NH GOP statement on Hodes & Shea-Porter Anti-Troop vote

CONCORD – New Hampshire Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen issued the following statement concerning the decisions of U.S. Reps. Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter to vote against the latest Iraq funding bill:

“On the eve of Memorial Day weekend, Reps. Hodes and Shea-Porter had a choice: Ally themselves with our troops serving in harm’s way, or continue to ally themselves with the left wing extremists of the Democratic Party who play politics in Washington while our soldiers risk their lives overseas. Our soldiers are too professional to complain, but the lack of support Reps. Hodes and Shea-Porter offer them has to be demoralizing at some level.”

Gov. Huckabee Campaign 48 Hours To Go

Thank you! We are almost there. With 48 hours to go, we are only a few dozen contributions away from reaching our goal of 400 contributions (and we did this in half the time we expected!).

If you havent had a chance to make a contribution, I urge you to do so. To make a contribution please click here.

Doing so today will put you in good company. Hundreds of individuals have already made a contribution to our campaign, including 220 first-time contributors!

If you missed my last email, let me explain why there is a barber pole in the upper right corner of this email.

A joke I used in the last Republican debate comparing Congressional spending to John Edwards spending money in a beauty shop seems to have gone over pretty well. Folks that hadn't given my campaign for President much thought, sat-up, took notice and then began to listen to me a little more closely. Since then people have been flooding my website to see where I stand on the issues and signing up to receive my campaign emails.

With such a positive reaction to my joke, we began to brainstorm about how we could have a little bit more fun at the expense of John Edwards' hair!

So we added a Barber pole to my campaign website, the kind that hangs inside or outside of barbershops all over this country, but probably not where John Edwards gets his haircut! We set a goal of raising 400 contributions (one contribution for each $1 John Edwards spent on his haircut) in 96 hours and as contributions have come in we have marked them off on the barber pole.

Because, besides hearing about my joke after the debate, I also heard a lot of talk about my campaign needing to raise money in order to effectively compete with John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.  While I have always focused on ideas, I am learning how truly important it is to have staff, organization and the necessary financial resources in place in order to get your message out to the voters.

And so today, I am asking for your help.

I encourage you to contribute whatever amount you can afford, contribute what you would normally pay for a haircut or contribute what I pay for a haircut which is $15.

From now until June 30, we will periodically place the barber pole on our website. Each time we do, we will target 400 contributions of whatever amount you can afford over a set period of time.

We think this is a fun way to raise money and demonstrate how our base of support is growing. Please help us reach our first goal. Make a contribution today!

Gratefully yours,

   Mike Huckabee 

NH FOR HILLARY NAMES VETERAN LEADERSHIP

New Hampshire Veterans Laud Hillary’s Commitment to
Veterans and  Military Families

MANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire for Hillary Clinton campaign today announced Bob Hannan will serve as the NH Veterans for Hillary Chair and Eleanor Glynn Kjellman will be the Chair of NH Military Families for Hillary. Hannan served a Veterans’ Service Officer for 25 years at the Manchester Regional Veterans’ Affairs Office. Kjellman is a State Representative and former Air Force Officer whose son served in Iraq.

“Hillary Clinton clearly understands the unique needs of troops, veterans, and their families and she is the best qualified to get us out of Iraq responsibly,” said Hannan, who was the Chairman of Veterans for Kerry as well. “I am proud to support Senator Clinton and talk with New Hampshire veterans about her unwavering commitment to them and their loved ones.”

Both Hannan and Kjellman will help lead the campaign’s ongoing conversation with New Hampshire veterans and their families on issues that matter most to them.

“As a former Air Force Officer with a long family history of military service, I believe that Senator Clinton has demonstrated that she is the candidate best suited to make sure our men and women in the armed services have the resources and benefits they deserve,” said Kjellman.

Senator Clinton has been a champion for on behalf both active duty and retired military personnel.  

Earlier this month, Senator Clinton sponsored 21st Century GI Bill of Rights Act of 2007 to make more education and financial benefits available to all service members who’ve served overseas in combat operation since September 11, 2001, as well as Active Duty personnel who’ve served a minimum of two years since then. National Guard and Reserve personnel who’ve served a minimum of aggregate of two years on Active Duty since September 11, 2007 would also be eligible for benefits. In New Hampshire, there are 2,700 National Guard and Air and Army National Guard and more than 1,500 of whom have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in the last three years.

