By Jackie Calmes
And Laura Meckler
The Wall Street Journal
NASHUA, N.H.—The outcome of tomorrow’s close U.S. presidential primary vote in New Hampshire could be decisive for the Republicans: A loss for either John McCain or Mitt Romney may prove to be a mortal blow.

Mr. McCain, the Arizona senator, has made New Hampshire his make-or-break comeback state after his front-running campaign all but collapsed last summer. Yesterday he continued to gain in state polls and endorsements on Mr. Romney. But with no money and little organization elsewhere, even supporters concede tomorrow’s vote is do or die.

“We gotta win in New Hampshire, we need to win in New Hampshire, I think we’re gonna win in New Hampshire,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, campaigning up north for his Senate friend.

For Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, to lose the state next door would be humiliating—all the more so after last week’s upset loss to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in Iowa’s kickoff caucuses.

Mr. Romney had based his strategy on winning the first two states. Even before the Iowa defeat, he had lost his New Hampshire polling lead to a revived Mr. McCain. Now, with little time to brake Mr. McCain’s momentum, he has been thrown on the defensive by all of his rivals, who sense blood.

Whatever happens in New Hampshire, the final McCain-Romney showdown could come next week in Michigan—the state where Mr. Romney’s father was governor, and which Mr. McCain won in his 2000 nomination fight against George W. Bush.

“Whoever loses” in New Hampshire “is mortally wounded and will probably be finished off in Michigan,” predicts John Weaver, the chief strategist to Mr. McCain until the campaign ran aground last summer.

The Democrats’ primary tomorrow also will be critical. New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is trying to recover from her Iowa loss and winner Barack Obama, the Illinois senator, has erased her longtime polling lead here.

Yet uncommitted Democrats insist that Mrs. Clinton, with a machine co-piloted by former President Clinton and deep support nationally, could lose here on top of Iowa, lose the Democrats’ Jan. 26 primary in South Carolina, and still win the nomination. She would do so on the strength of victories Feb. 5, “Super Tuesday,” when more than 20 states hold contests. Mr. Clinton is reminding one and all that he lost five states in 1992 before winning one, yet went on to be president.

Complicating calculations, Democrat Obama and Republican McCain are competing across party lines for independents, who comprise the biggest voting bloc and can cast ballots in either primary. But unlike 2000, when Mr. McCain’s maverick candidacy won their votes to pad his 19-point win over Mr. Bush, this year many independents are antiwar. Mr. McCain is perhaps the highest-profile supporter of the effort in Iraq. Polls show many leaning to Mr. Obama.

Romney backers hope Mr. Obama takes those votes. “Then the Republican primary will be very Republican, and that’s good” for Mr. Romney, says Tom Rath, a prominent New Hampshire Republican who is a senior strategist for the campaign.

A second defeat for Mr. Romney “would be tough, but a strong second would mean that he could go on,” adviser Ben Ginsberg said. He predicted a Romney win in Michigan and then “surprises” in South Carolina’s Jan. 19 Republican primary, the first where he’ll benefit from low expectations. Mr. Romney has struggled for support in South Carolina because he is suspect among many of the Christian conservatives so influential there, because of his support in Massachusetts for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control—positions he has reversed—and because of his Mormon faith.

Unlike Mr. McCain, whose campaign operates on credit and volunteer strategists, the wealthy Mr. Romney can continue to supplement his well-greased organization from his bankroll as contributions slack off. But without victories, he will find it hard to justify going on.

Also, the Republican establishment, long favorably inclined to Mr. Romney, now frets that the candidates’ battle to date—by highlighting his many policy flip-flops—has damaged him as a potential nominee against the Democrats. If Mr. McCain were to make a comeback, Republicans say, he would regain his standing as the Republican most likely to beat a Democrat. That “electability” argument would power his candidacy in a field that many Republican voters view as flawed.

Mark McKinnon, Mr. McCain’s media adviser, acknowledged the stakes are high for both men tomorrow. But, he argued, “If Romney doesn’t win I think he’s out. If McCain doesn’t win and it’s close, I think he’s still in.”

In Michigan, the state where Mr. Romney announced his candidacy last winter as a sign of its importance in the nominating sweepstakes, he has the best organization. Yet polls show him scrambling against Mr. Huckabee, who routed him last week in Iowa.

The New Hampshire results could go a long way toward influencing Michigan Republican voters, with just a week separating their primaries.

Tomorrow’s results will help determine if Rudy Giuliani miscalculated in campaigning little in the early-voting states. In effectively ceding New Hampshire to Mr. Romney, he left a void that Mr. McCain has now filled. A McCain victory, in particular, could threaten Mr. Giuliani’s bid to be seen as the moderate choice in the race, and thus the most electable.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:05 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By Beverley Wang
Associated Press Writer

HOOKSETT, NH — Would a Rudy Giuliani administration be populated with a cabinet of Republican rivals and a powerful, all-knowing vice president like Dick Cheney?

more stories like thisPossibly, according to musings Giuliani shared in answers to questions from New Hampshire voters Wednesday evening in Hooksett.

Asked to differentiate himself from Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war and veteran of the U.S. senate, and ahead of him in the polls, Giuliani won chuckles from the audience with his quip: "Primarily, we're two different people."

Giuliani then praised McCain as "a hero and a very good man" before going on to tout his own executive experience as the former mayor of New York. "More often than not the American people seem to prefer people with executive experience for the presidency," he said.

Later, Giuliani pivoted from a question about potential picks for secretary of state to this: "Let me answer with the question of what you would look for in a vice president first -- again without any presumption that I'm going to be the nominee."

In an answer that mentioned Cheney more than once, Giuliani said, "A vice president has to be a partner in the administration. The vice president has to know everything that's going on, just in case the vice president has to step in at a moment's notice," he said. He added that during a conversation with Cheney on Sept. 11, 2001, he felt the vice president "had a sense that he knew what he was doing."

Following his train of thought to cabinet picks, Giuliani left the door open in his administration for rivals like McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and others currently battling him for the Republican nomination.

"You could do what Abe Lincoln did," Giulani said as he referred to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's book on Lincoln, "Team of Rivals."

"Abraham Lincoln basically selected all of his opponents to be in his cabinet -- all his Republican opponents," Giuliani said. "Each one of them began with the idea that they were better qualified to be president than he was, and they all left realizing that they weren't, and that gives you a sense of a man of great confidence."

Posted by admin at 10:40 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By By David Espo
Associated Press

MANCHESTER, NH — So long, ethanol. Hello, taxes.

More than geography changes when the 2008 presidential campaign leaves the land of flat -- aka Iowa -- for New Hampshire, the Granite State.

The electorate is different, and the blend of issues.

Which may be why former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's made-for-Iowa television ad tagline, "Christian leader," has yet to make the trip east across the Mississippi River. In New England, he's a conservative leader.

And why Ron Paul, as close to a libertarian as there is in the Republican race, may yet prove a spoiler in a state whose motto is "Live Free or Die."

Or why Sen. Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat, could yet have cause to wonder why he told Iowans that they could decide who wins the party's nomination and the White House in 2008.

"The people of New Hampshire pay attention to Iowa, but it's not the determining factor," Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona observed recently.

That's a diplomatic way of saying New Hampshire primary voters see little merit in rubber-stamping decisions made in Iowa.

Truth be told, they specialize in humbling the mighty.

Think 2000, when George W. Bush roared out of Iowa, only to lose New Hampshire by a whopping 19 percentage points to McCain.

Only twice since 1976 has the same Democrat won both Iowa and New Hampshire in a contested nominating campaign. And for all the boasting that Granite-Staters do about picking presidents, both Al Gore and John Kerry went on to lose the general election.

This year will test whether Massachusetts Republicans fare as well as Massachusetts Democrats in the primary in the state next door. If so, Mitt Romney will be very pleased, as were Kerry (2004), Paul Tsongas (1992) and Michael Dukakis (1988) before him.

As a group, voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are overwhelmingly white and better educated than the national average.

Still, the differences between them are significant enough to dictate adjustments by the campaigns, even if this year's compressed timetable provides only a five-day interval for changes.

In a recent poll by The Associated Press and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, Democrats in both states picked the Iraq war as the top issue in the race.

But in New Hampshire, they care somewhat less about health care as an issue than Iowans, and more about the economy. Not surprisingly, they were also less apt to say that jobs are plentiful locally.

New Hampshire Democrats are more likely to be in union households and far less likely to attend church regularly than their brethren half a continent away.

"Iowa Democrats are more liberal," says Stephanie Cutter, who worked for Kerry in both states in 2004. "In New Hampshire, they're not more moderate, they're more libertarian, it seems."

Overall, New Hampshire is more independent-heavy than Iowa. At about 40 percent of the electorate or so, they outnumber registered Republicans and Democrats. They are free to vote in either party's race, a fact that complicates any pre-primary predictions.

New Hampshire Republicans are more moderate politically than those in Iowa, likelier to support gay marriage, abortion rights and stricter environmental laws.

Among Iowa Republicans, white evangelical Protestants account for an estimated 38 percent of the population of caucus-goers. In New Hampshire, it drops to about 18 percent, according to the Pew survey. In theory, that will make it more difficult for Huckabee to match the strong showing that pre-caucus polls suggest he will have in Iowa.

Then, too, expect less praise for President Bush from Republicans vying to succeed him. Thirty-five percent of New Hampshire GOP voters disapprove of the job he is doing, nearly double the dissatisfaction rate among Iowa Republicans.

For all of New Hampshire's charms, a corn crop is not one of them. In fact, 84 percent of the state is forested, while 88 percent of Iowa is farmland.

That makes federal support for ethanol a nonentity as a political issue in New Hampshire. It's unlikely anyone is happier about that than McCain, who opposes federal subsidies.

Instead, if there is a single issue that has traditionally dominated the state's politics, it is taxes. New Hampshire is one of only two states (Alaska is the other) with neither an income nor a sales tax, and even Democrats running for statewide office suggest one at their peril.

"There's certainly a different focus, more so on fiscal issues, and a libertarian streak in New Hampshire. But I don't see a huge difference between New Hampshire and Iowa voters," Huckabee said recently.

Even the method for sorting out the candidates is different.

New Hampshire has a straight-forward, daylong secret ballot election on Jan. 8 in which voters go to the polls at a time of their choosing.

Iowa's caucuses on Jan. 3 are essentially neighborhood political meetings, all starting at 8 p.m. EST and each requiring voters to publicly declare their presidential preference.

Which New Hampshire is free to ignore.

Posted by admin at 06:01 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Romney goes after McCain in New Hampshire ad campaign
.
By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Mitt Romney takes GOP presidential rival John McCain to task on taxes and immigration in a new advertising push in New Hampshire as he seeks to fend off the Arizona senator’s challenge. Countering, McCain claimed the criticism proves Romney’s bid is in trouble.
“John McCain, an honorable man. But is he the right Republican for the future?” an announcer asks in the ad airing Friday in New Hampshire, which holds the nation’s first presidential primary Jan. 8. “McCain opposes repeal of the death tax. And voted against the Bush tax cuts — twice. McCain pushed to let every illegal immigrant stay here permanently. Even voted to allow illegals to collect Social Security.”
For his part, McCain has a fresh commercial in New Hampshire that takes the high road. It doesn’t mention Romney. Rather, it highlights the 20 newspapers in the state that have endorsed McCain and quotes their words of praise, including “McCain campaigns with decency.”
Romney’s ad assailing McCain — aides call it a “contrast” ad — comes as the race between the two men tightens in New Hampshire. The ad is in the same vein as spots Romney has been airing in Iowa against Mike Huckabee, casting him as soft on immigration and crime in an effort to retake the lead for the state’s Jan. 3 caucuses.
“I’m familiar with tailspins and I think he’s in one,” McCain responded Friday on Fox News Channel. He also took a swipe at Romney’s equivocations on various issues, saying: “I don’t know how to respond to a lot of his charges because tomorrow he may have a different position.”
The former Massachusetts governor’s willingness to go after his opponents — and risk the ire of voters who could punish him for negative campaigning — underscores the high stakes of the contests in both states as well as the tenuous state of his own bid.
Romney’s strategy hinges on using momentum from back-to-back wins in those states to make him unstoppable in battlegrounds beyond. He once led by large margins in the first two states but now finds himself threatened on both fronts.
Polls show Huckabee’s advantage in Iowa narrowing in the past few weeks as Romney has gone on the attack and as Huckabee has made a few unforced errors. Romney’s aides suspect Huckabee’s support in Iowa may have peaked, and they argue that their campaign’s superior get-out-the-vote operation might be able to close the gap and help Romney prevail next week.
In Pella, Iowa, Huckabee said he doesn’t plan to go negative against Romney but acknowledged the unanswered critical ads may be hurting him. “I’m always concerned, sure,” he told reporters. “I’ll find out next Thursday just how much impact it’s had.”
While Romney has battled Huckabee in Iowa, McCain has gained ground in New Hampshire and benefited from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s slippage in polls here. McCain won the Northeastern state in 2000, and still is beloved by a large contingent of die-hard backers. He is putting almost all of his resources into the state and essentially camping out there as he seeks a repeat win — and a comeback after a near campaign implosion during the summer.
It’s little surprise Romney is taking his criticism of McCain to the airwaves; he used the same approach against Huckabee in Iowa.
As McCain has moved up in polls, Romney has sharpened his rhetoric against him. In recent days, Romney has accused McCain of “failing Reagan 101” by twice voting against major Bush administration tax cuts. He also has suggested the Arizona senator supported amnesty for illegal immigrants, although McCain has said he wants them to register with the government.
After laying the groundwork through the “earned media” of news coverage, Romney now is trying to spread that message through paid media in hopes of undercutting McCain.
The ad shows pictures of McCain and Romney and says: “There is a difference.” It eviscerates McCain on taxes and immigration only to praise Romney’s record on taxes and spending as Massachusetts governor and argue that he “opposes amnesty for illegals.”
Taxes and immigration are trouble spots for McCain.
Some Republicans view him skeptically for breaking with Bush on taxes; he now says he supports extending the tax cuts because doing otherwise would amount to a tax increase. McCain also has been dogged by his support for comprehensive immigration reform that includes an eventual path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants; he now tells voters that he got the message earlier this year when one such bill failed in Congress and that the borders must be secured first.

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:17 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By BETH FOUHY

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Joe Biden's aides call it "Mo-Joe" — a last-minute surge of momentum and good luck they hope could power the Delaware senator into a better-than-expected showing in Iowa's leadoff caucuses.

"There's a fingertip instinct that tells me something is going on. I feel like I'm still in the game," Biden said in a telephone interview as he traveled to a campaign event in Cedar Rapids.

Aides acknowledge it remains an uphill trudge for Biden, a Democrat whose distinguished 35-year Senate career has been eclipsed by the star power of rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

But with all eyes on those two candidates and former Sen. John Edwards as they compete for the lead in Iowa, Biden is on a high-energy sprint across the state hoping to catch on with enough voters to make a difference.

He draws enthusiastic crowds to his events and last week began his first sustained TV ad campaign. He was approved for $857,000 in matching funds this week by the Federal Election Commission, helping to ease the financial pressure on his cash-strapped campaign.

Operatives for rival candidates say privately they've detected substantial pockets of support for Biden in some rural areas and in the ethnic, heavily Catholic industrial towns along the Mississippi River in eastern Iowa. Complicated caucus rules mean those pockets could produce enough delegates for Biden to have an impact.

With polls showing Bill Richardson's support appearing to fade and Chris Dodd still struggling to catch on, Biden's advisers are hoping for a strong fourth-place finish and say they can even envision coming in third. Their outside hope is for Biden somehow to overtake Edwards, who draws much of his support from the same blue-collar and rural voters Biden is trying to woo.

While it sounds like a long-shot scenario — Edwards has a strong organization in Iowa that he began building in his 2004 presidential effort — the Biden team suggests Edwards could stall before caucus night as voters consider which candidate is best prepared to deal with national security issues such as Iran and Iraq.

"Authenticity and electability matter," Biden Communications Director Larry Rasky said.

However, Edwards' spokeswoman, Colleen Murray, said the former North Carolina senator has strong momentum in the state and is the most electable Democrat in the general election.

"As Iowans are making up their minds, they know that John Edwards can beat the Republicans," she said.

Should Biden get any sort of bounce out of Iowa, his team believes he would fare well in other early voting states such as Nevada, where he would benefit from long ties to organized labor, and South Carolina, where he has the support of several black legislators and community leaders.

It's been a bumpy road for Biden, who spent much of the early part of his campaign explaining why he had called Obama "clean" and "articulate" in a newspaper interview and has often had to fight for air time in nationally televised debates. Still, the debates have generally served him well, allowing him to show off his sense of humor and expertise on national security issues.

He's also thrown a few memorable zingers, like saying the only words Republican Rudy Giuliani uses in a sentence are "A noun, and a verb and 9/11."

Biden said that no matter what happens Jan. 3, he's glad he undertook the adventure.

"I feel more passionately about issues now than when I entered politics," he said. "I'm going out, saying what I believe, laying out what I think should be done, and the response is good. There are an awful lot of people coming to take a look

Posted by Michael McCord at 06:46 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

KUCINICH CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

'Long shot' Kucinich buries Democratic rivals in nationwide poll among independent voters

For Immediate Release - Friday, December 21, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich, who has been the runaway winner in polls of the Party's progressive, grassroots base in recent weeks, scored another huge win yesterday by capturing almost 77% of the vote in a nationwide poll sponsored by a coalition of Independent voting groups across the country.

Of the more than 80,000 votes cast for Democratic candidates at
http://www.independentprimary.com by self-described independent voters, the Ohio Congressman received 61,477, burying second place finisher, former Senator John Edwards, who received only 7,614 votes, or 9.5 percent.

Nationally, more than 40 percent of voters are not aligned with any political party, and, in 29 states, including New Hampshire, "Independents" have the option to select either the Republican or the Democratic ballot in a Presidential primary. In Iowa, only Democrats can vote in the Jan. 3 Democratic caucuses, and the total turnout there is expected to be less than 10% of the eligible voters statewide (Washington Post).

This is the latest in a string of exceptionally strong finishes by Kucinich in national on-line polls. Last month, he topped all other candidates in 47 of 50 states in a poll sponsored by Democracy for America (DFA), in which he received almost 32% of the 150,000-plus votes cast -- more than Edwards and Senator Barack Obama combined. In that poll, Kucinich won both Iowa and New Hampshire. In a survey by the 90,000-member Progressive Democrats of America, Kucinich took 41% of the vote nationwide. And, in a poll conducted by the progressive The Nation magazine, he won with 35% of the vote. Obama came in second with 24%, and Edwards was third with 13%.

The creators of IndependentPrimary.com said their poll was designed to measure the impact of independent-minded voters on the Presidential election and was "part of a movement bringing together ordinary Americans who think that the good of the country is more important than the good of the political parties."

In many national polls, Kucinich is running ahead of senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, and is in a statistical tie with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. And, his poll numbers in New Hampshire are strong and growing.

In Iowa, however, Kucinich has been purposefully excluded from several Presidential debates and Party-sponsored events, leading political observers to wonder whether the "game" in Iowa is rigged against him.

Posted by Michael McCord at 10:16 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BIDEN DISCUSSES PLAN TO IMPROVE STUDENT PERFORMANCE

“In The 21st Century, Education Has Become A Critical National Security Issue”

Fort Dodge, IA (December 19, 2007): Today at the Fort Dodge Public Library in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Sen. Joe Biden responded to new international test results showing that U.S. students lag behind their peers in other countries.

America's 15 year-olds recently ranked 25th in mathematics and 21st in science among the 30 member countries that make up the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Just 70 percent of American high school students reach graduation day. The United States now ranks 17th in the world in high-school graduation rates and 14th in college graduation rates.

"I want to make something very clear," said Sen. Biden. "It is not our students who failed these tests - it is our policies that are failing our students."

Sen. Biden called for an overhaul of No Child Left Behind and comprehensive education reform including: universal preschool, more time spent on learning, putting a well-paid effective teacher in every classroom, expanding service opportunities for middle and high school students and providing a minimum of two years of higher education for every student.

"Education is more than just math, science, and reading. Our focus on multiple choice tests has narrowed the curriculum and the ability of teachers to innovate," said Sen. Biden. "And that shows - not just in the math and science test scores - but in the basic education our students are missing: American history and training in how our government works."

Sen. Biden noted that in the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress test on civics education, only half of 8th graders were able to link religious freedom to the Bill of Rights and only half of 12th graders were able to identify the President's role in foreign policy. Only 47 percent of high school seniors have mastered a minimum level of U.S. history. Only half of U.S. high school students knew that the sentence "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" is in the Declaration of Independence.

"Too many students are simply not getting a basic education in how democracy works," said Sen. Biden. "That's a crisis at a time when our civil liberties are under assault by an administration that has ignored basic protections such as habeas corpus, disregarded the balance of power and secretly authorized torture."

Sen. Biden announced that he would invest in grants to develop civics curriculums for use in schools. He called for providing service opportunities through programs such as Americorps for middle and high school students and rewarding national service with help for college.

"My mother has an expression: 'children tend to become that which you expect of them. I want a country where we expect much from America's children," said Sen. Biden. "As President, I assure you: education will always be my top domestic priority because I believe in the next generation. I believe that they will solve climate change, make us energy independent, and bring peace to the Middle East. But we need to give them the foundation to do it."

Several members of the Delaware State Educators Association, which recently endorsed Sen. Biden for president, were in attendance at today’s event.

Mike Hoffman, DSEA Treasurer said, “I support Sen. Biden because he’s always come to the teachers to get their input. I appreciate that he recognizes that No Child Left Behind needs to be scrapped and that unfunded mandates are wrong. Teachers want to be held accountable but we need to have a fair measure of our students. When Joe Biden talks about making real education reform, I know he means what he says.”

Mary Jo Faust, NEA Director for the Delaware State Education Association and a 2nd grade teacher in the Capital School District, added, “I support Joe Biden because he understands my needs as a teacher. He knows that No Child Left Behind is too prescriptive, that kids need to be in school earlier and longer, and that I teach best when I have small class sizes. And he also understands that we need a professional level starting salary to retain and attract teachers in the classroom.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:11 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Analysis: Clinton and Romney shift course in White House race

By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) — For at least a year, Mitt Romney worked to keep his Mormon faith away from the center of his campaign for the White House. And for months, Hillary Rodham Clinton largely steered clear of criticizing her Democratic rivals.
No longer.
Now, locked in unpredictable, tight races in the leadoff Iowa caucuses, both the Democratic senator from New York and the Republican former governor of Massachusetts are shifting course. Clinton’s decision to assail Sen. Barack Obama and Romney’s speech Thursday on religious faith are seen by pros in both parties as signs that the status quo carried potential dangers.
“It was Napoleon who said, ’No plan has ever survived contact with the enemy,’” said Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster who is not affiliated with any candidate in the 2008 race. “The truth is these campaigns are really for the first time coming into contact with the enemy. And so they’ve got to change plans.”
“Clearly Romney changed his position in terms of delivering a major speech,” said David Winston, a Republican pollster not aligned with any of the candidates. “I think part of what’s going on is there must be an internal assessment that the campaign is having some difficulty and they’ve decided that this is the explanation that’s required to get him back on track.”
Winston and Mellman said that while the decisions carry risks, they are outweighed by the potential danger of doing nothing for Clinton, the national front-runner for months, as well as Romney, who until recently appeared to hold comfortable leads in Iowa.
Speaking of the Democratic race, Mellman added: “When you go on the attack you don’t know who you’re going to help.” It’s possible a third or fourth candidate could benefit, he added, meaning that Obama and Clinton could both suffer, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards gain.
Romney, in his speech Thursday, sought to ease skeptics’ concerns about electing a Mormon president.
“I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it,” Romney said at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas. However, he said, “I do not define my candidacy by my religion.” He added: “If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause and no one interest. A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States.”
In purely political terms, Romney’s Mormon faith has been an impediment from the start. A Pew Research Center poll in September found a quarter of all Republicans — including 36 percent of white evangelical Protestants — said they would be less likely to vote for a Mormon.
Even though the topic was discussed at several points, Romney did not decide until recently to give a speech on religious faith, according to several individuals familiar with his campaign.
“Times have changed and particularly in a state like Iowa, there’s been interest in religion generally, and I think religion does have a very important role in our society and therefore it’s important to talk about our religious heritage,” Romney said recently.
At the same time, his once solid lead in the Iowa polls has vanished as evangelical voters have coalesced behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister. Huckabee’s ascent began last summer when he eclipsed Sen. Sam Brownback for second place in a straw poll at the Iowa State Fair. Former Sen. Fred Thompson’s entrance into the race was another obstacle to be overcome. But Brownback departed the race in October and Thompson’s support has gradually slipped. Huckabee has pulled even or slightly ahead despite a low-budget campaign in a state where Romney has spent millions.
Then, there are the scurrilous attacks.
One e-mail making the rounds purports to be from Romney himself, and consists of an invitation to Iowa voters to “join me, a born-Mormon, and a growing number of disenchanted Christians in believing the following tenets of the Mormon religion.” It lists several, each one likely more objectionable to Christian conservative caucus-goers than the last.
“Mormon men can have multiple wives in heaven — eternal polygamy,” says one tenet, while another claims that “God the father had sex with Mary to conceive Jesus, who is the half brother of Lucifer.”
As nationwide front-runner, Clinton had largely shrugged off attacks from Obama, Edwards and others. As recently as Nov. 10, at a high-profile dinner attended by all the Democratic contenders, she told an Iowa audience, “I’m not interested in attacking my opponents. I’m interested in attacking the problems of America.”
But she had turned in an admittedly sub-par debate performance 10 days earlier, and now it was Obama who came away from the Jefferson-Jackson dinner with glowing reviews.
By the night of a Nov. 15 debate, Clinton shelved whatever reluctance she had about responding to her attackers. She accused Edwards of slinging mud “right out of the Republican playbook” and said Obama supported a health care plan that left out 15 million Americans.
“When your opponents attack, you need to respond and Senator Clinton is doing just that,” spokesman Phil Singer said on Wednesday.
In the days since, she and her campaign have refined their strategy — leaving Edwards largely alone while hitting Obama incessantly on health care, accusing him of failing to be sufficiently supportive of abortion rights while in the Illinois Legislature and more.
Last week, en route from South Carolina to Texas, her plane put down in Iowa, where she suggested the health care issue stood for something more fundamental. “If anything, Democrats should stand for universal health care,” she said last week. “That distinguishes us from the Republicans. The Republicans don’t believe in it. Democrats do and we should fight for it.”
Over the weekend, her aides depicted Obama as a lifelong politician. As evidence, they cited an essay he wrote in kindergarten titled, “I want to become president.”
At the same time, Clinton’s television commercials take a different approach.
Her latest Iowa ad shows retired Gen. Wesley Clark saying, “I see that Hillary’s opponents have started attacking her. That’s politics.”
———

EDITOR’S NOTE — David Espo has covered politics for the Associated Press since 1980.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:43 PM| Permalink | Comments (1)

Romney rebuts Giuliani criticism with ex-Massachusetts governor

By GLEN JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer

WINDHAM (AP) — Republican Mitt Romney sought to deflect Rudy Giuliani’s criticism of his economic record Tuesday with a two-fer — a former Massachusetts governor now living in New York.
William F. Weld, who started a 16-year run of GOP rule in liberal Massachusetts that ended in January when Romney’s term finished, said his running mate and successor, former Gov. Paul Cellucci, was mistaken last week when he assailed Romney over tax cuts and spending during a rally in front of the Massachusetts Statehouse.
“He’s a true-blue fiscal conservative and he’s spelled out exactly how he’s going to hold down spending in Washington,” Weld said as he accompanied Romney on the first of his four public stops, a visit to the Windham Junction country store.
“I believe there were 19 tax cuts when Governor Romney was in office. That’s just a fact. And what he’s proposed for Washington is the most developed of any of the candidates.”
Weld singled out Romney’s pledge to veto any spending spending in excess of inflation, minus 1 percent.
As for Cellucci’s increasingly public criticism of Romney, the Harvard-educated Weld broke into French to say, “Each to his own.”
Romney’s decision to have Weld campaign with him reflected his interest in rebutting the criticism of Giuliani surrogates from Massachusetts, including Cellucci and former Treasurer Joe Malone.
Joined by several Republican state legislators, they announced last week they would travel the country, questioning why Romney was unable to lower the state’s income tax rate to 5 percent — as pledged — while Giuliani presided over 23 tax cuts as mayor of New York.
Weld’s blend of liberal social views and conservative fiscal positions, as well as a plunge into Boston’s Charles River to celebrate an environmental compact, endeared him to Massachusetts voters during the six years he was in office.
Many New Hampshire residents, especially those in the vote-rich southern tier of the state, are relocated from Massachusetts. The crowd inside the country store reminisced with Weld about his tenure as governor from 1991 to 1997. Romney relished the help, calling the red-headed Weld “Big Red.”
Weld moved to New York after resigning as governor amid a failed bid to become U.S. ambassador to Mexico. Cellucci, at the time lieutenant governor, served as acting governor before being elected in his own right in 1998. Last year, Weld mounted a campaign for New York governor, but retreated amid criticism from conservatives.

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:52 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By Amy Schatz
The Wall street Journal

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Despite reservations, Republican presidential candidates will answer questions tonight from the public submitted via YouTube in a two-hour debate to air on CNN.

The candidates are preparing for questions like those asked in the Democratic CNN/YouTube debate in July, when they fielded a query from an animated snowman on global warming and a gay couple’s question on same-sex marriage.

With six weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses, the stakes in this debate are higher. The eight men haven’t debated in a month. Polls suggest former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, while former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani holds a commanding lead here in Florida; Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) is chipping away at Romney’s lead in New Hampshire, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is surging in Iowa.

Polls also suggest many Republican voters are open to switching allegiances, particularly to someone deemed better suited to challenge Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton next November.

Some of the campaigns expressed concern about the debate format, worried that Democratic activists would stack the deck with questions. CNN producers say they have no intention of choosing “gotcha” questions and plan to put forward questions on issues important to Republican voters, such as national security and health care.

YouTube, a unit of Google Inc., says almost 5,000 video questions have been submitted, more than twice the number for the Democratic debate. CNN is likely to choose about 40.

As of last weekend, education and health care drew the most interest, accounting for 15% of the questions, according to an analysis of the first 3,000 submissions by YouTube.

In the first CNN/YouTube debate, questions by people describing personal experiences were often chosen. Steve Grove, who oversees YouTube’s news and politics section, says this time, even more people “seem to have a better idea of how to ask a good question; there are a lot more personal stories.”

Questions are limited to 30 seconds. Many questioners simply talk straight at the camera, while others use animated aliens or a bobble-head doll to make pointed queries. One of the questions is from a Democratic presidential candidate, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who asked the Republican hopefuls about constitutional protections.

The debate was delayed for several months after Messrs. Giuliani and Romney expressed concern about taking questions from snowmen and their ilk. Both said they had scheduling problems. Republican bloggers criticized the candidates, who then agreed to join the debate, which will start at 8 p.m. EST.

Posted by Michael McCord at 10:58 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

OBAMA CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE -- NOV. 26

More than 1000 New Hampshire Independents Endorse Obama As Obama hosts roundtable with independents in Littleton, undeclared Granite Staters praise his principled leadership, history of bipartisan results

MANCHESTER — More than 1000 undeclared New Hampshire voters announced their intention to vote for Senator Barack Obama in the Democratic primary today. Citing his straightforward, principled approach and track record of putting results ahead of partisan political maneuvering, the Granite State independents endorsed Obama as the candidate they believe in to bring real change to Washington.

“I’m tired of watching the Democrats and Republicans in Washington play political games while millions of Americans remain uninsured, the disastrous Iraq war goes on with no end in sight, and global warming goes unchecked,” said Russ Ouellete, an undeclared voter from Bedford. “It’s time for a President who will stop promising change and actually rise above the partisan gridlock to deliver on it. Obama is the one candidate in this race who can bring people together to put real results ahead of party politics.”

Today at a roundtable with independents in Littleton, Obama reiterated his intention to be a president who forges bipartisan solutions on big challenges. As an Illinois State Senator and a United States Senator, Obama has worked with Democrats and Republicans to make government work for people – expanding healthcare coverage, providing tax relief for working Americans, and passing sweeping ethics reforms.

