Pols on border patrol

Not for nothing, but a curious thing has been taking place down at the US-Mexico border. NH GOP candidates for various federal offices have been taking a cook’s tour of the situation down there, apparently in order to criticize their Dem opponents on the matter.

So far, the tourists have been Kevin Smith, who’s running for the party’s Senate nod, who recently visited Bisbee, AZ, and Gail Huff Brown, who visited Naco, AZ. Drugs are being smuggled into the US through illegal border crossings. Basically what they’re saying is that the border policies of the Biden admin ain’t working.

So if they’re only going down to AZ for a photo op, which is essentially what they’re doing, how does that tell NH voters what you’re gonna do about the situation? Besides going back to the previous admin’s policies, when the very same illegal drugs were being smuggled in daily into the US?

Choosing priorities

Folks who keep track of these kinds of things may have noticed the unusually large number of emails emerging from the NHDems scoffing at what they see as the failings, follies and foibles of the candidates emerging over at the NHGOP. They’ve even given the whole group of ‘em a name: The B Tier.

Two things:

1. Labeling, making fun of and criticizing your opponents is all well and good, but do ya think maybe voters might want to hear a reason or two why they should vote for your peeps, as opposed to why they shouldn’t vote for the other ones?

2. For this, a tweet from one Andy Volinsky, who in another life not too long ago ran for the NHDem nod for guv: “Just received an email from the NHDP with the headline: “PANIC: NH Republicans Sound the Alarm about the GOP’s Weak ‘B-Tier’ Field of Senate Candidates.” Seems a bit ironic as the Dems lack any candidate for governor or candidates for most of the Executive Council seats held by godawful religious, libertarian Republicans.”

“In terms of the national stuff, I never ask to go on TV. Folks will ask me from the national media to come on, and I’m happy to give them 15 minutes. It’s nothing that we’re driving towards by any means.”

– Chris “The Devil Made Me Do It” Sununu on his budding national profile.

Dem’s da breaks

By now, you may have had your fill of the-seamsfalling-apart-in-the-NHGOP stories, so here’s something a little different. The Dem version.

Turns out not everyone has a hunky-dory relationship with the Dem braintrust over at 105 N. State.

(That’s where NHDem HQ is, BTW.)

Case in point: the very public departure from the NHDem party th’other day by Tony Labranche, a firsttermer of Amherst. TL apparently just became fed up with the NH Dem braintrust.

In a speech on the House floor, TL began, “The Democratic Party, ironically, is the least democratic organization I’ve ever been a part of.”

TL decided in Jan. that he would no longer be a Dem, and took to the floor to tell his tale. It essentially starts with his endorsement of Emmett Soldati in his quixotic attempt to challenge NH Dem Chairman for Life Ray Buckley as head of the NHDems last year. After that, Chairman Ray closed the iron doors on TL’s access to the party and has been giving him what can only be called the silent treatment — you know, the kind of thing angry children do to one another.

The straw that broke the donkey’s back came as a result of TL’s attempt to get some support from 150 N. State braintrust in a bid after he was subject to “harassment and threats” in his bid for a local school board seat.

In trying to tell his tale to the Chair for Life, TL said, the reply from said Chair was, “I’m busy. Send me an email.”

TL did send an email — and a year later he is still waiting for a reply, he said.

Thus his decision: “I cannot in good conscience be a member of a party that calls itself Democratic, yet refuses to follow its own constitution and does not allow regular party members to partake in the governance of the party.”

BTW, TL also said that he’s not leaving the party because of issues with the Dem House caucus. Just the braintrust.

Labranche is one of four House Democrats who’ve abandoned the party just in the past few weeks.

For folks keeping score at home, that makes four Dem reps who have quit the party this session.

MAKING THE ROUNDS

No offense, but the recent upswell of Sununu-asprez-candidate news is missing one key fact. Given the current state of things in the GOP, both in NH and nationally, it’s highly unlikely he could win the nod from a party obsessed with a former prez’s obsessions.

Sure it’s a small state, and NH does have a financial interest at stake, but it did seem kinda weird when the guv — whose family owns Waterville Valley, no less — took aim at Vail Resorts and their operations at Mt. Sunapee. (“I think the customer service at Sunapee stinks, and I think Vail has to be accountable for that,” he said.)

You may not have noticed, but Mike “Pillow Guy” Lindell — the one trying to market raging conspiracy theories and outright lies about the 2020 election — was in Manch. th’other day, continuing to hawk his wares. The audience at the Doubletree, like it or not, was made up of local and state elected officials. Kinda makes ya feel warm all over, don’t it?