A drinking problem?

Even if there wasn’t any photo of it, it’s an image that should be hard for anyone who knew about it to erase from his memory.

The image: a dozen empty beer cans discovered tossed in the UNH Whittemore Center’s trash following the NH House’s socially distanced session at the arena last September.

If you recall, there were about four dozen reps who refused to wear a mask, so they were banished to an isolated section. And, as the evidence showed, some of ‘em decided they needed to scarf down beers while they were doing the people’s business — just as if they were there for a UNH-UMaine hockey game.

Which brings us to Dec. 15, when the Legislative Rules Committee, now under the control of NHGOPers, voted as their first order of business to reject a ban on alcohol in the House chambers — oh, also guns are allowed now, too.

Sure, lots of people say watching the Legislature in action drives ‘em to drink — but who knew it drove the legislators to drink too?

Hate to tell you, but ...

At some point someone’s gotta say it: The NHGOP has a white supremacist problem.

Not that it’s a white supremacist party, but — like its national counterpart — it’s turning into a safe harbor for peeps with racist and anti-Semitic sympathies.

In just the last coupla weeks, two GOPer reps got caught with their prejudices exposed.

First there was rep and Laconia school board member Dawn Johnson, who claims she innocently shared an article on social media that originated from the neo-Nazi website, Daily Stormer.

Then came Deerfield GOPer and serial offender, rep Jim Spillane, who shared an obviously anti-Semitic meme on social media. In fact, it was ridiculously offensive.

So what did DJ do? Why she ended up saying she was the victim after lots and lotsa people — from the guv on down — called her out for the blatantly offensive b.s. she posted and plenty of her constituents called on her to quit her public posts.

As for JS, well, as history is the guide, he just did his “What Me Worry” shtick and actually denied that the post — which depicts obvious Jewish caricatures as bankers controlling the world and his own caption, “Truth,” below it — and denied it was anti-Semitic.

Why? “As far as I know none of those people are Jewish,” Spillane told InDepthNH.

Spillane, BTW, is the same dude who last year posted on Facebook an image with the read: “Public Service Announcement: If you see a (Black Lives Matter) sign on a lawn it’s the same as having the porch light on for Halloween. You’re free to loot and burn that house.”

There ain’t enough room here to review the list of previous offenders, but suffice to say that it’s reaching a point that it might serve NHGOP leaders well to think about it a little more critically.

MAKING THE ROUNDS

Is it possible that House Speaker Sherm Packard is switching gears on those drivein House sessions after international — yes, international — bemusement and ridicule emerged from the first horns-blaring-lightsblinking Toy Story-like parking lot meeting?

As the clock was ticking down on the Trump presidency, former state rep and current federal inmate Jerry DeLemus was still keeping his fingers crossed for a prez pardon for his involvement in a 2014 armed standoff with government agents at the Bundy ranch in Nevada. Maybe he should count his blessings — because you just know he would have been sorely tempted to be at the Capitol insurrection/rioting/looting on 1/6.

Even after the death of their speaker — not to mention the ongoing growth of Covid in NH — there’s a still-pungent skepticism about mask-wearing prevalent in realms inhabited by certain reps. So you’d be wise to stay away from attending any NH House sessions in person until further notice.