The following undeclared New Hampshire voters publicly announced their support of Obama:
Anne Aasgaard, Peterborough

Deborah Abelman, Concord

Donna Ackerman, Sanbornville

George Ackerman, Sanbornville

Sandra Adams, Nashua

Sharon Adler, New Boston

Elinor Adler, Salem

Walter Adler, Salem

Jennifer Agans, Amherst

Gillian Aguilar, Portsmouth

Francis Aguilar, Portsmouth

Sandra Akacem, Enfield

Mary Akerly, Goffstown

Kathleen Aldridge, Gilford

Meredith Allen, Londonderry

Julienne Allen, Manchester

Mary Allison, Freedom

Evelyn Amidon, Merrimack

Edison Amorim, Rochester

Eric Anderson, Stratham

Mark Anderson, Concord

Arthur Ansdell, Merrimack

Dr. Timothy Antaya, Hampton Falls

John Anton, Atkinson

Kelly Antonelli, Rochester

Wendy Appleton, Bedford

Elaine Arata, Belmont

Faith Armington, Nashua

Amanda Armstrong, Portsmouth

Christian Arnold, Jaffrey

Amy Aro-Youngman, Keene

Andrew Arthur, Nashua

Phyllis Ashenhurst, Nashua

Fuad Ashour, New Ipswich

Joseph Astle, Warner

Edward Atwell, Wolfeboro

Lisa Auger, Atkinson

George Ayres, Lyndeborough

Rena Badger, Nashua

Joseph Badger, Jackson

Michael Bagshaw, Mont Vernon

Janet Bailey, Hooksett

Gladys Baker, Nashua

Gretchen Baker, Manchester

Patricia Baker, Rochester

Gunnar Baldwin, Thornton

Heather Baldwin, Thornton

Margaret Ball, Belmont

Bennett Ball, Rochester

Patricia Ballestero, Madbury

Anatoli Baranov, Merrimack

Huntington Barclay, Silver Lake

Caroline Barnebey, Wolfeboro

Sandra Barton, Northwood

Janet Bayard, Meredith

Suzanne Bayard, Meredith

Susan Bean, Concord

Laura Bedard, W Peterborough

Kimberly Beers, Concord

Althea Behm, Northwood

Dorothy Belanger, Hinsdale

Brian Belgard, Keene

Joann Beliveau, Goffstown

David Bell, Weare

Charles Bell, Tilton

Seth Benowitz, Goffstown

Frederick Benson, Winchester

Nancy Benson, Dover

Irene Benson, Marlborough

Norma Bentilla, Raymond

Allan Berggren, Claremont

Dorothy Bernier, Manchester

Michael Berry, Bedford

Marion Best, Wilmot

Irene Bey, Center Conway

John Beyrent, Gilford

Vidhya Bhat, Durham

Erica Bickford, Wolfeboro

Violet Bishop, Merrimack

Mary Blackford, Concord

Thomas Blake, Northwood

Francis Blodget, Wolfeboro

Francis Blodget, Wolfeboro

Margaret Blodget, Wolfeboro

Samuel Boduch, Barrington

Mark Bogdanovich, Atkinson

Megan Bogonovich, Concord

Charles Bojus, Freedom

Patricia Bojus, Freedom

Paula Bonner, Concord

Marjorie Bonneville, Tilton

Charles Bonosky, Portsmouth

Robert Borden, Keene

Scott Borkland, Newington

Robert Bouchard, Pembroke

Albert Bourque, Portsmouth

Bonny Bourque-Pinkham, Somersworth

Robert Bowen, Londonderry

Catherine Boyle, New Ipswich

Eric Bozoian, Manchester

Elizabeth Bramante, Durham

Doria Bramante, Durham

Susan Branch, Concord

David Bredow, Bedford

Cynthia Brewster, Gilsum

Roger Brickner, Haverhill

Robert Briere, New Boston

Alyssa Brigandi, Dover

Paul Brock, Bedford

Allen Brown, Peterborough

Virginia Brown, Peterborough

Virginia Brown, Barrington

Mary Brown, Hanover

Nancy Brown, Rindge

Allison Browne, Plymouth

John Browne, Bedford

Sue Browne, Thornton

William Browne, Thornton

David Brownell, Bartlett

Dorothy Brownell, Bartlett

Marie Bruce, Derry

Frank Brunette, Hampton

Theresa Brunette, Hampton

Jonathan Bryde, Manchester

Tracey Bryde, Manchester

Beverly Bullard, Farmington

Stuart Bullis, Milton

Gary Bullock, Canterbury

Paul Burdick, Nashua

Donald Burness, Rindge

Donald Burns, Bow

Margaret Cade, Freedom

Dennis Cannon, Merrimack

Roger Cantlin, Canaan

Mary Carleton, Etna

Barbara Carpenito, Manchester

Jane Carr, New Boston

Gail Carter, Rochester

Christopher Carter, Hopkinton

Jessica Carter, Nashua

Kimberly Cartier, Auburn

Jaime Caryl-Klika, Concord

James Casazza, Pelham

Peter Case, Tamworth

Anna Casey, Newmarket

David Casey, Laconia

Sheldon Cassady, Concord

Anthony Catalino, Greenland

Anthony Cataluna, Nashua

Cassandra Caza, Exeter

James Cestrone, Hudson

Meredith Cestrone, Hudson

Karin Cevasco, Nashua

Phyllis Chamberlain, Keene

Melanie Chaput, Nashua

Joseph Chartier, Concord

Linda Chesley, Charlestown

Harry Chesley, Charlestown

Marshall Chewning, Claremont

Susan Childress, Wilton

Eleanor Childs, Pelham

Wesley Chisholm, Sharon

June Churchill, Keene

Robert Claflin, West Chesterfield

Pamela Clark, Laconia

Melissa Clark, Gilmanton Iron Works

Daniel Clark, Somersworth

Charles Clarke, Loudon

Adrienne Clement, Exeter

Jennifer Coburn, Newport

Tamara Cocchiarella, Campton

Timothy Cofran, Gilmanton

Harriett Cohen-Alexander, Auburn

Jeffrey Cole, Manchester

Candace Cole-McCrea, Milton

Vangie Collins, Nashua

Paula Colman, Rochester

Anne Commenator, Derry

Jose Concepcion, Stoddard

Richard Conde, Henniker

Kathleen Connair, Claremont

Claire Connolly, Manchester

Joan Connors, Portsmouth

Marguerite Connors, Hampton

Darryl Conrad, Merrimack

Warren Cook, Laconia

Jennifer Cooke, Lyme

Sarah Cooley, Concord

Linda Cooney, Sunapee

Deborah Cooper, Dunbarton

Kelly Corbelle, Exeter

Ronald Cormier, Belmont

Doris Cote, Nashua

Janet Cote, Bristol

Tyler Cote, Keene

David Cote, Manchester

Sylvia Countway, Alton

Rebecca Courser, Warner

Diane Coveny, New Hampton

James Cowan, Hollis

Lynn Cowan, Hollis

Courtney Cox, Harrisville

Marie Coye, Litchfield

Cecelia Crapser, Center Conway

Brian Crowley, Exeter

Constance Cuddemi, Henniker

Kenneth Cutting, Alexandria

Sarah Cutting, Alexandria

Genevieve Danielian, Goffstown

Karen Dannis, Raymond

Sasha Davidson, Portsmouth

Loren Davis, North Conway

William Davis, North Conway

Jessie Dawes, Peterborough

John Dawnis, Newmarket

Tanya Decato, Canterbury

Melvin Defosses, Alexandria

Vernon Defreese, Portsmouth

Mark Defreitas, Manchester

Carol Delaurier, Brookfield

Helen Deloge, Concord

Laura Delucia, Manchester

Andrew Demers, Pelham

William Demers, Bethlehem

Dawn Demers-Cowled, Greenfield

Ruth Depuy, Peterborough

Norman Depuy, Peterborough

Stephanie Derosier, Belmont

Jeffery Desmond, Claremont

Carol Despres, Marlow

Brett Destefano, Greenland

Christine Destrempes, Harrisville

Linda Devere, Ossipee

Aja Devork, Wolfeboro

Michael Diamond, Salem

Rita Diclemente, Hollis

Mary Digregorio, Center Conway

Karen Dill, West Chesterfield

Anita Dinitto, Exeter

Stacey Dionne, Weare

William Diprima, Stratham

Christopher Dixon, Hudson

Cynthia Dobe, Concord

James Dockham, Walpole

Paul Doherty, Merrimack

Ashley Stiles, Nashua

Dana Donovan, Kensington

Lisa Douglas, Nashua

Elisabeth Draper, Claremont

Leo Drouin, Walpole

Renald Dubreuil, Goffstown

Dorothy Duckworth, Thornton

Priscilla Duffy, Dover

Lois Dugan, Londonderry

Mark Dugas, Exeter

Andrew Duncan, Concord

Heather Dunford, Epsom

Patricia Dunn, Jackson

Nicole Dupuis, Stratham

Donna Dusell, Andover

Lila Dyas, Wilton

Alex Dyment, Durham

Gary Eager, Manchester

David Eastman, Tamworth

Horace Eaves, Exeter

Diane Eddy, Lee

Adam Edgar, Dover

Indra Edmonds, Strafford

Susan Edwards, Hanover

Janet Eldridge, Somersworth

Thomas Elliott, West Lebanon

William Elliott, New Boston

Jessica Ellis, Concord

Jason Emmick, Manchester

Laura Emmick, Manchester

Jeanne Emmick, Milford

Barbara Enright, Peterborough

William Epply, Hanover

Howard Epstein, Gilford

Christina Estes, Farmington

Jeffrey Evans, Nashua

Ann Ewalt, Dover

Barbara Ewell, Derry

Diane Faiella, Manchester

Thomas Favorite, Brookline

Karen Favorite, Brookline

Nicholas Fegley, Ctr Barnstead

Theresa Fenton, Nashua

Paula Ferenc, Rumney

Leah Ferenc, Rumney

Jeffrey Ferguson, Concord

John Fernandez, Hampstead

Charles Ferrando, Keene

Elizabeth Ferrer-Quasli, Salem

Catherine Ferriero, Derry

Nancy Fisher, Concord

Gregory Fitzgerald, Merrimack

Brian Fitzgerald, Alton

Brandyn Fitzgerald, Merrimack

Jane Flanders, Laconia

Teri Fleck, Wonalancet

Louise Flynn, Goffstown

Elizabeth Foemel, Nashua

Roy Foltan, Bath

Jeanne Foltan, Bath

Juanita Fonseca, Exeter

Judy Foote, Tilton

Donald Forrest, Claremont

Kristine Fortier, Raymond

Gunnar Foss, Northwood

Marie-Anne Foss, Goffstown

Charles Foss, Goffstown

Barbara Fournier, Concord

Michele Foye, Tilton

Anne Franciosa, Belmont

Marie Franklin, Kensington

Irene Franzen, Hooksett

Russell Frasier, Manchester

Desiree Frasier, Manchester

Roger Frechette, North Conway

Robert Fredette, Dover

Bruce Freeman, Litchfield

Robert Freeman, Laconia

Kerry Freeman, Laconia

Charles French, North Conway

Robert Frese, Exeter

Scott Fullam, Littleton

Eric Funk, Manchester

W Funk, Gilmanton

Michelle Funke, Manchester

Melanie Gabree, Bedford

Mary Gabrick, Laconia

Robert Gage, Dover

Janice Gallinger, Portsmouth

Claire Gannon, Campton

Robert Garcia, Exeter

Sandra Garcia, Amherst

Marion Gardner, Gilford

Roberta Garfield, Plainfield

Christopher Garland, Peterborough

David Garrapy, Keene

Susan Garvan, Wolfeboro

Julie Garvin, New Boston

Andra Gawley, Nashua

Judith Geaghan, Salem

Samuel Geiger, Rindge

Nancy Geissenhainer, Madison

Derek Gelinas, Manchester

Dannielle Genovese, Kingston

Christopher George, Portsmouth

Madgeline Gerlach, Pittsfield

Margaret Ghiloni, Londonderry

Joseph Ghiloni, Londonderry

John Ghiorzi, Nashua

Joseph Giannelli, Freedom

Patricia Gianotti, North Hampton

Richard Giglio, Freedom

Peter Gilligan, East Kingston

Karen Gilmore, Merrimack

Joan Glutting, Lee

Brenda Godwin, Andover

Judith Goguen, Alexandria

Barry Goldman, Windham

Lynn Goldman, Windham

Steven Gordon, Hopkinton

Anne Gould, Bedford

Carol Gove, Temple

Carol Grace, Merrimack

Charles Grace, Merrimack

Sally Graf, Jaffrey

Julie Grandgeorge, Goffstown

Heather Gray, Goffstown

Stedman Gray, Gilsum

Holly Green, Henniker

Harold Greene, Thornton

Amanda Greenier, Merrimack

Martha Gregory, Marlborough

Robert Grier, Alstead

Kathryn Griffin, Winchester

Justine Griffin, Merrimack

Carlos Gristani, Hollis

Linda Gross, Derry

Bonnie Guercio, Hollis

Andrea Guidoboni, Milford

George Guild, Nashua

James Guy, Dublin

Paul Hackett, Gilford

Betty Hackmann, New London

Carolyn Hackwell, Hopkinton

Robert Hackwell, Hopkinton

Francine Hall, Exeter

Anson Hall, Exeter

Sara Hall, Exeter

Brendon Hamberger, Milford

F Hamel, Laconia

Mary Hamer, Bedford

Diana Hanks, Merrimack

Eugenie Hansen, Exeter

Robert Hardy, Pittsfield

Pamela Hardy, Boscawen

Sheila Harmon, Derry

Shirley Harper, Rye

Holly Harris, Durham

Christi Hartford, Conway

Richard Hartford, Conway

Neill Hartman, Hanover

Ardith Harvey, Hampton Falls

Philip Harvey, Hampton Falls

George Hast, Tilton

Wendy Hatfield, Rochester

Stefan Hausberger, Nashua

Edward Hause, Dover

Jan Havinga, Mont Vernon

Maria Havinga, Mont Vernon

Jared Hay, Dover

Jerry Hejtmanek, Portsmouth

Arthur Heller, Keene

David Henriquez, Litchfield

Joan Henson, Exeter

Adren Hervey, Durham

Joan Hickey, North Conway

Carol Higgins, Rochester

Jason Hilbert, Durham

Isabella Hill, Francestown

Daniel Hillsgrove, Alton

Sandra Hines, Derry

Debra Hodges, Goffstown

Laura Hodgkins, Bow

Joseph Hoebeke, Manchester

Judith Holley, Hillsborough

Frank Holmes, Madison

Alice Holmstrom, Rollinsford

Dennis Holt, Manchester

Susan Holt, Amherst

Tia Maria Hooper, Henniker

Angela Hosage, Amherst

Catherine Hosage-Norman, Nashua

Diane Howard, Keene

Jayne Howe, Merrimack

Suzanne Huggard, Deering

Denise Hunneyman, Salisbury

Randall Hunneyman, Salisbury

Gena Hunt, Hudson

Marie Hurlbert, Winchester

Wendy Hurley, Rochester

William Hurley, Rochester

Heather Hurtt, Portsmouth

June Iffland, Bow

Sookjwa Ihm, Exeter

John Indelicato, Windham

Ingrid Inferrere, Manchester

Patricia Ingelstrom, Greenfield

Crystal Islam, Londonderry

Kip Jackson, Merrimack

Ann Jackson, Nashua

Donna Jacobs, Nelson

Thomas Jameson, Chichester

Ronald Janowitz, Manchester

Sonya Janson, Lebanon

Bradley Jarvis, Dover

Sally Jasper, Hollis

Alex Jeanty, Londonderry

John Jewell, Concord

Cynthia Jewett, Roxbury

David Jewett, Roxbury

Joel Johnson, Portsmouth

Joanne Johnson, Rochester

Margaret Johnson, Wonalancet

Ulla Johnson, Amherst

Judith Johnson, Jackson

Shirley Jones, Concord

Beverly Jones, Laconia

Phyllis Jordan, Chichester

Germaine Joyce, Concord

Dale Kandoll, Temple

Laurie Kandoll, Temple

Mary Kane, Loudon

Krishnamurthi Kannan, Merrimack

Christopher Kantargis, Merrimack

Andrew Kaplan, Portsmouth

Martin Karawski, Weare

Anthony Karistianos, Hudson

Lee Kass, Amherst

Stanley Kass, Amherst

Thomas Kehler, Hanover

Dan Keith, Belmont

Craig Kellem, Lyme

Christopher Kelley, Merrimack

Debra Kendall, Merrimack

Carianna Keniston, Exeter

Theresa Kennett, N Conway

Kay Kenyon, Nashua

Bonnie Young Kerr, Manchester

Newton Kershaw, Manchester

Lisa Kershaw, Mont Vernon

Kimberly Kerwin, Hancock

Karen Kharitonov, Ctr Barnstead

Maxim Kharitonov, Ctr Barnstead

Charles Khoury, Wilton

Kenneth Kiburis, Keene

Kimberly Kiesman, North Conway

Dawn Kilcrease, Rindge

Michael Kiley, Manchester

Mary Kimmel, Concord

Molly King, Gilford

Barbara Kingsbury, Hinsdale

Charles Kingsbury, Hinsdale

Deborah Kinson, Bow

Amy Kipphut, Concord

Timothy Klika, Concord

Sean Klingle, Merrimack

Gary Knight, Brookfield

Marianne Knowlton, Portsmouth

Barbara Koivula, Bennington

Ronald Koivula, Bennington

Diane Koller, Peterborough

William Kramer, West Lebanon

David Krempels, Portsmouth

Jason Ku, Manchester

William Kucharski, Milford

Elaine Kulingoski, Nashua

Bradford Kuster, Hopkinton

Jane Labelle, Warner

Jane Lacasse, Concord

George Lacourse, Winchester

Dan Lacrosse, Windham

Jeffrey Ladd, Wolfeboro

Stephanie Laflamme, Bedford

Sharon Laflamme, Fitzwilliam

Jennifer Lague, Derry

Richard Lak, Dover

Anne Lalish, Northwood

Jeffrey Lalish, Northwood

Laurie Lalish, Northwood

Kelly Lalonde, Bedford

Orlando Lamarco, Rochester

Claire Lambert, Nashua

John Lamoureux, Claremont

Nancy Lamoureux, Milton

Marc Lanciaux, North Conway

Charles Langille, New Ipswich

Linda Langille, New Ipswich

Charles Langille, Keene

Faith Laro, Concord

Stephen Laroche, Deerfield

David Laroche, Merrimack

Martha Larrabee, Lebanon

Jody Latulippe, Derry

Charles Laurent, Laconia

Suzanne Lavalla, Nashua

Muriel Lavalley, Concord

Allison Leach, Dover

Caitlin Leary, Amherst

Donna Leavell, Manchester

Rodman Leavell, Manchester

Karen Leavitt, Deerfield

Jessica Leavitt, Sunapee

Martha Leclair, Plymouth

Joseph Leclaire, Hinsdale

Joanne Lecount, Mason

Anne Lederhos, Amherst

Julie Lee, Londonderry

Stephen Lee, Londonderry

Helen Lee, Concord

Jeffrey Lee, Durham

Maryann Lehman, Raymond

Susan Leidy, Concord

Robbin Leigh, Bow

Jacqueline Lewis, Derry

Carol Lewis, Bedford

Marie Lightizer, Newton

Matthew Lightizer, Newton

Nancy Lindsey, Laconia

William Linkroum, Merrimack

Tigest Lint, Merrimack

Charles Lippincott, New Boston

Lynn Lippitt, Milford

Edward Littlefield, Merrimack

Daniel Lloyd, Newport

Steven Lombard, Moultonborough

Craig Lombardo, Concord

Loretta Long, Somersworth

Caroline Lopardo, Weare

Frances Lovejoy, Keene

James Lowther, Merrimack

Kristopher Lozeau, Nashua

Jason Lucey, Dover

Brook Luers, Nashua

Mary Lyman, Belmont

Michael Lynch, Concord

Mark Mabra, Concord

Lisa MacAllister, Jackson

Douglas MacDonald, Nashua

Elise MacDonald, New Ipswich

Rosemary Mack, Dublin

John MacLeod, Wilmot

Nancy MacLeod, Wilmot

Gerald Mafera, Derry

Marie Magoon, Bennington

Farzad Mahjobi, Nashua

Dennis Mahoney, Derry

Helen Mahoney, Goffstown

Jessica Mahoney, Manchester

Gregory Makechenie, Andover

Mia Manning-Osborn, Peterborough

Stephany Marchut Lavallee, Henniker

Martin Marcinkoski, Rochester

Kenneth Marcks, New Boston

Janice Marden, Goffstown

Marjorie Margolis, Sharon

Paul Marrone, Concord

Donald Marshall, Fremont

Elsa Marshall, Dover

Bruce Marshall, Hampton

Lucinda Marshall, Hampton

Mary Martel, Wilton

Lindsay Martel, Goffstown

Jennifer Mason, Portsmouth

Amy Mason, Canterbury

Kevin Mason, Canterbury

Kyle Masters, Henniker

Robyn Matheson, Exeter

Theodore Mathias, Hanover

Gail Matthews, Wilmot

Glenn Matthews, Wilmot

Richard Matz, Dover

Ridgely Mauck, Concord

Edward Maura, Tamworth

Tyler McArthur, Nashua

Judith McBriarty, Milford

Michelle McCarron, Hillsborough

Martha McCarthy, Sanbornville

Ryan McCarthy, Sanbornville

Barbara McCarthy, Derry

Kathleen McCarthy, Kensington

Jane McClung, Concord

Theresa McCoole, Hampton

Glenn McCracken, Freedom

Genella McDonald, Canterbury

Sean McDonald, Canterbury

Summer McFarland, Nashua

Eric McGee, Nashua

Leroy McGhee, Somersworth

Katelyn McGrail, Stratham

Richard McKay, Nashua

Lisa McKee, Nashua

George McKelvey, N Haverhill

Mary McKelvey, N Haverhill

Heather McKendry, Eaton

Daniel McKernan, Nashua

Everett McLaughlin, Gilford

Lynda McLaughlin, Manchester

Rebecca McLaughlin, Somersworth

Carol McMahon, Wolfeboro

Deborah McNally, Barrington

Prentiss McNeill, Windham

Paul McShane, Merrimack

Wendi McShane, Merrimack

Joseph Medeiros, Hudson

Rebecca Medeiros, Hudson

Chuba Menakaya, Manchester

Mary Menner, Bedford

Mary Merritt, Littleton

Thomas Merritt, Littleton

William Merrow, Hopkinton

George Merrow, Hopkinton

Alexandra Merwin, Meredith

Jonathan Merwin, Meredith

Robert Merwin, Meredith

Cynthia Meyer, Marlborough

Robert Mike-Mayer, Exeter

Theodore Mikolyski, Raymond

Joanne Milbury, Concord

James Miller, Meredith

Genevieve Miller, Bedford

James Miller, Bedford

Beverly Miller, Exeter

Nadine Miller, Portsmouth

Jeremy Miller, Portsmouth

Joelly Miller, Portsmouth

Deborah Millette, Northwood

Nanci Mills, Lee

Edith Milton, Francestown

Peter Milton, Francestown

Jennifer Molahan, West Lebanon

William Monafo, Peterborough

Matthew Monahan, Bedford

Elena Monastireva-Ansdell, Merrimack

Geraldine Monti, Holderness

Susan Mooney, Gilford

Maynard Moore, Center Tuftonboro

Carol Moore, Concord

Keith Moran, Newport

Peter Morgan, Salem

Kimberly Morgan, Moultonborough

Kenneth Morreale, Londonderry

Christopher Morris, Harrisville

Teresa Morris, Harrisville

Kelley Morris, Gilmanton

Scott Morrissette, Manchester

Kevin Morton, Merrimack

Robin Mose, Hancock

Susan Moseley, Bow

Muriel Motard, Nashua

Eric Muehlmatt, Hooksett

Michael Mulloy, Salem

Frances Mulroy, Goffstown

Steven Munroe, Newmarket

Kathleen Murdough, North Conway

Jean Murphy, Moultonborough

Thomas Murphy, Moultonborough

Mariann Murphy, Wolfeboro

Thomas Murphy, Dover

Susan Murphy, Hampstead

Matthew Nania, Portsmouth

Linda Neilson, Hinsdale

Lynda Nelson, Derry

Sandra Neveu, Nashua

Lisa Neville, Francestown

Wesley Nichols, New London

Juanita Niemczyk, Hampton

Claire Nix, Keene

Mary Nocie, Warner

Sheila Nolan, E Hampstead

Timothy Nolin, Ossipee

Gail Nostrom, Newmarket

William Nostrom, Newmarket

Kathleen Obrien, Atkinson

Joan O'Brien, Barrington

Denis O'Connell, Concord

Shannon O'Connor, Hillsborough

Malcolm Odell, South Hampton

Maude Odgers, Peterborough

Patrick O'Donnell, Concord

Kendra O'Donnell, Concord

Kenneth Oliver, Stratham

Karina Olson, Durham

Dorthea O'Neil, Weare

Fred Ordway, Litchfield

Meredith Orourke, Bedford

Justin O'Rourke, Manchester

Karen O'Rourke, Manchester

John O'Shaughnessy, Northfield

Joe Ossai, Bedford

Jean O'Sullivan, Bartlett

David O'Sullivan, Bartlett

Russell Ouellette, Bedford

Erik Ouellette, Belmont

Kathryn Owens, Nashua

Kevin Packard, Merrimack

Warren Palmeira, Danbury

Christine Pariseau Telge, Manchester

Thomas Park, Washington

Alison Parodi-Bieling, Epsom

Carin Parr, Manchester

Janice Parrinello, Merrimack

Claire Partridge, Sanbornville

Barbara Ann Paster, Exeter

Nicholas Pavloski, Hudson

Anthony Pazasis, Belmont

E Pazasis, Belmont

Patricia Pedersen, Litchfield

Graham Pendlebury, New Boston

Lori Pepler, Wilton

Paula Perez, Merrimack

Kathryn Perkins, Concord

Carolyn Perret, Hooksett

Gloria Perrin, Keene

Rachel Perry, Sanbornton

Sheldon Perry, Tamworth

Barbara Perry, West Lebanon

Casey Peters, Cornish

Theresa Peters, Laconia

Donna Philbrick, Sullivan

Franklin Philbrick, Sullivan

Andrew Phillips, Auburn

Joan Phipps, Hillsborough

Rodney Phipps, Hillsborough

Daniel Pickering, Hancock

Luke Pickett, Stratham

Dana Pierce, Nashua

Mark Pierce, Wolfeboro

Lawrence Pihl, Merrimack

Ann Pike, Merrimack

Alison Pike, Stratham

Cynthia Pinard, Raymond

Peter Pinckney, Gilford

Donna Pinckney, Gilford

Robin Pinto, Hanover

Patricia Place, Francestown

Denise Plante, Nashua

Mary Platt, Concord

Anthony Poirier, Canaan

Sherry Poirier, Canaan

Lisa Pollard, Hooksett

Jeanine Poole, Concord

Anthony Poore, Manchester

Nancy Poulin, Bow

Daniel Poulin, Conway

Pamela Powers-Moll, Bedford

Barbara Pressly, Nashua

Joyce Priestly, Alexandria

Dana Primiano, Hancock

Marian Prout, Hampton

Geraldine Prusko, Gilmanton

Cindy Quetti, Hampton

Anjali Quinn, Exeter

Brenda Quinn, Hopkinton

Barbara Rafferty, Concord

Nancy Ragazzo, Merrimack

Lynn Rainsley, Rochester

Robin Rainville, Pembroke

John Randolph, Hanover

Tina Rapp, Sharon

John Rauscher, Weare

Bonnie Rausher, Weare

Frederick Rawlings, Chesterfield

June Rawlings, Chesterfield

Alex Ray, Holderness

Delma Reagan, Salisbury

Ida Reardon, Seabrook

Kevin Reardon, Derry

Nina Reed, Manchester

Shawn Regnier, Littleton

Blossom Reid, Manchester

Sean Reilly, Manchester

David Renfors, Salisbury

Trudy Renfors, Salisbury

Julie-Ann Rennie, Barrington

George Reville, Merrimack

Deidre Reynolds, Nashua

Charles Rhoades, Dover

Dorothy Richards, Litchfield

Doris Richmond, Peterborough

Norma Roberts, Exeter

Struan Robertson, Tuftonboro

Lenore Robertson, Tuftonboro

Paula Rockwell, Rindge

Linda Roeder, Belmont

Melissa Rogers, Manchester

Matthew Rolph, Warren

Rita Roper, Hudson

Michael Ross, Portsmouth

Roberta Rossi, Bedford

Lockard Row, Peterborough

Patricia Row, Peterborough

Cherri Rowell, Belmont

Maurice Roy, Nashua

Mark Rubacky, Merrimack

David Rude, Salisbury

Franklin Rudolph, Nashua

Rosemarie Rung, Merrimack

Raelene Rust, Keene

James Sabine, Hinsdale

Crystal Sabine, Hinsdale

Luke Sacher, Fitzwilliam

Charles Samardelis, Windham

Ralitsa Samardelis, Windham

Frederick Sanford, Derry

Mieko Sano, Milford

Edward Santee, Nashua

Diana Sargent, Manchester

Steven Sarro, Bedford

Nancy Sawyer, Amherst

Irene Sawyer, Milford

Shelley Saylor, Charlestown

Jennifer Saylor, Charlestown

Eugenie Scagel, Wilton

Stephany Scaglione, Somersworth

Ellen Scannell, Goffstown

John Schena, Nashua

Janet Schofield, Portsmouth

Nancy Schofield, Concord

Cory Schofield, Concord

Adam Schwarz, Etna

Thomas Scribner, Manchester

Stephanie Seacord, Newfields

Laura Sebert, Peterborough

Elaine Seibel, Hill

Stephanie Sewhuk, Nashua

Steven Sewhuk, Nashua

William Sharp, Litchfield

Isabel Sharp, Litchfield

Sara Shattuck, Bristol

Nora Shaw, Marlborough

David Shaw, Hudson

Keri Shaw, Hudson

Richard Shaw, North Hampton

Nancy Sheeler, Lebanon

Opheilla Sheen, Derry

Elizabeth Shirley, Nashua

Tara Shore, Laconia

Cris Shuldiner, Pelham

Kathleen Shumway-Pitt, Laconia

Lindley Shutz, Concord

Robin Silva, Portsmouth

Glenn Silva, New Boston

Rena Simard, Gilmanton

Deborah Simbalist, Effingham

Richard Simbalist, Effingham

Priscilla Simm, Hillsborough

Judith Singh, Nashua

David Singleton, Hill

Maria Singleton, Hill

Edward Sirois, Merrimack

Julie Slattery, Pelham

Joseph Smath, Durham

Stuart Smith, Lyme

James Smith, Moultonborough

Rose Smith, Moultonborough

Alexander Smith, Rochester

Edna Smith, Rochester

Thomas Smith, Moultonborough

Martha Smith, Lincoln

Ernest Snow, Swanzey

Anna Sodemann, Plainfield

Robert Sodemann, Plainfield

Eric Soederberg, Bedford

Andrea Solomon, Manchester

Lori Southwick, Northfield

Concepcion Spaulding, Manchester

Darrell Spencer, Nashua

Lauren Spencer, Wolfeboro

Robert Spiegelman, Londonderry

Calvin Spurr, Rochester

Doris Spurr, Rochester

Amy St George, Peterborough

Roberta Stanley, Conway

Margaret Stark, Salem

Devin Starlanyl, West Chesterfield

Michael Steckevicz, Nashua

Shirley Stephenson, Lyndeborough

Linda Stephenson, Canterbury

Robert Stevens, Belmont

Matthew Stevens, Lee

Rosemary Stewart, Wakefield

Anthony Stoddard, Sandown

Kimberly Story, Exeter

Gayle Strachan, Lebanon

John Strachan, Lebanon

Matthew Straub, Concord

Natalia Strong, Bow

Russell Strong, Bow

Naureen Stubbs, Tilton

Doraswamy Subramony, Nashua

Uma Subramony, Nashua

Paula Super, Merrimack

Roman Susalka, Nashua

Donna Swain, Laconia

Donna Swanson, Durham

Larry Swanson, Durham

Patricia Swonger, Merrimack

Roy Swonger, Merrimack

Nancy Szeto, Claremont

Riana Szymkiewicz, Newbury

Alexander Takantjas, Belmont

Bonnie Taylor, Kingston

David Taylor, Kingston

Peter Telge, Manchester

Elizabeth Terry, Stratham

Elizabeth Terry, Concord

Neil Theberge, Litchfield

Audra Theroux, Merrimack

Erin Thesing, Hopkinton

Susan Thielen, Keene

Carolyn Thomas, Portsmouth

Angelika Thomas, Concord

Brenda Thomas, Bedford

Barbara Thompson, West Lebanon

Trili Timm, Chichester

Melissa Tobey, Exeter

Sharon Todd-Elliott, New Boston

Sally Tomlinson, Orford

Sibylle Tornow, Merrimack

Ronald Tornow, Merrimack

Jennifer Torok, Dover

David Tothill, Ctr Barnstead

John Tourgee, Sharon

Geraldine Tower, Moultonborough

Richard Tower, Moultonborough

Douglas Towle, Loudon

Erick Towle, Chichester

Carolyn Tracy, Concord

Jessica Tremblay, Bedford

Darlene Tripp, Dover

Cornelia Trombly, Concord

Daniela Turczyk Cooper, Manchester

Hope Ullman, Wolfeboro

Darlene Underhill, Exeter

Debra Underwood, Claremont

Henri Vaillancourt, Greenville

Chris Valade, Nottingham

Charles Valentine, Nashua

Garrison Valentine, Rochester

Inge Valentine, Rochester

Nikolas Valkanos, Manchester

Etienne Vallee, Conway

Marcia Vallier, Wilton

Grant Vandyck, Bow

Priya Venkatesan, Lebanon

Tonya Victoria, Epping

Virginia Virgil, Rumney

Andru Volinsky, Concord

Cynthia Wahrlich, Claremont

John Wakelin, Chichester

Elaine Wallace, Londonderry

Joseph Wallace, Merrimack

Jacob Wangel-Komisar, West Lebanon

Betty Ward, Concord

Janet Ward, Hopkinton

Francis Warman, Hopkinton

Lissa Warren, Salem

Penny Warren, Bedford

Marylucille Washington, Hanover

Deborah Watrous, Concord

Robert Wayss, Portsmouth

Roxanne Weber, Hudson

Christine Weed, Concord

Casey Weeks, Moultonborough

Natalie Weeks, Belmont

Marcus Weeks, Belmont

John Weld, Manchester

Prudence Wells, Mason

Franklin Welton, New Boston

Joyce Welton, New Boston

Richard Weston, Concord

David Whelan, Concord

Melissa Whelan, Bow

Jon Whitcomb, Etna

Wendy White, Dublin

Mary Whitehead, Pembroke

Jay Wibben, Troy

Nancy Wibben, Troy

Herman Wiegelman, Hillsborough

Yvonne Wiegelman, Hillsborough

Charles Wilbert, Candia

Laurie Wilder, Hooksett

Janice Williams, Stratham

Jessica Williams, Dover

Rachel Williams, Dover

Kathleen Williamson, Weare

William Wilson, Weare

Patricia Wilson, Warren

Donald Winchester, Antrim

Susan Wingate, Rumney

Richard Winneg, Bedford

Deborah Wiswell, Concord

Sharon Witaszek, Hopkinton

Eldwin Wixson, Plymouth

Charles Woodbury, Manchester

Elizabeth Woodbury, Manchester

Matthew Woodbury, Manchester

Alan Worcester, Center Conway

Todd Wormstead, Somersworth

Lee Wotherspoon, Newton

Candace Wyman, Alton Bay

Nicholas Yager, West Lebanon

Dean York, Manchester

Catherine Young, Nashua

Jayne Young, Strafford

Cynthia Young, Exeter

Virginia Young, Epping

Michelle Young-Hampe, Tilton

Annette Zamarchi, Concord

George Zarella, Bedford

Lucyann Zeller, Canterbury

Debra Zimmermann, Gilford

Frank Zito, Bedford

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:14 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

EDWARDS ANNOUNCES PLAN TO TAKE ON HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES TO HELP FAMILIES

As part of “America Belongs to Us” week, Edwards calls for stronger insurance laws to prevent abuse and ensure American families can get the care they need

MANCHESTER – In New Hampshire today as part of “America Belongs to Us” week, Senator John Edwards unveiled his proposals to take on health insurance companies and highlighted why he is the one candidate the American people can trust to stand up to the big corporations who have used their money and lobbyists to rig the system in Washington at the expense of hardworking American families. Edwards called for stronger insurance laws to prevent abuses and ensure that everyone can get the insurance they need, strengthening enforcement of insurance rules, and the creation of more competition and choice in insurance markets.

“The American health care system is broken,” said Edwards. “Even families with insurance are often unprotected from catastrophic events, as insurers fight legitimate claims, impose coverage caps, and look for technicalities to cancel policies. Half of families entering bankruptcy today are driven by high medical costs.

“I have spent my entire life battling special interest groups to protect the rights of regular Americans. In courtrooms, I stood with families who needed a voice against armies of insurance company lawyers. In the Senate, I championed the Patients’ Bill of Rights to fight managed care and insurance company abuses. I’ve seen first-hand how far too often health insurance companies will put profit and executive bonuses above the medical needs of their customers.

“Last week, Governor Romney proposed even further deregulation of the health insurance industry – a plan that could lead to even more insured Americans without the care they need. This is clearly the wrong approach. We need tough new insurance laws to prevent abuses and ensure that Americans are no longer on their own against insurance companies.”

Under the Edwards’ plan, insurance companies will be required to sell insurance to everyone, regardless of their preexisting conditions, and prevented from denying coverage after a condition develops. Edwards will put a stop to the practice of charging more to individuals with certain occupations or with pre-existing conditions, and will set national accounting standards requiring insurers to spend at least 85 percent of their premiums on patient care. Edwards will empower consumers by forcing insurance companies to be more honest and transparent about what they will ultimately cover and making sure all insurers guarantee comprehensive benefits. Edwards also called for an updated bill of rights for patients and providers.

To strengthen oversight and maintaining insurer accountability, Edwards will create Health Care Markets and offer advocates to help patients negotiate with insurance companies. And to increase competition and stop insurance company monopolies, Edwards will block mergers that could hurt consumers, doctors and hospitals. Also, his new public insurance plan will increase competitive pressures on private insurers to hold down their costs and deliver better coverage.

Edwards’ proposals for taking on the insurance companies are part of the “America Belongs to Us” week, in which he will lay out detailed policy proposals to address specific issues that matter that matter most for American families, including the rising cost of home heating oil, protecting our children from unsafe toys and ensuring access to safe and affordable prescription drugs.

For further details on Edwards plan to take on health insurance companies, please see the “Taking on Health Insurance Companies to Help Families” paper included below.

-30-
TAKING ON HEALTH INSURERS TO HELP FAMILIES AND PREVENT ABUSES
The American health care system is broken. There are 47 million Americans who lack health insurance, and 18,000 people die every year as a result. Health care costs are skyrocketing and premiums are up 90 percent since 2000. Even families with insurance are often unprotected from catastrophic events when insurers fight legitimate claims, impose coverage caps, and seek excuses to revoke coverage when its needed most. Half of families entering bankruptcy are driven there by high medical costs. Many people who have health insurance are “underinsured” and postpone needed health care because of their meager coverage. [Census Bureau, 2007; IOM, 2002; KFF, 2006; Warren et. al., 2005; Consumer Reports, 2007]
As senator, John Edwards championed the Patients’ Bill of Rights to fight managed care and insurance company abuses. Now more than ever, the health insurance industry needs to be kept honest. While companies have an obligation to treat their customers with fairness and dignity, too often companies put their own profits and executive pay first. Today, Edwards outlined his plan to make sure that families with insurance have the health care safety net they pay for and need.
Insurance Industry Abuses: The current health care system is broken, often letting down even families with insurance. The abusive behavior of insurance companies includes:
• Designing confusing forms and procedures that make it very difficult for patients to claim the benefits they deserve and forcing patients to hire paperwork consultants. [Pryor et. al, 2007; NY Times, 10/13/2005]
• Using complex and unfair rules to cancel insurance policies after people get sick, despite accepting past payments. California regulators fined one insurer, Blue Cross of California, $1 million for violating state rules and abusively canceling insurance policies from 2004 to 2006. Another insurer, Health Net, paid bonuses based upon the number of patients whose policies were canceled for technicalities. [Pryor et. al, 2007; Sacramento Bee, 8/29/2007; LA Times, 3/28/3006 and 11/9/2007]
• Wrongly denying medical treatment needed to live and covered by insurance. [Wall St. Journal, 11/16/2007]
• Charging patients more for “out-of-network” doctors at “in-network” hospitals, leading patients to unwittingly incur thousands of dollars in bills despite trying to follow the rules.
• Creating procedural barriers and paperwork that keep doctors from providing needed care.
Lack of Competition: In 299 of 313 markets recently surveyed, one health plan controls at least 30 percent of the market for health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations. In the last 12 years, the Department of Justice has only challenged two of more than 400 insurance company mergers. There is a merger pending in Nevada that would put 80 percent of the state’s HMO market in the hands of one insurance company. High levels of market consolidation raises concerns that the insurance market may not be competitive, hurting the health care system. [AMA, 2007; Velazquez, 2007]
Huge Levels of Executive Pay: As premiums skyrocket and some patients are denied care they need, insurance company CEOs are often paid tens of millions of dollars a year. In 2006, it was reported that the CEO of one of the world’s largest insurers, UnitedHealth Group, had been awarded an astonishing $1.1 billion in stock options, enough to cover roughly 750,000 uninsured children with health insurance for one year. [AFL-CIO, 2007; NY Times, 10/16/2006]

FIGHTING FOR FAMILIES’ RIGHTS TO BASIC INSURANCE
John Edwards has fought special interest groups his entire career and knows that we need a health care system that works for everyone. His health plan will reform the health insurance industry to help us all get the insurance we need. Today, he proposed new laws to prevent abuses, stronger enforcement of insurance rules, and more competition and choice in insurance markets. Americans will no longer be on their own against insurance companies.
Tough New Insurance Laws:
• Insurance that Is Always There: John Edwards will stop insurance industry “rescissions,” the practice of dropping individuals from insurance for technical reasons after they need their coverage. Edwards will pass a guaranteed issue law requiring insurance companies to sell insurance to everyone, regardless of their preexisting conditions, and preventing from denying coverage after a condition develops.
• A Fair Price for Good Insurance: Today, insurance companies will charge certain occupations and individuals with preexisting conditions more for insurance, such as police officers, firefighters, and construction workers. Edwards will put a stop to this practice, requiring community rating so that all people have access to insurance at a fair price.

