Best Candidate For New Hampshire Governor: Jackie Cilley
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As soon as Steve Israel took over the DCCC he signaled that he learned nothing about the Great Blue Dog Apocalypse of 2010 by contacting scores of Blue Dogs and New Dems who had lost their seats and begging them to try again in 2012. Some, though flattered, understood he was insane and politely declined. Others, unfortunately, decided to lose again this year. Israel, a "former" Blue Dog himself, can't fathom that Democratic voters, real ones, at the grassroots level, don't want Blue Dogs, New Dems and other conservatives instead of actual Democrats. He's been wheeling and dealing in Congress too long. And while he was talking losers like Charlie Wilson (OH), Nick Lampson (TX), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ), Bill Foster (IL), and Dan Maffei (NY) to run for their old seats, he was actively discouraging the few progressives who lost to not run again. The corrupt Inside-the-Beltway crowd-- regardless of party-- has never been particularly friendly towards Carol Shea-Porter, who doesn't play their games. So Israel encouraged a far more corporate-oriented Democrat to run against her, Maggie Hassan. Democrats in NH1, laughed in their faces... and that fizzled fast.
But now, unfortunately, Hassan is challenging progressive Democrat Jackie Cilley for the gubernatorial nomination. The two women, both former state senators could hardly be more different And whoever wins the nomination will most likely take on extreme teabagger Ovide Lamontagne for a shot at being American's only female governor left in the U.S.
Corporate lawyer Hassan's first move after losing her state senate seat was to establish conservadem credentials by cozying up to the phony centrist, "entitlement"-cutting fetishist group No Labels at their Wall Street-funded, NYC kickoff with Evan Bayh and Joe Lieberman, and claiming she lost her election because she was "too moderate."
She then quickly ran down to DC to see what support she could dredge up for a congressional run from K Street and among ConservaDems. She was, of course, fulsomely welcomed by Steve Israel, eager to restock the House Democratic caucus with as many pro-corporate Blue Dogs and New Dems as he can. Inside-the-Beltway her prospects looked excellent. Back in New Hampshire... not so much. Steve Israel may have been in Hassan's corner, but voter enthusiasm was clearly in Carol Shea-Porter's. Hassan isn't completely oblivious to reality and once she started seeing polls results she quickly pivoted to the governor's race instead. She recruited an Emily's List staffer to run her campaign and help get the endorsement of... Emily's List, which, readers here will know, has a long history of opposing progressive candidates in primaries.The Emily's List claimed it endorsed Hassan over the equally pro-choice Cilley in part because Hassan would commit to keeping the state's regressive tax system in place, a scheme cooked up long ago by Republicans to keep the 1% protected from contributing their fair share. Nice.
A funny thing happened on the way to the coronation, though. A series of polls, including the most recent one put out Friday, shows the race all tied up every which way. Whoever emerges as the nominee has a real shot at keeping Ovide out of office.
That means we have a chance to help real progressive Jackie Cilley gain a governor's seat, and be the only woman in that position in the country. Cilley was raised in poverty from the rural northern part of the state. She refuses to take that pledge to protect the wealthy. And because she comes from the working class, she is earning their support, including the state's biggest union. In a lot of ways she's like Carol Shea-Porter, a true grassroots phenomenon. Here's her website... this is the kind of a salt-of-the-earth Democrat we need to help take the party back from the 1%. You can contribute to her campaign here
Labels: DCCC, New Hampshire, progressives vs reactionaries
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 6:00 AM
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25 Comments:
What a tale this is! I have been with Carol Shea-Porter since the very beginning. She and I were activist friends before she ran in 2006. I spent months working on that campaign and have worked on every one since.
And I support Maggie Hassan for Governor. I'm one of her grass root chairs and on the steering committee.
I guess in your world that make me a blue dog.
Really, go write fiction. Its noble. But don't drag down Maggie Hassan. Her senate record shows the heart of a true progressive. I wouldn't support her otherwise.
Howie, you're wading in over your head here on a New Hampshire race. Jackie is a good person and sounds rhetorically more progressive than Maggie, but their positions are identical on most issues.
The income tax is not under live debate in New Hampshire. Fair enough that Jackie is trying to put it there but, as satisfying as the effort is to progressives, that is not something she will accomplish in the governor's race.
You are, in your post, reflecting the negative tone Jackie has injected into the primary, railing against Emily's List, etc. CSP didn't do that in her 2006 or 2012 primaries. Jackie shouldn't either. It's not going to do her any good.
Howie--did you really write this or was it penned in New Hampshire, sent you you for laundering and sent back to NH via social media. ( That's a question I think you should answer.)
