The Democratic gubernatorial primary presents stark choice on what is perhaps the state's most pressing long term problem -- how to fairly fund schools.
On most issues the differences between the platforms of Paul McEachern and John Lynch are not great... They are split on the death penalty -- McEachern is against it; Lynch supports it. And Gambling -- Lynch opposes, McEachern doesn't. But on most they agree. Both criticize Governor Benson as unethical. Both are pro-choice. Both say they'd repeal recent GOP-backed changes to state insurance laws... and do a better job at protecting the environment. They both also believe that citizens ought to be allowed to import low-cost Canadian drug... Yet when it comes to basic tax policy the differences could not be more clear.
Here's Paul McEachern:
"We cannot further burden this corrupt tax system that we have we just cannot do it."
Here's John Lynch:
"Let me be clear I will veto any broad-based sales or income tax."
That rift makes this years' primary sound a lot like 2002's general election -- where Craig Benson trounced Mark Fernald in a contest top officials in both parties considered a referendum on the income tax... Paul McEachern says such a gloss is unfair and a disservice to citizens.
"We hear from the elite that we can't change this system. It reminds me of 50 years ago in the south when segregation was prevalent, nobody thought that it was fair or good but politicians went along with it because they though that they could not change it."
2004 marks McEachern's fourth bid at the corner office, and he says he didn't plan on making another until Lynch pledged to veto any new broad-based taxes. In the wake of Lynch's additional assurance that he'd eliminate the statewide property tax while proposing only -- if need be -- a modest cigarette tax increase McEachern's was incredulous.
"It's not a plan, when he says he's doing away with the statewide property tax, what's that mean? He means that it's now just going to be called the local property tax. No other state in the union depends on the property tax for it's broad based tax. That's what were doing in NH and we should change it. I'm their agent for change."
Lynch and his backers -- and they include nearly every prominent democrat in the state -- say the millionaire businessman and former UNH trustee can bring change without bringing the schism that proposing a new tax structure tends to provoke. At the press conference where Lynch's announced his school funding goals, Nashua state senator Joe Foster seemed to speak for the hopes of all Lynch's supporters.
"I've wrestled this education issue long and hard. I've frequently seen attempts to define it as choice between abandoning our responsibility to education and a new broad based tax --simply put, that's a false choice.".
The idea that John Lynch represents a middle way is one his campaign stresses at every turn. And from the start his speeches have stressed bipartisanship, collaboration, and consensus...far more than they have policy specifics. To his supporters that orientation indicates Lynch is a realist who understands that team-building is the way to govern. And his campaign boasts that team-Lynch has grown to include a number of prominent republicans.
That much is crucial for any Democrat hoping to gain the corner office in a GOP-dominated state. But it's not often stressed during primary season. When asked if the he's concerned that such a stance could hurt him during a primary in which his opponent toes a more traditional Democratic line...Lynch said such logic is specious.
"I think the issues that I'm talking about are the issues that are important to the people of New Hampshire. You can't classify issues as primary or general election issues. These are the issues that face the people of NH every day and those are the issues that I'm talking about."
The most recent WMUR-Granite state poll showed about 70 percent to be unfamiliar with either Lynch or McEachern. But the same poll showed both democrats running competitively against Governor Craig Benson.In head-to-head match-ups, Benson led Lynch by 7 points, and McEachern by 10 points. Benson's lead over McEachern grew by five points, however, when voters were told that McEachern favored an income tax. The poll also found education funding to be voters top issue of concern.