• Ensure that Premiums Help Patients: Enacting health care reform to expand insurance to all families also requires establishing new rules so insurance companies cannot continue charging hardworking families excessive premiums, while pocketing the savings. Edwards will require insurers to spend at least 85 percent of their premiums on patient care as several states already do. The plan will force insurers to cut wasteful spending and pass savings on to families and employers.
• Empower Consumers: John Edwards will remove the mystery in what insurance companies cover. New “truth-in-insuring” rules will require insurance companies to be transparent and honest about what they will ultimately cover. The rules will set standards on explaining private insurance products and understandable medical bills.
• Guaranteed Comprehensive Benefits: Some states mandate that insurance companies must provide benefits like preventive care to children and screening tests like mammograms. Some insurance companies leave out these common-sense procedures. Under the Edwards plan, every American will have comprehensive benefits including preventive care and important tests.

• Creating a Bill of Rights for Patients and Providers: Now more than ever, Americans need a Patients’ Bill of Rights for insurance and managed care companies. In 2001, John Edwards fought for the original Bill of Rights, which passed the Senate but was eventually blocked by insurance company lobbyists. As president, Edwards will help create an updated Bill of Rights to solidify the protections discussed in 2001 and reflect today’s need to reform insurance companies’ practices.
It is also time to protect doctors and hospitals from insurance company abuses. By making it difficult for health care providers to collect on their claims, insurance companies make it difficult for patients to get the care they need. Complex forms, long hold times on the phone, and inappropriate denials of payment for needed treatments are just some of the insurance company tactics. Edwards will develop strict rules for insurance companies that will make it easier for doctors and hospitals to get paid for and deliver needed care.
Stronger Enforcement:
• Maintaining Accountability: All Americans need and deserve a strong line of protection against insurance companies. Edwards will revolutionize the individual and small group insurance markets with his new Health Care Markets, which will negotiate plans and carefully enforce protections for families. Edwards will also ask the Department of Justice and work with states to oversee insurance markets.
• Create an Advocate for Patients: In California, when a patient has a dispute with a managed care company, the state reviews the case to make sure the company acted within the law. Every patient deserves an advocate when he or she needs it. Edwards will look to models like California’s and build a national resource for regular people to get the help they need in negotiating with for insurance companies and HMOs. Edwards will also establish a medical home for Americans with chronic diseases, giving patients a primary care doctor who can advocate against insurance companies for needed care.
More Competition
• Stop Insurance Company Monopolies: Edwards will apply rigorous standards and block mergers that could hurt consumers, doctors and hospitals. He will direct the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an immediate and comprehensive review of the health insurance market and make recommendations on how to ensure a competitive market. Where monopolies already exist, he would break them up to ensure competition. He will also revisit the insurance company exception to the nation’s antitrust laws.
• New Competition for Private Insurers: The Edwards plan creates new choices for American families. The new Health Care Markets will be available to everyone who does not get comparable insurance from their jobs or a public program and to employers who choose to join rather than offer their own insurance plans. Families and individuals will choose the plan that works best for them. The markets will include a new public plan similar to Medicare. If enough people choose the public plan, then the US will evolve towards a single-payer plan. As a result, private insurers will face new rules and competitive pressures to hold down their costs and deliver better coverage.

Posted by Michael McCord at 11:09 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Manchester. – Students associated with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College are organizing New Hampshire's First "First-in-the-Nation-Primary" Student Primary.

On Nov. 28, the Kevin Harrington Student Ambassadors at the Institute of Politics will offer Saint Anselm’s nearly 2,000-member student body the chance to weigh in on the candidates at polling places throughout campus. This is the earliest known, large-scale mock primary vote to occur in the state.

The student primary follows the Saint Anselm College Issues Poll, which in October surveyed more than 1,500 likely New Hampshire Primary voters, who themselves will go to the polls themselves in about six weeks.

Saint Anselm students are uniquely prepared to vote in the mock primary. The college’s Institute of Politics is a stop on the campaign train for many presidential contenders. And throughout the fall, Institute programs have engaged the student body with educational programming. During Citizenship Week in September, the entire student body was offered the opportunity to register to vote, and to learn more about the candidates and the issues.

“We hope to collect a representative sample of our entire student body, representing students from throughout New England, and across the country,” said Katelyn Kerins ’09, one of the Student Ambassadors planning the event. “This vote should provide a good indication of how candidates’ messages are resonating with young voters.”

The results will be made public at 9 a.m. Nov. 29, at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. The presentation will be open to the public.

Posted by Michael McCord at 10:33 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

SEN. BIDEN ANNOUNCES ENERGY AND CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN FOR AMERICA
"If we don't change our policy, oil will further empower the countries that produce it, restrict our options, and undermine our economic and physical security."

Des Moines, Iowa – Today, Sen. Joe Biden announced his plan to reduce pressures that are causing the price of oil to skyrocket and to transform America into the source of the world's energy future. While the unveiling was originally scheduled to take place at a Kum and Go gas and convenience store that offers E85/Flex-Fuel – due to inclement weather, Sen. Biden outlined his plan from his Iowa campaign headquarters.

"We must begin to embrace – like Kum & Go and General Motors – innovation that reduces our dependence on oil, builds an export economy of clean technologies, and reverses the effects of climate change," said Sen. Biden.

With Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) as his backdrop, Sen. Biden said, "We must fundamentally shift the way we consume energy in this country in every sector of the economy – from increasing fuel efficiency of vehicles and using alternative fuels to generating more power from renewable sources like the wind and the sun."

By raising fuel economy standards, increasing the amount of farm-grown fuel in the nation's fuel supply, mandating that every new vehicle built in the US be a flex-fuel vehicle and requiring large gas station chains to add alternative fuel pumps to at least half of their stations by 2017, Sen. Biden would substantially decrease our dependence on oil from unstable regions like the Middle East and cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100 million tons a year.

He called on the Administration to contain the rising security premium on oil by stopping its policy of ratcheting up tension with Iran.

"The price of every barrel of oil includes what the energy experts call a 'security premium' – an extra cost directly related to the risk of conflict - the more tensions rise, the higher the security premium goes," said Sen. Biden. "We must stop the self-defeating saber-rattling when it comes to Iran. Instead, we should make clear our interest is not regime change but conduct change."

Sen. Biden announced a $50 billion investment in green jobs, alternative energy and energy efficiency. He also committed to setting higher energy efficiency and renewable energy targets for the federal government - the nation's largest energy consumer.

Sen. Biden pledged to restore US leadership on climate change by immediately directing US negotiators to return to global climate change negotiations and bringing with them a plan from the US to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Posted by Michael McCord at 11:59 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

EDWARDS: CONGRESS SHOULDN’T HAVE HEALTH CARE IF AMERICANS DON’T

Second major New Hampshire ad highlights plan to hold Congress accountable for passing universal health care

MANCHESTER -- Senator John Edwards begins a new wave of New Hampshire television advertisements later today with an ad that features Edwards’ plan to hold Congress accountable for passing universal health care within six months after he takes office as President. The ad will run statewide.

“We all want universal health care – but just having a plan is not enough,” Edwards said. “We've seen plans fail before in Congress, and they will fail again unless we have a new approach. We have to be willing to take on the drug companies, insurance companies, and their Washington lobbyists who killed reform last time. But if you're defending the system, taking money from their lobbyists and giving them a seat at the table, reform is just not going to happen.”

On the first day of Edwards’ administration, he will submit legislation that ends health care coverage for the president, all members of Congress, and all senior political appointees in the legislative and executive branches of government on July 20th, 2009 – unless Congress has enacted universal health care reform.

Edwards will require Congress to pass universal health insurance that meets four principles: (1) It must be truly universal; (2) Anyone who has health care must be able to keep it and pay less for it; (3) Anyone who doesn’t have health care must get it, with help if they can’t afford it; (4) Doctors and patients, not insurance companies and HMOs, must have control over health care decisions.

The ad runs 30 seconds and is posted on Edwards’ webpage – http://www.johnedwards.com/watch/health-care-ad/. The transcript of the ad follows:

“When I’m president I’m going to say to members of Congress and members of my administration, including my cabinet: I’m glad that you have health care coverage and your family has health care coverage. But if you don’t pass universal health care by July of 2009 – in six months – I’m going to use my power as president to take your health care away from you. [Applause] There’s no excuse for politicians in Washington having health care when you don’t have health care. I’m John Edwards and I approve this message.”

Today’s announcement builds on Edwards’ growing momentum in New Hampshire over the past month, including:


• November 17: The Edwards campaign launches Young Granite Staters for Edwards at www.johnedwards.com/nh/youth.

• November 11: Edwards releases an 80-page policy book, The Plan to Build One America, and announces that more than 70,000 copies will be delivered to New Hampshire voters during ongoing statewide canvasses.

• November 9: The Edwards campaign announces 433 New Hampshire Women for Edwards as Cate Edwards and President Emeritus and Founder of NARAL Pro-Choice America Kate Michelman campaign across the state.

• October 31: Edwards earns the endorsement of the 10,000-member strong New Hampshire State Employees Association (SEIU Local 1984).

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:52 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

MCCAIN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

MCCAIN CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES NEW HAMPSHIRE TOWN CHAIRS

MANCHESTER -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced over 342 town and city chairs across New Hampshire in support of John McCain. The chairs will identify and mobilize supporters in communities throughout the state to continue to build on John McCain's grassroots organization in New Hampshire.

"Unlike any other candidate John McCain understands the importance of building a strong grassroots organization in the Granite State," said Peter Spaulding, New Hampshire Chair of the McCain campaign. "John respects the tradition and value of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary, a contest he intends to win, and he is the one candidate in the field who has the experience to lead our nation and the ability to lead a united Republican Party to victory in the general election."

John McCain thanked the chairs, stating, "I am encouraged and proud to have the support of so many distinguished community leaders. We will continue to look to each person for their leadership in communities across the state as we work toward victory in New Hampshire."

MCCAIN 2008 NEW HAMPSHIRE TOWN CHAIRS

Belknap County

Judy Havenstein, Alton
Paul Landry, Barnstead
Billie-Jo Sweeney, Belmont
Bill Hett, Center Harbor
Phillis Corrigan, Gilford
John Vorel, Gilford
Judith Rayabeck, Laconia
Carl Johnson, Meredith
Sean Kenneally, Meredith
Erich Beyrent, New Hampton
Brian Cranton, Sanborton
David Perez, Tilton

Carroll County

Richard Wales, Albany
Rep. Gene Chandler, Bartlett
Merle Burke, Bartlett
Rep. Jim Martin, Brookfield
Richard Anderson, Chatham
Frank McCarthy, Conway
Commissioner Dave Sorenson, Eaton
Paul Wheeler, Freedom
Bill King, Hart's Location
Ross Heald, Jackson
Ed Foley, Madison
Henry and Linda Beyer, Moultonboro
Keith Farrar, Ossipee
Peter Prentice, Sandwich
Dan Poirier, Tamworth
Judy Daley, Tuftonboro
Marguerite Carrington, Wakefield
Rep. Dave Knox, Wolfeboro
Marge Wilson, Wolfeboro

Cheshire County

Erwin Ward, Alstead
Ken Woodward, Chesterfield
Elizabeth Langby, Dublin
Kate Metzger, Fitzwilliam
Gretchen Ziegler, Harrisville
Richard Lambert, Jaffery
William Beauregard, Keene
Arto Leino, Keene
Sherriff Richard Foote, Swanzey
Eric Stanley, Swanzey
Richard and Alice Dickinson, Richmond
Judy Seppala, Rindge
Samir Habiby, Swanzey
Edward Rice, Troy
Louis Kalesky, Walpole

Coos County

Sen. John Gallus, Berlin
Renney Morneau, Berlin
Allen Strasser, Carroll
John Moses, Clarksville
Gary Dinco, Colebrook
Rep. Fred King, Colebrook
Rep. Eric Stohl, Columbia
Ken Jordan, Dalton
Luc Cote, Errol
Bruce Lary, Gorham
Charles Bond, Jefferson
Norm Brown, Jefferson
Bill Remick, Lancaster
Lisa Perras, Northumberland
Sheridan Rodrique, Pittsburg
Maurice Champoux, Randolph
Harold Burns, W hitefield
Rep. John Tholl, Whitefield

Grafton County

Wesley Fortney, Alexandria
Harold "Skip" Reilly, Alexandria
Ernie Paquette, Ashland
Scott Moodie, Bath
Daniel Elliott, Benton
Shirley Briggs, Bethlehem
William Belser, Bristol
Hobart Harmon, Bristol
Rep. Burton Williams, Bristol
Christopher Dunstan, Campton
Robert Keay, Canaan
Mike Landry, Dorchester
Darrell Gearhart, Easton
Gilbert and Peggy Fanciullo, Enfield
Frank Neufell, Grafton
Joseph Bafumi, Hanover
Jerry Mitchell, Hanover
Sheriff Doug and Barbara Dutile, Haverhill
Beth Meyette, Haverhill
Ralph and Karyl Larson, Hebron
Sandra Perkins, Holderness
Mark Langdon, North Haverhill
John Roden, North Haverhill
John Rice, Landaff
Karen Cervantes, Lebanon
Dan Nash, Lebanon
Al Picconi Lebanon
Michael Dovholuk, Lincoln
John Northrop, Lisbon
Mike Gilman, Littleton
Brien Ward, Littleton
Deb Warner, Littleton
Roger and Chris B erger, Lyme
Linda and James Clark, Monroe
Charlie Sova, Orange
Larry Duffy, Orford
Bernie Marvin, Piermont
Scott Cathy, Plymouth
Allen Macneil, Plymouth
John Randlett, Plymouth
Adrian Vallieres, Rumney
Nick De Mayo, Sugar Hill
Clint Rand, Thornton
Keith Brown, Warren
Don Campbell, Wentworth
Bernie Campbell, West Lebanon
James Dean, West Lebanon

Hillsborough County

George Infanti, Amherst
Charlie Pyle, Amherst
Rep. Bob Rowe, Amherst
Carol Rymes, Antrim
John Cebrowski, Bedford
Jim Clemmons, Bedford
Evelyn Withee, Bedford
John LeFrancois, Bennington
Gail Novotny, Bennington
Edward Krom, Brookline
David & Nancy Cliffton, Deering
Dariel Peterson, Francestown
Natalie Sanderson, Francestown
Rep. Rip Holden, Goffstown
Aaron Kullgren, Greenfield
Mark Bradley, Greenville
Ann Bowes, Hancock
Jarvis & Bobbie Coffin, Hancock
Sheriff Walter Morse, Hillsborough-Windsor
Paul Sylvia, Hillsborough-Windsor
Marc Squires, Hollis
Roy Rumbaugh, Hudson
Debbie Glazier, Litchfield
Rep. Pam Coughlin, Lyndeborough-Mont Vernon
Tom & Norma McKinney, Lyndeborough-Mont Vernon
Rachel Peterson, Mason
Neal Capano, Manchester
Scott Caplain, Manchester
Robert Dastin, Manchester
Bill Golding, Manchester
Vic Goulet, Manchester
Keith Hirschmann, Ma nchester
Preston Lawrance, Manchester
Bill & Sharen Olender, Manchester
Leo Pepino, Manchester
Dr. Jeffrey Tolstad, Manchester
Kim Zachos, Manchester
Jack Balcom, Merrimack
Bob & Sally Kinney, Merrimack
Richard Maloon, Merrimack
Sen. Peter Bragdon, Milford
Steve Sareault, Milford
Karl Zahn, Milford
Nelson Allan, Nashua
Mark Cookson, Nashua
Scott Cote, Nashua
David Deane, Nashua
Robert Dion, Nashua
Da ve Fredette, Nashua
Wayne Gagne, Nashua
Bill Joransen, Nashua
Paul LaFlamme, Nashua
Will Landry, Nashua
Bill Machell, Nashua
Dave MacLaughlin, Nashua
Brian McCarthy, Nashua
Bill Mosher, Nashua
Dot Nice, Nashua
John & Kathy Palumbo, New Boston
Mayor Bernie Streeter, Nashua
John Young, New Boston
Shaun Doherty, Pelham
Sheriff Jim Hardy, Pelham
Brian McLarney, Pelham
Rep. Andy Peterson, Peterborough-Sharon
Allen Jowders, Wilton
David Roberge, Weare

Merrimack County

Peter Burdett, Allenstown, Bow
Stephanie Newbury, Boscawen
Shawn Spooner, Bradford
Jim Bassett, Canterbury
Kathryn Day, Canterbury
Charles Kupperman, Canterbury
Wayne & Ruth Mann, Canterbury
Karla Roth, Canterbury
Sherry Demers, Chichester
Curtis Barry, Concord
Peter Burger, Concord
Myril E. Cox, Concord
Mary Crump, Concord
Dan St. Hilaire, Concord
Jeremey Miller, Concord
Marsha Moran, Concord
Michael Panebianco, Concord
Dee Silfies, Concord
Greg Smith, Concord
George Waldron, Concord
Dr. Dennis Card, Dunbarton
Scott Murray, Dunbarton
Tony Saltani, Epsom
Bronwyn Asplund-Walsh, Franklin
Bill Grimm, Franklin
Rep. Dennis Reed, Franklin
Doug and Sue Robbins, Henniker
John Chandler, Hill
Brenda Dupuis, Hill
Tim Sweeney, Hooksett
Jane Bradstreet, Hopkinton
Joel Emlen, Hopkinton
John French, Hopkinton
Jim O'Brien, Hopkinton
Brian Silfies, Loudon
Dr. Dan Carlin, New London
Larry Ballin, New London
Dr. Dorothy Hitchmoth, New London
Steve Winter, Newbury
Sheriff Scott Hilliard, Northfield
David Liberatore, Northfield
Regina Baxter, Pembroke
Rob Johnson, Pittsfield
Chris and Alice Bentley, Salisbury
Sandy Nelson, Sutton
JD Colcord, Warner
Brian Milano, Webster
Peter Guest, Wilmot

Rockingham County

Steve Lewis, Atkinson
Commissioner Don Stritch, Auburn
Joanne Kenyon, Brentwood
Lisa and Mark Thompson, Brentwood
Leon Cyr, Candia
Rep. Gene and Dianna Charron, Chester
Kathy Eid, Danville
Paul Buffington, Deerfield
Rep. John Gleason, Derry
David Lee, Derry
Frank Sapareto, Derry
Al Wright, E. Kingston
Donald and Donna Oakes, Epping
Commissioner Maureen Barrows, Exeter
Dr. Dennis Derby, Exeter
Peter Bearse, Fremont
Michael Fitzgerald, Greenland
Butch and Kathy Ricci, Greenland
Jaye Dimando, Hampstead
Russ Bridle, Hampton
Rep. Nancy Stiles, Hampton
Joe and Alma Ripel, Kensington
Jim Thompson, Kensington
Polly Beaird, Hampton Falls
John Whittier, Kingston
Rep. Karen Hutchinson, Londonderry
Jim and Patrice Murray, Londonderry
Chief Joe Ryan, Londonderry
Dan Hughes, New Castle
Peter Rice, New Castle
Tom Gage, Newfields
Cynthia Cross, Newington
Bob Murray, Newmarket
Nicole Cook, Newton
Tom Markey, North Hampton
Shannan Brown, Northwood
Gail Powell, Nottingham
Roger Baribeau, Plaistow
Wayne Barrows, Portsmouth
Vincent Colella, Portsmouth
Jack Kelley, Portsmouth
Brad Lown, Portsmouth
Bill Wagner, Portsmouth
Greg Whalen, Portsmouth
Sen. Jack Barnes, Raymond
Sally Parody, Raymond
Rod Van Sciver, Rye
Peter Weeks, Rye
Bill Gilmore, Rye Beach
Janeen Dalrymple, Salem
Sen. Mike Downing, Salem
Chris Goodnow, Salem
Bob McGuire, Salem
Chris and Ruth-Ann Cooper, Sandown
Dot Dalton, Seabrook
Jay Levy, Stratham
Rep. Kevin and Kristin Waterhouse, Windham

Stafford County

George and Sandy Wattendorf, Barrington
Linda Condon, Barrington
Matt Mayberry, Dover
Dan Riss, Dover
Robert and Elaine Zubkus, Dover
Ken Young, Durham
Packy Campbell, Farmington
Shane Casimiro, Lee
Kevin Abbott, Madbury
Rick Huppe, Middleton
Bob Graham, Milton
Dan Steinbach, Milton
Paul Garland, New Durham
Jeremy Bradshaw, Rochester
Dan Wensley, Rochester
Mike Hill, Rollinsford
Heather Kre tchmar, Somersworth
Tom Brophy, Strafford
Charles Burnham, Strafford

Sullivan County

Kathy Moore, Charlestown
Don Clarke, Claremont
Chris Irish, Claremont
Alison and Keith Raymond, Claremont
Todd Ross, Goshen
Larry Fuller, Grantham
Steve Gray, Grantham
Royal Holmes, Langdon
Gordon Flint, Newport
Ron Purmont, Newport
Keith and Roanne Rogerson, Plainfield
Ellen Moore, Springfield
Donald Weatherson, Sunapee
Evelyn Boyce, Washington

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:15 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

NH Young Democrats’ President Gray Chynoweth

Endorses Clinton

Will Serve as National Co-chair of Hillblazers for Hillary

MANCHESTER – New Hampshire Young Democrats President Gray Chynoweth joined President Bill Clinton on stage at the National Young Democrats Convention tonight to announce his endorsement of Hillary Clinton. He will resign from his position effective Monday and serve as a National Co-Chair of Hillblazers for Hillary.

”I have come to believe that there is only one candidate, only one, that has the experience and the tenacity to make a difference in the lives of all Americans and who has what it takes to take on the Republicans and take back the White House. That candidate is Hillary Clinton,” said Chynoweth.

Hillary has demonstrated her commitment to the issues that matter most to America’s youth. She believes they have the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, pursue a higher education, purchase a home, enjoy a fulfilling career, afford childcare, and live in a country that holds the same stature in the world as America did when she was growing up. Recently, she introduced plans to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act and make college affordable.

“Today’s young people are tomorrow’s leaders and I am gratified to have the support of so many of them throughout the Granite State,” said Senator Clinton. “I am honored that Gray shares my vision for the future of our country and I will look to him to engage his peers throughout New Hampshire.. His hard work will help make this campaign a success.”

Earlier this month, NH for Hillary announced 352 student leaders on 10 campuses across the state of New Hampshire supporting Hillary. In addition, supporters have already started more than 120 Students for Hillary chapters in 37 states, and the campaign expects many more to begin in the coming weeks. The campaign also unveiled a Web site, www.hillblazers.com , which will serve as the principal organizing tool for students and other young voters. Chynoweth will be the first chair named to the National Hillblazers Steering Committee which is made up of young leaders from across the country

“There is no time to waste. I feel I must join in the fight to help elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States. I have found that I care too much about this country and believe too much in the good that Hillary would do for all of us to just sit on the sidelines. We all must stand up now and get to work. And, I encourage every Young Democrat in New Hampshire and across the country to join Hillary's team in this campaign,” said Chynoweth.

Chynoweth has recently accepted a position as the legal counsel for Dynamic Network Services, Inc. (DynDNS) - a Manchester-based technology company. He is also a member of the executive board of the Manchester Young Professionals Network. His primary area of practice is real estate and he focuses on representing small and mid-sized business. Gray is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and earned his JD from Duke University.

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:46 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

NH for Hillary Announces Over 500 Veterans for Hillary

MANCHESTER, NH – Hillary continues to receive widespread and diverse support throughout the Granite State, and today the New Hampshire for Hillary campaign announced the names of 527 Veterans for Hillary.

“Hillary Clinton believes that once our soldiers have fulfilled their obligation to our country, our country must fulfill its obligation to them and to their families,” said Bob Hannan, Air Force veteran and Co-Chair of Veterans for Hillary. “She has worked diligently to see that the brave men and women who serve are our nation receive the benefits they have been promised.”

Hillary Clinton has a long history of fighting for our veterans. As President, she will enact a GI Bill of Rights for the 21st century that will offer service members, veterans and their families with expanded education, housing and entrepreneurial benefits. In addition, as President, Hillary will ensure that all of the 1.8 million uninsured veterans in this country has access to quality, affordable health care and will establish a pilot program on homelessness prevention for veterans. The program will provide subsidies, eviction prevention, and one-time assistance for veterans who fall behind on their rent.

“Senator Clinton has been a champion for proper treatment of our troops – while they are serving and when they return,” said State Representative and Air Force Veteran Eleanor Kjellman. “As a leader on the Senate Armed Services committee, she has successfully fought to ensure the troops receive proper training and necessary supplies, such as body armor. Hillary has also worked to make certain that our veterans receive quality medical care, and that they have access to educational and employment opportunities.

When Hillary Clinton is president, she will end the war in Iraq. Her three-step plan would bring our troops home, work to bring stability to the region, and replace military force with a new diplomatic initiative to engage countries around the world in securing Iraq's future. Hillary has also been fighting in the Senate to force the President to change course.

“I was registered as an independent for a long time and always explore every option before making a decision. After getting a chance to meet Hillary, my choice was clear,” said John Cesana of Hudson, who served 27 years in the Army and the Army Reserve. “She will listen to you. She will talk to you. And she will answer you. I know that she will be a leader who stands up for our nation’s troops.”

The New Hampshire for Hillary campaign also released a new video featuring local Veterans for Hillary. The video can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW08j6_glkU .

“I am honored to have the support of these men and women from across the Granite State who have so honorably served on our country’s behalf,” said Senator Clinton. “Together we will work to finally bring an end to the war in Iraq, rebuild America’s role in the world, and deliver on the promises made to the men and women who have served our country.”

Following is a complete list of Granite State Veterans for Hillary.

North Country

Rene Bisson, Berlin; Army

Normand Bouchard, Berlin

Frank Chapell, Berlin; Army

Raymond Croteau, Berlin; Navy

Francis Delorge, Berlin; Army

Maurice Duchesne, Berlin; Army

Normand Duclos, Berlin; Air Force

Lucien Dupuis, Berlin; Navy

Nancy Ehrig, Lancaster; Army

Karen Fesler, Bath

Paul Godin, Berlin; Air Force

John Graham, Franconia; Navy

Norman Grondin, Berlin; Navy

Lloyd Honnon, Gorham

Joseph Ippolito, Colebrook; Navy

Ivan Kennedy, Gorham; Army

Antonio Laflamme, Littleton; Army

Henry Lanteigne, Berlin

Donald Lapointe, Berlin; Air Force

Linda Lauer, Bath; Navy

Harold Leath, Berlin; Army

Gerard Lepage, Berlin; Navy

Robert Litvin, Berlin; Army

Robert Mainguy, Berlin; Navy

Rep. Edgar Mears, Berlin; Navy

Frank Morin, Berlin; Navy

Raymond Paradis, Milan; Navy

Robert Pepin, Berlin; Marines

Norman Perkins, Gorham; Army

Jules Poulin, Berlin; Army

Donald Rich, Milan

Henry Riendeau, Berlin; Army

Roland Roberge, Berlin; Army

Roland Roberge, Groveton; Air Force

Denis Roy, Milan

Roland Roy, Berlin; Marines

Bradford Whipple, Sugar Hill

Paul Wilson, Groveton;

Stephen Woodcock, Conway

Claremont

Robert Deline, Claremont;

