House Democrats: Get me rewrite!

Publication: Concord Monitor

Eric Moskowitz and Sarah Liebowitz
April 29, 2007

G

ov. John Lynch won the support needed in the Senate to pass his constitutional amendment for school funding. But to have a chance of winning the necessary three-fifths in the House, the amendment will probably need significant rewriting.

Many Democrats feel the very idea of amending the constitution is anathema to following the court rulings in the Claremont cases, and they worry that the amendment's commitment to funding at least 50 percent of "an adequate education" would shortchange local school districts because it's not 50 percent-plus of "a total education."

So it is that the amendment enters the House, where Democrats held a spirited discussion on it Thursday in a closed caucus that was scheduled for two hours but ran four. Finance Committee Chairwoman Marjorie Smith - whose committee will hold a hearing on the amendment May 10 - started by asking Democrats who oppose it to recognize that the House could amend the language, and to consider what (if any) kind of constitutional amendment they might support.

The House Democratic leadership has not taken a position on the amendment. The caucus presented a chance for members to learn about the proposal - which they're also doing in small, private sessions hosted by the governor - but it wasn't a survey of opinions. Still, several Democrats told us they think many caucus members oppose the amendment but might be open to a revised version.

"That's a very fair read," said Rep. Dan Eaton, who asked colleagues to "be patient, be open-minded and be fair, and wait for the end result, if there is one."

At the beginning of the discussion, Eaton sensed strong opposition. By the end, he said, many seemed to be open to a rewritten version. House Democrats are beginning to see this as a chance "to turn lemons into lemonade," he said.

Lynch, of course, would prefer that the language stay more or less as is - maybe squeeze a lemon or two, but stop short of a full glass.

Debating debates

Sponsors of New Hampshire's presidential debates are doing all they can to get Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to attend. Last week, the New Hampshire Union Leader, one of the sponsors, published an editorial accusing Clinton and Obama of taking "the democratic process here, and the New Hampshire primary itself, for granted." All the other "major" candidates have committed to the debates, which will be held in June, according to CNN, another sponsor.

At a press conference last week in front of some biodiesel University of New Hampshire buses in Durham - at which Obama announced his carbon emissions-cutting plan - the Illinois senator had to contend with another debate question. Josh Davis of WMUR told Obama that he'd already committed to two debates that weren't sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, but "you haven't agreed to attend the first-in-the-nation primary (debate) here in New Hampshire. What's the difference, and when do you plan on agreeing to the WMUR/CNN/Union Leader debates?"

Obama said he'd previously committed to the other debates and that his campaign has received invitations to attend as many as 60 such events and is trying to "cooperate with the DNC's attempts to corral" the debate scene so that he'll have time to do things like bus tours.

"Will you consider attending?" Davis followed up.

"I'll bet you work for the station, don't you?" Obama replied, to laughter from the crowd.

As for Clinton, "she's looking forward and very much wants to debate at WMUR as soon as possible," said spokeswoman Kathleen Strand. The campaign is urging the DNC to sanction the debate.

A sideshow

After John McCain formally announced his presidential campaign in Portsmouth Wednesday, a shouting match broke out between Maine College Republicans who'd come to cheer the senator and antiwar activists who were demonstrating nearby.

"U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!" about 15 college Republicans shouted when they spotted an equal number of protesters from Seacoast Peace Response sitting on the grassy embankment across the street from the entrance to Prescott Park. The students followed the U-S-A! chants with cries of "Support the troops! Support the troops! Support the troops!"

From the other side, the peace activists answered with calls of "Bring them home! Bring them home! Bring them home!"

There was considerable finger-pointing and sign-waving, but the shouting match dissipated without incident.

The Seacoast Peace Response folks said they were relegated to the embankment by police and parks officials if they wanted to distribute leaflets. Those who simply wanted to hold signs were allowed into a "free speech pen" inside the park, closer to the stage.

Crisp, steady, reserved

Who's up and who's down after last week's Democratic presidential debate?

Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post wrote that Clinton "was crisp and concise," John Edwards was "steady," while Obama "started somewhat slowly but warmed to the task." The New York Times described Clinton as "professorial and emphatic" and Obama as "reserved and cautious."

The notoriously loquacious Joe Biden won laughs for his answer to a question about whether he had the discipline to avoid a verbal gaffe on the world stage.

"Yes," Biden said.

Innocent

Sen. Judd Gregg found himself suspected of placing an anonymous hold on campaign finance legislation last week, until his spokeswoman denied the allegation. It all began earlier this month, when the Senate was set to pass a bill that would require senators to file campaign finance forms electronically. Sen. Lamar Alexander rose on the Senate floor to object to the bill's passage "on behalf of a Republican senator." Senate protocol allows any single, anonymous senator to halt a bill.

Thus began the effort to uncover that anonymous senator. The Sunlight Foundation - which promotes technology in the hopes of increasing government transparency - led the charge. The group's members called senators to find out who had made the hold; eventually, Gregg was the sole Republican who hadn't denied the charge. But the denial from his spokeswoman sent the group's members back to the drawing board convinced that a senator had lied, according to the Post.

Still at it

Doris "Granny D" Haddock, who walked 3,200 miles across the country at age 89 to raise awareness for campaign finance reform, will visit the House Election Law Committee Tuesday for a lunchtime chat open to the public.

Granny D, now 97, will discuss the "Clean Elections" movement and a New Hampshire bill to provide public funding for candidates who raise a minimum number of $5 individual contributions. The event will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at the Legislative Office Building.

On the trail

Biden is calling for a 90-minute debate solely on Iraq. The Delaware senator has centered his presidential campaign on his plan for resolving the war there, and last week he launched an online petition that he says "60 seconds is not enough," asking voters to call for a presidential debate on Iraq.

• Executive Councilor Raymond Wieczorek and former House speaker Douglas Scamman have signed on to Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign. Wieczorek and Scamman will join attorney Tom Christo and Georgi Hippauf as co-chairmen of the New Hampshire campaign. Wayne Semprini, former New Hampshire Republican Party chairman, heads the Giuliani campaign for the state.

• In a conference call, Mark Campbell, national political director for the Giuliani campaign, said Giuliani is confident he can win the New Hampshire primary and will focus on the state: "It would be a poor decision on our part to bypass New Hampshire."

• Ned Lamont - who recently lost his bid to become a U.S. senator from Connecticut - is scheduled to stump for Dodd in New Hampshire today. Lamont won the Democratic primary but then lost to Joe Lieberman, who ran as an independent.

• Clinton picked up 500 female supporters in New Hampshire last week, along with an endorsement from state Sen. Betsi DeVries.

Sunday talkers

Arnie Arnesen's show will feature GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen, Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley, former congressman Chuck Douglas and law professor Marcus Hurn talking about civil unions and the minimum wage, among other things. The show will also feature a presidential debate panel, with Alex Lee, professor Ernesto Sagas of Southern New Hampshire University and the president of the New Hampshire College Democrats.

WMUR's Close-up will feature reporters Kevin Landrigan, Tom Fahey and James Pindell discussing the presidential primary.