Senator Clinton’s new GI Bill would extend the current program benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill to help more soldiers.  Some of those benefits include funding eight semesters of undergraduate education for service members and expanding access to home and small business loans.  More specifically, the bill would increase veterans housing opportunities by exempting them from paying loan fees and would expand their ability to purchase, build, repair or improve a home.   The bill would also establish a Veterans Microloan Program to provide veterans microloans for entrepreneurial ventures up to $100,000 with interest rates capped at 2.5 percent and without requiring collateral. 

The 21st Century GI Bill of Rights Act is endorsed by veterans service organizations including:  The Reserve Officers Association, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, AmVets, Military Officers Association of America, and the Non-Commissioned Officers Association. 

Information on Senator Clinton’s leadership on commitment to fighting for veterans and their families can be found here:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/files/pdf/veterans.pdf

CULLEN TO REP. SHEA-PORTER: NAME THREE EXAMPLES

CONCORD – The New Hampshire Union Leader’s John DiStaso reported this morning that U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter denies that she votes in lock-step with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party leadership in Washington. This revelation came a surprise to those who read the Concord Monitor report last month about how Rep. Shea-Porter’s had voted 100 percent of the time with Speaker Pelosi during her first three months in Congress.

According to DiStaso, Rep. Shea-Porter “said she has not voted with the leadership 100 percent of the time. ‘There are plenty of votes where we've been all over the map,’ she said. She did not cite a specific vote.”

“Given the Concord Monitor’s report last month, I’m skeptical that Rep. Shea-Porter has suddenly found an independent streak,” said New Hampshire Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen. “Can Rep. Shea-Porter provide us with even three examples of bucking Speaker Pelosi’s position on important legislation in Washington?”

Cullen noted that Shea-Porter had passed up three opportunities to show independence just this week. “Shea-Porter continues to play politics with funding our troops and the Iraq supplemental bill; she voted to protect fellow Democrat Rep. John Murtha who has all but acknowledged breaking House rules; and is poised to vote for watered-down lobbying restrictions supported by her leadership team,” Cullen said.

Sen Clinton announces 7-step plan to lower Health Care Costs

7-Step Strategy Would Cut Costs By $120 Billion Per Year

Hillary Clinton today announced a 7-step strategy to control healthcare costs and create a framework to provide affordable, quality coverage to all Americans in a major policy address at George Washington University. By focusing on prevention, electronic medical records and managing chronic illnesses, Clinton’s plan would save the system $120 billion per year and cut the average family’s health care costs by $2,200 annually.

“Building a national consensus around these cost savings is the first crucial step to cover all Americans with quality, affordable healthcare,” Clinton said. “Our present system is outdated, ineffective, and unsustainable. But we know we can spend far less and create an efficient, high-quality health care system for all Americans. The key is to modernize our health care infrastructure and demand a better return on our investment.”

Healthcare premiums have almost doubled since 2000, up 87 percent, or four times higher than wages over the same period. And if left unattended, health care spending will double to $4 trillion per year over the next 10 years.

Senator Clinton’s Strategy would:

1. Create a Groundbreaking National Prevention Initiative to Reduce the Incidence of Such Diseases as Diabetes and Cancer that Impose Huge Human and Financial Costs
2. Institute a New “Paperless” Health Information Technology System
3. Transform Care of Today’s Chronically Ill Population to Improve Outcomes and Decrease Costs
4. End Insurance Discrimination to Help Reduce Administrative Costs
5. Create an Independent “Best Practices” Institute to Empower Consumers, Providers and Health Plans to Make the Right Care Choices
6. Implement Smart Purchasing Initiatives to Constrain Excess Prescription Drug and Managed Care Expenditures
7. Put in Place Common-Sense Medical Malpractice Reforms

To read a full description of Clinton’s health care strategy to lower costs for all Americans, visit http://www.hillaryclinton.com/files/pdf/healthcarecosts.pdf