Theobald Frechette, Claremont; Canadian Army

Carroll French, Langdon

Brian Johnson, Claremont; Navy

Norman Monroe, Claremont; Air Force

Eileen Skowronski, Claremont

Concord Area

Brian Bailey, Henniker

Kenneth Barrett, Concord

Roy Baum, Chichester

Joseph Belliveau, Contoocook; Navy

Norman Boudreau, Pembroke; Marines

William Brasley, Pembroke; Army, Tank Destroyers Battalion

William Campbell, New London; Navy

Norman Dennis, Henniker; Army

Roy Downes, Salisbury; National Guard

Arthur Ducharme, Greenfield; Air Force

Robert Dyment, Pembroke; Army

Stephen Enroth, North Sutton

Leonard Gilman, Pittsfield; Marines

Lane Gorton, Bennington; Army

Warren Greenough, Concord; Navy

Alan Hall, Contoocook; Navy

Dennis Hewitt, Allenstown; Coast Guard

Willis Hill, Concord; Navy

John Hoar, Concord

William Kelso, Canterbury; Air Force

Rep. Eleanor Kjellman, Henniker; Air Force

William Kuhlman, Concord; Navy, Air Force

Bruce Lebrun, Penacook; Marines

Thelma Lemire, Franklin; Marines

Murray Loss, Hillsborough

Ernest Mahar, Franklin; Navy

Richard Martell, Allenstown; Army

John Michaud, Concord; Navy

Robert Miner, Epsom; Army

Henry Mowatt, Concord; Army

Mary Mowatt, Concord; Navy Nurse

Tudor Richards, Contoocook

Paul Riel, Pittsfield; Air Force

Zach Roberts, Henniker; Marines

Terry Shumaker, Bow; JAG Corps

William Stiles, Pittsfield; Army

Frank Taylor, Hillsborough; Army

Charles Trowbridge, Bradford; Navy, Army

Walter Valley, Hillsborough; Air Force

Frederick Wolf, Concord; Army National Guard

Carl Wyss, Chichester

Arthur Zirngiebel, Chichester; Army

Dover Area

Robert Beaudoin, Somersworth; Marines

Roland Belhumeur, Dover

Raymond Bernard, Newmarket; Marine

Rep. Roger Berube, Somersworth; Navy

William Caldwell, Dover; Marines

Jay Dean, Dover; Air Force

Charles Dearborn, Newmarket; National Guard

Hector Desjardins, Dover; Navy

Dennis Flanagan, Somersworth; Army

Ronald Forbes, Dover; Navy

Armand Gagnon, Somersworth; Navy

Rep. Earle Goodwin, Dover

Ludwik Goscinski, Somersworth; Navy

Bob Hannan, Dover; Air Force

Rep. Roland Hofemann, Dover; Air Force

James Knowles, Dover

Rep. William Knowles, Dover; Air Force

Dorothy Lafont, Lee; Air Force

Edward Larrabee, Dover; Navy

Ken Latchaw, Dover; Navy

William Linchey, Dover; Navy

Robert McGloan, Dover

Albert Moreau, Dover; Army Air Corps

Philippe Morrissette, Dover; Navy

Raymond Morse, Dover; Army

Brian Murphy, Newmarket; Army

Frank Pasternak, Somersworth; Marines

Henry Pike, Dover; Army

John Rubino, Dover; Air Force

William Shaheen, Madbury

Eugene Tillock, Durham; Army

Maurice Ward, Somersworth; Army

Keene Area

Donald Anderson, Jaffrey; Army Medical Corps

Richard Beauregard, Jaffrey

David Belletete, Swanzey; Afghanistan Veteran

Paul Burnham, Jaffrey; Army

Michael Carbone, Keene

Raymond Constantine, Jaffrey

Philip Croteau, Keene

Gerald Elliott, Jaffrey; Navy

Gilbert Evans, Keene; Army

Sherwood Jackson, Stoddard; Army

Raymond Johnson, Keene; Marines

Robert Kennedy, Winchester; Navy

John Lafreniere, Jaffrey; Army

Arthur Lienhardt, Jaffrey; Army

Lionel Lortie, Keene; Army

Harry Martin, Hinsdale; Medical Corps

James Murphy, Jaffrey; Air Force

Joseph Poisson, Keene; Navy

Leo Richard, Swanzey; Army

James Rounds, Winchester; Army

Wendell Roye, Keene; Army

William Russell, Winchester; Army, Tank Destroyer Battallion

Harry Scott, North Walpole; Navy

Charles Stroble, Swanzey; Air Force

David Swenson, Keene; NSA

John Trubiano, Keene

Raymond Wallace, Jaffrey; Army

Jerome Weinrieb, Swanzey; Army Air Corps

Lakes Region

Arthur Betourne, Belmont; Navy

George Bridgeman, Laconia

Peter Casey, Gilmanton

Louis Dall, Barnstead; Marines

Duke Dawalga, Tilton; Air Force

William Donovan, Gilmanton; Army

Donald Frost, Gilford; Navy

Robert Giguere, Laconia; Navy

Eugene Greenwood, Belmont; Marines

George Houle, Laconia; Army, Air Force

Robert Meredith, Center Barnstead; Army

Philip Moreau, Gilford; Air Force

Joseph Prisco, Alton; Air Force

Richard Sanderson, New Hampton; Air Force

James Sycovaris, Gilford

Israel Willard, Gilmanton; Marines

Derry Area

Bernard Bowie, Hampstead; Navy

Gerald Brand, Derry

Vincent Callahan, Sandown

Calvin Cameron, West Chesterfield; Army

Robert Celeste, Derry; Army

George Chaloux, Derry; Navy

Milton Christian, Derry

Alberto Frasca, Derry

Donald Gagne, Derry; Navy

Frederick Gresch, Hampstead

Melvin Heidt, Londonderry; Navy

Jeffrey Jones, Derry; Marines

Mary Jones, Derry; Navy

Haigaz Krikorian, Derry; Army

Andrew Laroche, E Hampstead; Navy

Joseph Longey, Chester

William Mafera, Derry; Marines

Francis Mahoney, Hampstead

William Malatesta, Chester

Joseph Marston, Derry; Army Air Corps

Robert McRobbie, Derry

Daniel Mulhall, Sandown; Army

Norman Page, Derry; Army

Ken Putney, Sandown

Ernest Rutherford, Chester; Air Force

Joel Saren, East Hampstead; Marines

Charles Shapiro, Londonderry; Army Air Corps

Daniel Shelpman, Derry

Justin Sidley, Derry; Navy

Tim Siekmann, Londonderry

John Sullivan, Londonderry; Army

William Timledge, Sandown; Marines

Manchester Area

John Balon, Bedford

Francis Bartula, Manchester; Navy

Joseph Beauregard, Goffstown; Army Air Corps

Dennis Beer, Auburn

Edward Bellemare, Bedford

Joseph Bennett, Manchester; Army

Ronald Bissonnette, Goffstown; Navy, Army

Roger Bleau, Manchester; Army

William Block, Manchester

Roger Boisvert, Manchester

Edward Bolton, Manchester; Marines

Robert Boudreau, Manchester

Norman Bouley, Auburn; Army Reserve

Rene Bourque, Manchester; Navy

Maurice Breton, Hooksett; Navy

Richard Bruner, Bedford; Navy

Howard Bugbee, Goffstown; Army

Joan Burgan, Manchester; Navy

Peter Burkush, Manchester; Army Air Corps

Louis Buxton, Manchester; Army

William Carbone, Manchester

Hon. William Cashin, Manchester

William Cavanaugh, Auburn; Air Force

Philip Chaplain, Bedford; Army, Tank Destroyers Battalion

Andrew Cohen, Manchester; Maine Air National Guard

Floyd Colburn, Weare

Ernest Corey, Manchester

Armand Cote, Hooksett

John Coyne, Manchester

Robert Dennis, Manchester

Pierre Dezainde, Manchester; Army

Eugene Donati, Hooksett; Army Medical Corps

Maurice Doyle, Manchester; Army

Romeo Dubreuil, Manchester; Navy

Gilbert Estey, Candia; Army

Edgar Faucher, Manchester; Army

Joseph Fielding, Manchester; Army

Rene Flurey, Manchester; Marines

Melvin Fogle, Manchester; Navy

Louis Foskin, Manchester; Army

John Frain, Weare; Army

Richard French, Manchester; Navy

Hildred Gardner, Manchester

Vincent Giambartolome, Bedford; Navy

Peter Giampa, Manchester

Roland Gionet, Manchester; Air Force

Anthony Gordon, Raymond; Army Engineers

George Guimond, Manchester; Army

Donald Hartley, Bedford; Coast Guard

Richard Hayes, Manchester; Army Air Corps

Albert Heggelund, Auburn; Marines, Army

Walter Ingaharro, Candia; Marines

Bruce Johanson, Manchester; Navy

David Johnson, Manchester; Army

Walter Joyce, Manchester

Nicholas Kacavas, Manchester; Navy

Nicholas Kalipolites, Manchester

John Kapp, Manchester; Marines

Hon. John King, Manchester; Navy

James King, Manchester; Air Force

Merton King, Hooksett; Army

Thomas King, Manchester

Charles Kokkinos, Manchester; Army

Dennis Kounas, Candia; Air Force

Stanley Kuzia, Manchester

Roland Laflamme, Manchester; Army

Gerard Lagasse, Manchester

Thomas Lambert, Manchester; Army

Roger Lang, Manchester; Navy

Ralph Lavallee, Goffstown; Army

Robert Ledoux, Hooksett

Robert Legasse, Manchester; Army

Gerard Lemay, Manchester; Navy

Normand Lemay, Manchester; Air Force

Lucien Lemire, Manchester

Robert Leonard, Manchester; Army Air Corps

Menelaos Lianos, Manchester; Army

John Mahoney, Manchester; Air Force

Pete Manning, Manchester; Iraq Veteran

Patricia McCarthy, Manchester; Women's Land Army

Arthur McCloskey, Manchester; Army

Richard McDonough, Manchester

John McNally, Manchester; Navy, Air Force

Ralph Mehlhorn, Manchester; Army Air Corps

John Morakis, Manchester; Army

Angel Morales, Candia

Hugh Muir, Manchester; Marines

Franklin Neddeau, Manchester; Army

Edward Newdorf, Manchester; Army Air Corps

Denis Norton, Hooksett; Navy

Nassery Noufel, Manchester; Air Force

Frederick Oconnor, Manchester; Air Force

Felix Ostrouch, Manchester; Army Air Corps

Bertrand Ouellette, Auburn; Air Force

Thomas Padden, Manchester; Army

Edgar Paquin, Hooksett; Army

Mark Pare, Manchester

Emile Pinard, Manchester; Air Force

Marcel Pinard, Manchester; Navy

Frank Pizzutillo, Manchester; Army

Robert Platek, Manchester; Air Force

Philip Plentzas, Manchester; Marines

Eugene Prest, Hooksett; Navy

Paul Proulx, Manchester; Air Force

George Provost, Manchester; Navy

Richard Querze, Manchester; Air Force

Roger Raiche, Bedford

Alfred Ranger, Manchester; Air Force

Lionel Reed, Manchester; Air Force

Frank Reidy, Manchester; Army

David Rennie, Manchester; Navy

Alfred Richardson, Manchester

Antonio Roberge, Manchester; Army

David Roche, Manchester; Navy

Frederick Rose, Candia

Charles Rossier, Merrimack

Vincent Roukey, Manchester; Marines

Henry Royer, Manchester; Army

Bernard Rubin, Manchester; Army

Joe Saxon, Candia

George Shapiro, Merrimack; Navy

William Silakos, Manchester; Army

Arthur St Cyr, Manchester; Navy

Armand Talbot, Goffstown; Navy

Marcel Talbot, Manchester; Air Force

Barbara Allen Upton, Bedford

Napoleon Vachon, Manchester; Navy

William Watts, Manchester; Army

Francis Weber, Candia

Russell Zela, Manchester; Army

Nashua Area

Michael Atkins, Lyndeborough; JAG Corps

Raymond Barriault, Hudson; OSS

Thomas Barry, Nashua

Roland Bedard, Hudson

Gerard Belanger, Hudson

Gordon Bennett, Amherst

Frederick Bieber, Hudson; Royal Canadian Air Force

Roy Blaisdell, Nashua

Paul Bleau, Nashua; Air Force

Robert Boggis, Nashua; Army

Charles Boghigian, Nashua

Alfred Bouchard, Nashua; Army

Janice Bouchard, Nashua; Air Force

Raymond Brousseau, Hudson

Wilfred Cabana, Peterborough; Air Force

Lee Caron, Nashua; Navy and Army

Michael Cascini, Hudson; Army

John Cesana, Hudson; Army, former commander Hudson VFW Post

Robert Cloutier, Hudson; Marines

Roger Cloutier, Nashua; Air Force

Demetrios Coutsonikas, Nashua

Grant Dearborn, Hudson; Navy

Albert Desrosiers, Hudson

Benjamin Devoid, Milford

Raymond Dionne, Hudson; Navy

Paul Donovan, Peterborough; Air Force

Raymond Drouin, Hudson; Navy

Irving Dunckelman, Peterborough; Army

John Dunn, Hollis; British Navy

John Ferbert, Hudson; Army

Robert Fish, Nashua

John Galbo, Nashua; Army

David Geoffrey, Peterborough; Army

James Gorman, Nashua

Rep. Paul Hackel, Nashua

Alfred Haley, Hudson; Air Force

Paul Haskell, Hudson; Navy

Edmund Henault, Peterborough; Navy

Raymond Hewey, Nashua; Air Force

Stephen Homoleski, Brookline; Air Force

James Kearns, Hudson

Richard Keating, Milford

Laurie Keller, Nashua; Army Artillery

Keith Killgren, Nashua; National Guard, Afghanistan Veteran

Kenneth King, Peterborough; Army

Thomas Kostoulakos, Nashua; National Guard

Maurice Labrie, Nashua; Army

Peter Lachapelle, Nashua; Navy

Raymond Lafleur, Hudson; Army

Roland Lefebvre, Nashua; Air Force, Former Commander Nashua VFW Post

Joseph Lessard, Peterborough; Air Force

Theodore Lessard, Nashua; Army

Normand Loranger, Nashua; Army

Maynard Maddocks, Hudson; Marines

Peter Markiewicz, Nashua; Army

Bernard Martin, Nashua

John McKillop, Nashua; Army

Gerald McMillan, Hudson; Army

Fernand Morin, Hudson; Army

James Myers, Hudson; Navy

Julius Narkunas, Nashua; Army Air Corps

Armand Nourie, Nashua; Army

Nathaniel Ober, New Ipswich

Gerald Olsen, Nashua; Army

David Otte, Hudson; Army

Richard Ouellette, Nashua; Air Force

Richard Palmer, Hudson; Army

John Pappas, Nashua

Frank Parker, Nashua; Army

Hedley Parsons, Mont Vernon; Army, Field Artillery

David Phillips, Nashua; Air Force

Eugene Potterton, Hudson; Navy

Gary Price, Mont Vernon; Air Force

Peggy Price, Mont Vernon; Air Force

George Rancourt, Hudson; Air Force

Joseph Reid, Nashua; Navy

Hugh Roberts, Amherst; Navy

Normand Rochette, Nashua; Air Force

Victor Schulze, Nashua; Navy and Army

James Shea, Peterborough; Air Force

Donald Tharp, Hudson; Army

Gareth Vincent, Hudson

Michael Bannan, Bristol; Air Force

Charles Buhrman, Plymouth

Richard Carrara, Hebron; Air Force

Aurol Chaisson, Ashland; Air Force

Jules Doner, Campton

Rep. Carole Estes, Plymouth

Everett Jesseman, Piermont; Army Engineers

John Northrup, Campton; Air Force

John Scarborough, Plymouth; Marines

Valerie Scarborough, Plymouth; Marines

John Townsend, Plymouth; Navy

Seacoast

Andrew Tuttle, Bristol; Army

Robert Allen, Kingston; Navy

Guy Arno, Hampton; Navy

John Arno, Portsmouth; Army

Eugene Balthaser, Greenland

Roger Beaupre, Epping; Army

Walter Belkovicz, Brentwood

Mary Bishop, Hampton; Navy

Leeman Boston, Portsmouth; Marines

Diane Botzum, Hampton

Thomas Bridge, Hampton; Air Force

Charles Burrill, Kingston; Navy

Wesley Calder, Greenland; Marines

Robert Casazza, Hampton; Navy

Edward Cassidy, Hampton; Army

Carlos Castro, Portsmouth; Army

Manuel Chavez, Portsmouth

Thomas Conway, Hampton

Paul Cote, Exeter; Army

Louis Defazio, Seabrook

Joseph Doucette, Newton

John Duffin, Hampton; Navy

Gary Flood, Epping; Army

William French, Hampton; Marines

Rodney Gagnon, Exeter

Patricia Gormley, Portsmouth; Marines, Navy

Armand Hebert, Hampton

Richard Hollihan, Portsmouth

Jerome Jean, Epping; Army

Donald Lavallee, Hampton; Army

F Marshall, Stratham; Navy

Richard McCleary, Portsmouth; Air Force

Frank McEachern, Hampton; Navy

Robert Merrick, Kingston; Army

Vincent Michniewich, Portsmouth; Army Air Corps

Richard Mills, Portsmouth; Army

Skip Mobbs, Portsmouth; Air Force

George Novell, Epping; Army

Robert Parshley, Kingston; Army

Edwin Pecker, Kingston; Navy

Leonard Pufahl, Portsmouth; Air Force

Charles Rogers, Rye; Navy

James Schlough, Stratham; Marines

John Senter, Epping; Navy

Howard Sloan, Epping; Air Force

Roger Soucy, Epping; Army

Henry Sullivan, Hampton

Joseph Verna, Portsmouth; Army

Stuart Vogel, Exeter

Thomas Weisensee, Epping; Navy

Melvin Wilt, Hampton

Donald Yemma, East Kingston; Navy

Rochester Area

Leonard Arkerson, Middleton; Navy

Arthur Beane, Rochester; Air Force

Manuel Blattstein, Rochester; Army

Robert Breton, Rochester; Seabees

Rep. George Brown, Rochester

Richard Canney, Farmington; Army

Harry Colbath, Farmington; Marines

William Coyne, Barrington

Rep. James Cyr, Strafford

Albert Doak, Farmington; Navy

Armand Dostie, Rochester

Roland Dubois, Rochester; Navy

Claire Fabiano, Rochester; Navy

James Fabiano, Rochester; Navy

Barry Flanagan, Rochester; Navy

George Fleming, Barrington

Robin Flockerzi, Rochester; Marines, Air National Guard

Walter Goodale, Rochester; Army

Lawrence Grassi, Barrington; Navy

Bradford Harrington, Rochester; Army

Roland Lefebvre, Rochester; Army

Bernard McGlone, Farmington; Navy

Kenneth Neal, Farmington; Army

George Nichols, Rochester; Army

Wayne Perreault, Barrington

Carmel Radwan, Rochester; Navy

Eugene Risso, Barrington; Navy

Louis Ryan, Middleton; Army

Carl Stanley, Rochester; Army, Air Force

Harold Surago, Farmington; Army

Norman Talbot, Rochester; Marines

Thomas Taylor, Farmington; Navy

Valmore Vachon, Rochester; Army

Rogers Ward, Rochester; Army

Salem Area

Raymond Busta, Atkinson; Army

William Connell, Atkinson; Navy

John Cronin, Pelham; Army

Harley Featherston, Salem

Jerome Gosselin, Salem; Army

Raymond Harmacinski, Salem; Navy

William Knoop, Pelham; Air Force

Robert Leslie, Salem; Marines

Charles Mooskian, Pelham; Navy, Commander, Pelham VFW Post

Christos Payos, Salem; Air Force

Everett Smith, Atkinson; Air Force

James Thomas, Atkinson; Air Force

Jerry Burt, Plainfield

William Ellis, Grafton

Robert Ells, Orange

Hon. Ralph Hough, Grantham

Victor Kaplan, Hanover

Irving Ligeti, Lebanon; Air Force

Paul McNamara, West Lebanon; Air Force

Allan Monica, Lebanon; Marines

Eugene Seiffert, Enfield

Howard Shaffer, Enfield

John Stevens, Lebanon; Air Force

Posted by Michael McCord at 04:01 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

JOHN MCCAIN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

ARLINGTON, Va. -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released a new television ad, entitled "Outrageous," to run statewide in New Hampshire and in the Boston market. The new ad focuses on John McCain's commitment to ending wasteful pork-barrel spending in Washington.

John McCain, named a "Taxpayer Hero" by Citizens Against Government Waste, has led the fight against wasteful spending. Time Magazine said McCain has "spent his entire Senate career exposing wasteful pork-barrel projects" while National Journal called him a "longtime foe of pork-barrel spending."

Long before it was politically popular, John McCain was leading a tough and often lonely fight against pork-barrel spending and government waste. McCain was an original co-sponsor of the Line Item Veto more than a decade ago and routinely votes against irresponsible spending bills. McCain was one of only four senators to vote against the pork-laden Highway Bill that contained the infamous "bridge to nowhere."

As John McCain said in New Hampshire this weekend, "It's pretty clear that Senator Clinton is running for president to continue business as usual. I'm running for president to put the business as usual crowd out of business."

VIEW THE NEW AD HERE: http://www.johnmccain.com/tvads/

VIEW THE YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TR5079To9Y

Script for "Outrageous" (:30-TV)

ANNCR: 233 million for a bridge to nowhere.

Outrageous.

3 million to study the DNA of bears in Montana.

Unbelievable.

A million dollars for a Woodstock Museum -- in a bill sponsored by Hillary Clinton.

Predictable.

Who has the guts to stand up to wasteful government spending?

One man.

John McCain.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'll stop wasteful spending by Congress. And restore Americans' trust in their government.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

John McCain Is A Longtime Opponent Of Pork-Barrel Spending

John McCain Named A Lifetime "Taxpayer Hero" By Citizens Against Government Waste. (Citizens Against Government Waste Website, www.cagw.org , Accessed 11/12/07)

In 2006, Pork Busters, A Collaboration Of Fiscal-Watchdog Groups, Labeled John McCain An "Anti-Pork Hero." (Porkbusters' Website, porkbusters.org , 5/4/06, Accessed 3/20/07)

Time Magazine: "[John McCain] has spent his entire Senate career exposing wasteful pork-barrel projects." (Massimo Calabresi and Perry Bacon Jr., "America's 10 Best Senators," Time, 4/24/06)

National Journal: "[McCain is] a longtime foe of pork barrel spending." (David Baumann, "Finding It Hard to Say No,'" National Journal, 7/13/02)

National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru: "[McCain] has been tough on spending, and been willing to ally with the most conservative members of the Senate to fight earmarks. He has been a stalwart free trader ... Curbing the growth of entitlements, he says, will be one of his top priorities as president. He has long supported personal accounts." (Ramesh Ponnuru, "The Coming McCain Moment," National Review, 3/9/07)

Former Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX): "To ask if he would really take on the spending establishment that runs Congress is to ask if water will wet, if fire will burn. If you want to end the spending spree in Washington, he is your man." (Phil Gramm, Op-Ed, "Why John McCain," The Wall Street Journal, 2/20/07)

Bob Novak: "If party leaders in Congress at long last heed McCain's counsel [on spending], it would mark the beginning of wisdom." (Robert Novak, Op-Ed, "Republican Blindness," The Washington Post, 11/9/06)

John McCain Has Routinely Voted Against Irresponsible Spending Bills

John McCain Was One Of Only Four Senators To Vote Against Pork-Laden Highway Bill Which Contained The Infamous "Bridge To Nowhere." (H.R. 3, CQ Vote #220: Adopted 91-4: R 48-4; D 42-0; I 1-0, 7/29/05, McCain Voted Nay)

· John McCain: "This monstrosity of a conference report which costs an astounding $286.4 billion is both terrifying in its fiscal consequences and disappointing for the lack of fiscal discipline it represents." (Sen. John McCain, "Statement Of Senator John McCain On Conference Report Accompanying H.R. 3, SAFETEA-LU," Press Release, 7/29/05)

John McCain Voted Against The FY 2004 Consolidated Appropriations Bill, Stuffed With Over $11 Billion In Pork-Barrel Spending. (H.R. 2673, CQ Vote #3: Adopted (Thus Cleared For The President) 65-28: R 44-4; D 21-23 (ND 14-22, SD 7-1); I 0-1 1/22/04, McCain Voted Nay)

· John McCain: "Americans have heard much about the growing problem of identity theft. Mr. President, what we have before us is perhaps the most costly case of identity theft imaginable. It appears that the big spenders in Washington have all but stolen the credit card numbers of every hard-working taxpayer in America and gone on a limitless spending spree for parochial, pork-barrel projects, leaving the taxpayers to pay and pay." (Sen. John McCain, "Statement Of Senator John McCain On The FY 04 Omnibus," Press Release, 1/22/04)

John McCain Voted Against The Medicare Prescription Drug Bill, Which Constituted The Largest Expansion In Entitlement Spending Since The Inception Of Medicare In 1965. (H.R. 1, CQ Vote #262: Passed 76-21: R 40-10; D 35-11; I 1-0, 6/27/03, McCain Voted Nay; H.R. 1, CQ Vote #459: Adopted 54-44: R 42-9; D 11-35; I 1-0, 11/25/03, McCain Voted Nay)

John McCain Has Long Fought For Line Item Veto

"In 1996, McCain Won A 10-Year Battle To Enact The Line-Item Veto, But The Supreme Court Declared The Law Unconstitutional Two Years Later." (Lorraine Woellert, "Searching For The Real McCain," Newsweek, 11/22/99)

2006: John McCain Was Original Co-Sponsor Of Legislative Line Item Veto Act Of 2006. (S. 2381, Introduced 3/7/06)

2006: John McCain Introduced Separate Enrollment and Line Item Veto Act of 2006. (S. 2443, Introduced 3/16/06)

John McCain: "Give the President the same authority that 43 Governors use in their States: the right to reach into massive appropriation bills, pare away the waste, and enforce budget discipline. Let's approve the line-item veto." (Sen. John McCain, "McCain Statement On Line Item Veto Bill," Press Release, 3/16/06).

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:55 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

DURING ‘PROMISE OF A BETTER AMERICA’ WEEK, JOHN EDWARDS UNVEILS FIVE-POINT PLAN TO REFORM SYSTEM FOR TREATING AMERICAN VETERANS SUFFERING FROM POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

In observance of Veterans’ Day, Edwards discusses plan to restore sacred contract between our government and our veterans

MANCHESTER – Today at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH, John Edwards unveiled a five-point plan to reform our nation’s system for treating veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A recent study found the number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for PTSD from the Department of Veterans Affairs increased by nearly 20,000—almost 70%—in the year ending in June 2007. Today, as we observe Veterans’ Day across the country, Edwards proposed a comprehensive plan to address the difficulties that veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan currently face in receiving treatment for PTSD.

Edwards’ plan would:

Increase the time that service members spend at home between tours of duty
Improve resources, training and outreach to help eliminate the stigma associated with PTSD
Aggressively resolve the backlog of PTSD claims currently faced by the VA
Provide a comprehensive medical examination for each service member upon his or her departure from the service
Create a new national chain of care to ensure that no veteran’s medical care falls through the cracks

“Addressing the shocking increase in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder is an urgent moral issue,” Edwards said. “Warriors should never be ashamed to deal with the personal consequences of war. When our service men and women sacrifice so much to defend our freedom and secure peace around the world, we have a moral obligation to take care of them and their families. Our troops have risked their lives to fulfill the promise of a better America that we all believe in. We must stand by those who stand by us.”

In Plymouth, Edwards was introduced by former Army Captain Drew Sloan who served two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan despite being badly injured in a Humvee attack in Afghanistan in 2004. After a year and a half of surgeries and physical therapy, Sloan returned to Iraq to continue serving his country.

Below, please find the full fact sheet on John Edwards’ plan to address the treatment of PTSD.

John Edwards: A Five-Point Plan for PTSD

“Addressing the shocking increase in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder is an urgent moral issue. I believe in restoring the sacred contract between our country and America’s veterans and military families. We must stand by those who stand by us. When our service men and women sacrifice so much to defend our freedom and secure peace around the world, we have a moral obligation to take care of them and their families.”

-- John Edwards

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in an enormous human cost for America’s service men and women and their families. A recent study found the number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the Department of Veterans Affairs increased nearly 20,000—almost 70%—in the year ending in June 2007. PTSD is also one of the causes of the alarming rate of homelessness among our veterans—26% of veterans today are homeless. The PTSD crisis is one of the most egregious results of the Bush Administration’s mismanagement of the war in Iraq, where accelerated deployments and inadequate battle plans have put our troops and their families at risk. And it is another reason we should avoid another so-called “preventive war” in Iran, which will make force an option no longer of last resort, at a time when we can ill afford to place our troops under even greater stress. [USA Today, 2007; New York Times, 2007]

Senator John Edwards strongly believes we must restore the sacred contract we have with our veterans and their families, and that we must begin by reforming our system for treating PTSD. As president, Edwards will enact the following five-point plan for PTSD:

Give service members more time at home. The ideal “dwell-time” between deployments is twice as much time at home as on tour. Inadequate dwell time leads to higher levels of PTSD, as soldiers have too little time to recuperate, aggravating any mental stress from service in the field. The Bush Administration has extended tours to 15 months, with troops given too little time at home in between deployments. Troops have also been redeployed with PTSD—a problem even the Bush Administration has described as “daunting and growing.” As president, Senator Edwards will avoid deployment patterns likely to lead to higher levels of PTSD. He will also avoid reckless military decisions like a so-called “preventive war” with Iran that could hurt our troops and their families. [Veterans for America 2007; DOD Task Force on Mental Health, 2007].

Improve resources, training, and outreach: We must refocus our attention on PTSD and remove the stigma that too long has been associated with the disorder. A warrior should not be ashamed to get treatment for the personal consequences of the experience of war. Too often, however, veterans have a difficult time getting counseling because there are not enough trained counselors in the TRICARE and VA networks. Veterans also sometimes avoid getting care within the networks because of the stigma associated with PTSD. Edwards will act to remove the stigma from PTSD, increase counseling resources within the TRICARE and VA networks and will permit veterans to access counseling outside of the networks. Edwards will also improve training for health personnel to recognize and treat PTSD and establish uniform standards for mental health care. Finally, he will ensure outreach is extended to family members, who can help recognize symptoms of PTSD and help their loved ones get the help they need.

Aggressively resolve the claim backlog: The VA currently has a backlog between 400,000 and 600,000 claims, and wait times for initial determinations of up to 6 months. This means that veterans with PTSD have to suffer longer. Edwards will adopt an aggressive, goal-oriented approach to processing the backlog. As president, he will process the entire backlog that exists when he takes office by Memorial Day 2009, and will cut the average processing time in half. [CNN 2007].

Provide a comprehensive medical examination: Too often, veterans receive their first medical examination months or even years after they leave the service, which makes it difficult to ascertain whether an injury is service-related, creating difficulties and inefficiencies later. As president, Edwards will create a new system providing each service member with a comprehensive, standardized medical examination immediately upon leaving the service, and will link that examination with the disability rating. Both will be included in a new “Homefront Redeployment Plan” every veteran will receive.

A national chain of care: Once our service members become veterans, we have to make sure the system doesn’t fail them. As president, Edwards will create a new national chain of care to ensure that no veteran again falls through the cracks. Because many veterans receive treatment outside the VA system, this chain will coordinate treatment and benefits in outreach centers and clinics in every county where a veteran resides, both within and outside the VA network.

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:22 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BIDEN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

BIDEN DELIVERS MAJOR ADDRESS ON PAKISTAN

MANCHESTER – This morning at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College in Manchester, Sen. Joe Biden delivered a major foreign policy address calling for a “new approach to Pakistan.” Below are excerpts from the speech. Attached to this release is a copy of Sen. Biden’s entire address as prepared for delivery.

“Pakistan has strong democratic traditions and a large, moderate majority. But that moderate majority must have a voice in the system and an outlet with elections. If not, moderates may find that they have no choice but to make common cause with extremists, just as the Shah’s opponents did in Iran three decades ago.

“But unlike Iran, Pakistan already has nuclear weapons.

”It is hard to imagine a greater nightmare for America than the world’s second-largest Muslim nation becoming a failed state in fundamentalist hands, with an arsenal of nuclear weapons and a population larger than those of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea combined.

“To prevent that nightmare from becoming a reality, I believe we need to do three things:

“First, deal pro-actively with the current crisis. Second, and for the longer term, move from a Musharraf policy to a Pakistan policy that gives the moderate majority a chance to succeed. And third, help create conditions in the region that maximize the chances of success, and minimize the prospects for failure.”

…

“It is time for a new approach.

“We’ve got to move from a transactional relationship -- the exchange of aid for services -- to the normal, functional relationship we enjoy with all of our other military allies and friendly nations.

“We’ve got to move from a policy concentrated on one man – President Musharraf – to a policy centered on an entire people… the people of Pakistan.

“Like any major policy shift, to gain long-term benefits we’ll have to shoulder short term costs. But given the stakes, those costs are worth it.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:15 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

DODD CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

A CONTRACT HONORED: CHRIS DODD UNVEILS VETERANS PLAN

MANCHESTER - Today, Senator and Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd unveiled his veterans plan, which promises to make the safety and well-being of our veterans a top priority in his administration. Having served in the National Guard and Army Reserve, Dodd has a strong record of fighting for our nation's servicemen and women.
"We have few higher priorities than the safety and well-being of our veterans - Americans who have fought and sacrificed for our values and nation," Dodd said. "Yet today, troops that are returning home, and that have returned home, are not getting the medical support that they need and deserve. Wounded troops are increasingly relying on help from loved ones as they recuperate from devastating war injuries. Bureaucratic red-tape and substandard conditions at medical facilities like Walter Reed Hospital are blocking troops' access to veteran's benefits and the highest quality of care. Meanwhile, military families are making unbelievable sacrifices for months, even years, at a time."
In New Hampshire, Dodd's campaign released the following names of New Hampshire veterans supporting Chris Dodd. Patrick Clark of Tilton serves as the Chairman of Veterans of Dodd. Other veterans include: Leo Balzano (Nashua), Kathryn Braun (Fremont), Jim Craig (Manchester), Michael Duclos (Rochester), Peter Hope (Grantham), State Representative Frank Sullivan (Manchester), Former State Representative Cynthia Sweeney (Charlestown), and Bill Trumble (Madbury).
In a Dodd Administration, America's contract with veterans will be honored and renewed. As President, he will ensure that the veterans system addresses the needs of all American veterans. By overhauling and reforming the system, Chris Dodd will:
• Overhaul the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to guarantee the timely delivery of high-quality medical care and disability benefits to every veteran of every war;
• Support our military families through Extended Family and Medical Leave for Military Families; and,
• Pass a New G.I. Bill to ensure veterans get the educational benefits they were promised and to allow them to transfer unused benefits to their spouses and children
"Chris Dodd has offered a comprehensive Veterans' Policy supporting those who have served," said Lt Gen John M. Riggs, U.S. Army, retired.
For more information on Chris Dodd's veterans plan, please visit www.Chrisdodd.com/veterans.

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:33 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Former candidate Brownback endorses Republican McCain for president

By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press Writer

MANCHESTER (AP) — Sam Brownback, a Kansas conservative and favorite of evangelical Christians, endorsed his former Republican presidential rival John McCain on Wednesday, calling him a friend and a hero.
The nod could provide a much-needed boost, particularly in Iowa, for the Arizona senator and one-time presumed GOP front-runner whose bid faltered and who now is looking for a comeback.
Brownback announced his support for McCain in Dubuque, Iowa, and was traveling with the candidate to campaign in two other cities in the state.
“John McCain is the only candidate who can rally the Reagan coalition of conservatives, independents and conservative Democrats needed to defeat Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat in the general election next year,” Brownback said in a statement.
He praised McCain for spending a lifetime “standing up for human rights around the world, including a consistent 24-year pro-life record of protecting the rights of the unborn.”
McCain equally lavished praise on Brownback, saying his Senate colleague was “a man of faith and compassion whose integrity and unwavering commitment to protecting the dignity of human life, both born and unborn, has been an inspiration to me.”
It’s uncertain how much weight Brownback’s backing will carry; the Kansas senator dropped out of the race last month with little money and less support. While he is a favorite of religious conservatives, he failed to persuade them to embrace him as the GOP’s consensus conservative candidate. He spent months emphasizing his opposition to abortion, gay marriage and other issues important to the party’s right, but left the race ranked low in polls.
Still, Brownback’s backing could signal to evangelical Christians that they can trust McCain and could help solidify McCain’s credentials on social issues. The endorsement could be especially important in Iowa, where McCain trails in polls.
Despite a solidly conservative Senate voting record on social issues, McCain has a rocky history with cultural and religious conservatives who make up a significant part of the Republican base — and have proven to be influential in Iowa’s GOP caucuses.
He once likened their leaders to “agents of intolerance,” but since has taken steps to heal his relationship with the voting group. Still, some are skeptical that McCain will be a loyal Republican who will champion their issues, in part because while his record is clear, he’s not a high-profile crusader against abortion rights and gay marriage.
Other candidates in the crowded GOP field had lobbied for Brownback’s support over the past few weeks.
Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and Southern Baptist minister who has made strides in Iowa in recent weeks, was widely considered the other Republican most likely to get Brownback’s endorsement. It’s unclear whether Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator trying to emerge as the conservatives’ choice, ever got a look from Brownback.
Brownback did talk to Rudy Giuliani, a backer of abortion rights and gay rights, and emerged from the meeting with kind words about the former New York mayor. Yet, days earlier, Brownback told reporters he saw no way in which the GOP would nominate a “pro-choice” Republican. Brownback spent months this summer bitterly criticizing Romney’s shifts on social issues.

Posted by Michael McCord at 11:23 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Richardson moves staffers from Nevada, NH to Iowa
By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson has moved 10 staff members from Nevada to Iowa, shifting resources to the leadoff caucus state where he’s hoping for a strong dark horse finish.
Richardson spokesman Tom Reynolds said Tuesday the New Mexico governor also had sent “some low-level field organizers” from New Hampshire into Iowa. But he said top national staff from the campaign headquarters in Santa Fe, N.M., including the national political director, had been moved to New Hampshire for a net gain in that state.
Democratic rival John Edwards moved some of his staff out of Nevada into other early voting states in August because of limited campaign resources and amid uncertainty about Nevada’s prominence.
At the time, Richardson tried to capitalize on Edwards’ reduction by announcing new staff hires in the state. “Though other campaigns may waver, I remain committed to campaigning in Nevada,” Richardson said in a statement at the time.
Reynolds said Tuesday that Richardson’s Nevada staff members would return to the state eventually, with valuable experience from working in the Iowa caucuses. He said it had not been determined whether they would come back before after Iowa’s vote on Jan. 3.
He would not say how many staff members had been left in Nevada or New Hampshire.
“At the end of the day, New Hampshire is actually seeing a boost with the national staff coming in, and in Nevada it’s going to be to our benefit to have organizers who understand the complicated caucus process,” he said.
Iowa is expected to hold the first contest in the nominating campaign, and there’s a heated race on the Democratic side there between Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and Edwards. Richardson is in fourth place in recent polls of the state.
With the race focused on the top three candidates, expectations for Richardson are low and a surprisingly strong finish in Iowa could be a boost for his campaign. New Hampshire has not set its primary date yet, but it’s expected to come shortly after Iowa.
Nevada’s caucus is scheduled for Jan. 19. Richardson has said he expects to do well in the state since he’s also from the West and is Hispanic like many voters there.
But the impact of Nevada’s caucus remains unclear. It’s unclear how large the turnout will be, and candidates have not been visiting the state nearly as often as Iowa and New Hampshire.

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:22 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Obama campaign press release

Sixty-Eight New Hampshire Republicans Announce their Support for Obama

Granite State Republicans cite Obama's direct answers, track record of forging bipartisan solutions

MANCHESTER, NH—Sixty-eight New Hampshire Republicans announce today that they have changed party registration to vote for Barack Obama in the primary. Many of these voters have never supported a Democrat before, but they see Obama as the only candidate in either party who has the character to be honest about where he’ll take the country, and the only candidate who has a proven record of bringing people together for real change.

“I’ve been a Republican all my life, but the challenges we face are too great to choose a candidate based on his party—we need to the choose the candidate who can bring fundamental change to Washington and start getting things done again,” said Jerry Spivak, an engineer from Nashua. “Barack Obama is the only candidate who will be able to break the partisan logjam and inspire Americans to come together around real solutions.”

“I’ve always believed that you can only bring about real change when people come together across party lines, and I’ve seen what happens when folks put politics aside and get down to work,” Senator Obama said. “If you can’t bring people together across the old fault lines, you simply aren’t going to be able to make progress on the challenges we face.”

The following New Hampshire Republicans publicly announced that they had switched parties to vote for Obama:

Richard Adams, Portsmouth, NH

Samuel Aldridge, Gilford, NH

Colette Awad, Hudson, NH

Shirley Barrett, Dover, NH

Kurt Bellows, Londonderry, NH

Marge Bonneville, Lochmere, NH

Roger Brickner, Haverhill, NH

Rhona Brown, Seabrook, NH

Nancy Bruce, Exeter, NH

Philip Cassady, Merrimack, NH

Ellen Dunbar, Peterborough, NH

James Elberfeld, Nashua, NH

Shirley Elliot, Antrim, NH

Barbara Fegley, Center Barnstead, NH

Roy Foltan, Bath, NH

Raymond Gagnon, Barrington, NH

Stephen Gambone, Hanover, NH

Gregory Geheb, Nashua, NH

Fred Harwood, Bedford, NH

Brenda Heon, Somersworth, NH

Michael Hill, Pittsfield, NH

John Hutson, Bow, NH

Cecilia Johnson, Wilmot, NH

William Johnson, Weare, NH

Peter Kayros, Bow, NH

Carol Knight, Hillsborough, NH

George Kurzon, Peterborough, NH

Sarah Kurzon, Peterborough, NH

John Laderoute, Pelham, NH

Virginia Lamberton, Loudon, NH

Edward Largy, Bradford, NH

Angela Lawhorn, Nashua, NH

Patrice Lenzi, Barrington, NH

Clement Lyon, Loudon, NH

Ruth Lyon, Loudon, NH

David Maleham, Milton Mills, NH

Gail Malone, Laconia, NH

Christine Manns, Barrington, NH

Frances Marshall, Concord, NH

Mary Mattise, Amherst, NH

Barbara Mendes, Exeter, NH

Robert McNichol, Bow, NH

Linda McVay, Portsmouth, NH

Anne Middleton, Stratham, NH

Betsy Moore, Conway, NH

Nancy Morehardt, Milford, NH

Mary Morin, Raymond, NH

Olympia O’Neill, Derry, NH

Martha Pasquali, Laconia, NH

Trisha Perin, Hampton, NH

David Pinsonneault, Amherst, NH

Rebecca Pirelli, Milford, NH

Robert Pollard, Portsmouth, NH

Thomas Powers, Thornton, NH

Janet Prevatt, Strafford, NH

Robert Richard, Manchester, NH

Caroline Russell, Meredith, NH

Jane Sander, Rye, NH

Lisa Segal-Bator, Bow, NH

Paul Shea, Pelham, NH

Diane Smaracko, Rollinsford, NH

Stephen Smith, Center Barnstead, NH

Jerry Spivak, Nashua, NH

Isabelle Stache, Manchester, NH

Susan Sundell, Salem, NH

Lawrence Varga, Derry, NH

Priscilla Wentworth, Raymond, NH

Janet Wesson, Springfield, NH

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:39 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Fmr. Vice President Walter F. Mondale Endorses Clinton

The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of former Vice President Walter F. Mondale.

“America is ready for change, and Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to deliver it,” Mondale said. “Hillary is uniquely qualified to rebuild America’s standing in the world and lead this nation from her first day in the White House.”

Mondale served as Vice President from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter, and was the Democratic nominee for President in 1984.

His career in public service began in 1960 when he was appointed Attorney General of Minnesota, later rising to become a two-term U.S. Senator. From 1986 to 1993, Mondale was chairman of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, then served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 1993 to 1996.

Mondale is currently Senior Counsel at the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney in Minneapolis, MN.

“Throughout his distinguished career in public service, Walter has been a champion for working families and equality for all Americans,” Clinton said. “I am deeply honored to have his support and delighted that he’ll join our effort to change America.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 09:06 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

State Senator Lou D’Allesandro Endorses Hillary for President

D’Allesandro to Serve as National Co-Chair of Italian Americans for Hillary

MANCHESTER – While introducing Senator Hillary Clinton at the Granite State Independent Living (GSIL) Forum in Manchester this morning, State Senator Lou D’Allesandro announced his endorsement of Hillary for president. Sen. D’Allesandro, a founding member of GSIL who is currently serving his fifth term in the New Hampshire legislature, is the eighth Granite State senator to endorse Hillary.