If you have any doubts about my personal credentials just google me.
Thats a truly offensive quesiton, Chaz, and you should really be ashamed of yourself for asking it.
Howie has impeccable credibility, which is more than I can say for the Hassan campaign at this point.
Sue If I get an answer from Howie, I will respect it. But as a writer you know that someone took an awful lot of time writing this attack on Maggie. That's offensive no matter who it is. But if Howie says he's responsible for it I'll take him at his word.
And invoking Carol in this is doubly shameful.
Chaz, Howie is a national figure as a writer, a music promoter, adjunct prof of music at McGill etc. He is not taking dictation from NH or anywhere else. Here is his wiki page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howie_Klein
He said nothing that is dishonest; you guys just don't like it.
Sue -- Just took some time to reflect.
It just occurred to me that the primary campaigns I have worked on have been very careful to avoid name calling and innuendo.
We have always set a high bar and discouraged personal attacks and innuendo on fellow New Hampshire Democrats. In the long run that fractures us and hurts our ability to win elections.
Maggie's campaign is dedicated to a fair fight. I'm dedicated to a fair fight.
So here's a deal. If you can point me to an attack like this one but on Jackie, I'll personally intervene.
So far I have seen nothing like this or even approaching this.
Caroline
I sent Howie a personal e mail. He has a link to his e address and I appreciate that.
My e mail was very respectful -- written the way you would expect of me--LOL!
I can also appreciate that he's a busy man, so I'll wait patiently for a reply.
But I can tell you that I've had slur directed at me from Jackie and her supporters. "Republican Lite" and "establishment" to name two. These are facts. I can tell you who said it and when it was said.
I have to put my two cents in here. I don't fault anyone for benefits they or their spouse receive as a result of their job. I myself have a job that gives me above and beyond the "normal" benefits. That being said Sen Hassan DOES NOT pay property tax. I find it hard to vote or support a candidate who takes "The Pledge". When you make a pledge that eliminates the ability to have a discussion on new revenue streams to pay for all of there services Sen Hassan wants to reinstate or newly funded projects. The cigarette tax and casinos WILL NOT cover the costs. How can you tell the citizens of New Hampshire Im not even going to consider other revenue streams which will cause our property taxes to rise, when she doesn't pay property tax. Why should Sen Hassan dictate the rules if she isn't even in the game. There is a clear choice in this election and that is Sen Cilley. Sen Cilley has NOT taken "The Pledge" nor has she said she is in favor of a broad based tax. There HAS to be a discussion of where we are going in this state and Sen Cilley has my support and my vote.
Chaz - Please explain to me how telling the truth is an attack. I don't see anything in this piece that is untrue, so how is this an attack? Can you tell me where the dishonesty is?? Or is this just because you don't like it? Because he points out that Maggie was initially (with DNC help) going to run for Carol's seat?
I confess, I do find it shocking that you're accusing a nationally known writer - a man who has fought against censorship, a man who has a very distinguished history, of taking dictation from NH.
Let's be clear, if he had been taking dictation from NH, he would have mentioned the lying letter that went out from the Hillary Clinton campaign just before the NH primary - where Obama's votes on choice in Illinois were misrepresented. A number of NH women signed this craven bit of guano - and one of them was Maggie Hassan. Some of the women who signed it have since apologized for it - they didn't know it wasn't true when they signed it. Maggie remains unrepentant about signing that letter. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/01/trying-to-heal-a-rift-in-new-h-1.html
Your description of the careful nature of NH primary campaigns was interesting. I'm guessing you've forgotten the Katrina Swett v. Ann Kuster campaign and the attendant unpleasantness. Not much singing of Kumbaya going on there. You've also forgotten the DCCC's treatment of Carol, which trickled down to the NHDP's treatment of Carol in 2006, when Jim Craig was the anointed candidate, and Carol was dismissed and treated shabbily by every part of the Democratic Party hierarchy.
Matt Burgess, the Emily's List campaign manager, has already lied in public. He told Kevin Landrigan that the SEA was in favor of an income tax. Hassan supporters everywhere are breaking their necks to shout INCOME TAX, when it isn't true. So, please Chaz, don't insult me by trying to play some kind of weird let's make a deal game with me. We aren't in 5th grade. Emily's List didn't play fair. A lot of Democrats got pissy with me for telling the truth about it, but they couldn't refute it. Truth is not an attack. You don't have to like the truth, but you don't get to make up your own facts.
I suspect that you don't like reading that Maggie had every intention of doing Carol out of her seat. I don't blame you. There she was, wrapped in the moderate cloak of No Labels, getting ready for Congress, till polling convinced her to run for governor, and reinvent herself as a progressive.
