Keith and stuff
03-11-2012, 10:17 PM
A New Liberty Coalition Forms
Saturday, March 10, 2012 at 01:57PM
New Hampshire Representative Steve Vaillancourt
http://www.nhinsider.com/rep-steve-vaillancourt/2012/3/10/a-new-liberty-coalition-forms.html
Rep. Vaillancourt endorsed Ron Paul in 2008 and 2012. It featured Ron Paul commercials on his TV show dozens of time. Rep. Vaillancourt is both one of the most outspoken Reps. in NH and one of the most accurate at making predictions. This blog post is so good, I'm going to repost most of it here. He mentions a group of 90 to 108 Republican Reps. that voted with most Democrats for freedom. While it is true that Democrats on average are a little more statist than Republicans, that isn't much of an endorsement for Republicans as a whole. However, something is happening. A large group of pro-liberty Republicans was elected to the NH state House in 2010. This group of Republicans aren't just pro-liberty on traditionally Republican issues. They are pro-liberty on most issues. Some of them are free staters, some of them are Ron Paul supporters, almost all of them at least lean libertarian. Rep. Vaillancourt explains it well in his post.
As the New Hampshire House hits crunch time with three session days planned for the coming week, a new coalition seems to be forming to thwart Republican leadership.
Libertarian-minded Republicans (I certainly include myself in that group along with people like Andy Manuse, JR Hoell, the Jonses, at least half the McGuires, Mark Warden--to name just a few) seem to be joining a huge majority of Democrats to preserve freedoms which Republican leadership inexplicably seems determined to rob from the citizens of our great state.
Three example stand out just from last week, and the numbers will prove this assertion. On decriminalizing marijuana, voting rights for independents, and forcing students to stand for the pledge of allegiance, this new coalition prevailed.
It may well be a sign of things to come on such outstanding issues of gay marriage.
The vote requiring students to stand for the pledge (House Bill 1146), despite an 8-4 recommendation by the Constitutional Review Committee (what a joke!), was 155-170 (52.3 percent). Had it been up to Republicans alone, the bill would have passed. Only 37.7 percent of Republicans (90-149) voted against this bit of nanny state mischief. Democrats were 93 percent (80-6) against it.
Among Republicans to vote against the bill (along with those mentioned earlier) were Neal Kurk, Bill Belvin, Jordan Ulery, David Welch, Lynn Blankenbecker, Norm Major, Sherm Packard, John Hunt, Betsey Patten, too many to mention here...but suffice it to say it was way beyond "the usual suspects".
House Bill 1595, Republicans' misguided plan to force undeclared voters to remain aligned with a party for 90 days should they vote in that party in a primary, was a real stunner. It failed 136-178 with no less than 100 Republicans voting against the party's ill-conceived idea which would have created massive confusion in the voting ranks and hundreds of extra hours of work at city and town halls throughout the state as undeclared voters would be forced to trek to city halls rather than revert back immediately after voting in a party primary.
Obviously, more Representatives then I dared hope have become familiar with the primary process and realize current system runs smoothly. Either party is already able to close its primary should it so choose, but what an idiotic idea that would be. It would simply drive the majority of undeclared voters (40 percent and counting the last time I checked) into the arms of the other party. If Republicans don't want independent voters, they'll never beat Obama and will become a permanent minority party, yet that's just what this bill would have done.
In fact, Republicans supported to bill 135-100 (57.4 percent). Only the coalition of libertarian-minded Republicans and all Democrats except Sandy Keans (78-1) were able to stop this ridiculous idea. The final vote wasn't even close actually, 136-178 represents a 56.7 percent total against the idea, and subsequent votes to kill the bill were even more lopsided.
It was a classic example of Republicans attempting to slash their own wrists and being stopped by libertarians and Democrats.
Then there was House Bill 1526, decriminalization of possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana. The bill passed by the narrowest of margins 162-161 and most likely either be killed in the Senate or vetoed by Governor Lynch, but once again, had it been up to the Republican majority, the bill would have failed in the House. Republicans were 108-126 against it (46.2 percent) while Democrats were 54-35 for it (60.7 percent).