“After the Democratic Presidential Primary Debate this week, my decision to support Senator Clinton became clear,” said D’Allesandro, who will serve as National Co-chair of Italian Americans for Hillary. “At this critical time in our country’s history, we must move beyond negative politics. At the debate, Hillary demonstrated that she is the only candidate with a strong, positive message. I believe she can deliver the real change our country needs.”

Sen. Lou D'Allesandro is the Vice President for Finance in the New Hampshire Senate. He is also chairman of the Finance Committee, vice chairman of the Capital Budget Committee, vice chairman of the Wildlife, Fish and Game Committee, vice chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and a member of the Rules and Enrolled Bills Committee.

D'Allesandro has been a familiar face in New Hampshire government for many years. He served the people of New Hampshire for three terms as an executive councilor and for two terms as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

An active member of the local community, D'Allesandro has served in many civic capacities, including as a volunteer with the National Council on Alcoholism and as a member of the Manchester Board of School Committee. D'Allesandro also served as chairman of the New England Board of Higher Education.

“I am honored to have the support of someone of Sen. D’Allesandro’s stature,” said Senator Clinton. “He will be a strong voice for my campaign in Manchester and across New Hampshire.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 06:34 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Endorses Clinton

The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. AFSCME is the nation’s largest public sector union, representing more than 1.4 million workers.

“As our President, Hillary Clinton will help rebuild America’s middle class and make sure that everyone shares in our country’s prosperity. She has a record of leadership, of bringing people together for more than 30 years. Hillary Clinton inspires our members. She sparks the flame we need to win,” said AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee.

McEntee said after 10 months of polling and interviewing members and scrutinizing candidates’ records, Clinton stood out from the pack.

“We had the most talented and diverse field of Presidential candidates we’ve seen in years. But when all was said and done, among our members Hillary Clinton clearly emerged as the best candidate to take back the White House for America’s working families,” he said

AFSCME said it would activate a 40,000-member volunteer army to mobilize its members, and launch an unprecedented GOTV effort in Iowa, where it represents 30,000 workers.

“I am honored to receive the support of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,” Clinton said. “In my administration, America’s working families will again have a partner in the White House.”

Clinton has been endorsed by other leading national unions, including the American Federation of Teachers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, National Association of Letter Carriers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers and the United Transportation Union.

Posted by Michael McCord at 04:31 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

OBAMA CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Dean John Hutson Endorses Obama

President and Dean of Franklin Pierce Law Center, former Judge Advocate General praises Obama’s foreign policy judgment, courage to challenge conventional thinking

MANCHESTER —J ohn Hutson, Dean of Franklin Pierce Law Center and former Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Navy, announced his support for Barack Obama today. Hutson endorsed Obama as best candidate to move the country beyond our failed foreign policy and restore our moral leadership in the world, citing Obama’s unifying leadership, his early stand against the war in Iraq, and his belief in strong, personal diplomacy with friend and foe.

“Obama is the only major candidate who had the courage and judgment to oppose the tragic war in Iraq and a reckless amendment that lays the groundwork for war in Iran,” Dean Hutson said. “And he understands that a strong President is not afraid to talk to our enemies and tell them that we’ll never back down from the values that make America great.”

Now a resident of Bow, Hutson served as a judge advocate in the United States Navy from 1972-2000. He has served as President and Dean of Franklin Pierce Law Center since 2000. Dean Hutson was a registered Republican until changing his party affiliation this month to vote for Obama in the primary.

“The damage this administration has done to our standing in the world is not irreparable—but to undo that damage we need a bold, principled leader who isn’t afraid to challenge the conventional thinking that has taken hold in Washington,” Hutson said. “Barack Obama is that leader.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:53 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

RICHARDSON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand Endorses Governor Bill Richardson

PORTSMOUTH -- The Richardson for President campaign today announced a crucial endorsement from Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand, one of New Hampshire's brightest and most talented young leaders.

Steve Marchand, 33, was elected mayor of Portsmouth in 2005 with over 67 percent of the vote. He has been praised for his successful stewardship of green energy initiatives as well as his fiscal leadership in introducing transparency and accountability to the city budget. The Portsmouth Herald wrote of Marchand, "the guy has guts, energy and ambition." He previously was named New Hampshire's political "Rising Star" of the year by the website politicsnh.com.

Mayor Marchand will join the Richardson for President campaign as a Senior Advisor. He also will maintain a robust surrogate speaking schedule, traveling the Granite State and stumping on Governor Richardson's behalf.

"Bill Richardson is the most experienced candidate in the race, the most determined to end the war in Iraq, and the most capable of bringing about the real change that America needs," Marchand said.

Mayor Marchand cited Governor Richardson's record of success in promoting clean energy and protecting the environment in New Mexico as a key part of the rationale behind his endorsement. In recent years, Portsmouth also has become a national leader in green energy policy, joining both the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign and the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

"Governor Richardson's leadership made New Mexico the 'Clean Energy State,'" Marchand said. "Bill Richardson is the bold leader we need to break our addiction to foreign oil and build a clean energy economy in America."

Richardson welcomed the addition of Mayor Marchand to his growing New Hampshire team.

"I am honored to have the support of one of New Hampshire's brightest young leaders," Richardson said. "Steve Marchand's energetic leadership of the city of Portsmouth, particularly in the area of clean energy, is a model for the nation."

Mayor Marchand is the latest in a string of major endorsements for the Richardson campaign in New Hampshire. Last week, Richardson gained the support of former Ambassador and New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair George Bruno. Prior to that, former Manchester Mayor Bob Baines backed Richardson's campaign.

A near lifelong resident of New Hampshire, Steve Marchand was born in Manchester and attended Goffstown Area High School. Marchand also is one of New Hampshire's most seasoned political operatives, having served as a consultant, communications director, and campaign manager on dozens of local, statewide, and federal campaigns.

Steve lives in Portsmouth with his wife, Sandi Hennequin, and two young daughters, Abigail and Margaret.

Posted by Michael McCord at 04:05 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Romney to get Sen. Gregg’s endorsement

By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press Writer

CONCORD (AP) — Sen. Judd Gregg will endorse Mitt Romney’s presidential bid, according to two sources close to the Romney campaign.
Gregg will join Romney at a noon rally on Monday in Concord and then walk with him to the Statehouse, where the former Massachusetts governor formally puts his name on the primary ballot, according to the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to upstage the noontime event.
The endorsement is not a big surprise. Concord lawyer Tom Rath, one of Gregg’s principle political advisers, is a fixture in the Romney campaign; several of Gregg’s aides are on loan to the Romney campaign.
Gregg, the top Republican on the Budget Committee, is a former New Hampshire governor who won his first Senate term in 1992.
John Sununu, the state’s other Republican senator who faces a tough re-election bid in 2008, has said he doesn’t plan to endorse during the primary.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:24 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BIDEN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

BIDEN Legislation Gets to the Heart of the Nation's Nursing Crisis

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) introduced the Nursing Education Opportunities Act (S. 2230), legislation designed to alleviate the current nurse and nursing school faculty shortage in this country. The United States is facing a critical shortage of nurses, but Sen. Biden's legislation will help train and employ 100,000 new nurses in the workforce over the next five years.
The Nursing Education Opportunities Act raises the yearly loan amounts allowed under the Nursing Student Loan Program; provides funds for academic institutions to establish doctoral nursing degree programs; and establishes pilot projects to allow nursing schools to share faculty and resources and partner with health facilities to give employed nurses a chance to pursue an advanced degree and eventually teach.

"Nurses play one of the most important roles in our nation's healthcare system - they make the difference in how patients are taken care of and how they recover," said Sen. Biden. "Unfortunately, we're facing a real shortage of nurses and nursing school faculty in our country today, and our nation's hospitals will continue to face tremendous hurdles as nurses retire, baby boomers age and the need for healthcare grows."

In 2007, the American Hospital Association reported that hospitals in the United States had an estimated 116,000 registered nurse vacancies as of December 2006. Despite the nurse shortage and efforts to increase the pool of qualified nurses, schools of nursing struggle to increase student capacity. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the United States' nursing schools turned away nearly 43,000 qualified applicants in 2006, primarily due to an insufficient number of faculty. A wave of retirements is expected in the next decade as an aging nursing school faculty population begins to retire. In fact, a 2007 survey by the Association of Academic Health Centers found that chief executive officers from academic health centers rated the nursing faculty shortage as the most severe of all health professions.

To respond to this growing nursing shortage and to attract and retain high-quality nurses, the Nursing Education Opportunities Act will increase the maximum yearly loan amount available through the Nursing Student Loan Program. The Public Health Services Act authorized a number of programs to support health professions and nursing schools and students, and Sen. Biden's legislation will explicitly allow accelerated degree nursing students to be eligible for those loans and other financial assistance programs. Students in accelerated degree programs are those with a baccalaureate degree in another field, who have decided to return to school to get a degree in nursing. The students in these programs have difficulty securing federal funding as this program category is not easily defined.

In states like Delaware, where no doctoral nursing programs exist, the legislation will provide grants for schools to establish such doctoral nursing programs. In the case of a nurse faculty shortage, the legislation will allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to raise the cap on the percentage of traineeships available for individuals in doctoral degree nursing programs through the Advanced Education Nursing Grants.

"We applaud Sen. Biden for this initiative to address the nursing shortage with funding initiatives for returning adult students and for meeting Delaware's longtime need for a doctoral program in nursing.
These issues are not being addressed in previous bills," said Dr.
Betty Paulanka, Dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware.

"The Nursing Education Opportunities Act is a solution to both an immediate and long-term national problem," said Sen. Biden. "By providing more opportunities now for those nurses wanting to pursue doctoral-degrees, we will be able overtime to enroll more nurses into classrooms and put more nurses into the work force."

The Nursing Education Opportunities Act also establishes two pilot programs, the Doctoral Nursing Consortia Pilot Project and the Nurse Faculty Pilot Program. The Nursing Consortia program will allow schools to establish partnerships to share doctoral faculty and programmatic resources. The Nurse Faculty Pilot Program, a companion piece to Representative Carolyn McCarthy's (D-NY) legislation in the House of Representatives, the Nurse Faculty Higher Education Act (H.R.
2384), will provide grants to partnerships between accredited nursing schools and health facilities to fund release time to allow qualified nurses to stay in their jobs while also attending school to earn a graduate degree and eventually teach.

"At the heart of the problem is the need for doctoral nurse faculty,"
said Dr. Jeanette Lancaster, President of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. "Schools of nursing across the country report numerous vacancies for these positions. By providing opportunities for nursing schools to create a doctoral nursing program, share programmatic and faculty resources through a doctoral consortium, and prepare additional nurse educators through the nurse faculty pilot project, Sen. Biden's bill focuses on a long-term solution to the nursing shortage. Without additional nurse faculty and the means to teach them, we will not be able to educate the next generation of professional baccalaureate nurses."

The American Academy of Nursing, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Nephrology Nurses' Association, American Nurses Association, American Organization of Nurse Executives, Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses and National League for Nursing support this legislation.

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:12 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Thompson vows crackdown on ‘sanctuary cities’ in swipe at rivals Giuliani, Romney

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON and LIBBY QUAID
Associated Press Writers

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Republican Fred Thompson said Tuesday the government should yank federal dollars from cities and states that don’t report illegal immigrants.
In his first major policy proposal, Thompson challenged presidential rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney by criticizing “sanctuary cities” where city workers are barred from reporting suspected illegal immigrants who enroll their children in school or seek hospital treatment.
“Taxpayer money should not be provided to illegal immigrants,” Thompson said at a round-table discussion that included Collier County, Fla., sheriff Don Hunter.
Thompson has argued his rivals are soft on illegal immigration because Giuliani, as New York mayor, sued the federal government to keep his city’s sanctuary policy and because Romney tolerated sanctuary cities as Massachusetts’ governor.
In turn, Giuliani’s campaign accused Thompson of being weak on the issue. At a news conference Tuesday in Boston, Giuliani said: “I’m the one who can bring about immigration reform.”
The immigration issue is important to many conservatives who influence Republican primaries. Some argue that illegal immigrants are straining schools and hospitals and taking jobs from U.S. citizens.
Thompson chose to announce his plan in Collier County, which has vast tomato farms that hire thousands of immigrants and last year was part of a two-county sweep that saw 163 illegal immigrants arrested in one weekend.
Thompson’s campaign said 22 percent of the county’s crime is committed by illegal immigrants.
To the sheriff, Thompson said: “You’ve clearly been swamped with a particular kind of problem because the federal government, in large part, has let you down and has not done their part.”
“There’s not a lot of new legislation that needs to be passed,” the candidate said. “We need to enforce the laws that are on the books. There are laws against illegal immigration, there are laws to secure the border, there are laws against sanctuary cities, there are laws against publicly funding illegals, and that law is being disregarded.”
Under Thompson’s plan, sanctuary cities would lose discretionary federal grants, as would colleges and universities that allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition.
The former Tennessee senator also called for stronger laws forcing employers to verify that workers aren’t illegal immigrants, for a more rigorous system to track who is coming in and out of the country and for increased prosecution of “coyotes,” smugglers who bring illegal immigrants across the Mexican border.
Calling for stronger border security, he said: “A small amount of nuclear material could do a lot of damage in the wrong hands. It makes you wonder why a terrorist would bother going through an airport or a port ... when we have an open border.”
“In 1996 we passed a bill, I was in the Senate, that outlawed sanctuary city cities. Mayor Giuliani went to court to defeat that law,” Thompson said.
Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson said Thompson didn’t try to fix the problem of illegal immigration when he was in the Senate.
“He was voting against $1 billion to combat illegal immigration at the borders, against stricter employment verification and for giving illegal immigrants more benefits than we give legal immigrants. That’s not consistent or conservative,” Levinson said.
Romney spokesman Kevin Madden called Thompson a latecomer to the issue of sanctuary cities. “Governor Romney has been the strongest candidate when it comes to demanding that our existing immigration laws are enforced,” Madden said.
Romney has spent several weeks criticizing Giuliani for New York’s sanctuary policy; Giuliani responds that he cracked down on all lawlessness and that Romney tolerated sanctuary cities in Massachusetts.
Romney says he tried to curtail the problem by deputizing state police to enforce federal immigration laws.
Romney and Giuliani both are calling for tougher border security and enforcement of immigration laws, although in the past they spoke favorably of measures, sponsored by Arizona Sen. John McCain, another rival, that would provide a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million immigrants here illegally.
———
Associated Press Writer Libby Quaid reported from Washington, and Jay Lindsay contributed from Boston.

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:58 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

New Mitt Romney campaign ad appeals to fiscal record in NH
By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press Writer

CONCORD (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is appealing to the fiscal conservatism of New Hampshire voters in a new ad that started running Tuesday.
In it, the former Massachusetts governor and business executive says existing tax policy is fundamentally unfair and that his plan would reduce the tax burden for all.
“It’s not fair that you have to pay taxes when you earn your money, when you save your money and then when you die,” Romney says in the television ad.
Romney has made the promise of lower taxes a staple of his campaign. He and his GOP rivals also have argued over who would be the best steward of the nation’s economy and whose proposals would create the most jobs.
His new ad appeals to voters where it counts most: their pocketbooks and wallets.
“That’s why I’ll kill the death tax once and for all and roll back tax rates across the board,” Romney says in the 30-second ad. “And savings? When I’m president, for middle-class Americans, the new tax rate on your interest, dividends, and capital gains will be absolutely zero.”
Romney has proposed eliminating taxes on interest and dividends for families earning less than $200,000 a year. He has said the plan would benefit 95 percent of families — 56 million that earned interest in 2005, 28 million that earned dividends and 23 million with capital gains from real estate, stocks or bonds.
The proposal would cost $32 billion, to be paid for through economic growth, and by holding non-defense discretionary spending to inflation minus 1 percentage point.
“Want tax cuts that will grow our economy?” Romney asks before repeating what has become a campaign slogan: “Change begins with us.”
Republican rival Rudy Giuliani has made taxes a centerpiece of his radio ads. He routinely touts 23 tax cuts that occurred while he was mayor of New York. Critics note that he did not initiate all of them, and that he opposed some.
A Democratic National Committee spokesman said Romney’s changing positions can’t be wished away with a television ad.
“Mitt Romney’s new ad is his latest desperate attempt to distract from his flip-flops on tax cuts, his tax-raising record and his dismal stewardship of the Massachusetts economy,” Damien LaVera said. “But the voters already know the only change Romney offers is his own conversion into a Bush Republican.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:16 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BIDEN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

BIDEN JOINS BROWNBACK IN IOWA TO DISCUSS IRAQ PLAN
Reaffirms Broad Bipartisan Support For New Way Forward In Iraq

Des Moines, IA (October 12, 2007) - Today in Des Moines, Sen. Joe Biden was joined by Republican Sen. Sam Brownback as he discussed the Biden- Brownback-Boxer resolution that passed the United State Senate two weeks ago with overwhelming bipartisan support. The measure, which expressed support for a plan that would maintain a unified Iraq by decentralizing it and giving Iraqis more local control over their daily lives as provided for in the Iraqi constitution, passed 75-23, including 26 Republicans.

Today's event, just as the recent Senate vote on the resolution signified, marks an historic bi-partisan agreement against the central tenet of the Bush administration's policy in Iraq – that Iraq can be governed by a strong, central government in Baghdad. For two years, Senator Biden has argued that Iraq could not be ruled from the center without the return of a dictator, a foreign occupation or internal genocide. Senator Biden and Leslie Gelb, Chairman Emeritus of the Council of Foreign Relations, published their plan for a federalized Iraq in the New York Times on May 1, 2006. Senator Biden has worked tirelessly for bi-partisan support for his plan since then.

In late 2006, Senator Biden began his opposition to President Bush's proposed surge of troops in Iraq by renewing his call for a federal system and arguing that President Bush would not change course unless he was abandoned by his own party. Senator Biden has a long history of building bi-partisan coalitions on such issues as the Violence Against Women Act and the Biden Crime Bill, which added federal funding for 100,000 new local police officers, and United Nations reform.

“I am proud to stand here today with Sen. Brownback and discuss the broad bipartisan support for a new way forward in Iraq that no longer clings to President Bush’s failed policies,” said Sen. Biden. “The course this President has set for America’s presence in Iraq has no end in sight. This plan offers a way to get our men and women in uniform out of Iraq without leaving chaos behind.

“Just as important, while we still have troops in the field, we must make every effort to ensure that they have the equipment they need to stay safe and do their jobs effectively. Going forward, I again urge all of the Democratic candidates to fund our troops as long as there is a single, solitary soldier still in Iraq. These soldiers have put their lives on the line and we owe them our support. But the President should not mistake our resolve in protecting our troops for a blank check to continue risking lives in the middle of Iraq's civil war," said Biden.

"Passage of Biden-Brownback-Boxer in the Senate is a historic step, but it is only the first step in pressuring the Bush-Cheney administration to change course and start withdrawing our troops responsibly. If the President does not end this war, I will. But, hopefully, with courageous Republicans like Sam Brownback stepping forward, we will bring America's involvement in Iraq to a speedier and responsible resolution," Biden concluded.

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:08 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By Laura Meckler
The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain will unveil a health-care plan today, but unlike his rivals he will focus on controlling costs, rather than reducing the ranks of the uninsured.

While the debate among the presidential candidates so far has focused on how to cover more people, Mr. McCain’s strategy of attacking spiraling costs could provide a compelling argument for voters. The high cost of care affects all voters, the majority of whom have health insurance but may be frustrated with rising premiums, co-payments and other out-of-pocket costs.

The McCain plan, as described by senior advisers, includes some ideas on how to cover some of the 47 million people without health insurance. But his main message when he unveils the plan in Iowa will be that the rising number of people without insurance is a symptom of the larger problem of rising costs.

“I think we in Washington have an absolute requirement to bring health-care costs down,” Mr. McCain (R., Ariz.) said this week at the Republican presidential debate in Michigan.

Polls suggest that health care is the No. 2 issue for voters after the war in Iraq. Asked what particular health issue the presidential candidates should address, voters give roughly equal weight to costs and covering the uninsured as their main concerns.

Among Republican voters, however, costs emerge on top. Half of Republicans said they would like to see candidates focus most on reducing health-care costs, compared to 16% who express most interest in covering the uninsured, according to an August tracking poll by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.

Sen. McCain, who hasn’t taken a leadership role on health in the past, has compiled a collection of cost-cutting ideas, many of which are supported by Democrats as well. His proposals include promoting generic drugs and biologics, supporting retail walk-in clinics at unconventional locations such as Wal-Mart Stores, and shifting some care to nurse practitioners because they are cheaper than doctors. The plan will also espouse setting national standards for measuring treatments and outcomes, and allowing doctors to practice medicine across state lines.

Mr. McCain would also use Medicare as a “lever” for pushing change in the rest of the health system by increasing payments, for instance, to better coordinate care, and cutting payments because of preventable errors and unnecessary hospitalizations.

His advisers acknowledged that some of these ideas won’t be politically popular, but said Mr. McCain is eager to take on the opposition. Doctors and hospitals are likely to object to some of these proposals, though they are all within the mainstream of Republican thinking on health.

“There’s been too much focus on the uninsured, not that it’s not important,” said Gail Wilensky, a health-policy expert at Project Hope, a nonprofit that focuses on medical issues, who has informally advised other Republican campaigns. “If there is a crisis, to my mind it is much more the unsustainable spending.”

Consensus is growing among academics that continued growth of health-care spending is unsustainable and that the U.S. must do something to bring costs under control. The U.S. government estimates health spending at 16% of the gross domestic product in 2006 and projects it to rise to 20% of total U.S. spending by 2015. The result could be that more small and medium-sized businesses drop coverage for their employees.

The impact of increased spending on the federal government is also expected to be acute. Under current trends, the Congressional Budget Office projects that by 2050, spending on Medicare and Medicaid alone will eat up nearly one in four federal dollars. Any effort to subsidize health coverage for the uninsured would quickly be overwhelmed if health costs escalate faster than the government subsidies.

Nearly every major presidential candidate has said he or she would address the issue of costs, though some—mostly Democrats—have provided far more detail. In general, candidates have steered clear of making dramatic proposals to curb spending that could upset voters, such as limiting use of technology, cutting payments to doctors and hospitals, or covering fewer treatments.

Sen. McCain’s rivals for the Republican nomination have varied in the degree of detail they have offered on their proposed health plans. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney unveiled a plan that included some of the same ideas for controlling costs, though he emphasized his plans for covering the uninsured, including changes in the tax code and state regulations. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani put out a plan with few details on cost control. Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson hasn’t yet put out a health-care plan.

“While everybody is worried about the problem (of rising costs) in the abstract, the cures can look very threatening,” said Robert Blendon, an expert on health policy and public opinion at the Harvard School of Public Health. “People have not found a politically acceptable way to deal with the problem.”

Aides said Mr. McCain would allow drugs to be imported back from Canada, where government price controls have driven down the cost of brand-name drugs. He would support tort reform that would give doctors who follow national guidelines on care protection from lawsuits. He would use the bully pulpit to promote disease prevention, healthy diets and exercise.

Sen. McCain also plans to propose ideas for covering more of the uninsured. He would give all Americans a refundable tax credit to help them buy insurance, totaling $2,500 per person or $5,000 per family. They would get the tax credit whether they were to get insurance through work or buy it on their own. The existing tax break for employer-sponsored insurance would be eliminated, taking a step away from the work-based model in place for the last half century and toward an individual market.

President Bush proposed a similar idea, which went nowhere in the Democratic Congress. Other Republican presidential candidates have also backed such a proposal, as has Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton(D-N.Y.), who has a considerably scaled-back version of this in her plan.

Mr. McCain would also allow people to buy insurance across state lines, a policy that could help someone in a state with many mandated benefits that increase the cost of insurance. And the senator would offer grants to states to defray the cost of providing insurance for people with medical problems who can’t afford their own coverage

Aides didn’t provide a cost estimate.

Posted by Michael McCord at 09:49 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

OBAMA CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Obama Campaign Airs New Ad: “Quiet”

New TV ad on Energy Highlights Obama Core Principle: Don’t just tell people what they want to hear, tell them what they need to hear

MANCHESTER — Senator Barack Obama’s New Hampshire campaign will begin airing its second television ad following Obama’s seventeenth visit to the state. In the thirty-second ad, entitled “Quiet,” Obama stresses Washington’s failure to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reveals his willingness to take on tough issues in front of challenging audiences—like telling automakers that as President he won’t stand for them blocking higher fuel standards for our cars. In New Hampshire this week, Obama unveiled the most bold energy plan of the campaign that will allow restore America’s role as a leader in the fight to reduce global warming, and he vowed at stops across the state that as President, he won’t just tell the American people what they want to hear—he’ll tell them what they need to hear.
The ad begins running tomorrow.
You can watch the ad HERE.

SCRIPT – “Quiet”

I don’t accept that we should be still sending eight hundred million dollars a day, part to hostile nations because of our addiction to foreign oil.
And in the bargain we’re melting the polar ice caps.
I went to Detroit to insist that we have to increase fuel efficiency standards. Now, I have to admit, the room got kind of quiet.
We can’t just tell people what they want to hear.
We need to tell them what they need to hear. We need to tell them the truth.

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:18 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

McCain proposes steps to help displaced workers prepare for jobs of the future

By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press Writer

DETROIT (AP) — John McCain on Tuesday proposed updating the unemployment system and retooling training programs to help people who have lost their jobs — particularly older workers — adapt to a changing economy.
“Change is hard, and while most of us gain, some industries, companies and workers are forced to struggle with very difficult choices,” the Republican presidential candidate said as he espoused free-market principles in a state that leads the nation in unemployment.
“But it is government’s job to help workers get the education and training they need for the new jobs that will be created by new businesses in this new century,” McCain added.
In a broad speech to the Detroit Economic Club, the Arizona senator promised to rein in runaway federal spending, simplify the tax code, help U.S. industries become more competitive and control spiraling health care costs. Speaking in the home state of the Big Three U.S. automakers, McCain also called for increasing fuel efficiency standards while maintaining auto safety.
“We can’t keep this level of gas guzzling and make a strong impact on our dependence on foreign oil. It’s a national security issue,” McCain said in response to a post-speech question about gas mileage requirements. His remarks were met with silence from a skeptical audience. “I noticed no applause,” he said with a chuckle before a few people obliged.
McCain spoke to about 500 members of the group hours before joining eight GOP opponents in nearby Dearborn, Mich., for a debate primarily on economic issues. The setting was fitting. Michigan’s unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in August; the nation’s was 4.6 percent.
In the speech, McCain slapped at his rivals generally, scolding them for “claiming to understand the finer nuances of markets and management. In fact, success has nothing to do with fancy theory.” He said free people are the strongest economic force in the country.
As he does routinely, McCain also assailed Democrats and accused their party’s presidential front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton, of backing dangerous economic policies.
“I will not let the Democrats roll back the Bush tax cuts,” said McCain, who voted against the president’s tax cuts but now supports them because he says that repealing them would amount to a tax increase.
Separating himself from Bush, McCain criticized federal programs intended to aid displaced workers, and called for:
—Overhauling the unemployment insurance program so that it can retrain, relocate and assist workers to find new jobs.
—Replacing a half-dozen outmoded and redundant jobs programs with a single system and drawing on the success of community colleges that he says does a better job than the federal government of giving workers skills they need.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:08 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Clinton takes the lead in Iowa poll; Edwards in statistical tie with Obama

By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer

NEW HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton has taken the lead among Democratic presidential candidates in an Iowa poll, an encouraging sign of progress toward overcoming a big hurdle in the race.
Although the New York senator is the clear front-runner in national surveys, Iowa has remained an elusive prize. She has been in a tight race with John Edwards and Barack Obama in the state that begins the primary campaign voting in three months.
But her campaign has focused on boosting her appeal in Iowa, including two visits with her husband, former President Clinton, by her side over the summer. The effort appears to have paid off, according to the poll of likely Iowa caucus-goers that was published in Sunday’s Des Moines Register.
Clinton was supported by 29 percent of the 399 respondents to the poll conducted Oct. 1-3, compared with 21 percent in May.
Edwards and Obama are not far behind, ensuring that all three campaigns will continue their intense efforts in Iowa, which leads off voting in the 2008 primary contests.
“I’m doing everything I can to earn the support of Iowans,” Clinton said during a stop in New Hampton. A standing room only crowd at a community center was warmed up by listening to disco hit “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.”
“I pay absolutely no attention to what any poll says or what any pundit on TV says,” the former first lady said. “I have absolutely no interest in that. Nobody has come to a caucus yet. Nobody has cast a vote yet.”
While Clinton visited small towns in eastern Iowa, Edwards was in the midst of a four-day tour of the state that included stops in 17 counties. The new poll showed his support falling from 29 percent, good enough for first place in May, to 23 percent. That is a statistical tie with Obama’s 22 percent.
The poll has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
Edwards told reporters in Davenport that he sees it as a close three-way race, with his two chief rivals rising recently because “they spend millions of dollars on television advertising.”
“But, I think it’s much more important to Iowa caucus-goers to see you in the flesh — see you stand before them, look them in the eye and answer their hard questions,” the former North Carolina senator said.
Clinton got one of those hard questions in New Hampton, and it led to a heated exchanged.
Randall Rolph of Nashua challenged her for voting last month to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. Some Democrats said they feared that such a designation could be interpreted as a congressional authorization of military force in Iran.
Rolph compared Clinton’s vote on the Iran measure with her vote to authorize war in Iraq. “It appears you haven’t learned from your past mistakes,” he said.
Clinton responded that his interpretation was wrong and suggested that someone put him up to asking the question. The man said he did his own research and was offended that she would accuse him of getting it elsewhere. She apologized but insisted he must be looking at the wrong version of the bill.
Their exchanged grew heated as he insisted the bill would authorize combat. Clinton snapped back, her voice rising, “I’m sorry, sir, it does not.”
“I know what we voted for, and I know what we intended to do with it,” she said. She said it gives the authority to impose penalties.
Many in the crowd applauded her in an effort to cut off the exchange, although afterward at least a couple others in the room came up to thank Rolph. He said he is still undecided about which Democrat he will support, but it will not be Clinton.
———
Associated Press writer Amy Lorentzen in Davenport, Iowa, contributed to this report.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:13 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Florida Democrats sue national party over timing of presidential primary

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press Writer

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Congressional Democrats from Florida sued their own party Thursday, hoping to restore the national convention delegates stripped from the state because it scheduled an early presidential primary.
The party violated the Constitution and federal voting laws by taking away Florida Democrats’ ability to have a say in choosing the presidential nominee, says the lawsuit filed by Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Alcee Hastings against the Democratic National Committee and Chairman Howard Dean.
“For the DNC to say to the fourth-largest contingency of Democrats in the nation that their votes will not matter in next year’s presidential primary is not only shocking and ironic, but we believe is illegal,” Hastings said at a news conference in Washington.
The national party’s rules committee voted to take away Florida’s 210 delegates after the state party chose to go along with a Jan. 29 primary. That date was set by Florida’s Republican-led Legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.
Democratic Party rules say states cannot hold their 2008 primary contests before Feb. 5, except for Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Nelson said they tried to compromise with party leaders before filing the lawsuit. “We didn’t have any other choice,” he said.
The calendar was designed to preserve the traditional role that Iowa and New Hampshire have played in selecting the nominee, while adding two states with more racial and geographic diversity to influential early slots.
Meanwhile, South Carolina Democrats will decide within two weeks whether to ask national party leaders to move the state’s primary to Jan. 19 and make it the party’s first contest in the South.
That would move the state out of Florida’s shadow. South Carolina Republicans already have decided to vote Jan. 19.
“The concern is we don’t want to be 10 days after the Republican primary,” Joe Werner, the state Democratic Party executive director, told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The lawsuit filed by the Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee said, “For the right to vote in a presidential primary to have any meaning, those presidential primary ballots must result in votes that are going to count at the party’s national convention.”
It notes the controversy over vote-counting in Florida that extended the 2000 presidential election, which was decided only after a Supreme Court ruling.
“In the aftermath of the shattering events of 2000, Democrats here and around the country have made continued efforts to assure that every vote counts,” it said. “It is thus truly a monumental irony for the Democratic National Committee to replace its own commitment to assuring that every vote must be counted with a decree that no Florida Democrats’ vote will count.”
———
Associated Press Writers Jim Davenport in South Carolina and Ann Sanner in Washington contributed to this story.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:11 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

RICHARDSON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Governor Bill Richardson to Give Major Policy Address on Iraq, Unveil Defense Modernization Plan

SANTA FE, N.M -- New Mexico Governor and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson will give a major policy address, entitled "Hard Choices: The Responsible Way Forward for Iraq and our Military," and unveil his plan for defense modernization on Thursday, October 4th at 10:00 AM Eastern Time at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

"Unlike the other major candidates in this race, I believe that the only responsible choice for us in Iraq is to get all of our troops out and leave no residual forces behind," Governor Richardson said. "We need a New Realism in our foreign policy, and we need to modernize our military to meet the threats of the 21st century."

WHEN: Thursday, October 4th, 10:00 AM Eastern Time
WHAT: Major Policy Address on Iraq and Defense Modernization
WHERE: Gaston Hall, 3rd Floor, Healy Hall, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets NW, Washington, D.C.

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:01 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Blunt-talking McCain bouyed by polls, fundraising
By GLEN JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer
DERRY (AP) — Buoyed by polls showing a slight uptick, as well as fundraising he says is improving, Sen. John McCain set out Sunday to win New Hampshire votes with his trademark blunt talk.
The 71-year-old Arizona Republican, who would be the oldest president ever to start in the White House if elected next year, quipped that he should bring his 95-year-old mother on the campaign trail “to display my genes.”
He blasted the “military thugs” in Myanmar who are attempting to maintain their junta despite protests of Buddhist monks, and said “we should make the Chinese pay a price” for supporting the regime in the nation formerly known as Burma.
And McCain labeled President Vladimir Putin as “the dictator from Russia” as he called for U.S. energy independence to curb oil imports from the former Soviet Union, Venezuela and Iran.
In a 90-minute town hall meeting that resembled a policy tour de force, McCain also challenged a woman in a wheelchair who declared she needed medical marijuana to withstand the pain of a litany of ailments.
“Every town hall meeting I have, someone shows up and advocates for medical marijuana, and, by the way, in all due respect, alleges that we are arresting the dead and the dying, and I still have not seen any evidence of that,” McCain told his questioner.
“I still would not support medical marijuana because I don’t think that the preponderance of medical opinion in America agrees with your assertion that it’s the most effective way of treating pain.”
McCain’s approach attracted admirers within the crowd, similar to the support he garnered in 2000 that allowed him to win the New Hampshire primary before ceding the nomination to George W. Bush.
“You get more of a straight answer from him that you get from other politicians. That’s why this format is good,” said Patrick Bracken, 58, of Hampstead. He voted for McCain seven years ago and plans to again next year in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary.
Melissa Skinner, 27, of Manchester, said she remained undecided about the candidate she will support, but, “I found him very personable. He can be lighthearted about serious issues.”
McCain spoke the same day that all the presidential contenders wrapped up their third-quarter fundraising. Their totals, which will be reported by the middle of October, provide an unofficial barometer of their political health.
After a midsummer staff shake up and generally positive reviews in recent weeks, McCain said he anticipated an effect on his fundraising, though he declared he had no sense of his fundraising total.
He also held out two caveats: that Senate business and his two-week “No Surrender” tour across early voting states have infringed on his fundraising time.
“That restrained us a bit, but we’re satisfied where we are and I think we’ve got the impetus to move forward,” the senator said.
As for the recent polls, he told reporters: “I pay attention to the polls, but I realize they are snapshots, and I see that we are improving in the polls, but we have a long way to go.”
McCain also expressed displeasure both in Derry and later at a house party in Hollis after the weekend publication of an interview in which he said he would prefer a Christian president for the United States.
The senator made the remark after Beliefnet, a multi-denominational Web site, asked whether a Muslim candidate would be a good president. Recently, McCain also grew exasperated after facing questions for labeling himself as a practicing Baptist despite being raised an Episcopalean and describing himself that way in campaign literature.
“All I can say is that maybe I should have kept my comments to the fact that I’m a practicing Christian, I respect all religions and beliefs, and that I support the principles, the values of the Founding Fathers. Perhaps I should have couched my remarks to that rather than getting into, as I say, a Talmudic discussion,” McCain said.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:07 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Key political states weigh January dates to start presidential nominating season

By MIKE GLOVER
Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowans could still be humming Auld Lang Syne as they gather to choose among presidential candidates, thanks to decisions by other states to move up their election dates.
Party leaders in Iowa are edging toward holding the state’s leadoff caucuses as early as Jan. 3, although they’ll hold off on a decision until New Hampshire selects a date for the nation’s first primary.
“There are only a couple of days that work, and we don’t want to go into December,” said Iowa GOP head Chuck Laudner, who mentioned Jan. 3, 4 and 5 as dates being considered.
Iowa and New Hampshire have made clear they won’t stand pat as states such as Michigan and Florida move up their election dates, but don’t expect a decision soon. New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner has the sole power to schedule his state’s primary, and he’s not talking.
“I’m not any closer,” Gardner said Thursday. “I can’t (pick a date) at the moment because I don’t know.”
Iowa and New Hampshire party officials have been hearing that line for months.
“Tightly lipped, isn’t he?” noted Fergus Cullen, New Hampshire’s Republican chairman.
Party officials in the two states have frequently discussed election scenarios, and most think Gardner will opt for Jan. 8 as long as Iowa doesn’t move to mid-December. That would give New Hampshire a week of breathing room before Michigan, one of several states that have ignored demands by both national parties that they not schedule contests before Feb. 5.
But some in New Hampshire speculate that Gardner could move the primary into December — perhaps Dec. 18 — to ensure plenty of time before the contests to follow. Iowa is committed to being first, but officials clearly shudder at the thought of a December caucus. As Iowa Gov. Chet Culver put it, “In this state, we’re still going to have Christmas.”
On Friday, Gardner said he was moving up the filing period for the presidential primary three weeks to Oct. 15. Candidates will be able to file through Nov. 2. Gardner said he would try to have the ballots printed by Nov. 9 and ready to be distributed to town clerks.
“We look to have absentee ballots to be available 30 days before all our elections,” he said.
The filing period had been set for Nov. 5-23, but Gardner said he might need the extra time.
“It would allow the date of the primary to be earlier,” he said. He added,“I have not made a decision about setting the date. I just want to be prepared because this would give us some additional flexibility.”
For now, Iowa’s caucus date remains Jan. 14, eight days before the date when national Democrats want New Hampshire to hold its primary. But it is all-but-certain that the preferred calendar is wishful thinking.
The longer Gardner delays his decision, the less likely that other states would leapfrog in front of New Hampshire. But the uncertainty is creating headaches in Iowa, where the parties must arrange the caucuses, find spots to hold neighborhood meetings in each of the state’s 1,784 precincts, and get the word out to activists.
Iowa Democratic Party spokeswoman Carrie Giddins said the wait is frustrating, but the parties will make do.
“No matter when that date is chosen, we will run very serious, very correct caucuses,” Giddens said.
In his 31 years as New Hampshire’s secretary of state, Gardner has waited as late as December before selecting a primary date. But New Hampshire state Rep. Jim Splaine, who has worked with Gardner on primary issues since 1980, said he expects an announcement in November.
Analyst Jennifer Donahue at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., said she’s sure Gardner is talking with Iowa officials about a date that could work for both states.
“Iowa isn’t trying to make it harder for us,” Donahue said. “If anything, they’re trying to make it easier for us. They always have.”
Although Iowa law requires the caucuses to be held “at least eight days earlier” than any other contest, the rule has been ignored in past elections.
In 1988, Michigan held a delegate selection process before Iowa, but it got little attention. Later, Alaska held an earlier contest as well.
Brad Anderson, a spokesman for Culver, said the governor is willing to call a quick special legislative session if needed to change that law, but few think that’s necessary.
David Nagle, a former Iowa Democratic Party chairman who largely established the current calendar in 1984, argues it’s a matter of being adamant about the state’s place in the process, even while holding delicate talks with New Hampshire.
As Nagle put it in a memo to party leaders, “If New Hampshire chooses to move in front of us, then we will move again. New Hampshire must understand that if they go in July, we will go in June.”
———

Associated Press writers Philip Elliott and Norma Love in Concord, N.H., contributed to this report.