There's nothing to argue about Chaz. You have a candidate, and you don't like it that someone told ugly truths about your candidate. That's understandable.
What is truly upsetting to me is that you're accusing a writer - a writer with a stellar reputation - of being a hack who can be bought off by some unnamed source in NH. It's embarrassing, and doesn't reflect well on your candidate.
Yawn. Words words words. I'm not going to waste my time or psychic energy keeping up with the volume.
Just show me such a similar attack on Jackie and I'll do whatever I can to put a stop to it. That was my offer.
And consider this. Blue Dogs are known by their votes and the legislation they write and usher through the halls of government. Maggie Hassan stacks up with the best of them.
None of this is new for me by the way. I've been trying to keep Democrats fighting together against Republicans since 2006. I've dedicated myself to that. You don't know what I've done all in good faith.
Sue--you aren't even a Democrat. You won't inherit any of the fall out from this.
And you are right about the Swett Kuster dust up. I never paid any attention. I guess that happened on Blue Hampshire. At the time I was way to busy working on Carol's campaign in District One.
And before you pounce--by "the best of them, I mean the best of Democrats."
Maggie hammered out the language that allowed the Gay Marriage Bill to become law. She was a leader not a follower in the NH Senate. She was instrumental in passing kindergarten ( finally ) in NH. I could go on and on about progressive bills.
Before it was politically correct ask Ms Hassan what she thought of marriage equality????
It's interesting that Maggie Hassan is trying to rewrite history and portray herself as a THE gay rights candidate. While I commend Maggie's support of equality now, the fact of the matter is that she was late to the party and only spoke out on the issue when she thought it was politically expedient. On the other hand, Jackie Cilley has led the charge for equal rights, even long before it became popular in the Democratic Party. For Jackie, it's not just a matter of attracting votes, it's always been about fairness and she is not afraid to rock the boat and speak out for EVERY citizen of New Hampshire.
Another point is that Jackie has NEVER supported an income tax, even though members of Maggie's campaign try to pin that label on her. Declining to "take the pledge" does not imply support of an income tax. Any savvy business person knows that when you enter a negotiation (and that is ultimately the root of legislation), you should never weaken your own bargaining position by conceding a point that is important to the other side. Caving to pledge pressure is simply a display of weakness as a negotiator -- it is best to start any negotiation with the position that gives you the most negotiating power. Starting with EVERYTHING on the table offers the opportunity to actually gain concessions from the other side in return for removing an income tax from consideration.
So, do we want the bold, tough, independent leadership offered by Jackie, or the timid alternative offered by Maggie? For me, the choice is clear:
Jackie Cilley for New Hampshire.
Gene--Your comment stands out as the first one that is not solely a negative attack on Maggie Hassan's honor.
But I disagree that Maggie's campaign is making a big issue over her role in gay marriage.
I just happened to mention that issue. I could have chosen many. But I would point out that it takes people like Maggie Hassan to turn dreams into reality. In 2008 the gay marriage issue was rightly brought to the front burner by activists and house and senate members. I applaud them.
But someone still has to bring legislation across the finish line. That someone was Maggie Hassan.
Gene
I applaud you for writing something with far more substance than personal attack.
I don't see though, that Maggie's campaign is making a major issue out of her support for gay marriage as you suggest. I just picked that issue here.
What I write is what I write, not a campaign theme.
But I would point out that Maggie is a leader. The gay marriage issue was brought to the legislature by a strong effort from activists.
But like any worthwhile cause--someone has to bring it across the finish line. In this case, as in so many other that someone was Maggie Hassan.
She is a leader.
Chaz,
Your response to my post is "yawn, I'm not going to waste my time?" You lack sufficient courtesy to read what I wrote? You've crossed a line. Discussion, disagreement, even argument is all acceptable - but rudeness is not. Kindly go occupy yourself with one of Mr. Vonnegut's rolling donuts.
No Labels = No Progressives
Oh, and by the way - NO ONE calls me "Sue."
Ok Susan here's one answer:
You wrote this : ( quote from Susanthe )
"Your description of the careful nature of NH primary campaigns was interesting."
(unquote)
But I didn't write that. I wrote about ethical campaigns that I HAVE WORKED ON. This underscored my concerns about needlessly dividing Democrats so we remain a team.
Here's my quote: ( Chaz Proulx quote)
"It just occurred to me that the primary campaigns I have worked on have been very careful to avoid name calling and innuendo.
We have always set a high bar and discouraged personal attacks and innuendo on fellow New Hampshire Democrats. In the long run that fractures us and hurts our ability to win elections.
