Quick change artistry
Say what you will about the guv’s running-for-prez posturing, but three recent moves he’s made, while seemingly unconnected, speak volumes.
First, the guv was sure to publicize his decision to add his name to a letter — signed by 24 of the nation’s 25 GOP guvs — calling out the Biden admin for proposing changes to fed rules that would prevent schools from, in the guvs’ words, enforcing “dulyenacted statutes protecting fairness in women’s and girls’ sports.” In other words, in their “perfect” world, no transgender athletes on girls’ sports teams. (Which begs the question, what about transgender athletes on boys’ teams?)
Remember, before this, the guv had barely uttered a peep about transgender athletes, or even transgender rights in general. So we’ll leave it up to the readers’ discretion to figure out why he decided to pipe up now.
Sununu: Aspirational actions?
Then there was his very convincing bit of performance art over removing a historical marker erected in Concord to mark the birthplace of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, the early 20th century labor organizer, a founding member of the ACLU, and, later, head of the Communist Party USA.
The guv, his finger waving in the wind of a potential GOP primary, heard the outbursts from those two noted NH historians, Exec Councilors Joe Kenney and Dave Wheeler, and joined the chorus asap in calling for the marker’s immediate removal. Not for nothing, the brouhaha and his decision got national attention.
Finally, there’s the guv’s 180 on legalizing pot — something he has been firmly against lo these many years — after the Senate, as predicted, voted down yet another House legalization bill. While the guv’s plan doesn’t sync 100% with that House bill, the transmogrification sure smells like it’s calculated for a prez run — after all, a national poll from a few months ago showed 68% of likely GOP prez primary voters in favor of legalizing weed.
“He is a loser … and as a four-time winning Republican, I’m tired of losing.”
— Guv Sununu gives CNN’s Anderson Cooper his take on yet another Trump prez run.
“I don’t blame them at all, as it was looking as if I was unlikely to be doing it.”
— Tom Sherman, the 2022 Dem nominee for guv, explaining why he understands why so many of his previous supporters took their endorsement to Manch mayor Joyce Craig’s guv run, even before Sherman made any kind of announcement of his intentions.
“In particular, the college was deeply troubled by the former president’s remarks regarding the civil trial with a finding that he was liable for sexual assault. Equally disturbing was the audience’s reaction, nearly all of whom were not members of the Saint Anselm community, with laughter.”
— A statement issued by Saint Anselm College following CNN’s live broadcast from the school of a “town hall” with Trump.
Make of this what you will
Dem Rep. David Cote, a former House minority leader with serious health issues — he has cerebral palsy and has had a heart attack — hasn’t shown up at the State House since before the pandemic.
Which means he hasn’t been sworn in for this term yet. And the rules say that a rep has to be sworn-in in person.
So, apparently, some months back, a group of Cote backers urged the guv to swear in the 21-term state rep remotely. The guv told them nope.
Well, th’other day, the guv was asked whether the Legislature should make an accommodation for Cote.
The guv replied: “Why is Nashua electing someone who hasn’t shown up at the State House to vote? Seriously, the guy hasn’t shown up to vote for years. I appreciate he has health issues, (but) that (swearing-in rule) has been the process for a while.”
A wild and crazy guy
What oh what would F&J do without the likes of Jim Spillane, the GOP rep from Deerfield, haunting the halls of the State House? JS is the guy who has:
• Been admonished by the Legislative Ethics Committee after sharing an anti-Semitic drawing on the right-wing social media site Parler.
• Been kicked off the Fish and Game Committee after posting a tweet showing a dead squirrel he had shot in his backyard with a .50 caliber muzzleloader. The photo, BTW, was shared in response to a vegan animal rights activist’s post.
• Faced an investigation by the AG’s office after his Facebook post encouraging people to “loot and burn” houses with Black Lives Matter signs.
Spillane: Track record
Compared to those exploits, his most recent actually may seem tame, but it is cut from the same cloth.
This go-round, JS sponsored a bill that would have allowed the sale of brass knuckles, blackjacks and slingshots, which are illegal in NH. The bill was passed in the House in March. The Senate, however, thought twice about it and said nuh-uh.
MAKING THE ROUNDS
Mike Delaney’s nomination to a federal judgeship looks more and more dicey, doesn’t it?
Wouldn’t it be a kick in the head if Prez Biden winds up as a candidate in the NH primary?
Does anyone have an explanation for why the NH Dems would suddenly announce a reorganization of its 150+ town and county committees?
Not too long ago, House Majority Leader Jason Osborne told WMUR that the guv apparently doesn’t talk to him too much. (“He’s very busy. Too busy for little people like me, I guess.”) Well, he probably shouldn’t expect things to change much, considering his recent endorsement of Ron DeSantis, the Fla. guv, for prez.
Is the SEA leadership really thinking about endorsing RFK Jr. for prez?