Posted by Michael McCord at 04:12 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Democratic debate attracts close to 1.5 million viewers, down from recent GOP debate
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 1.5 million people tuned in to a televised debate among Democratic presidential candidates Wednesday night in New Hampshire.
It was a better showing than the last Democratic debate in August, but less than the number tuning in for the most recent one involving Republican candidates, held just after Labor Day, according to Nielsen Media Research.
According to Nielsen, a television ratings firm:
—Wednesday’s debate on MSNBC drew more than 1.4 million viewers.
—A Sept. 5 Republican debate on Fox News Channel was seen by 3.2 million.
—An Aug. 8 AFL-CIO forum with Democratic candidates and broadcast by MSNBC drew just 939,000 viewers.
Debate viewership has been around 2 million, but Wednesday night the debate was up against season premiers on the major networks.
The novel CNN-YouTube Democratic debate in July attracted 2.6 million television viewers, a slight drop from the numbers who tuned in for a more traditional exchange in June involving the Democrats. That attracted 2.8 million viewers. In April, a MSNBC televised debate drew 2.3 million.
The White House hopefuls will have more opportunities to debate in October.
Republicans will meet in Dearborn, Mich., on Oct. 9; in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 21 and in Iowa on Oct. 25. Democrats will meet on Oct. 30 in Philadelphia.

Posted by Michael McCord at 10:20 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Obama says Bush and his unpopularity are great for Democrats
By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press Writer

PETERBOROUGH (AP) — Presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Wednesday that President Bush’s mistakes and unpopularity have been a tremendous boon for him and his Democratic peers.
Obama, appealing to Democratic activists on a southern New Hampshire farm before an evening debate at Dartmouth College, told voters that Bush, the war in Iraq and failures coping with Hurricane Katrina will help Democrats take the White House next year.
“George Bush has been a great advertisement for the Democratic Party,” he said, citing big crowds at campaign events as evidence.
“I admit that part of the reason that people are coming out is because in part they are sick and tired of George Bush and Dick Cheney. They are tired of an administration that treats our Constitution as a nuisance to be avoided. ... They mourned that day, two years ago, when we witnessed our fellow citizens standing on rooftops after a storm without water and without food and without rescue because of an administration that was either incompetent or indifferent to the plight of people in New Orleans.”
Obama, who continues to trail rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in recent polls, acknowledged concerns about his relative lack of Washington experience.
“I am absolutely certain that I may not have some of the experiences that Washington likes, but I guarantee you, I have the experience America needs right now to bring about the change that we’re looking for in this country. That I know,” said Obama, standing under towering pine trees in front of a red-sided barn
It’s a theme the first-term senator emphasizes in ads that started airing in New Hampshire this week. In them, he touts his outside-of-Washington resume.
“There are those in this race who tout their experience working that system as is. But what I have to remind them of is that the system has not been working for us,” Obama said. “There are those who say we just need someone who can play the game better in Washington. What I say is that we need to put an end to the game-playing.”
A stage light caught fire as Obama spoke, giving him an opening for a bit of humor.
“Uh-oh. There’s a light on fire. That’s not good,” he deadpanned. “Do we want to turn it off? Thank you very much. Everything OK? All right, I think we’re OK. We handled that crisis. Absolutely.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:41 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Clinton picks up endorsement from bricklayers union
By JESSE J. HOLLAND
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers endorsed Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday, saying she has the best chance to win the presidential election.
“Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to deliver the change America needs,” union president John J. Flynn said. “After years of an administration that has turned its back on working families, we need a president whose priorities are our priorities.”
Flynn said the union’s executive council voted unanimously to endorse Clinton and that the New York senator was the clear winner in a poll of their members.
Clinton said that she was honored to get the endorsement.
“In my administration, America’s working families will again have a partner in the White House,” she said.
Founded in 1865, the bricklayers say they are the oldest continuous union in North America and that they represent about 100,000 skilled masonry-trowel tradescraft workers.
This is Clinton’s fifth union endorsement, the largest number of any presidential candidate so far.
Meanwhile, one of the largest municipal jail unions in the country said Monday that it will endorse Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for president. The endorsement would be Obama’s first from a union.
“Barack Obama is the one candidate who will put an end to the divisiveness in this country so that we can finally achieve greater economic prosperity for the working class and health care coverage for all Americans,” said Norman Seabrook, the president of New York City’s Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association.
The group has about 9,000 active members.
Obama said in the same statement that he looked forward to working with the union as he continued to build his campaign for president.
“It’s an honor to have the endorsement of these men and women who put themselves at risk everyday to serve on the front lines of our nation’s criminal justice system,” he said.
———
Bricklayers union: http://www.bacweb.org/
Corrections officers union: http://www.cobanyc.org/

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:31 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee wins South Carolina group straw poll
By JIM DAVENPORT
Associated Press Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Thursday that Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton isn’t tough enough to be president.
Sen. McCain, R-Ariz., told about 600 conservatives that his Senate colleague showed her lack of fortitude Thursday by voting against a resolution condemning the liberal interest group MoveOn.org for a newspaper ad calling Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, “Gen. Betray Us.”
“My conclusion is that if you’re not tough enough to take on MoveOn.org and their attacks on a decent and honorable member of the United States military, then you can’t be tough enough to be president of the United States,” McCain said.
McCain was among several Republican presidential candidates who spoke to the Palmetto Family Council’s stump and straw poll crowd by telephone. They emphasized the war, family, opposition to gay marriage and ending abortion.
Fred Thompson and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, also spoke by telephone. Mitt Romney sent regrets by video, saying he was out raising money.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who appeared in the flesh, said it was important to be with voters to talk about their issues.
“If we want to end poverty in this country, the best thing to do is to keep strong families and strong marriages together,” he said.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., also attended in person.
Huckabee won the straw poll with 206 votes. Paul finished second with 179 votes, followed by Thompson, a distant third with 43 votes.
The only candidate without a presence at the meeting was former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose campaign said he skips events linked to straw polls. The crowd booed his absence.

Posted by Michael McCord at 10:02 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson said Wednesday that the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq has contributed to the sectarian violence rather than bringing stability to the war-torn nation.

"There's no question there's tribal and ethnic hatreds," Richardson told The Associated Press. "But when those tribal and ethnic hatreds are fueled by American policy of hostility, then you make the situation worse."

In an hourlong interview with AP editors and reporters, the New Mexico governor argued that all combat and noncombat troops should be removed from Iraq because their presence is only contributing to violence.

"It's not a guarantee of success, my plan, but at least it's stability," Richardson said.

"American foreign policy is being bled dry by the invasion of Iraq," he said.

Posted by Michael McCord at 08:34 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

OBAMA CAMPIGN press release

Obama to Announce Major Middle Class Tax Relief Plan

MANCHESTER — U.S. Senator Barack Obama plans to announce a bold and innovative plan to reform America’s tax code so that it works for the middle class in a speech to the Tax Policy Center today in Washington, DC. Obama’s plan would provide a substantial tax cut for nearly all working Americans, for homeowners, and for low- and middle-income seniors.

Obama will make the case that our current tax code reflects the wrong priorities by rewarding wealth instead of work, and pledge to restore fairness to the tax code to strengthen the American economy.

Obama’s middle class tax relief plan would provide $80-85 billion in tax cuts to America’s workers, seniors and homeowners by:
Cutting taxes for 150 million Americans and their families, allowing them to get a tax cut of up to $1000.
Easing the burden on the middle class by providing a universal homeowner’s tax credit to those who do not itemize their deductions, immediately benefiting 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom make under $50,000 per year.
Eliminating the income tax for any American senior making less than $50,000 per year, eliminating income taxes for about 7 million American seniors.
Simplifying tax filings so millions of Americans can do their taxes in less than 5 minutes.
Obama would pay for his tax reform plan by closing corporate loopholes, cracking down on international tax havens, closing the carried interest loophole, and increasing the dividends and capital gains rate for the top bracket.
The full plan with New Hampshire-specific information can be found HERE.

As Prepared for Delivery:

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
Tax Fairness for the Middle Class
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Washington, DC

EMBARGOED for Delivery

Yesterday I spoke about the future of the American economy at the NASDAQ. And in many ways, NASDAQ is a symbol of the new economy that’s taking hold – the wealth created; the booms and bubbles; the technology that’s helping to drive growth, and the interconnectedness that now spans the globe.

It’s no secret that a fundamental transformation of our economy is taking place. In books and on balance sheets, at policy institutes and around kitchen tables, people are trying to make sense of where the swift and strong currents of globalization are taking us. What we do know is that Americans are living and working in a rapidly changing economic reality.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. Time and again, the American economy has undergone upheaval – from slave to free; from agriculture to industry; from peace to war-time, and from war-time to peace. And time and again, the American economy has emerged stronger.

The one constant has been the advancement of individual opportunity. There are few principles more basic to our country, and there is none more basic to our economy. We believe that there is a place in the American economy for every American’s dream. And we know that when we extend that dream of opportunity to more Americans, all of us gain.

Americans also know that opportunity doesn’t come easy. You have to work for it.

Here I think of my father-in-law, Fraser Robinson. He raised his two children with his wife Marian in 1960s Chicago. They faced what other African-American families faced at the time – both hidden and overt forms of racism that limited their effort to get ahead. And they faced an additional obstacle. At age 30, Fraser was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. And yet, every day of his life, even when he had to leave an hour earlier in the morning and rely on a walker to get him there, he went to work at the local water filtration plant while Marian stayed home with the children. And on that single salary, Fraser Robinson provided for his family, sending my wife Michelle and her brother Craig to Princeton.

This is an American story that plays out in millions of families each and every day. It is a story that is shared by the caregiver who is up before dawn and the teacher who never misses the bell; by the trader who works late and the janitor on the night shift. It is the story of a society that values work, and of people who work to create a better future for their families.

This story could not exist without a basic social compact in this country. That compact says that if you work hard, your work will be rewarded. That everybody has an opportunity to make a decent living, to raise a family, to give their children the best chance at success, and to look forward to a secure retirement. That people like Fraser and Marian Robinson can give their children the chance to dream bigger, and to reach new horizons.

That social compact is starting to crumble.

In our new economy, there is no shortage of new wealth. But wages are not keeping pace. Workers are more vulnerable to job loss and more worried about retirement. Those Americans fortunate enough to have health care are paying more for it – health care premiums have risen nearly 90% in the last six years. Americans are facing deeper personal debt. From filling up the gas tank to paying for a college education, everything seems to cost more.

This is not just happening by chance. It’s not something we can just chalk up to temporary shocks. It’s happening in part because of the choices we’re making, and the way that we’re making those choices. It’s happening because we’ve gone too far from being a country where we’re all in this together, to a country where everyone’s on their own.

Today, I’m going to focus on one aspect of our economic policy where we need to make different choices. Because nowhere is this shift in our priorities more evident than in our tax policies.

Instead of working to find ways to relieve the burden on the middle class, we’ve developed creative ways to remove the burden from the well-off. Instead of having all of us pay our fair share, we’ve got over $1 trillion worth of loopholes in the corporate tax code.

This isn’t the invisible hand of the market at work. It’s the successful work of special interests. For decades, we’ve seen a successful strategy to ride anti-tax sentiment in this country toward tax cuts that favor wealth, not work. And for decades, we’ve seen the gaps in wealth in this country grow wider, while the costs to working people are greater.

We’ve got a shift in our tax values that disproportionately benefits the wealthiest Americans; corporate carve-outs that serve no national purpose; tax breaks that allow companies to stash their profits overseas; a government that’s paralyzed when dealing with offshore tax haven countries; an overloaded tax code that’s too complicated for ordinary folks to understand, but just complicated enough to work for someone who knows how to work the system.

When big business doesn’t like something in the tax code, they can hire a lobbyist to get it changed, but most working people can’t afford a high-priced lobbyist. Instead of honoring that core American value – opportunity for all – we’ve had a system in Washington where our laws and regulations have carved out opportunities for the few.

The numbers don’t lie. At a time when income inequality is growing sharper, the Bush tax cuts gave the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans a tax cut that was twice as large as the middle class. At a time when Americans are working harder than ever, we are taxing income from work at nearly twice the level that we’re taxing gains for investors.

Talk about this in polite company, and sooner or later you’ll get accused of waging class warfare. As if it’s distasteful to point out that some CEOs make more in ten minutes than a worker makes in ten months. Or, as my friend Warren Buffet put it to me – “If there’s class warfare going on in America, then my class is winning.”

What Warren Buffett knows is what all Americans have to remember – to get through these uncertain times, we have to recognize that we all have a stake in one another’s success. When folks are hurting out there on Main Street, that’s not good for Wall Street. When the changes in our economy are leaving too many people behind, the competitiveness of our country risks falling behind. When that dream of opportunity is denied to too many Americans, then ultimately that pain has a way of trickling up.

We welcome success stories here in America. We admire those who have climbed to the top of the ladder. We just need to be sure that the ladder doesn’t get taken away from the rest of us. We want a system based on fairness – not special favors.

To steer a course through the change that’s taking hold, we have to hold tight to that core principle: that our economy must advance opportunity for all Americans.

My own experience over two decades tells me that when you give people a chance at that opportunity, they will take it. That’s what I found as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where we set up job training programs and after school programs and counseling programs to bring hope to places that had been hurt by change. That’s what I found as a state Senator in Illinois when we created the state Earned Income Tax Credit so we could put $100 million of tax cuts into the pockets of working families. That’s what I’ve been focused on as a United States Senator, as I’ve worked to expand the child tax credit to include children in minimum wage families, and to close loopholes that shift the tax burden on to working people.

And that’s what I’ll do as President. Because when it comes to our economy, the American people are not the problem – they are the answer.

I’ll restore simplicity to the tax code, and fairness for the American middle class. It’s time to stand up to special interest carve outs. I’ll end the preferential treatment that’s built into our tax code by eliminating corporate loopholes and tax breaks. We shouldn’t be distorting our tax code to benefit a few powerful interests – we should be insisting that everyone pays their fair share, and when I’m President, they will.

And it’s time to shed some sunlight not only on companies that abuse the tax code, but also on the secretive offshore tax havens that shelter them. We’ll create a list of countries where tax evaders hide their income and cost America untold billions of dollars every year. We’ll lead the international community to new standards of information sharing. And we’ll penalize companies and individuals who use those havens and illegally evade their tax obligations.

If we’re going to keep that social compact for a new century, we need a tax code that’s fair – a tax code that rewards work and advances opportunity. Every American who is ready to work for their American dream should be able to trust that they have a government that works for them. I’ll keep that trust by cutting taxes for working people, homeowners, and seniors, and by simplifying tax filing for middle class Americans.

First, I’ll give a tax cut to working people.

The American people work longer and harder than the people of any other wealthy nation in the world. But their hours are getting longer and their wages aren’t getting any higher. Their costs are going up, but their economic security is going down.

When a single mom gets her paycheck, that check gets taxed. When she goes to buy groceries, that purchase gets taxed. When she reaches her retirement, her social security benefit gets taxed. Meanwhile, her boss’s investments get taxed at a lower rate, and the corporation she works for has all kinds of loopholes built into the tax code because they’ve got lobbyists in Washington sticking up for their interests.

It’s time for that to change. It’s time for Americans to have a President in the Oval Office who makes decisions based on their interest, not the special interests.

Let’s not forget that even in this era of economic change, our wealth as a nation remains founded on work. I’d reward work by providing an income tax cut of up to $500 per person – or $1,000 for each working family – to offset the payroll tax that they’re already paying. At a time when confidence in the American economy is unsteady, this will give middle class Americans a break, and help them deal with the rising costs of energy, education, and saving for retirement. Under my plan, 150 million Americans – and their families – will get a tax cut. And because this credit would be greater than their income tax bill, my proposal would eliminate all income taxes for 10 million working Americans.

The second thing I’ll do to ease the burden on the middle class is provide a universal homeowners’ tax credit.

If work is how most Americans seek their dream, a home is how many families realize it. A home is a source of stability, a building block for communities, and the most valuable thing that most middle class folks will own. But – as has been made painfully clear through the sub-prime crisis – that source of stability can quickly become the source of economic insecurity. Too many Americans are struggling under the weight of their mortgages. Homeowners need a break.

Today, we have a mortgage interest deduction, but it only goes to people who itemize on their taxes. Like so much in our tax code, this tilts the scales toward the well-off. Only a third of homeowners take advantage of this credit.

I’ll create a mortgage interest credit so that both itemizers and non-itemizers get a break. This will immediately benefit 10 million homeowners in America. The vast majority of these are folks who make under $50,000 per year, who will get a break of 10 percent of their mortgage interest rate. For most middle class families, this will add up to about $500 each year. This credit will also extend a hand to many of the millions of Americans who are stuck in the subprime crisis by giving them some breathing room to refinance or sell their homes.

The third thing I’ll do is provide a progressive tax cut for America’s seniors.

Since the New Deal, we’ve had a basic understanding in America. If you work hard and pay into the system, you’ve earned the right to a secure retirement. But even though they’ve held up their end of the bargain, many seniors are struggling to keep pace with costs. And as so many Americans know, their worry becomes an entire family’s worry.

This strain has been greater since 1993, when taxes on social security benefits were raised. Millions of seniors saw their net benefits go down. They also had to take on the added strain – and sometimes cost – of filing a complicated tax return.

It’s time to give America’s seniors a break. So I’ll give retired folks the same kind of relief I’ll offer to working people. When I’m President, we’ll work to see that no retiree making less than $50,000 each year has to pay income tax. This will eliminate income taxes for about 7 million Americans, at a savings rate of roughly $1,400 each year. And 22 million seniors won’t even have to file a return and hire an expensive tax preparer.

The final part of my plan will be simplifying the process of filing a tax return for all Americans.

The tax code has become far too complex. Deductions and exemptions are built into the system, but ordinary people don’t have the time to figure them out without going to an expert preparer - yet another cost at tax time.

In 2004, the IRS estimated that it took 28 hours for an individual to complete her tax filing. According to the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate, “the most serious problem facing taxpayers today is the complexity of the Internal Revenue Code.” This past year, USA Today had five different professionals add up the tax bill for one working family – and they all got different answers.

It’s time to cut through the complexity. When I’m President, we’ll put in place a system where 40 million Americans with a job and a bank account who take the standard deduction can do their taxes in less than five minutes. The government already collects wage and bank account information, so there’s no reason the IRS can’t send Americans prefilled tax forms to verify. This mean’s no more worry. No more wasted time. No more extra expenses for a tax preparer.

Making this change would save Americans more than $2 billion in tax preparer fees, more than 200 million hours of work, and an incalculable amount of headache and heartburn.

All of these proposals are about making America’s tax code simpler, and making it work better for working Americans.

As we simplify the tax code so that it works for the middle class, we’ll have to address shifting costs. Americans are tired of an attitude toward taxing and spending in Washington that is leaving a legacy of debt to our children and grandchildren.

To ensure that we are fiscally responsible, we’ll gain revenue by shutting down corporate loopholes and tax havens. We’ll also turn the page on an approach that gives repeated tax cuts to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans even though they don’t need them and didn’t ask for them. We've lost the balance between work and wealth. I will close the carried interest loophole, and adjust the top dividends and capital gains rate to something closer to – but no greater than – the rates Ronald Reagan set in 1986.

As we make these changes, we’ll be sure to encourage growth and innovation. So we’ll exempt start-up companies and small businesses from capital gains to give them an added boost. Because when more Americans tap that well of opportunity, all of us are better off.

You know, the truth is, most Americans aren’t asking for a lot. They don’t need overseas tax shelters or a long list of loopholes. They just want a fair shake. And they could stand a break. Because most Americans have simple dreams. A job. A place to raise their family. A secure retirement. A chance to create opportunities for their kids that might extend a little further than their own.

After all, the wealth of our nation is rooted in the work of our people. In his first State of the Union message to Congress, Abraham Lincoln laid out a core principle: “Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."

It’s a simple proposition. That the wealth we earn comes from the work that we do. It’s a proposition that is lived, day in and day out, in the homes of millions of working Americans. The steady pursuit of simple dreams.

The American economy is the tally of all of those dreams. Now – at a time of rising costs and rising uncertainty – it’s time for polices from Washington that put a little wind at the backs of the American people. Now is the time for us to come together as a nation behind a new compact for the 21st century – one that gives the American people a lift, so they can lift up this country anew.

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:28 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Romney launches anti-gay marriage ad
By MIKE GLOVER
Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is launching a radio ad touting the strength of his opposition to gay marriage.
Romney, who has come under criticism from conservatives for his past support of some gay rights issues, says he is the only major GOP candidate backing a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
“Not all Republican candidates agree, but defending marriage is the right thing to do,” Romney says in the 60-second spot to begin airing Wednesday.
The ad is meant to set him apart from Fred Thompson, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani in the minds of conservative voters.
Giuliani, meanwhile, takes a different approach his new Iowa radio spot — portraying himself as the Republican most likely to win over the more moderate electorate in the general election. Many conservatives are leery of Giuliani because of his views on issues including gay rights and abortion.
The ad Giuliani began airing Tuesday points to criticism of the candidate from the liberal group MoveOn.org and argues that Democrats fear Giuliani most as a potential GOP nominee.
“Why is MoveOn.org attacking Rudy Giuliani?” the ad asks. “Because he’s their worst nightmare.”
In contrast, Romney’s new ad is targeted directly at evangelical Christians who are crucial to Republican politics in Iowa, where precinct caucuses traditionally launch the nominating season.
The ad, coming as Iowa is embroiled in court fight over its gay marriage ban, points to Romney’s role in battling a Massachusetts court ruling that paved the way for same-sex marriages there.
“As Republicans we must oppose discrimination and defend traditional marriage: one man, one woman,” Romney says in the spot.
Romney’s conservative critics argue that his position on gay rights was more nuanced as Massachusetts governor and during his 1994 bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
In focusing on the “major candidates,” Romney is separating himself from rivals such as Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback, who favor the constitutional amendment against gay marriage but have come in behind Giuliani, Romney and Thompson in most polls.

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:18 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Romney urges U.N. not to admit Iran’s Ahmadinejad for speech

By GLEN JOHNSON
AP Political Writer
BOSTON (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should not be allowed to address the U.N. General Assembly next week, but instead should be greeted “with an indictment under the Genocide Convention,” Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said Monday.
“The Iranian regime under President Ahmadinejad has spoken openly about wiping Israel off the map, has fueled Hezbollah’s terror campaign in the region and around the world and defied the world community in its pursuit of nuclear weapons — capabilities that make these threats even more ominous,” Romney said in a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon posted on his campaign Web site, www.mittromney.com.
In New York, Romney told reporters: “I think the invitatiom should be withdrawn. I think instead, Ahmadinejad should be indicted under the Genocide Convention.”
Romney routinely talks about the threat the United States faced from “radical jihadists,” and he has staked out a hard-line position against Iran in particular.
In January, he called for economic sanctions against the Central Asian nation “at least as severe” as those imposed on South Africa during its apartheid era, aiming to isolate the country and convince it to give up its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
Last September, while still serving as governor of Massachusetts, Romney ordered all state agencies to refuse any assistance if requested when the former president of Iran visited Massachusetts. Romney said Mohammed Khatami oversaw torture and the murder of dissidents, as well as Iran’s secret nuclear program, while in office from 1997 to 2005.
“State taxpayers should not be providing special treatment to an individual who supports violent jihad and the destruction of Israel,” Romney said at the time.
Opponents of the current Iranian regime including Nobel Prize Winner Elie Wiesel and Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz have previously called for Iran’s explusion from the United Nations.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:52 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By LIBBY QUAID
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani criticized Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton in a full-page ad in Friday’s New York Times, accusing her of attacking Iraq war commander Gen. David Petraeus’ character.
The ad paid for by the Giuliani campaign attempts to link Clinton to another ad, paid for by MoveOn.org, a liberal anti-war group, that ran in the Times on Monday. The MoveOn ad accused Petraeus of “cooking the books” on the Iraq war and played off his name, asking, “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?”
Meanwhile, MoveOn’s political action committee will begin airing a new ad on television Monday that accuses Bush of a “betrayal of trust.” The ad will run from Monday to Friday in Washington on cable and nationally on CNN. The total ad buy is $60,000.
The MoveOn TV ad argues that, despite plans to withdraw about 30,000 troops added to the U.S. military presence in Iraq earlier this year, Bush remains mired in the war.
“Now he’s making a big deal about, you guessed it, pulling out 30,000 troops,” the ad states. “So next year, there will still be 130,000 troops stuck in Iraq. George Bush. A betrayal of trust.”
Giuliani’s ad in the Times quotes the GOP candidate as saying, “These times call for statesmanship, not politicians spewing political venom.”
The Giuliani ad accuses Clinton, a New York senator, of participating in a “character attack” against Petraeus, citing her comments during a congressional hearing that the general’s progress report on Iraq required a “willing suspension of disbelief.”
Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker told Congress that while Iraq remains mostly dysfunctional, violence has decreased since the influx of 30,000 additional troops earlier this year.
Responding Friday to Giuliani’s criticism, Clinton campaign spokesman Phil Singer said, “It’s hardly surprising that Mayor Giuliani is running the first negative ad of the ’08 campaign, given his inability to justify his unqualified support for President Bush’s failed Iraq strategy.
“Senator Clinton respects Gen. Petraeus’ service to our country. She knows the best way to honor our soldiers is to end the war in Iraq and bring them home,” Singer said.
A conservative group, Freedom’s Watch, which supports President Bush’s Iraq war strategy, also plans a print ad in the Times and has demanded the same $65,000 rate that the liberal group paid for its full-page ad. Giuliani is getting the same rate.
———
Associated Press Writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:15 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press Writer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Thursday that President Bush’s signature education program isn’t working and that he would provide federal education money with fewer strings attached.
“We’ve been spending increasing amounts of federal money for decades, with increasing rules, increasing mandates, increasing regulations,” Thompson said. “It’s not working.”
He added that there are problems with Bush’s No Child Left Behind program, which requires annual testing and punishes schools that don’t make progress.
“No Child Left Behind — good concept, I’m all for testing — but it seems like now some of these states are teaching to the test and kind of making it so that everybody does well on the test — you can’t really tell that everybody’s doing that well. And it’s not objective,” Thompson said.
Instead, he said the federal government should be providing block grants as long as states set up objective testing programs.
He said his message to states would be, “We expect you to get objective testing done and publicize those tests for the local parents and for the local citizens and suffer the political ramifications locally if things don’t work out right.”
The former Tennessee senator and star of NBC’s “Law & Order” was responding to a question as he began a three-day bus tour of Florida, his first visit to the state since announced his candidacy last week. A woman asked what he would do for education. He told her decisions on how schools are run should be made by local and state decisions, not dictated out of Washington.
“It’s your responsibility,” he said. “If you don’t like what’s going on, don’t get in your car and drive by your school board and maybe drive by the capitol and get on an airplane and fly to Washington and say, ’I don’t like the way the school down the street is being run.’”

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:50 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

GRANITEROOTS FOR JOHN EDWARDS TO CANVASS NEW HAMPSHIRE AND DISTRIBUTE TREE SAPLINGS

Edwards national campaign manager Congressman David Bonior to join canvass on Saturday and Sunday

Manchester – On Saturday, September 15th, and Sunday, September 16th, the Graniteroots for John Edwards will hold canvasses across New Hampshire, where volunteers will discuss Senator Edwards’ bold environmental policies and distribute tree saplings. Edwards for President national campaign manager Congressman David Bonior will participate in the canvass and help hand out tree saplings across the state.

“This Graniteroots canvass is not just about discussing John’s bold plans to combat global warming, achieve energy independence, and create good paying jobs,” said Congressman Bonior. “Giving out these saplings will also help get neighbors talking to neighbors about the steps we can all take in our own lives to protect our environment.”

The Graniteroots for John Edwards will be distributing 8,000 White Spruce saplings at canvasses throughout the state. Exact times and locations can be viewed at: http://johnedwards.com/nh/events

The White Spruce is a medium-sized evergreen tree that grows 60-90 feet tall on average. It grows well throughout New Hampshire and New England, and is often used for erosion control and site reclamation because it is adaptable to a wide range of planting sites.

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:15 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Ron Paul campaign PRESS RELEASE

Former State Representative Tom Langlais Endorses Paul

CONCORD – The Ron Paul Campaign proudly announced today the endorsement of former State Representative Tom Langlais, Merrimack County District #8.

"Dr. Paul is a candidate all Americans can embrace as their model for common sense conservative values," said Rep. Langlais. "He has opposed sell-out, managed trade deals, authored legislation to protect the unborn, and fought for the rights of homeschoolers—even when those positions were unpopular within his own party. Ron Paul's steadfast defense of the Constitution, his refusal to abandon principle for politics, and his down-to-earth family values make him an easy choice for the GOP nomination; he is truly a Republican's Republican, and Washington is in dire need of his help."

Tom Langlais was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2004, where he served the towns of Allenstown, Epsom, and Pittsfield. While in office, Representative Langlais was recognized for his conservative voting record by Gun Owners of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, New Hampshire Right to Life, Cornerstone Policy Research, and the National Federation of Independent Business. He is a 20-year resident of New Hampshire, and a homeschooling father of five.

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:12 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Obama campaign PRESS RELEASE

Obama Unveils Comprehensive Plan to
Turn the Page in Iraq
Excerpts Provided Below

CLINTON, IA—In a major national security address at Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, U.S. Senator Barack Obama will today outline his plan to end the war and his vision for what America can achieve once it turns the page in Iraq.

Obama, who opposed the war from the beginning, called for an end to the politics of division and conventional Washington thinking that first led us into Iraq, and said that ending the war is necessary to restore a sense of unity and common purpose among Americans as we face the many challenges that confront us at home and abroad.

Obama’s comprehensive plan to turn the page in Iraq has four parts:

Obama would immediately begin to pull out troops engaged in combat operations at a pace of one or two brigades every month, to be completed by the end of next year.
He would call for a new constitutional convention in Iraq, convened with the United Nations, which would not adjourn until Iraq’s leaders reach a new accord on reconciliation.
He would use presidential leadership to surge our diplomacy with all of the nations of the region on behalf of a new regional security compact.
He would take immediate steps to confront the humanitarian disaster in Iraq, and to hold accountable any perpetrators of war crimes.
The plan can be viewed in full HERE.

Turning the Page in Iraq
Speech Excerpts
Clinton, IA

“Conventional thinking in Washington lined up for war. The pundits judged the political winds to be blowing in the direction of the President. Despite – or perhaps because of how much experience they had in Washington, too many politicians feared looking weak and failed to ask hard questions. Too many took the President at his word instead of reading the intelligence for themselves. Congress gave the President the authority to go to war. Our only opportunity to stop the war was lost.”

“There is something unreal about the debate that’s taking place in Washington… The bar for success is so low that it is almost buried in the sand. The American people have had enough of the shifting spin. We’ve had enough of extended deadlines for benchmarks that go unmet. We’ve had enough of mounting costs in Iraq and missed opportunities around the world. We’ve had enough of a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged.”

"I opposed this war from the beginning. I opposed the war in 2002. I opposed it in 2003. I opposed it in 2004. I opposed it in 2005. I opposed it in 2006. I introduced a plan in January to remove all of our combat brigades by next March. And I am here to say that we have to begin to end this war now.”

“Let me be clear: there is no military solution in Iraq, and there never was. The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq’s leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year – now. We should enter into talks with the Iraqi government to discuss the process of our drawdown. We must get out strategically and carefully, removing troops from secure areas first, and keeping troops in more volatile areas until later. But our drawdown should proceed at a steady pace of one or two brigades each month. If we start now, all of our combat brigades should be out of Iraq by the end of next year.”

“Some argue that we should just replace Prime Minister Maliki. But that wouldn’t solve the problem…The problems in Iraq are bigger than one man. Iraq needs a new Constitutional convention that would include representatives from all levels of Iraqi society – in and out of government. The United Nations should play a central role in convening and participating in this convention, which should not adjourn until a new accord on national reconciliation is reached.”

“The President would have us believe there are two choices: keep all of our troops in Iraq or abandon these Iraqis. I reject this choice... It’s time to form an international working group with the countries in the region, our European and Asian friends, and the United Nations…. We should up our share to at least $2 billion to support this effort; to expand access to social services for refugees in neighboring countries; and to ensure that Iraqis displaced inside their own country can find safe-haven. …. Iraqis must know that those who engage in mass violence will be brought to justice. We should lead in forming a commission at the U.N. to monitor and hold accountable perpetrators of war crimes within Iraq.”

“I’m here today because it’s not too late to come together as Americans. Because we’re not going to be able to deal with the challenges that confront us until we end this war. What we can do is say that we will not be prisoners of uncertainty. That we reject the conventional thinking that led us into Iraq and that didn’t ask hard questions until it was too late. What we can say is that we are ready for something new and something bold and something principled."

