Rep. Bill O'Brien running for Speaker of the State House in January

Everyone, attached to this email is a copy of a recent letter sent out by Rep. Bill O'Brien (R - Mt. Vernon), a leader of the House Republican Alliance in the NH State House. The letter announces his run for Speaker of the House, and is well worth reading. O'Brien is a "New Republican." That is, he hearkens back to "Old Republican" values, with a philosophical grounding in Republican principles that were and are upheld by real Republicans of the past and present, including Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, as well as today's Jim DeMint, Pat Toomey, Marco Rubio, Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, and, yes, Ron Paul.

O'Brien has a 100% House Republican Alliance score for both 2009 and 2910. He was awarded an A+ score by the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) for 2009 (and I would expect will get the same grade for 2010 when the scores are released at the NHLA annual dinner in July). He comes from a state house district that in 2008 had one Republican and four Democrats, with NHLA scores of "B" (the Republican), "F", "Constitutional Threat," and "F". Then O'Brien and his co-candidates engineered a victory in that district (Hillsborough #4) in the 2008 elections where only one Democrat remained. The 2009 NHLA scores for the district are "D-" (the one remaining Democrat), "A", "A+", and "A+". 

Rep. O'Brien speaks in his letter of the Republican Party becoming "the party of our promise --- one that will first and foremost govern this state according to the highest standards, and with fiscal prudence and respect for the rights of individuals." He also pledges to reverse the repeated rules violations that State House Democrats have repeatedly used to get excess spending and other harmful laws passed. "With respect to process, there can be no favorites and no violation of rules," says O'Brien. "That must end."

Finally. An honest Representative who will clean up the cesspool of lies, financial gimmicks and political scams that have been utilized by Gov. Lynch and the state legislature over the past six years in Concord. I highly recommend to everyone that you read Rep. O'Brien's attached letter, send him some money for his own campaign, and urge your own representatives---whether Republican or Democrat---to support and vote for him for Speaker of the House in January 2011.



Comments

[Timothy Horrigan]

Actually he would be running in December: the session technically begins with "organization day" in early December. Rep. O'Brien would first have to get the approval of his own caucus if he actually wanted to win, although there is nothing to stop an insurgent candidate from running again when the full House votes. In 2008, two Republicans offered themselves to the full House as candidates for Speaker: Minority Leader Sherm Packard as well as Rep. Robert Rowe. Democrat Terie Norelli got 230 votes; Packard 104, and Rowe 53, along with 4 ballots w/no valid vote. (A few Republicans must have voted for Speaker Norelli, since there were fewer than 230 Democrats and more than 157 Republicans.)

O'Brien is highly unlikely to get any Democrats to vote for him. So, the whole point is moot if the Democrats hold on to the majority--- and I believe they will hold on to it.