He'll have more chances to join the Liberty Republicans and Democrats coming days and weeks.
Saturday, March 10, 2012 at 01:57PM
New Hampshire Representative Steve Vaillancourt
http://www.nhinsider.com/rep-steve-vaillancourt/2012/3/10/a-new-liberty-coalition-forms.html
Rep. Vaillancourt endorsed Ron Paul in 2008 and 2012. It featured Ron Paul commercials on his TV show dozens of time. Rep. Vaillancourt is both one of the most outspoken Reps. in NH and one of the most accurate at making predictions. This blog post is so good, I'm going to repost most of it here. He mentions a group of 90 to 108 Republican Reps. that voted with most Democrats for freedom. While it is true that Democrats on average are a little more statist than Republicans, that isn't much of an endorsement for Republicans as a whole. However, something is happening. A large group of pro-liberty Republicans was elected to the NH state House in 2010. This group of Republicans aren't just pro-liberty on traditionally Republican issues. They are pro-liberty on most issues. Some of them are free staters, some of them are Ron Paul supporters, almost all of them at least lean libertarian. Rep. Vaillancourt explains it well in his post.
As the New Hampshire House hits crunch time with three session days planned for the coming week, a new coalition seems to be forming to thwart Republican leadership.
Libertarian-minded Republicans (I certainly include myself in that group along with people like Andy Manuse, JR Hoell, the Jonses, at least half the McGuires, Mark Warden--to name just a few) seem to be joining a huge majority of Democrats to preserve freedoms which Republican leadership inexplicably seems determined to rob from the citizens of our great state.
Three example stand out just from last week, and the numbers will prove this assertion. On decriminalizing marijuana, voting rights for independents, and forcing students to stand for the pledge of allegiance, this new coalition prevailed.
It may well be a sign of things to come on such outstanding issues of gay marriage.
The vote requiring students to stand for the pledge (House Bill 1146), despite an 8-4 recommendation by the Constitutional Review Committee (what a joke!), was 155-170 (52.3 percent). Had it been up to Republicans alone, the bill would have passed. Only 37.7 percent of Republicans (90-149) voted against this bit of nanny state mischief. Democrats were 93 percent (80-6) against it.
Among Republicans to vote against the bill (along with those mentioned earlier) were Neal Kurk, Bill Belvin, Jordan Ulery, David Welch, Lynn Blankenbecker, Norm Major, Sherm Packard, John Hunt, Betsey Patten, too many to mention here...but suffice it to say it was way beyond "the usual suspects".
House Bill 1595, Republicans' misguided plan to force undeclared voters to remain aligned with a party for 90 days should they vote in that party in a primary, was a real stunner. It failed 136-178 with no less than 100 Republicans voting against the party's ill-conceived idea which would have created massive confusion in the voting ranks and hundreds of extra hours of work at city and town halls throughout the state as undeclared voters would be forced to trek to city halls rather than revert back immediately after voting in a party primary.
Obviously, more Representatives then I dared hope have become familiar with the primary process and realize current system runs smoothly. Either party is already able to close its primary should it so choose, but what an idiotic idea that would be. It would simply drive the majority of undeclared voters (40 percent and counting the last time I checked) into the arms of the other party. If Republicans don't want independent voters, they'll never beat Obama and will become a permanent minority party, yet that's just what this bill would have done.
In fact, Republicans supported to bill 135-100 (57.4 percent). Only the coalition of libertarian-minded Republicans and all Democrats except Sandy Keans (78-1) were able to stop this ridiculous idea. The final vote wasn't even close actually, 136-178 represents a 56.7 percent total against the idea, and subsequent votes to kill the bill were even more lopsided.
It was a classic example of Republicans attempting to slash their own wrists and being stopped by libertarians and Democrats.
Then there was House Bill 1526, decriminalization of possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana. The bill passed by the narrowest of margins 162-161 and most likely either be killed in the Senate or vetoed by Governor Lynch, but once again, had it been up to the Republican majority, the bill would have failed in the House. Republicans were 108-126 against it (46.2 percent) while Democrats were 54-35 for it (60.7 percent).
He'll have more chances to join the Liberty Republicans and Democrats coming days and weeks.