Posted by Michael McCord at 10:04 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By GLEN JOHNSON
AP Political Writer

BOSTON (AP) — A spokesman for Republican Mitt Romney said Tuesday that the presidential candidate did not approve the creation of a Web site severely critical of the personal and political life of his GOP rival, Fred Thompson.
The Web site, PhoneyFred.org, was created by Wesley Donehue, a business partner of Warren Tompkins, a South Carolina political operative on the Romney payroll and Romney’s top adviser in the early voting state.
The site was created without the knowledge of Tompkins or Romney, said Romney spokesman Kevin Madden. After the campaign received media inquiries about it, Romney aides traced the site to Donehue and complained.
“We made it clear that we did not approve of the site and asked for immediate action to make sure it was again in no way affiliated with the campaign,” Madden said. “The person responsible is not an employee of ours, but we took immediate action to make sure it was clear the site was not affiliated with the campaign.”
The Web site attacked Thompsons conservative credentials. It also labeled him Fancy Fred, Five O’Clock Fred, Flip-Flop Fred, McCain Fred, Moron Fred, Playboy Fred, Pro-Choice Fred, Son-of-a-Fred and Trial Lawyer Fred.
It asked, “Once a Pro-Choice Skirt Chaser, Now Standard Bearer of the Religious Right?”
Romney has said he welcomes Thompson to the race for the GOP presidential nomination, which the former Tennessee senator and actor joined last week. However, Romney has also questioned Thompson’s leadership experience, and aides to the former Massachusetts governor have highlighted the Tennessean’s lobbying record and his support for campaign finance reform legislation, as well as suggestions he lacked legislative accomplishments.
The site made light of Thompson’s acting career, saying of the “Law and Order” star: “You’re probably in the same boat: You can’t get the theme to ’Law and Order’ out of your head, but can you name one thing that Fred did during his eight years in the United States Senate?”
It went on to note that Thompson once provided legal services to a family planning group, and also served as a lobbyist.
The Web site was hosted by a company called bluehost.com, based in Orem, Utah. It had links to Under the Power Lines, Tompkins’ political consulting firm.
Tompkins, a former executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party, is a veteran of Palmetto State politics. He served as President Bush’s 2000 Southeast regional director at a time when Bush attacked then-rival Sen. John McCain and defeated him in the state’s GOP primary.
Tompkins has been paid $12,000 monthly to guide Romney’s effort in South Carolina, whose primary the campaign views as a pivotal test of strength of support among conservative voters. It follows the leadoff states of Iowa and New Hampshire, two other areas of concentration for Romney.
“Once we received inquiries about the site, we discovered it was created by an individual who works at an Internet firm who parked the site temporarily on the company server space of a firm whose financial partner is a consultant to the campaign — Mr. Tompkins,” said Madden, who later identified the individual as Donehue. “Mr. Tompkins did not know about the development of the site.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:41 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN RELEASE

Union endorses Edwards as the strongest candidate to win the election and help working Americans, will make formal announcement in New Hampshire

(Manchester, NH) - The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, representing more than 520,000 members nationally and over 2,100 members in New Hampshire alone, today endorsed Senator John Edwards for president. After carefully considering all the candidates from both parties, the Carpenters Union chose Edwards as the candidate with the best chance of winning the White House and the person who will best represent hard-working families. Following a meeting with the union's executive board and 35 key leaders from throughout the United States last week in Las Vegas, they voted overwhelmingly to endorse Edwards. The formal endorsement will be made at a rally of union members on September 8th in New Hampshire. Edwards' endorsement is the union's first endorsement in the primaries in several presidential cycles.

"I am honored to receive the support of the Carpenters Union," said Edwards. "For more than a century, they have been fighting for working Americans and standing up for the values that have made our country great - hard work, responsibility, and fairness. America was built by men and women who worked with their hands, and it's labor that made our country great. I look forward to joining with the Carpenters to build one America, where every person has the chance to work hard and get ahead."

"Our endorsement is based on the Senator's outspoken support for all of organized labor and his focus on America's working families," said Carpenters President Douglas J. McCarron. "In addition to his support for labor, our leadership was particularly impressed with the Senator's strong stand on trade."

"We also believe that Senator Edwards will have a great appeal in a general election," McCarron continued. "He has the ability to reach out to moderate voters, including the members of our union, and to address their very real concerns about jobs, health care and the economy."

Senator Edwards believes that in order to strengthen the middle class and build one America, we need to strengthen the union movement in our country. He has traveled across the country to walk picket lines and has helped organize thousands of workers into unions. Edwards is a strong supporter of workers' rights and has laid out a comprehensive agenda to help working families, which includes raising the minimum wage, guaranteeing universal health care, enacting smart and safe trade policies and protecting a worker's right to organize.

"More than ever, America needs a president who will stand up for working families and the middle class," Edwards said. "I have walked picket lines and helped organize thousands of workers, and I've seen firsthand what unions go through every single day trying to protect the right to organize, trying to bargain collectively, and trying to get a decent wage and health care. If we're going to grow the middle class and ensure fairness, we need to strengthen workers' rights. I have always stood on the side of working Americans, and I always will."

-30-

Paid for by John Edwards for President.

Posted by Michael McCord at 06:06 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

International Association of Machinists and

Aerospace Workers Endorses Clinton

The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The IAM is among the nation’s largest industrial trade unions, representing over 700,000 active and retired members in airline, aerospace, manufacturing, railroad, woodworking and shipbuilding industries, and is a member of the AFL-CIO.

“Hillary Clinton earned the IAM’s endorsement by focusing on jobs, health care, education and trade – the bread and butter issues of the American middle class,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger. “She is the only candidate of either party to come forward with a comprehensive manufacturing policy and the only candidate to connect with millions of Americans who feel invisible to the current administration.”

The IAM will launch a massive education campaign among IAM members and extensive publicity in union publications and websites nationwide. Twenty-five states with over 450,000 active and retired IAM members will vote in the three weeks starting with the Iowa caucuses and ending with the polls closing in California on February 5th

“I am honored to receive the support of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers,” Clinton said. “It is time for America’s working families to again share in our nation’s prosperity. They will not be invisible to my administration.”

The United Transportation Union and its 125,000 active and retired members endorsed Clinton earlier this week.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:13 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By BETH FOUHY
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK — The International Association of Fire Fighters is set to endorse Democrat Chris Dodd for president, turning down better-known contenders in favor of a long-standing Senate ally whose campaign has struggled to gain traction.
Union president Harold Schaitberger was expected to announce the endorsement at a news conference in Washington Wednesday morning. Dodd and Schaitberger were then scheduled to travel together to Iowa for a full day of appearances Thursday, followed by joint campaign events in New Hampshire on Friday and Nevada on Saturday.
In an interview, Schaitberger said the Connecticut senator had earned the 280,000-member union’s backing because of his experience and longtime support of firefighters in Congress.
“He’s done more than vote right and be supportive — he’s really carried our water and been proactive on our behalf,” Schaitberger said. “And the other reason is that I really think he has the experience. Our board gave a lot of thought to this. He has the experience and the strength to lead this country in what we know is going to be tough times.”
The endorsement was a significant boost for Dodd, a 25-year Senate veteran whose presidential bid has been almost completely eclipsed by the star power of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
Dodd has remained in single digits in most national and state polls.
IAFF is the nation’s largest and most influential firefighters union, with a history of supporting both Republican and Democratic candidates. Presidential contenders of both parties actively sought IAFF’s backing this year, thanks to the union’s organizing ability and firefighters’ enhanced status in the public eye since their heroics after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
The union’s endorsement was credited with reviving Democrat John Kerry’s moribund campaign in late 2003, when he was stuck in single digits in most polls. Firefighters turned out in force to campaign for Kerry in early voting states such as New Hampshire, providing a burst of momentum that helped him win the party’s nomination in 2004.
In an interview, Dodd said he was “deeply grateful” for the endorsement and pointed to Kerry’s experience as key.
“They know how to win elections, and they’ll put lots of boots on the ground. This is an important election, and they know it,” Dodd said. “They’ve made it clear it would be about the future — who could win the election, fight for middle class, and bring people together to get the job done.”
Earlier in the day, Clinton picked up the endorsement of the 125,000-member United Transportation Union.

Posted by Michael McCord at 04:16 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
AP Labor Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United Transportation Union on Tuesday endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president, the first national union endorsement of the 2008 campaign.
“The UTU has a long history of picking winners early. Hillary will be a president that America’s working families can count on. Time and again, as a United States senator, she has stood with us,” UTU President Paul Thompson said in a statement.
Clinton is leading in national polls for the Democratic nomination. She said that she was honored to get the endorsement.
“America’s workers have been invisible to this administration, and it’s time they had an advocate in the White House,” said the New York senator.
The UTU, which calls itself the largest railroad operating union in North America, represents 125,000 active and retired members in the railroad, bus and public transit industries.
The UTU also is one of the top political donors in organized labor, contributing $1.3 million in the 2004 federal elections, with 84 percent of the money going to Democratic candidates. The union gave $1.2 million in the 2006 elections, with 89 percent directed to the Democrats in a year in which the party reclaimed the House and Senate from the Republicans.
UTU was fourth on the Center for Responsive Politics’ list of top transportation union contributors to political candidates.
All eight Democratic candidates have been courting the unions, participating in the AFL-CIO forum in Chicago earlier this month and touting their efforts to improve the lives of workers.
“Hillary Clinton’s record has been friendly to working men and women of this country. She consistently has endorsed the necessity of a strong middle class,” said the UTU’s incoming president, Mike Futhey Jr. “The UTU will encourage its 125,000 active and retired members to support Hillary and other labor friendly candidates in 2008.”
Several unions are expected to jump into the Democratic nomination fray as Labor Day approaches. The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor federation, has decided not to immediately endorse any of the Democratic candidates, freeing the federation’s 55 member unions to endorse whoever they want.
For candidates, unions are critical for the money and the foot soldiers they can provide.
In the 2004 elections, organized labor gave $53.6 million to Democratic candidates and party committees, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That amount increased to $66 million for the 2006 elections and is expected to increase again for 2008.

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:43 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

ON FINAL DAY OF THE ‘FIGHTING FOR ONE AMERICA’ BUS TOUR, EDWARDS OUTLINES HIS BOLD PLAN TO END THE WAR IN IRAQ AND IMPROVE CARE FOR VETERANS
Manchester -- Today, the Edwards family will conclude their four-day ‘Fighting for One America’ bus tour across New Hampshire. Senator John Edwards discussed his bold plan to end the war in Iraq and improve medical care and the disability claims process for veterans.

"Elizabeth and I really enjoyed this tour and thank the people of New Hampshire for their hospitality," Edwards said. "This was a great opportunity to talk to people across the state and to ask for their support in this effort to bring about the real change our country needs.

“We need to change course in our foreign policy and end the war in Iraq and bring our soldiers home to the hero’s welcome they deserve,” Edwards continued. “That includes honoring the ‘Sacred Contract’ we have with our soldiers and veterans to provide them with the best possible medical care and process for providing disability benefits.”

There are currently about 140,000 veterans living in New Hampshire. 171 have been wounded and 19 killed in Iraq from New Hampshire.

Edwards continues to drive the Democratic agenda with his specific ideas to transform our country. While Washington continues to offer only rhetoric, empty talk and half-measures, Edwards is offering courage, conviction and bold ideas to build one America.

NOTE: A fact sheet on Edwards’ bold plan is below. More details can be found at http://johnedwards.com/issues/iraq

Standing by Our Heroes: John Edwards’ 5-point Plan to Help Injured Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans

"I believe in a sacred contract between our country and America's veterans and military families. We must stand by those who stand by us. When our service men and women sacrifice so much to defend our freedom and secure peace around the world, we have a moral obligation to take care of them and their families." - John Edwards

Under George Bush, our government has not lived up to its responsibility to the men and women who have been injured while serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan - wars that have already generated more than 220,000 disability claims.. The scandal at Walter Reed is only one example of a consistent failure to take responsibility for those who have sacrificed for our country. Too often, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who fought for our country encounter a system that takes months or even years to make benefit determinations, and that forces them to fight again for benefits. [LA Times, 7/24/2007]

The Washington Post recently reported on Army Specialist Jeans Cruz, one of the team who helped capture Saddam Hussein. He was called a war hero when he came home to his country. He soon suffered debilitating depression from his experiences in Iraq. After filing a claim for disability benefits based on post-traumatic stress disorder, he was turned down by the VA because they said his psychological problems existed before joining the Army. He told the paper, "My experience so far is, you ask for something and they deny, deny, deny. After a while you just give up." [Washington Post, 6/17/07]

John Edwards will not give up on our veterans. He believes we can do better through reforms that will help our injured warriors and make government work more efficiently and effectively.

Edwards has previously announced a plan to repair our country's Sacred Contract with our veterans and military families by guaranteeing quality health care, supporting military families and providing education and economic opportunities for civilian life. Today, Edwards built on his existing Sacred Contract proposal with a new 5-point "Standing by Our Heroes" plan to help returning service men and women with disabilities by:

Aggressively Resolving the Disability Claims Backlog: The VA currently has a backlog of between 400,000 and 600,000 claims for disability benefits, and wait times for initial determinations of up to 6 months. Edwards would adopt an aggressive, goal-oriented approach to processing the backlog. As president, he will aim to process the entire backlog that exists when he takes office by Memorial Day 2009, and will cut the average processing time in half. [CNN, 2007]

Facilitating Care for "Signature Injuries": Over 30 percent of these veterans experience psychological problems after returning home. Many veterans suffer from the "signature injuries" of this war—post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). As president, Edwards will increase capacity within the Department of Defense for recognizing and addressing these injuries by improving training for health personnel to recognize and treat PTSD and TBI, increasing counseling resources within the TRICARE and VA networks, permitting access outside of the networks, and ensuring outreach to family members, who can recognize symptoms. [Department of Defense 2007]

Providing a Comprehensive Medical Examination: Too often, veterans receive their first medical examination months or even years after they leave the service, which makes it difficult to ascertain whether an injury is service-related, creating difficulties and inefficiencies later. As president, Edwards will create a new system providing each service member with a comprehensive, standardized medical examination before or immediately after leaving the service, and will link that examination with the disability rating. Both will be included in a new "Homefront Redeployment Plan" every veteran will receive.

Fixing the DOD/VA Disconnect: Today, veterans face a bureaucratic maze with two different agencies and needless overlaps. The Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense have conflicting criteria and overlapping disability determinations. As president, Edwards will have only the VA make disability determinations, and will launch a broad effort to coordinate all DOD and VA functions.

Increasing Caseworkers and Training: Caseworkers provide an extremely valuable service to veterans facing a thicket of regulations and forms, particularly older veterans unfamiliar with web-based forms. Caseworkers also help families struggling with consequences of an injury. As president, Edwards will hire at least 300 more VA caseworkers, and implement an accelerated training program including family outreach.

Posted by Michael McCord at 11:27 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

RICHARDSON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Richardson Moves Up in New Iowa Poll
SANTA FE, NM -- Governor Bill Richardson is at 14 percent, within striking distance of all three frontrunners, in the latest poll out of Iowa.

The poll of 600 likely Democratic caucus-goers was conducted by Strategic Vision between August 17th and 19th. The poll shows Senators Edwards, Obama, and Clinton bunched together at 23, 22, and 21 percent, respectively. Joe Biden drew the support of 5 percent, with Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich at 1 percent each.

"It's an easy equation for our campaign. The more Iowans that meet Governor Richardson, the more support we get in the state," said campaign manager Dave Contarino.

The poll follows Governor Richardson's six-day trip through the Hawkeye State, where he released his plan for jobs and the economy and delivered a widely praised performance at the ABC/DNC Presidential Debate in Des Moines.

"Governor Richardson's grassroots campaigning is paying off. Voters are seeing that Governor Richardson is the candidate of both change and experience," said Contarino. "We are gaining traction in polls across the country, and particularly in the early primary states."

Recent polls for the ONE Campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire confirm that Governor Richardson is in the double-digits in those key states. The latest poll of Nevada, by Research 2000, shows that Governor Richardson has climbed into the double-digits in Nevada, as well.

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:21 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

DODD CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

DODD LAYS OUT PLAN TO PROTECT AMERICAN HOMEOWNERS
Builds on Record of Proven Leadership on the Issue

WASHINGTON - Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd today released a comprehensive plan to protect American homeownership. Saying that we needed proven leadership to address the issue, Dodd laid out a plan that would help keep Americans affected by the mortgage crisis in their homes through immediate action and proposed structural reform of the system to ensure that families have access to affordable mortgages in the long run.

"Homeownership is the cornerstone of the American dream and essential to the strength of a healthy and vibrant middle class," said Dodd. "It will take proven leadership that knows the issue and how to get things done, if we are going to get immediate action to help families threatened with foreclosure in the wake of the subprime mess and forge long term solutions to keep home loans affordable."

In his capacity as Senate Banking Committee Chairman and with his skill for bringing together leaders to find solutions to the most complex and pressing problems, Chris Dodd has already started to work to put the subprime mortgage market back on track. Earlier this week, he convened a meeting with Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and received a positive response that was reflected in the markets.

Dodd's plan for Affordable Home Mortgages is below and available at www.chrisdodd.com.

Keeping the American Dream Alive: Affordable Home Mortgages

Chris Dodd has been the leading voice in trying to fix the subprime mortgage lending crisis that threatens the American Dream of homeownership. Foreclosure rates are at record highs, and millions of hard-working Americans face the prospect of losing their homes because they were victimized by unscrupulous lending practices.

Years of predatory lending practices in the subprime market have led to this crisis that is harming not only homeowners, but also harming the economy as a whole. Chris Dodd has been fighting to end these practices, in which lenders and brokers have pushed unaffordable, costly and abusive loans on unsuspecting borrowers. As Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Dodd is doing everything in his power to help Americans avoid foreclosures in the present, and unscrupulous lending in the future.

We need that same type of leadership at the Presidential level. That's why Chris Dodd has called on President Bush to take immediate action to help keep people in their homes. But unfortunately, the President has failed to use the power he has to help Americans keep their homes.

Chris Dodd understands that homeownership is the cornerstone of the American dream, and has a plan to keep people in their homes and to ensure that families have access to affordable home mortgages.

Immediate Action

Dodd has worked for immediate action to address the current crisis and keep people in their homes:

? Chris Dodd believes we need to focus immediate help on the millions of American homeowners who are currently trapped in these unaffordable subprime loans. After Dodd convened a Homeownership Preservation Summit this spring, a number of the largest lenders and servicers pledged to modify loans as much as possible to help homeowners keep their homes. Now it is even more essential for servicers to work with borrowers to make loans affordable going forward, both for the sake of families and to avoid flooding the already glutted market with more homes for sale. Dodd helped secure $100 million in the 2008 HUD appropriations bill for this purpose.

? The Federal Reserve Board must continue to be vigilant about maintaining liquidity in our capital markets so that banks can offer credit to homeowners. Its intervention over the past two weeks has had an overall positive effect, and Chris Dodd believes it should not hesitate to continue to act and use all the tools it has in its power to help homeowners.

? Chris Dodd has called on the President to raise the portfolio limits imposed on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and to do so in a way that is consistent with safe, sound and pro-consumer practices. This step can help inject some badly needed liquidity into the mortgage market. All major housing industry groups have joined Dodd in calling for cap relief.

Fundamental reform

As President, Dodd would make fundamental reforms to the system to ensure affordable and safe mortgages in the long term:

Chris Dodd will continue to insist that the Federal Reserve Board and its fellow federal financial regulators fulfill their statutory duty to prohibit reckless subprime lending practices. Dodd has held hearings to highlight this problem and to push regulators to address these abusive practices. This step would not only help borrowers, but would also create greater certainty in the subprime market for lenders as well as investors. If the Fed does not act, Dodd will not hesitate to address this issue with Congressional action.

Chris Dodd will modernize the Federal Housing Authority. Strengthening FHA will create cheaper, safer, more consumer-friendly mortgages for subprime borrowers. Dodd is working to move this legislation this fall, and will continue his efforts under a Dodd administration.

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:06 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BIDEN CAMPAIGN URGES MICHIGAN GOVERNOR AND SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE TO OPPOSE REPUBLICAN INTERFERENCE WITH DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION PROCESS

Wilmington, DE (August 24, 2007) -- Two days after Michigan Senate Democrats opposed a Republican bill to break the window established by the Democratic National Committee, the Biden for President Campaign again called on Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and Speaker of the House Rick Johnson to defeat the Republican efforts, which began with Mitt Romney’s supporters in Florida.

"The effect of this effort would be to place a greater emphasis on paid media rather than traditional retail politics in the early caucus and primary states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina" said Biden for President Campaign Manager Luis Navarro. "The retail politics in these states represents our finest American political traditions and ensures that all the candidates are challenged on the most important issues of the day like Iraq, education or health care. Voters deserve more than a thirty second sound bite, they deserve a real conversation."

"Sen. Joe Biden is urging Michigan's Democratic leaders to take every possible measure to defeat this bill in the House" Navarro said.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:50 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press Writer

HANOVER (AP) — Presidential hopeful John Edwards said Thursday the Washington establishment is corrupt and suggested — without mentioning her by name — that rival Hillary Rodham Clinton has been part of that corroded system.
Edwards’ new stump speech, centered on a a need for change and aimed at his top two rivals, comes just before Labor Day, the traditional start of the primary nominating season in this state where he has seen his polling standing slip in recent months.
“Real change starts with being honest, and I want to say something again: The system in Washington is rigged, and I’ll say it again, it’s rigged and it’s rigged by greedy powers,” Edwards said Thursday.
“It’s rigged by the system to favor the establishment,” he said at Dartmouth College.
Edwards, traveling with his wife and his three children for a four-day tour, blasted policy based on political calculation.
“Timidity will kill us. ’Careful, cautious, let’s look at the polls to see what America will accept’ — I’m tired of baby steps. We’ve been tippy-toeing around for too long,” he said in Peterborough.
What Edwards called “the rhetoric of change” is popular among all the Democratic candidates. Sen. Barack Obama uses the notion throughout his campaign. One of Clinton’s slogans is, “Ready for change, ready to lead.”
“The American people deserve to know that their presidency is not for sale. The Lincoln Bedroom is not for rent,” Edwards said to applause at Dartmouth, referencing a Clinton-era controversy in which high-dollar donors were allowed to stay in the White House’s famed bedroom.
Edwards said the past isn’t going to solve today’s problems or “a corrupt a corroded system.”
“Those wed to the policies of the ’70s, ’80s or the ’90s are wedded to the past, ideas and policies that are tired, shopworn and obsolete. We will find no answers there,” he said.
Clinton served as first lady during most of the 1990s.
Edwards later said he didn’t mean to target Clinton during his new stump speech, but her campaign felt otherwise.
“Angry attacks on other Democrats won’t improve Senator Edwards’ flagging campaign,” said Clinton spokeswoman Kathleen Strand. “Senator Clinton has the leadership and experience to make real change happen, and she has been fighting for American families for 35 years.”
Edwards said voters have a choice: “Either move forward boldly into the future for our children ... or the alternative, which is to stay in the same stale direction, which we’ve been traveling in the recent past.”
Edwards’ speech, his toughest yet against his top rivals, sought to draw clearer lines between himself and better-polling Democrats.
“Small thinking and outdated answers aren’t the only problems with a vision for the future that is rooted in nostalgia,” Edwards said. “The trouble with nostalgia is that you tend to remember what you liked — am I right? — and you forget what you didn’t. It’s not just that the answers of the past aren’t up to the job today, it’s that the system that produced them was corrupt — and it still is corrupt.”
He said voters can’t simply “replace one group of corporate Republicans with a group of corporate Democrats, just swapping the Washington insiders of one party for the Washington insiders of the other.”
Edwards was gentler on Obama, although he also was on the former North Carolina senator’s mind.
“When I hear political candidates talk about the rhetoric of change, I think, ’Oh God, here we go again,’” Edwards told voters in Peterborough, challenging his Democratic rivals’ ownership of the word at the start a four-day swing through New Hampshire.
“How many times have voters in New Hampshire heard politicians come rolling through here saying that they want change?” Edwards said. “That’s great. What do they really want to do as the president of the United States?”
An Obama spokesman said Edwards misunderstands the situation.
“Barack Obama has pledged to enact the most sweeping ethics reform in history on his first day in office, and he has introduced substantive proposals that outline exactly where he wants to take this country as president,” Reid Cherlin said. “But just as important, he believes that if we’re going to make progress on the key issues that we face, we’re going to have to change our politics in a fundamental way.”
Edwards has not given a “good government” speech yet this campaign, but in 2004 spoke out against what he calls the “revolving door” between top government posts and lobbying offices.
At an appearance in Keene, he said any candidate who promises instant change either doesn’t understand the system or isn’t being honest.
“It’s just not the truth. It’s a fantasy and all of you know it’s a fantasy,” he said.
Obama foes have said that despite his pledge for change, he lacks sufficient experience to win his party’s nomination or the presidency. It was a question the first-term senator from Illinois sought to quiet during a trip earlier this week to New Hampshire.
A Republican National Committee spokeswoman said she recognized Edwards’ message.
“Voters have long recognized John Edwards as the change candidate in this race, after he flip-flopped from being a staunch war-on-terror supporter to a liberal protester,” said Amber Wilkerson.
John and Elizabeth Edwards left the bus all day to the strains of Sheryl Crow’s “A Change Will Do You Good.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 06:05 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By HOLLY RAMER
Associated Press Writer

LEBANON (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton rolled out the second stage of her health care policy Thursday, promising to improve quality by raising standards for providers, educating patients and requiring insurers to reward innovation.
“Too often, and in too many places, our health care system hurts us instead of helps us,” Clinton said at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. “It hurts doctors, who aren’t rewarded for providing the best care and are often punished for it financially. It hurts nurses who are asked to work longer hours, caring for more patients with fewer resources. And it hurts patients, who are forced to make complicated medical decisions without basic information about their conditions and options.”
While rivals Barack Obama and John Edwards both have proposed detailed health care reform plans, Clinton is taking an incremental approach. She started with a speech in June on reducing costs, followed by Thursday’s address on quality, and will outline her plan for universal health care coverage next month.
“My order here is deliberate,” she said. “In order to forge a consensus on universal health care, we need to assure people that they will get the quality they expect at a cost they can afford.”
To improve quality, Clinton said she would promote physician certification programs that help doctors keep up with the latest advancements in their fields by increasing Medicare reimbursements for doctors who participate in them. Nursing care would get a boost in the form of $300 million to expand enrollment in nursing schools, create mentoring programs for recent graduates and recruit more minorities into the profession.
“The nursing shortage has become a nursing crisis, and that means it is a crisis for everyone,” Clinton said. “Our nurses are truly the eyes and ears, and in many ways the heart and soul of our health care system. When we’ve got fewer nurses, working longer hours and serving more patients, the result can be worse outcomes.”
Patients, too, can play a role in improving the quality of health care they receive, she said, if they were given more information about their treatment options. She praised Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Center for Shared Decision Making, saying she would like to see similar programs nationwide.
Clinton also called for overhauling a reimbursement system that she said often punishes doctors for doing the right thing — spending time with patients or working with their colleagues to take a collaborative approach. She proposes higher payments to providers who use teams to provide coordinated care and ending payments for preventable infections and injuries sustained during hospital stays.
“We need a system that encourages instead of discourages quality,” she said.

Posted by Michael McCord at 04:50 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

AARP Press Release

Divided We Fail Issue Poll Shows AARP New Hampshire Members

Likely to Change Candidate Preferences As They Learn More About Positions on Health and Financial Security
74% of potential Democratic primary voters and 81% of potential Republican primary voters say they are likely to change their vote as they learn more about the issues.

Concord – Divided We Fail announced it is conducting issue polls in New Hampshire to assess AARP New Hampshire members’ opinions on how well the Presidential candidates are addressing the issues of health and financial security. Results show that likely New Hampshire voters feel they don’t have enough information about particular candidates and are still uncertain where the candidates stand on the Divided We Fail issues of health care and financial security.

“This poll indicates that candidates must do a better job of discussing health care and financial security with these New Hampshire voters,” said AARP New Hampshire State Director Kelly Clark. “With nearly 80% percent of AARP members in New Hampshire polled saying they are undecided on their candidate of choice, this election could hinge on how candidates address these key issues.”

Surveying 500 AARP members likely to attend the Republican caucuses or primaries and 500 AARP members likely to attend the Democratic caucuses or primaries in Iowa, South Carolina, Florida, Nevada, and New Hampshire, the issue poll asks questions on health care and financial security, issue landscape and the mood of the country.

“It is clear that in New Hampshire, Republicans and Democrats will give health care and financial security significant weight when making their decision on whom to vote for in the upcoming presidential primary,” said Divided We Fail New Hampshire Campaign Manager Lance Kilpatrick. “In fact, 89% of Republicans and 97% of Democrats rated health care important and 92% of Democrats and 93% of Republicans rated financial security important.”

Over the next quarter, Divided We Fail will conduct simultaneous polls – in New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina, Florida and Nevada -- leading up to the New Hampshire primary, with the next poll expected in October. The polls will enable Divided We Fail to track the opinions of AARP members in the early primary/caucus states as debates proceed and candidates clarify their positions on the issues.

The Election Issue Surveys can be found at www.dividedwefail.org/polls.

Divided We Fail and AARP are monitoring the number of health and financial security questions asked during the Presidential debates. For more information about Divided We Fail and the debate, log onto the Divided We Fail debate tracker at www.dividedwefail.org.

Posted by Michael McCord at 11:26 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN
AP Political Writer
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state Senate passed a bill Wednesday setting up a Jan. 15 presidential primary, but Michigan Democrats continued to fight among themselves over whether to hold a primary or a caucus.
The bill passed 21-17, with all Republicans voting for it and all Democrats voting against.
State Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer said the bill contains language that doesn’t comply with national Democratic rules, so it’s unacceptable. The bill is expected to be changed once it reaches the Democrat-controlled House.
If Michigan moves to a Jan. 15 primary, it’s likely Iowa and New Hampshire would move up their first-in-the-nation contests.
A number of prominent Michigan Democratic political leaders, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, favor holding a closed presidential primary with the Republicans. State GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis has agreed on a Jan. 15 presidential primary if Democrats can agree to hold one.
But not all Michigan Democrats favor a primary. Backers of former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards want to hold a caucus because they think that will increase the influence of union members who back him.
U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, a Menominee Democrat who supports Edwards, said in a letter released Tuesday night that he opposes a presidential primary.
He didn’t mention Edwards, instead saying it would be irresponsible to hold an expensive, state-paid presidential primary at a time when the Michigan budget is so strapped. If a primary wasn’t held, the state Democratic Party would pay the costs of a caucus, while the state GOP would pick up the tab for a presidential nominating convention.
“It is inappropriate for the state legislature to vote to fund an unnecessary political presidential primary and then ask taxpayers to increase their taxes because the state is broke!” Stupak wrote. He said he’d support a statewide primary only if the cost was borne by the presidential candidates or state party organizations.
Democratic leaders who support a primary were drafting their own letter saying the cost of a primary was worth it because voter turnout would be so much higher.
More than 1 million people voted in Michigan’s 1992 presidential primaries, compared to about 160,000 who voted in the Democratic presidential caucuses in 2004, a year in which no GOP primary was held. About 5,000 GOP delegates would choose a Republican nominee at a state convention next year if a joint primary isn’t held.
As Michigan took another step toward a Jan. 15 primary, South Carolina Democratic Chairwoman Carol Fowler said she would not ask to move her state’s primary date. The calendar jumping is an issue the Democratic National Committee’s rules committee will take up this weekend, she said.
South Carolina Democrats are scheduled to hold their primary Jan. 29 — the same day as Florida, which moved up its primary despite a threat from both national parties that they would withhold half the state’s delegates to next summer’s national conventions.
South Carolina Republicans recently leapfrogged Florida and move their primary to Jan. 19 from Feb. 2 to maintain their first-in-the-South status. South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson says he’s not moving his party’s primary regardless of what Michigan does.
“As long as we’re first in the South, we’re solid on the 19th,” he said. “If a Southern state tries to move before our historical preference of the first primary in the South, we’re prepared to move — and we can move — on an hour’s notice.”
He’s irked, however, that South Carolina’s primary now may end up in Michigan’s shadow. If Michigan moves, it may mean he has to set a different date for the final pre-primary presidential debate in South Carolina.
No date has been publicly announced, but “I’m thinking about moving the date right now,” Dawson said.

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:32 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BIDEN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

BIDEN ISSUES STATEMENT ON MICHIGAN’S EFFORT TO MOVE UP IN THE PRIMARY CALENDAR

Wilmington, DEL. -- Before departing Iowa after a weeklong stay, Senator Joe Biden today issued the following statement regarding the attempt by Michigan to circumvent the primary calendar and move its date to January 15, 2008.

“Powerful interests are trying to change the Democratic nomination for President into a game of Monopoly, replacing the retail politics of Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire with a process in which the only credential necessary to be President is to be the wealthiest candidate.

Under the current calendar, voters can regularly meet candidates in their homes, town halls and diners. This provides an almost one on one opportunity to hold candidates accountable for their ideas and records for solving the most pressing issues facing this country. The communities of Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire provide a diverse array of voters and a level playing field for candidates to compete in, as a lead up to the larger states which will decide who the next Democratic nominee will be for President.

I call upon all of my fellow Democratic candidates to reaffirm their support for the retail role Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire and publicly ask their supporters, such as Democratic Senate Leader Mark Schauer, and Governor Granholm to oppose any attempts to break the Democratic National Committee’s “calendar window” as Republicans did in Florida on behalf of Mitt Romney.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:57 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

OBAMA CAMPAIGN Press Release

Congressman Patrick Murphy Endorses
Barack Obama for President
Only Iraq War veteran in Congress praises Obama’s ability to bring about change
CHI CAGO, IL — Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA), the first and only Iraq War Veteran to serve in Congress, announced today his endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President. Congressman Murphy is a recipient of the Bronze Star and former West Point professor.
“When I returned from Baghdad, I saw that we needed to go in a new direction -- both here at home and in Iraq. I am inspired by Senator Obama's call to service and believe he is best suited to bring about the changes we need in our country,” Murphy said. “Senator Obama truly wants to unite America and speaking as a former Captain in the 82nd Airborne Division, I know that he has the judgment we need to be our next Commander-in- Chief.”
Congressman Patrick Murphy deployed twice after 9/11, first in Bosnia (2002) and then in Baghdad (2003-2004). He also taught constitutional law at West Point. After un-seating the Republican incumbent to represent Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district in 2006, Congressman Murphy was asked to serve on the House Armed Services Committee, and as the only freshman congressman on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In Congress he has worked with Senator Barack Obama on the Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007 to stop troop addition and develop a plan to redeploy American troops.
“I’m honored to have Congressman Murphy’s endorsement,” Obama said. “ Congressman Murphy is a part of the new generation of American leaders that’s bringing a fresh voice to our nation’s capitol. He knows that we need fundamental change in our politics and our foreign policy if we want to make the progress America so desperately needs.”
Congressman Murphy’s endorsement comes as Senator Obama prepares to address the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Kansas City, MO later today. Obama will discuss his agenda to ensure that America’s military continues to be the strongest fighting force in the world, and to make certain we honor our nation’s sacred trust to care for veterans and their families, both commitments he shares with Congressman Murphy and a cause that has guided his work on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:21 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

New Hampshire for Hillary Announces Environmental Leadership

MANCHESTER, NH – On the heels of another strong debate performance this weekend where Hillary Clinton displayed once again she has the leadership and experience to bring about the change this country needs, the New Hampshire for Hillary Campaign today announced the launch of Environmental Leaders for Hillary. The group of 12 environmental activists and community leaders represent communities across the Granite State.

“Our country needs an experienced leader who understands the importance of developing strong and effective policies on energy and the environment. In order for there to be real change at this profound moment of challenge for our nation, there must be experienced leadership,” said Alice Chamberlin, New Hampshire Co-chair of Environmental Leaders for Hillary. “Senator Clinton has championed legislation that encourages development of alternative energy technologies and reduces our dependence on foreign oil.”

On July 24, in Portsmouth, NH, Hillary participated in a forum on energy and the environment. There she announced that as part of her plan to address global warming, she would create a “Green Building Fund” (GBF). Through the fund, the federal government would allocate $1 billion annually to states to make grants or low-interest loans to improve energy efficiency in public buildings, such as schools, police stations, firehouses and offices. The GBF will create as many as 50,000 new “green collar” jobs.

In addition, Hillary introduced a plan to Congress to create a Strategic Energy Fund that would inject $50 billion into research, development, and deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean coal technology, ethanol and other homegrown biofuels, and more. Hillary also supports policies to reduce carbon emissions and other pollution that contribute to global warming.

“Energy efficiency is the cheapest, cleanest, fastest technology we have to cut energy use and reduce emissions. If we do this right, it can be a win, win for our economy and our environment,” said Senator Clinton. “I am honored to have such dedicated environmental leaders join my campaign," said Senator Clinton.