( end quote)
So you see what you did was twist my words to your advantage. At least have the respect to quote me accurately and then at least respect my point.
( That's enough for tonight--good sparring with you Susan!)
Chaz, I applaud your dedication to Maggie Hassan, but I haven't been inspired by her. While I'm sure it was not a solo effort, even if she actually "hammered out the language that allowed the Gay Marriage Bill to become law" as you state, being efficient at clerical tasks or word-smithing isn't going to get someone elected. A candidate for Governor needs to inspire and engage the citizens of New Hampshire, and I have yet to see Maggie generate much genuine enthusiasm from an audience. Her speaking style has been rather dry, as if she is trying to stick to a script that has been prepared for her, and although she hammers out a lot of words, the substance gets lost. On the other hand, Jackie Cilley succinctly drives home each and every point and clearly demonstrates her ability to connect with her audience.
Unfortunately, I think that Maggie suffers from some of the same issues that plague Mitt Romney. Even though they both seem to have party establishment support, they come across as stiff or inaccessible. In politics, too often people create their own echo-chambers, and thereby fail to see weaknesses in a candidate until it is too late. The Republicans are going to put up a strong candidate that will do their best to steamroll their opponent. I know Jackie Cilley has the passion and fortitude to stand up to the Republican onslaught, but I really haven't seen that strength from Maggie.
Gene
Your opinion is fair game. But I can tell you from personally knowing Maggie since 2004 that she is passionate, articulate and a strong leader.
Some perspective is in order here. Jackie is appealing to the left leaning base of the Dem party. Applause lines that move 400 Democrats aren't going to play here in my hometown of Raymond.
When she refers to people who don't agree with everything she has to say as "Republican Lite" she makes that base happy but divides us going forward.
And as much as I admire her for not taking the pledge ( and I do!) Ovide and the super pacs are going to turn the general election into a referendum on taxes. There will be no nuance then.
Chaz
I have seen the candidates in "action" several times and Ovide or Kevin will run Maggie down like a steamroller. She lacks passion as well as leadership. We need a fighter and that CLEARLY is NOT Maggie Hassan. Her well scripted answers are only going to get her so far. I will spell it out for you and take it as a personal attack if you will I really don't care. Frankly, . Maggie is boring and insincere. When she attempts to show passion I feel embarrassed for her it's so forced and insincere. You could practice scripted answers but passion and fight cannot be practiced.
Chaz,
I know that the Republican candidate will be raising the issue of the LLC tax -- which is usually portrayed as an income tax. Even though it didn't receive public attention until 2010, Maggie Hassan shepherded it through committee in 2009 in what were theoretically public hearings, but in reality the hearings were unpublicized. When the story broke in January of 2010, she only claimed errors were made in the way it was handled, and defended the tax (even though it was later repealed). If Maggie was the primary architect of what is widely viewed as an income tax right here in New Hampshire, her Republican opponent will easily paint her as disingenuous on the issue of an income tax, regardless of any recent pledge. So, I agree with you that there will definitely be no nuance on that point.
I don't care about labels, whether it's a pledging Ovide-lite or anything else. I base my judgement on a candidate's thorough knowledge of the issues, the ability to express that knowledge, and the ability make a compelling argument that will motivate people to get to the polls in November. So whether or not Maggie is capable of being passionate and articulate in some settings, if she can't consistently energize the electorate in these public forums running up to the election, I don't believe that she is the best choice to put up against an Ovide.
So, the left should unite with the timid, wincing conservadems...so that we get ....what, exactly? Oh, we get Blue Dog bullshit, and we're told to spoon it down and like it, because that's the best we can expect.
Yay! There's something to strive for!!
This is yet another illustration of why I'm not a Democrat any more. The Democrats have moved so far to the right as to be pallid, impotent GOP clones.
I think I'll rest my case right here. Susan has coined another name for me an the other people who support Maggie. Conservadems.
This has now degenerated to name calling and potty mouth too.
Actually that's where it all started. Jackie called us "Republican Lite" last October. I like Jackie Cilley an lot, and I DO respect her, but there is no way that you can have that charge aimed at you without taking offense--especially if you really work on campaigns.
I don't sit on the sidelines. If this is the thanks I get for sacrificing my time then maybe it's time someone else--further left-- should fill my shoes.
Gene -
I found DowenWithTyranny by mistake, and read all the way through the comments.
I was struck by your comment about basing your "judgment on a candidate's thorough knowledge, the ability...
Could I borrow that language as your recommendation for Jackie Cilley to voters?
I'm nhpoet - jrseaver@comcast.net -if you would please contact me.
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