Toxic politics in a pandemic era
BY TOM BRENNAN The painting by Rochester artist Steve Piotrowski, which goes with this cover story for the latest hard copy of the GSO, says it all. We need to stop pretending that this is normal, that this just another partisan election, accompanied by the usual hardball and hyperbole, or the usual arguments about taxes and judges. Those differences are important. They are hard fought. They will be present in our politics for as along as we have regularly scheduled […]
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The Conscientious Objector
In a 1994 TV interview, with the late Judd Rose, Massachusetts Governor William Weld was in top form. He was wildly popular, headed for reelection as Governor with over 70% of the vote. He had been narrowly elected in 1990. His rival, the late John Silber, called Weld a “carrot headed WASP.” Affable and witty, and slightly off beat, Weld was anything but stuffy. He contrasted well with the stern Boston University president. Silber came to strongly approve of Weld’s […]
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Raucous Traditions Of NH Journalism
The “Live Free or Die” state is small, but it’s journalism has always been raucous and consequential. Even in an age when newspapers are in retreat, trying to navigate technological change, the Manchester Union Leader and Concord Monitor remain. A former congressman publishes the Bow Times. The Weirs Times remains a healthy hard copy newspaper, with a roster of prominent right wing syndicated columnists. The New Hampshire Gazette bills itself as “The Nation’s Oldest Newspaper.” The progressive populist journal is […]
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Underdog strategies coming into focus
The Granite State is famous for lifting people from the back of the pack, sometimes very late in the campaign, elevating dark horse candidates from obscurity to national prominence. Who might it be this time? We know who the big four are. Front runner Joe Biden, with populist curmudgeon Bernie Sanders nipping at his heels, have maintained their status for several years now. Elizabeth Warren has been almost as prominent. For much of last year she was seen as having […]
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Who Will The Left Reach For?
A recent report on NHPR, about the coming primary, told the story of progressive Democratic activists, so torn between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, they were doing volunteer work for both of them. Yogi Berra spoke of coming to a fork in the road, and taking it. Molly Grover is a Sanders coordinator in Concord. She and Mary Lupien worked for Sanders in upstate New York in 2016. When the Vermont senator crossed paths with them there, he wasted no […]
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All is fair in love and politics
The New Hampshire Primary used to be in March. In more recent years, it has been pushed back, in a push back at efforts to horn in on our “first in the nation” status. In 2007 – 2008 it was almost pushed back to the year prior to the election year. Usually it lands close to Valentine’s Day. The February 11th primary falls three days prior to the day that is of private interest, rather than public. We might be […]
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