New Hampshire Environmental Leaders for Hillary:

Alice Chamberlin – Co-chair, Former Environmental Policy Advisor to Gov. John Lynch, former Executive Director of the Environmental Law Council at Franklin Pierce Law Center, former Chair of the New Hampshire Nature Conservancy, Warner, NH

State Representative Peter Allen - Former State Senator and retired State Research Forester, Member of the Environment and Agriculture Committee
Bob Backus – Attorney, 2006 State Senate Candidate, Board Member Conservation Law Foundation, Manchester, NH

Nick Cohen – New Hampshire Sierra Club Board Member, Plainfield, NH

Joyce El Kouarti – Environmental Activist, Dover, NH
State Representative Tom Fargo –Former Chair of Strafford County Planning
Commission, Dover, NH

Sandy Gavutis – Environmental Activist, Kensington, NH

Bob Larsen – Board Member, The Nature Conservancy, Concord, NH

Martha West Lyman – Carbon Coalition Board Member (Individual not organization), Manchester, NH

Patricia Schlesinger – Board Member, New Hampshire Rivers Council, New Hampton, NH

Craig Welch – Chair of the Board for New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), Durham, NH

Rawson Wood – Former Board Member of Squam Lakes Association, NH Audubon Society and National Audubon Society, Center Harbor, NH

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:04 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Biden Campaign PRESS RELEASE

BIDEN CAMPAIGN DEBUTS FIRST TV ADS IN IOWA
Des Moines, Iowa -- This morning, the Biden Campaign launched its first television ads, a 30-second ad entitled “Cathedral”, which debuted during the debate on ABC and a 60-second ad, entitled “Security”, which will begin airing today on all major networks in Iowa.

In “Cathedral”, Sen. Biden recounts a story from one of his seven trips to Iraq, during which he found himself on a C-130 transport plane with a flag-draped coffin. Sen. Biden describes the sacred commitment he felt to our troops during that moment. That moment manifested itself in Sen. Biden’s successful effort in Congress earlier this year to secure funding for new mine resistant vehicles for our troops in Iraq.

In “Security”, Sen. Biden lays out the case for why his leadership qualities and life experiences prepare him to be Commander-In-Chief and President of the United States. The current campaign is scheduled to run through Labor Day weekend at a cost of approximately a quarter of a million dollars.

To view the ads, click here: www.joebiden.com

Posted by Michael McCord at 06:00 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

AS SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS' NEW HAMPSHIRE BUS TOUR APPROACHES, GRASSROOTS SUPPORT CONTINUES TO GROW ACROSS THE STATE

33 Manchester and Southern Tier Grassroots Leaders and Activists Support Senator Edwards' Leadership and Bold Ideas

(Manchester, NH) - Today, the John Edwards for President Campaign announced that 33 grassroots activists have endorsed Senator John Edwards for President and will form Regional Leadership Committees. As Edwards' "Fighting for One America" New Hampshire bus tour rapidly approaches, his grassroots support across the state continues to grow.

"I am honored to have the support of these New Hampshire leaders and activists," said Edwards. "They share my vision of One America that works for everyone, One America where every person who works hard can get ahead. Fighting together, we can bring real change to our country — change that families here in New Hampshire and across our country so desperately need."

Edwards continues to drive the Democratic agenda with his specific ideas to transform our country. While Washington continues to offer only rhetoric, empty talk and half-measures, Edwards is offering courage, conviction and bold ideas to build One America.

The endorsers include a State Representative, a former State Party Vice Chair, two Democratic Town Chairs, the Former President of the State Employees Association and 27 grassroots activists. These leaders join the 45-member Merrimack County Regional Leadership Committee that was announced Monday, the 57 endorsements from Claremont, Keene, and the Upper Valley that were announced Tuesday, the 37 endorsements from the Lake Region and North Country that were announced Wednesday, and the 28 endorsements from Nashua that were announced Thursday.

The John Edwards for President Campaign has so far announced 205 endorsements this week.

The New Hampshire bus tour will be from August 23-26. Please contact Kate Bedingfield for more information or to RSVP for the tour, kbedingfield@johnedwards.com.

The Following Manchester and Southern Tier Activists Have Endorsed John Edwards:

Brother Paul
Crawford
Social Worker, Manchester Catholic Charities

Tim
Decker
Fmr. President, State Employees Association

Joe
Donahue
Chair of the Derry Democrats

Patrick
Garrity
State Representative; Firefighter

Pauline
Gorgol
Salem Activist

Stanley
Gorgol
Salem Activist, Veteran

Jessica
Griffin
Londonderry Activist

Bob
Howe
Derry Activist

Linda
Hutchinson
Manchester Activist

Ethel
Kelley
Pelham Activist

Barbara
Klein
Londonderry Activist

Cindy
Linehan
Manchester Activist & teacher

Maureen
Manning
Attorney; Fmr. State Party Vice-Chair

Blaire
McCarthy
Windham Activist

Susan
McKeown
Manchester Activist

Patrick
McKeown
Manchester Activist

Jeff
Michelsen
VP, NH Coalition to End Homelessness

Bonnie
Murray
Derry Activist

Stephanie
Orr
Manchester Activist

David
Paquette
Iornworker Local 7, Hookset Activist

Bill
Perry
Hampstead Activist

Susan
Peterson
Newton Activist

Carmen
Polo
Manchester Activist; Medical Professional

Ron
Poltak
Auburn Environmentalist

Bernie
Resnick
Derry Activist, Veteran

Rubin
Russell
Sandown Activist

Deb
Sarnie
Salem Activist

Diane
Swasey
Manchester Ward 3 Democratic Chair

Donna
Thompson
Derry Activist

Patty
Veilluex
Atkinson Activist

Genie
Wallace
Atkinson Activist

Carolyn
Werner
Derry Activist

Brenda
Willis
Derry School Committee

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:09 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Giuliani backs private school vouchers to improve education
By LIBBY QUAID
Associated Press Writer
MERRIMACK — Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani on Friday argued for taxpayer-funded vouchers for private elementary and secondary schools, saying school choice works for the nation’s colleges and universities.
People come from all over the world to attend college in the United States, Giuliani said at a town hall meeting in Merrimack, N.H.
“How is it that we have the best higher education in the world and a weaker K-through-12 system?” Giuliani said. “What’s the difference? Why does one operate so well and the other not nearly as well? American higher education is based on a quintessential American principle — choice.”
As mayor of New York, Giuliani backed vouchers for private and parochial schools in the face of opposition from his own schools chancellor.
“I’d give parents control over their children’s education,” Giuliani told the audience of about 150 people at a solar power products plant. “We’ve got to have competition operating. If we don’t do that, our education system is going to deteriorate.”
Giuliani stressed his desire to have private forces shape the country’s economy in education as well as in health care and Social Security. He said he supported President Bush’s unsuccessful proposal to allow people to invest some of their Social Security taxes in private accounts.
“I would have preferred, over my lifetime, if I could have invested some of that Social Security money myself,” said Giuliani, 63. “I think I would have done much better than the government did. I believe young people today, a lot of them feel that way. I think people who want a private option should be entitled to have it.”
He said people who want traditional Social Security with no private accounts should be allowed to have that, too. And he allowed that the issue “is going to have to be compromised out” because Democrats who control Congress oppose it.
Also Friday, Giuliani:
—Reiterated his support for abortion rights: “I believe we should reduce abortion and increase adoption, but in a society in which we don’t want government running people’s lives ... we should keep the government out of it. We should allow the mother ultimately to make those kinds of decisions.”
—Defended the Iraq war to a questioner who said nothing is being accomplished: “I think it’s a mistake, both substantively and emotionally, to tell the troops we’re accomplishing nothing in Iraq, and a very serious overstatement, which I think comes in a large way from the way the media covers it.”
—Said he would keep medical marijuana illegal. “I’ve asked the question before, checked with the FDA, which says marijuana has no additional medicinal benefits of any kind. Illegal trafficking in marijuana is so great, it makes much more sense to keep it illegal.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 04:47 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

OBAMA CAMPAIGN Press Release

Obama Campaign Announces “Dinner with Barack” Participants
Individuals Selected Represent Four Different States including California, Colorado, Florida and New Hampshire

Chicago, IL – The Obama for America campaign announced today that four supporters from Exeter, New Hampshire; Los Angeles, California; Lakewood, Colorado and Cocoa Beach, Florida have been selected to have dinner with Barack Obama. As part of the second Dinner with Barack Obama, the participants were selected from a group of thousands who submitted their personal stories along with a donation as small as $5 at barackobama.com. The first “Dinner with Barack” was held on July 10 in Washington, DC.

“Throughout this campaign, I have met with thousands of Americans who share their ideas about how to bring fundamental change to Washington and our country,” said Senator Obama. “I’m looking forward to hearing about the experiences of Gabrielle, Brittany, Dorothy and Michael, who know firsthand why our health care system must be reformed and why we must begin to safely redeploy our troops from Iraq. Turning the page on the great challenges facing our nation at home and around the world requires the input of everyday experts who confront hardships in their own lives.”

The dinner will take place in September. Transportation and accommodations will be paid for by the campaign.

Selected Participants:

Gabrielle Grossman of Exeter, New Hampshire Gabrielle worked as a 7th grade teacher but has recently become a stay-at-home mom. She has been volunteering for over a month for the campaign. The week she signed up to volunteer, she found out that her 2-year-old son was diagnosed with autism. The campaign has kept her motivated and energized throughout this tough time in her life. She adds, "At a time when you don't feel like you have a lot of hope, it's done the total opposite, the campaign has got us involved and given me more hope than ever.”

Continue reading "Exeter woman gets dinner with Obama" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:16 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

PRESS RELEASE
ONE Vote ‘08

Inaugural ONE Poll Shows Voters Want Candidates to Address Poverty, Global Health

NH Dems and Repubs Agree:

Next President Must Tackle Global Poverty and Health

Voters cite moral and national security concerns

WASHINGTON, D.C -- New Hampshire primary voters of both political parties agree that the next president should take the lead in fighting global poverty because it is both the moral thing to do and will make Americans more secure, according to the first-ever ONE Poll, released today.

Continue reading "Next President Must Tackle Global Poverty and Health" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:33 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By Miriam Jordan
The Wall Street Journal
Miami Before 2,000 people at the convention of a powerful Hispanic advocacy group recently, Sen. Barack Obama made a pitch for unity between African Americans and Hispanics. “Our separate struggles are really one,” the Illinois Democrat declared, quoting a telegram Martin Luther King Jr. sent in 1968 to farm-worker activist Cesar Chávez.

Continue reading "Getting to know Obama" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 11:54 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

DODD CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON -- Today, the Dodd Campaign released the following statement on Mrs. Clinton's speech today in New Hampshire:

"We're glad that Mrs. Clinton is concerned about this important issue that Sen. Dodd has already taken leadership on. But addressing the crisis will require more than rhetoric on the campaign trail. That is why as Banking Chairman, Sen. Dodd has taken the reigns on this issue and plans to continue ensuring that American homeowners are not taken advantage of," said Dodd spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan.

Continue reading "Dodd critiques Clinton sub-prime lending speech" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:30 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

OBAMA CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Obama Says that as President, He’ll Continue Life-Long Commitment to Ethics Reform

Cedar Rapids, IA – Speaking at Roosevelt Middle School, U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today invoked the legacy of the reformer President and said that he will stand up to the lobbyists and special interest groups that have prevented much-needed progress in Washington. Obama touted what he called the most far-reaching ethics and lobbying reform plan of any candidate in this race, and said that his refusal to take money from Federal lobbyists or political action committees along with his record of pushing for tough reforms in Washington and the Illinois state senate shows his commitment to achieving results.

Continue reading "Obama: "Life-Long Commitment to Ethics Reform"" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:13 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

July 27, 2007

BY STEVE HUNTLEY
Chicago Sun-Times

The big story line out of the Democratic presidential race thus far has got to be how Hillary Clinton keeps improving, maturing and getting more effective as a candidate.

Barack Obama raises more money than she does. The hard anti-war crowd beats up on her for not apologizing for her vote authorizing the Iraq war. Her critics cite poll results showing a lot of Americans say they would never vote for her.

Continue reading "Clinton thriving on campaign trail?" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 11:48 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

MCCAIN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

ARLINGTON, VA U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign announced that Jim O'Brien will lead the "Conservation Advisory Committee" for McCain for President.

Continue reading "NH native to lead McCain conservation committee" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:36 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

RICHARDSON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

SANTA FE, N.M. -- Governor Bill Richardson's campaign momentum continued to rise today with the endorsements of eight distinguished former Members of Congress.

"These distinguished and influential former Members of Congress will help lead my campaign to victory," said Governor Richardson. "I was honored to serve with many of them when I was in Congress and I am honored to have them join my campaign for a stronger America."

Continue reading "Endorsements for Richardson" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:32 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BROWNBACK CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Iowa mothers applaud Brownback's work to renew the culture

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Brownback for President campaign today announced the Moms for Brownback Leadership Team at a luncheon hosted by Mary Brownback, wife of U.S. Senator Sam Brownback.

Continue reading "Iowa "Moms for Brownback" Coalition Launched" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:28 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BIDEN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Wilmington, Del. -- Biden for President Campaign Manager Luis Navarro issued the following statement:

“This squabble is a distraction from the main event: defeating the Republicans and ending the war responsibly. Petty arguments about foreign policy credentials will not get mine resistant vehicles in the field any faster and will not get our troops home any sooner. Already Republicans are seeking to divide Democrats on the one issue that they have no credibility on after four and a half years of President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq. During the CNN/YouTube debate on Monday night, Joe Biden told the truth about how long it would take to withdraw our troops from Iraq. And Sen. Clinton said, ‘Joe is right.’ Sen. Biden is the only Democratic candidate to put forth a detailed political plan for how we end this war without leaving chaos behind.

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:19 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Sen. John McCain’s advertising consultants have resigned from his presidential campaign, the latest in a rash of staff shake-ups in recent weeks.
McCain communications director Jill Hazelbaker on Wednesday described the departure of Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens as amicable and said the Arizona Republican “appreciates their service” but accepted their resignations when they were offered Monday night.

Continue reading "Respected media team quits McCain’s struggling campaign" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 10:41 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Live updates from today's forum posted by Rick Fabrizio on the Seacoast Media Group's press room floor.

Continue reading "Live updates from the press room floor at Sen. Hillary Clinton's forum on Energy Independence and Global Climate Change" »

Posted by SMG Newsroom at 03:18 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BROWNBACK CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

This morning Senator Brownback published a guest column in RealClearPolitics about his optional flat tax proposal. Check it out by visiting:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/07/the_optional_flat_tax_1.html

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:24 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Edwards Campaign Unveils First TV Ad Featuring Elizabeth Edwards in New Hampshire

Manchester – The John Edwards for President campaign has unveiled its second New Hampshire TV ad of the campaign and the first featuring Elizabeth Edwards. The ad, entitled “30 Years,” features Elizabeth Edwards, the person who knows John Edwards best, discussing her husband’s strength and character.

View the ad at: http://johnedwards.com/media/video/30-years/

Continue reading "Edwards lauches new TV ad" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:21 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

RICHARDSON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Airing in New Hampshire, Ad calls on Congress to Stand Up to the President and Get All US Troops Out Now

MANCHESTER- Today, Governor Bill Richardson's Presidential campaign went on air in New Hampshire with a timely new television ad titled “Stand Up”. In the ad Governor Richardson reiterates his call to get all US troops out of Iraq and for Congress to stand up to President Bush.

Click below to view the ad, download a copy, and read the fact sheets
http://action.richardsonforpresident.com/page/content/standup/nh/

Continue reading "New Richardson Ad Calls For All US Troops Out of Iraq" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:54 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

DODD CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON - Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd's bold plan for ending the war in Iraq continues to gain recognition. Dodd, the first Presidential candidate in the Senate to call for firm deadlines tied to funding, has continued to lead the fight to end the war in Iraq from the Senate.

Continue reading "Dodd praised for plan to end war in iraq" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:48 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By Brody Mullins
The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The leading Republican presidential candidates have received more campaign donations from private-equity firms than Democrats, a shift from past fund-raising patterns as Democrats view the industry as a source of new taxes.

Continue reading "Equity donations trend GOP" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 04:25 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

KUCINICH CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

CLEVELAND, OH - Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, the only card-carrying union member among the Party's Presidential hopefuls, drew thunderous, standing-ovation support from about 900 members of the United Steelworkers Union this afternoon as he laid out his plans to guarantee health insurance coverage for all Americans, cancel trade agreements that have eliminated millions of jobs, repeal a federal law that allows the government to intrude into union activities, and proceed with the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney for "lying us into the war in Iraq."

(See you Tube video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRxZ64Z7poE

Continue reading "Kucinich gets steelworker cheers" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:55 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY ANNOUNCES THE
NEW HAMPSHIRE VETERANS LEADERSHIP TEAM

Boston, Mass. – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the Romney for President New Hampshire Veterans Leadership Team comprised of 41 veterans representing all ten counties in the State. The New Hampshire Veterans Leadership Team will play an important role in helping to spread Governor Romney's message of strong, conservative values throughout the State.

Continue reading "Romney names NH veterans team" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:46 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

DODD CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

DODD NAMES REPRESENTATIVE EMMA ROUS AS CHAIR OF EDUCATORS FOR CHRIS DODD

MANCHESTER - U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate Chris Dodd's campaign announced today that State Representative Emma Rous has endorsed Chris Dodd for President. Rous, a lifelong educator and current Chair of the House Education Committee, will serve as the Chair of New Hampshire Educators for Chris Dodd.

"While every candidate cares about children and education, no other candidate has Senator Dodd's record of accomplishment," said Rous. "Senator Dodd authored the Family and Medical Leave Act, fought for twenty years to expand and fully fund Head Start, has worked to make No Child Left Behind more reasonable and effective, to fully fund IDEA, to expand after school programs and increase PELL grants to make college more affordable. And as a former Peace Corps volunteer, he supports service learning and a broad national service program. Educators can be proud to support Senator Chris Dodd for President."

Continue reading "Durham educator heads Dodd committee" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:54 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

DODD CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

DODD CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES D-TV
LiveStreaming Video to Provide Unprecedented Window into Campaign
For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON - Today the Chris Dodd for President Campaign unveiled D-TV, a multi-channel window into the campaign. Building on the success of last month's New Hampshire Debate coverage, D-TV will promote further interaction between supporters and Dodd staff through streaming video of the campaign headquarters, interactive opportunities with the campaign and videos of Senator Dodd.

Continue reading "Dodd launches "D-TV"" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 03:52 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

ARLINGTON, Va. - U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign released the following transcript of today's press conference call regarding 2nd quarter fundraising numbers.

TERRY NELSON: Thanks Brian, and as Brian said, thanks everybody for taking the time to be on the call today. We're going to make a couple of points about the campaign. I'll make a couple of points about the campaign, and then turn it over to John Weaver, our senior strategist. As a campaign, we've worked through a number of challenges over the course of the last six months, and in some respects, we are encountering the kinds of challenges that other Republicans are facing. We face a difficult fundraising environment right now, and certainly difficult in comparison to what our Democratic counterparts are able to raise, and I think that will go for the entire field of candidates when our numbers are compared to their numbers. In addition, John McCain has offered change throughout his entire career. He has taken principled stands that have made him a courageous leader and a courageous presidential candidate. And these things will make him a remarkably effective president, but it sometimes makes fundraising more challenging. He stood up for the American taxpayer and fought against corruption, the influence of special-interest money, and its corrupting influence. He's also fought a lonely fight against earmarks and wasteful spending in Washington, D.C., and that doesn't always make us the favorite candidate of the special interests. The campaign has also witnessed as the American people have his resolve first-hand over the last month-and-a-half as he stuck with his principles, did not pander, and worked to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Continue reading "McCain campaign talks fundraising" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 10:31 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BIDEN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Prominent Seacoast Democrats Endorse Joe Biden
Biden Team Growing In New Hampshire

Concord – The Biden for President Campaign today announced the endorsements of five prominent Democrats from the New Hampshire seacoast. Former Mayor Eileen Dondero Foley (Portsmouth), Mary Carey Foley (Portsmouth), former State Senator Bob Preston (Hampton), Representative Mike Marsh (Greenland) and Stratham Planning Board member Joe Russell (Stratham) all their support for Joe Biden for President of the United States.

"I'm honored to have the support of these great New Hampshire leaders," said Senator Joe Biden. "I know that their guidance and experience will be invaluable over the course of the campaign."

Former Portsmouth Mayor Eileen Dondero Foley has been active in Democratic politics for over 30 years. Foley served the seacoast for 16 years, following in the political footsteps of her mother, Mary Carey Dondero, who was Portsmouth's first female Mayor. She has served as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention and the Portsmouth Herald once described her as the "Portsmouth ambassador to the world [Portsmouth Herald, 1/3/06]" Mayor Foley's daughter, Mary Carey Foley is a teacher at Portsmouth High School and an active Democrat in the seacoast community.

"Senator Biden is a real leader through and through," said Mayor Foley. "I'm honored to be a part of his campaign. He has the vision and conviction to put this country back on the right track."

Bob Preston served in the New Hampshire State Senate for 18 years, including several years as the Democratic Leader. Currently Sen. Preston serves on the Advisory Board of the Department of Resources and Economic Development. He played an instrumental role on Governor Lynch's "Save the Shipyard" Advisory Team that helped keep the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard open and saved thousands of New Hampshire jobs.

"I'm delighted to endorse Senator Joe Biden for President," said Sen. Preston. "He has shown himself to be a true friend of our troops, he has the only plan that will get us out of Iraq without leaving chaos behind us, and has authored some of the most important domestic legislation over the last 15 years including the historic 1994 Crime Bill, which included the COPS program. He is a proven leader with the courage and passion that we need in our next President."

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:14 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

RICHARDSON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Richardson Will Become the First Ever Candidate to Visit Marlow, New Hampshire

MARLOW -- Governor Bill Richardson announced today that he will become the first ever presidential candidate to visit Marlow, New Hampshire. Marlow, a small town located in northern Cheshire County, has never received a visit from a presidential candidate in its entire 246-year history.

"I am excited to be the first ever presidential candidate to visit Marlow," said Governor Richardson. "The New Hampshire primary is about meeting voters one-on-one, looking them in the eye and answering their questions. It's about time the people of Marlow had an opportunity to directly participate in this process."

Continue reading "Richardson becomes first candidate to visit Marlow" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:12 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY ANNOUNCES
THE NEW HAMPSHIRE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP TEAM

Boston, Mass. Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the Romney for President New Hampshire Women's Leadership Team comprised of 109 women representing all ten counties in the State. The New Hampshire Women's Leadership Team will play a pivotal role in providing Governor Romney with information and guidance throughout the Granite State.

"This team of diverse and experienced leaders will play a vital role in our Granite State campaign. These talented women leaders add to our already strong grassroots organization in New Hampshire. With their help, we are well on our way to reaching every voter and ensuring they hear our message of change in Washington through a stronger military, stronger economy and stronger families," said Governor Romney.

Continue reading "Romney names NH women's leadership team" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:08 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

OBAMA CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Obama announces historic grassroots support
258,000 donors over the course of the campaign – in the second quarter alone, 154,000 donors raise at least $31 million in primary dollars

MANCHESTER — Obama for America announced record-breaking grassroots support. In just the second quarter, more than 154,000 donors gave the campaign at least $31 million in primary dollars alone, for a total of at least $32.5 million including general election funds.

“Together, we have built the largest grassroots campaign in history for this stage of a Presidential race. We now have hundreds of thousands of Americans who are ready to demand health care for all, energy independence, and an end to this war in Iraq. That’s the kind of movement that can change the special interest-driven politics in Washington and transform our country. And it’s just the beginning,” said Barack Obama.

Continue reading "Obama cites grassroots support" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 09:23 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

KUCINICH CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

ST. PETERSBURG FL - Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, the only candidate who film-maker Michael Moore says is "100 per cent on board" with his call for a national, not-for-profit health care system, will be here tonight for the premiere of Moore’s powerful new movie, SiCKO, which is opening all across the country.

"The other leading candidates are unlikely to be anywhere near a theater showing SiCKO tonight," the Kucinich campaign said in a statement, "because their health care proposals ensure that for-profit insurance companies, health care providers, and pharmaceutical companies will continue to play a major and very lucrative role in the U.S. system." View video

Continue reading "Kucinich to promote 'SiCKO' in St. Petersburg" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:40 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

RICHARDSON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Richardson Campaign Names Alex Goepfert as New Hampshire Communications Director
New Hire Directed Targeted State Senate Race in 2006

MANCHESTER -- The Richardson campaign today announced the appointment of Alex Goepfert as New Hampshire Communications Director.

"I am very pleased that Alex will be joining my New Hampshire staff," said Governor Richardson. "Alex's experience and understanding on New Hampshire politics will be a great asset to my campaign."

Goepfert comes from a diverse background in political campaigns and television journalism. In 2006, he managed the State Senate campaign of Keene's Molly Kelly in her landslide victory over incumbent Tom Eaton.

Continue reading "Richardson names NH communications director" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:31 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

NH BIDEN CAMPAIGN CHAIR ANNOUNCES STATE WIDE TOUR

Campaign to Personally Visit Every Town in New Hampshire

Concord – The Biden for President Campaign announced today that New Hampshire State Chair, Representative Jim Ryan (D-Franklin) will conduct a statewide campaign tour which will cover all 254 towns in New Hampshire. Rep. Ryan will be accompanied by Sen. Biden and members of his family, including Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden and Sen. Biden’s sister and Campaign Chair Valerie Biden Owens, at various stops on the tour.

Continue reading "Biden campaign planning statewide tour" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 11:55 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has improved on his stunning support in the race for campaign cash, raising his total number of donors to nearly 250,000 people in the first six months of the year.
The freshman Illinois senator impressed rivals in the first quarter when he reported 104,000 donors, but he surpassed the mark in the second quarter with 138,000 more opening their wallets, the campaign announced Thursday.

Continue reading "Obama drawing more fund raising donors" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:16 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

MCCAIN CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

ARLINGTON, VA - U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced that Nancy Merrill will join the Arizona Senator's leadership team in New Hampshire as a state co-chair.

Merrill currently serves as National Committeewoman for the New Hampshire Republican State Committee. Elected to that post in July 2000, Merrill will offer her resignation to work with the campaign and maintain the impartiality of the Republican National Committee (RNC) position.

"I firmly believe that New Hampshire must help move John McCain to the next level in the nomination process, which is why I am stepping down from the national committee to work on John's behalf," said Merrill. "Our state primary is a major influence on the rest of the nation. We must show the states that follow us that John McCain is the only candidate who possesses the experience, courage, and candor we need in the leader of our country."

Continue reading " MCCAIN NAMES NANCY MERRILL AS STATE CO-CHAIR" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:05 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

NH SEN. MOLLY KELLY BECOMES 50TH STATE
LEGISLATOR TO ENDORSE HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT

Five New State Representatives Also Endorse

MANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire for Hillary campaign continues to build a strong organization in every corner of the state, and today announced Senator Molly Kelly and five new state representatives have endorsed Hillary for President, bringing the total number of NH legislators supporting Hillary to 50. State Representatives Susan Beauchesne (Allenstown), Roger Berube (Somersworth), Tom Fargo (Dover), Anne Grassie (Rochester), and Tom McGuirck (Hampton) join Kelly in announcing their support today.

Continue reading "Clinton garners more NH legislative support" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:02 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press Writer

CONCORD (AP) — A state lawmaker said Wednesday he could no longer support Sen. John McCain’s campaign over the proposed immigration bill in Congress. But McCain’s campaign countered that state Rep. D.J. Bettencourt stepped down as its Rockingham County co-chairman only after asking for — and being refused — a paycheck.
“I have told the McCain campaign that I would withdraw my support as his Rockingham County co-chairman if Senator McCain continued to push for amnesty for illegal aliens,” Bettencourt said. “Although earlier I publicly endorsed Senator McCain, I cannot, in good conscience, continue to support him. ... We must enforce the laws on our books, not provide amnesty for millions of people who have broken the law since the moment they stepped on our soil.”

Continue reading "McCain NH supporter defects" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:50 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Wednesday that conservative author Ann Coulter’s attacks are hurtful as his campaign used her remarks in an appeal for money.
Edwards made his first comments to The Associated Press in response to Coulter’s suggestion that she wished he would be “killed in a terrorist assassination plot.” His campaign cited her remarks in two e-mails to supporters for donations, with the fundraising deadline on Saturday.

Continue reading "Edwards v. Coulter" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:48 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

ARLINGTON, Va. - U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced the New Hampshire Legislative Caucus for McCain - the only legislative caucus for a presidential candidate in the state.

"As lawmakers we understand the challenges involved in finding solutions to tough policy issues," said Rep. Maureen Mooney. "I have a deep respect for Senator McCain's leadership and courage when it comes to getting things done on the critical issues that face our nation."

Continue reading "McCain names NH legislative caucus" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:10 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

NH Attorney to Help Lead Effort

MANCHESTER, NH – On the eve of the 38th anniversary of Stonewall, the New Hampshire for Hillary campaign today is pleased to announce the formation of the “LGBT Americans for Hillary.” The new national steering committee is comprised of over 65 leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, including Manchester Attorney and local Democratic activist Greg Sargent. Members of the steering committee include LGBT elected officials, activists from national LGBT and Democratic Party political groups as well as leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment and sports. This leadership committee will work with the campaign on several areas including political outreach, communications, policy advice and counsel, and fundraising.

“It is my honor to be a part of Hillary Clinton’s campaign in New Hampshire. She was the first candidate to congratulate the NH legislature for its leadership on the civil unions bill and she has long fought to end discrimination against gays and lesbians,” said Greg Sargent, National LGBT Steering Committee Member and Co-chair of the NH for Hillary LGBT organizing effort. “I am looking forward to getting to work with her already incredible network of supporters across the state. Together, we will share her passionate vision to get this country back on track and moving forward again.”

Continue reading "Clinton Campaign courts LGBT support" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 02:05 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By Kimball Payne
Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Conjuring images of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and evoking the mantle of Ronald Reagan, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday said Democrats vying for the White House are in denial about terrorism.
Giuliani sounded exactly like a frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president, accusing Democrats of being unable to confront Islamic terrorism.
“Islamic terrorists want to kill us, that is the predominant issue of our day,” Giuliani said, drawing a standing ovation from a luncheon crowd of about 650 people at Pat Robertson’s Regent University. The Democrats “are in denial. I think they can’t face this threat.”

Continue reading "Giuliani talks tough to social conservatives" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 10:23 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By ERIK SCHELZIG
Associated Press Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Fred Thompson, a likely Republican presidential candidate, on Tuesday defended his work as a Washington lobbyist, telling The Associated Press that lobbying is an important part of life because “government’s got their hands in everything.”
The actor and former U.S. senator from Tennessee added, “Nobody yet has pointed out any of my clients that didn’t deserve representation.”
Thompson, who likes to cast himself as a political outsider, earned more than $1 million lobbying the federal government for more than 20 years. He lobbied for a savings-and-loan deregulation bill that helped hasten the industry’s collapse and a failed nuclear energy project that cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars.

Continue reading "Thompson defends lobbyist record" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 06:06 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Tuesday announced a new television ad in New Hampshire, part of an effort to improve his standing in the first primary state.
The 30-second spot features Edwards giving a speech on how he would make the United States “the country of the 21st Century” and includes a clip of his wife, Elizabeth, meeting with an elderly voter.

Continue reading "Edwards launches NH ad" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:36 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

RICHARDSON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

SANTA FE, NM -- Governor Bill Richardson will be in Washington, DC on Wednesday to deliver a major foreign policy speech regarding Iran. The Governor will be speaking to the Center for National Policy.

The speech will focus on US relations with Iran going forward, specifically how the US can and must lead the world in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Here is an excerpt from the prepared text of the speech:

Continue reading "Richardson to give Iran policy speech" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:34 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

Poll: Bloomberg would siphon votes from Giuliani, giving Clinton the win
By Helen Kennedy
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — In a hypothetical, three-way, all-New Yorker 2008 election smackdown, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg would hurt Rudy Giuliani and throw the election to Sen. Hillary Clinton, according to a new CNN poll.
Bloomberg comes in a distant third as an independent in the presidential sweepstakes, according to CNN’s Opinion Dynamics poll.

Continue reading "Bloomberg helps Clinton in poll" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:47 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

BIDEN SENATE OFFICE PRESS RELEASE

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) spoke on the Senate Floor today in support of the Employee Free Choice Act (S. 1041), legislation to level the playing field between workers and employers. The legislation specifically allows employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation; establishes stronger penalties for illegal interference with labor organizing; and provides mediation and arbitration for contract disputes.

“When the union movement is under attack, the middle class is under attack. When the union movement is strong, the middle class is strong. And when the middle class is strong, our nation is strong,” said Senator Biden. “By making sure that all you have to do to join a union is no more than what you do to register to vote, we can change the tide in this country so American union movement can grow.”

Continue reading "Biden supports employee free choice" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:28 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

OBAMA CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Chicago, IL—Senator Obama today released the following statement on Vice President Cheney's attempts to prevent public scrutiny of his office.

"Throughout this administration, Vice President Cheney has consistently sought to operate in secrecy and thwart rules designed to ensure the public’s right to know how their business is being done. I believe strongly that democracy works best when it does its work in the daylight. In an Obama Administration, we will launch the most sweeping ethics reform in history so that we can restore an open, honest government that finally makes real progress on the challenges facing the American people.”

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:22 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

RICHARDSON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

SANTA FE, NM -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has jumped to 13% in a new survey of likely Iowa caucus-goers, a 10-point gain since March. He is the only Democrat to make any significant gains over the past three months. Among the likeliest caucus-goers (representing just over 40% of the sample - voters who attended the 2004 caucuses, voted in the 2006 primary, and say they are definite to attend next year's caucus) Governor Richardson has actually overtaken Senator Barack Obama and moved into third place at 18%.

Continue reading "Richardson rises in Iowa poll" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:19 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PRESS STATEMENT

Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on the United States Supreme Court decision overturning a portion of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law:

"Score one for free speech. Today the Supreme Court reaffirmed the First Amendment by rejecting a key feature of McCain-Feingold. The law trampled the basic right of the American people to participate in their democracy. It also purported to reduce the influence of money in politics, but we now know that influence is greater than ever. McCain-Feingold was a poorly-crafted bill. Today's decision restores, in part, to the American people a right critical to their freedom of political participation and expression."

Posted by Michael McCord at 01:14 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By MIKE GLOVER
Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic Sen. Barack Obama is launching two biographical television ads this week, focusing on early voting Iowa in the first commercials of his presidential campaign.
The ads represent a strategic shift for the Obama campaign, which has focused on grass-roots efforts and now will introduce the candidate to a new population of voters watching at home.
Candidates typically hold off on advertising during the slow summer months, but the warp-speed campaign has forced the 2008 contenders to rethink the traditional approach. Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Bill Richardson have run ads in Iowa — and seen their poll numbers increase.

Continue reading "Obama launches television ads" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 12:14 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By GLEN JOHNSON
AP Political Writer

BOSTON (AP) — Mitt Romney wowed the Republican presidential field with an eye-catching fundraising total and an innovative “National Call Day” earlier this year, but his campaign staff tried to lower expectations of a repeat as he gathered top fundraisers in Boston Monday for a final push before the second quarter ends later this week.
Fewer fundraising trips, more political speeches and downtime to prepare for the campaign’s first two nationally televised debates of the primary campaign will make it hard to replicate the $21 million raised from January through March, said Romney spokesman Kevin Madden.
Romney also donated $2.35 million to his campaign during the first quarter, giving the former Massachusetts governor a total of $23 million in receipts — the most in the Republican field. The second quarter ends Saturday.
“The possibility of Fred Thompson getting into the race has also made it more competitive fundraising this quarter,” Madden said of the former Tennessee senator and conservative who is expected to formally enter the GOP race early next month.

Continue reading "Romney softens fundraising expectations" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 09:58 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE

Hillary’s NH Support Continuing to Grow

MANCHESTER – On the heels of Senator Hillary Clinton’s ninth visit to New Hampshire and a Conversation on stem cell research she held at Dartmouth College in Hanover on June 15th, several key leaders have announced today they have decided to endorse Senator Clinton for President.

“Each time I travel to New Hampshire I am humbled to meet more and more people who are supporting my campaign,” said Senator Clinton. “I enjoyed visiting the Upper Valley and meeting so many wonderful people during my visit. I look forward to returning again soon.”

Continue reading "Clinton gets Upper Valley endorsements" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 06:10 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

By Matt Stearns
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — How did Sen. John McCain, the onetime front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, come to this?
New polls this week showed support for him plummeting in two key early-voting states. Tied for fifth place in Iowa, with 6 percent. Falling to fourth place in South Carolina, with 7 percent. Mason-Dixon Polling & Research conducted both polls of likely Republican voters, which had error margins of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
This after an ongoing Senate debate on immigration that highlights McCain’s opposition to his party’s base on a hot-button issue, and the informal entry into the race of former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who shot ahead of the Arizona senator in state polls and several national surveys.
McCain also is trying to recover from disappointing first-quarter fundraising, which prompted a reshuffling of his finance operation.

Continue reading "McCain campaign in trouble?" »

Posted by Michael McCord at 05:55 PM|