The New Hampshire GOP held a fundraiser last night in Manchester, featuring White House Chief of Staff Andy Card. The theme of the night was officially Republican Unity, but the tone was more critical of past and present Democratic office holders. NHPR's David Darman has more.
President Bill Clinton left office over a year ago. But Republican dislike of the Clinton years pervaded White House Chief of Staff Andy Card's speech to about 200 New Hampshire GOP members. Card, a Massachusetts native, reminisced about the day President George W. Bush first stepped into the Oval office. It had been repainted and re carpeted. Card said he stood in the office watching the new president sit behind the desk used by those who had come before him.
"Just then we heard other footsteps coming down the colonnade. And the door opened up, and in walked a gentleman who said, "Mr. President." And the president looked up and said, "Mr. President." Father and son. Former President Bush walked into the Oval Office and said nothing else. Tears were in both presidents' eyes. And they were streaming down my cheeks. It was obvious that they had so much mutual respect. Not mutual respect for each other. Mutual respect for the presidency of the United States."
Republicans who dislike former President Clinton were happy to see him go. Now New Hampshire Republicans who dislike Governor Jeanne Shaheen are spoiling for a chance to take her place. Last night, gubernatorial candidate Bruce Keough fanned the flames of Republican anger over the school funding issue. Keough promised to battle what he called the state's "liberals" over education funding. And he vowed to take on those who are advocates of an income tax, and those who are critics of his plan to dismantle the statewide property tax.
"Well, is it radical to eliminate the statewide property tax when we all know it's nothing but an accounting gimmick? I don't think that's radical at all. And is it radical to insist that we maintain the current level of real estate funding, but send more money to towns that need more help, and less money to towns that can stand on their own two feet? I don't think that's radical. And there is certainly nothing radical about saying that state money that is meant to be spent on education, get spent on education. We need to make sure that's the case." (applause)
In his speech, gubernatorial candidate Gordon Humphrey also obliquely attacked Shaheen, promising to lead a, "grown up government." Humphrey also pledged to radically change education in the state, because, as he said, Shaheen and other Democrats had created an uncompromising school bureaucracy.
"I'm going to dissolve this monopoly that is the plague of our system of education. The plague of our children. The plague of our teachers. The plague of our taxpayers. We're going to substitute in its place something very Republican. Something that resonates with old fashioned, Republican values and that is choices. Freedom to choose, and choices."
The third Republican gubernatorial candidate, Craig Benson, did not address the audience at the GOP fundraiser.
In keeping with the theme of the evening, New Hampshire Republicans found "unity" in their opposition to Clinton and Shaheen, but it may be a little early for the New Hampshire GOP to claim unity all around. Races for Governor, Senate, and Congress are all contested within the party. And Republicans probably won't be unified until after the primary in September.
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