. For a double dose of irony, I recognized some of these same people as folks who had posted on facebook about Bernie supporters “viciously attacking” Hillary Clinton (which means mentioning her record). Anyway, I made it a point to observe the dichotomy between the reaction of the “front” and “back” of the room to the three candidates, and it was pretty clear the two crowds were most certainly NOT on the same page. Only O'Malley seemed to get equal reactions from both, but I'll get to him in a moment. During the section of Bernie's speech when he got into foreign policy, one of the folks near me made one comment in particular that I felt was incredibly rude and accused Bernie of “only talking about commander in chief issues because of Hillary, if she wasn't in this his entire platform would be about tax hikes.” I came to the event prepared to support all three candidates. I was wearing my Bernie button, but it was an event put on by the NHDP which is ostensibly neutral in the primary so I figured it would be a good time to celebrate the choices we have and sadly learned how wrong I was. After Bernie was done, more rude comments such as “well at least THAT's over with, now we can get on to business.” A few state legislators and activists were then recognized with awards to some deserved fanfare. One of them took a jab at Maggie Hassan's stance on refugees (one of several such jabs during the course of the evening) which flew like a lead balloon with at least two of the folks seated near me who remarked to each other about how inappropriate his comment was. Remember that while reading the rest of this. 

The next featured guest was O'Malley who was well received by the VIP crowd. He made eye contact and waved with a few people near me, it was clear he had met a bunch of them during his frequent trips to NH before he officially declared. His remarks were pretty strong, and got an enormous amount of applause including more standing ovations than the other two candidates. His willingness to call out Trump and the NRA by name is refreshing, but he also went in to the other Democratic candidates. One line he gave, that he was “not a recovering socialist, or a recovering republican” was a pretty direct barb referencing Bernie's long time identification as a democratic socialist and Hillary's having campaigned for Barry Goldwater. There were zero rude or sarcastic comments from people in the VIP seating during O'Malley's speech, at least none that I heard. 

The event also featured Senator Shaheen, and Governor Hassan, as headline speakers. Both of whom took the opportunity to give a plug for Hillary, which I felt was incredibly inappropriate at a party-building event. Did any of the other VIP section people feel that was inappropriate? Would they have felt it inappropriate if one of the featured speakers came out for Bernie or O'Malley? At least a couple of them felt it was inappropriate to merely mention refugees in the presence of Maggie Hassan. There were more awards given out to activists and state legislators, during which time Hillary staffers started handing out signs and foam glowsticks. Stop for a minute let this sink in – Hillary staffers were given access to walk the other side of the ropeline up near the stage to hand out paraphernalia while awards were being handed out. It was so absolutely brazenly inappropriate that one of them was called out by Ray Buckley from the microphone (but not stopped in any way) as he was trying to give out an award. Would staffers for the other campaigns have been given the same level of floor access? Would they have been allowed to hand out goodies to the VIP section? (Not that anyone would have taken them.) Whats worse, before Hillary came out her staffers flooded the stage to setup a special glass of water for her (the unopened bottled water wasn't good enough I guess), move the stool around, leave a copy of her remarks up on the podium in a box (seriously – in a box, compared to Sanders who had a stapled bundle of papers and O'Malley who I'm pretty sure spoke from memory), and then dimmed the lights. The lead-in to Hillary was more built-up than the other candidates or guests, and she was the last speaker. The impromptu light tricks, and presence of the glowsticks handed out by her staff with questionable levels of access to the event, were all a pretty over the top shilling that I can't help but suspect would not have been extended to the other candidates if they had asked. Take a look at the picture with this article, and consider that the attendees brought absolutely none of those signs, glowsticks, or anything else, to their seats – all were handed out or placed on seats in advance. But I doubt the other campaigns DID ask if they could hand out materials– and that's a whole other point. The Hillary campaign saw a party building event as an opportunity to co-opt it into an event for THEIR campaign, and party unity be damned. It either didn't even cross their minds that it might be inappropriate (which lends to a sense of entitlement I can't begin to describe) or they just didn't care. Pick your poison, but either one will make you sick.

During Hillary's remarks, I noticed a few interesting things. She got comparatively little applause, and the majority of it came from the VIP section. People around me were making comments like “such a visionary!” after she announced policy positions that Bernie had made barely an hour earlier and gotten snide remarks for from these exact same people. I didn't stand or applaud for anything Hillary said. I had told myself going in that I was going to support all three candidates, but by this point I was just so tremendously offended by the conduct of the party insiders I was seated with and the way the event was seemingly structured to puff up Hillary, that my hands just couldn't find each other when it was time to clap. Sorry folks, I just couldn't do it, even though I liked most of what Hillary herself was saying.

I very honestly wonder how many of the people who put the JJ together understand that events like this are supposed to be for party building, not plugging their pet candidate. I very honestly wonder how many of the insiders in the VIP section would have recognized how inappropriate the structure, and their own remarks, were if they saw it third-person with different candidates. Most importantly, I very honestly wonder how many of these party insiders understand how out of touch they are with the base of the party in the “regular” seats. I wonder if they even care….

Photo by the author