NHDP - Chair Ray Buckley on Democratic Efforts to Reform Wall Street

Concord - Today President Obama traveled to New York City to argue for the Wall Street reforms that will address the underlying causes of the economic crisis that nearly drove the U.S. economy off a cliff. President Obama has called on Congress to enact strong reforms that increase Wall Street accountability, boost consumer financial protections, and end taxpayer bailouts for Wall Street gamblers. 
 
Below is a statement from New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley in support of the efforts made by President Obama and New Hampshire's Democratic Congressional Delegation to protect Granite Staters from another financial crisis:
 
"Democrats in Congress are working hard to undo the reckless Republican policies that drove our economy into a ditch and forced Granite State taxpayers to bailout the big banks. I applaud the efforts of President Obama and New Hampshire's Democratic congressional delegation for cleaning up the mess created during eight long years of Bush economics.
 
"Instead of supporting the sensible reform proposed by President Obama, Republicans - including New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg - have decided to sell their votes to Wall Street. But if Republicans have their way, when the next crisis hits it will be Granite State taxpayers that foot the bill through more big bank bailouts.

NHDP - AYOTTE TAKES OVER $150K FROM COMMITTEE BACKED BY BILLIONAIRE HEDGE FUND MANAGER

CONCORD - As she refuses to stand up for Wall Street reform, Republican senate candidate Kelly Ayotte's campaign took in over $150,000 last quarter from the US Senate Victory committee - a joint fundraising committee whose funds rely largely on Paul Singer, the billionaire Wall Street founder of the hedge fund Elliot Management, and his Elliot Associates [CQ, 4/19/10; FEC Report, accessed 4/19/10 ]. The money represents over 20 percent of total funds raised by Ayotte in the first quarter of 2010.

The Wall Street-based Elliot Management is the largest "vulture fund" in the world. Vulture funds are predatory investors that seek to profit off the debts of the world's poorest countries. They buy a nation's debt for pennies on the dollar and then sue the indebted country to win repayment of the initial debt's full value. [The Guardian, 3/10/2007; Associated Press, 5/22/07]. According to the firm's press releases and trade publications, two of the firm's main arms, Elliot International and Kensington International, are based in the "tax havens" of the Cayman Islands.  [Elliot Associates release via BusinessWire, 6/4/2002; Banking Wire, 9/12/2006]

"With over $150,000 of her campaign's contributions this quarter coming from hedge fund managers on Wall Street busy making billions off the debts of the world's poorest countries, it's no wonder that Kelly Ayotte has refused to stand up for real financial reform," said Emily Browne, Press Secretary for the New Hampshire Democratic Party. "She's defending the reckless policies, lax regulations and tax loopholes that drove our economy into a ditch because the Wall Street firms that were in the driver's seat then are the very same ones bank-rolling her campaign now. It's why she won't stand up for serious reform and why she supports the corporate interests who want to ship jobs overseas."

"Wall Street bought and paid for Kelly Ayotte's campaign and now they're getting their dividends," added Browne

NHDP - WILL KELLY AYOTTE AND BILL BINNIE DEFEND BIG BANKS

Where Do New Hampshire's GOP Senate Candidates Stand on Financial Reform?

CONCORD - With Washington set to address financial reform legislation this week, will Kelly Ayotte, Bill Binnie and the Republican GOP field once again chose to stand with Wall Street banks instead of New Hampshire's middle-class families and small businesses? Ayotte and her Republican opponents have consistently advocated lax regulation of the reckless big banks that New Hampshire taxpayers were forced to bail out last year.

"So far, Kelly Ayotte and Bill Binnie have stood with Wall Street instead of Main Street at every step on the campaign trail," said Emily Browne, Press Secretary for the New Hampshire Democratic Party. "Will this week be any different? As we try to reform and rebuild a system that destroyed New Hampshire's economy and left our middle-class families gasping for air, will Ayotte and Binnie try to take us back to business as usual?"

Kelly Ayotte and Bill Binnie have consistently pushed a Wall Street agenda on New Hampshire, including policies that would de-regulate big banks, allow lavish bonuses for top financial executives, create insurance company-run health care, promote tax cuts to the wealthy and allow unlimited corporate control over local elections.

In February, Ayotte's campaign lashed out against a proposal to get back exorbitant Wall Street bonuses paid out by big banks that received billions in taxpayer-funded bailout money [Nashua Telegraph, 2/11/10]. Ayotte and Binnie both came out against a plan to hold Wall Street accountable and recover taxpayer dollars used to bail out big banks by attaching a fee to those banks that accepted large sums of taxpayer funds to remain afloat. [Union Leader, 1/21/10]



NHDP Chair Ray Buckley on Gov. Lynch's Decision to Seek 4th Term as Governor

Concord - Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, issued the following statement on Governor Lynch's decision to seek a historic 4th term as governor of New Hampshire.
 
"I am very excited that Governor Lynch has decided to run for a historic fourth term.  He has provided the strong leadership our state needs in these tough economic times. He has created an innovative plan to help put people back to work, and under his leadership New Hampshire's unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the nation."

 
"Governor Lynch has been a strong fiscal leader, cutting state spending to keep the budget balanced and keep New Hampshire's state taxes among the lowest in the nation."
 
"Under his leadership, New Hampshire's high school dropout rate decreased by 30 percent in just the past year; New Hampshire has been ranked as the safest state in the nation for the third year in the row; and is considered one of the best states in the nation to raise children."

"Despite more than a year of lies and misleading attacks by John Sununu, Governor Lynch remains the most popular governor in Granite State history. I fully expect the voters of New Hampshire will reject the Sununu/Stephen politics of smear and fear and re-elect Governor Lynch."

 

Highlights of the John Lynch Record: Steady Leadership Bringing People Together to Make Progress for NH

• Under John Lynch, New Hampshire is ranked one of the safest states in the nation, one of the healthiest states, and one of the best states to raise a child.

• New Hampshire's unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the nation - and 30 percent below the national average.

• New Hampshire has the fourth-lowest state spending per capita and one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation.

• John Lynch has made the tough choices to cut state spending to ensure a balanced budget to protect essential services and to make state government work better for people. He cut personnel costs; increased centralized purchasing; cut programs; put drivers' licenses renewals online; closed a costly prison and is working on a bipartisan initiative to continue to reduce prison costs and increase public safety.

• John Lynch put in place tough new ethics law to hold state officials to the highest standards.

• Under John Lynch leadership, every child in New Hampshire can now attend public kindergarten. John Lynch's bipartisan initiative to increase New Hampshire's high school graduation rate decreased New Hampshire's dropout rate by 30 percent just last year.

• John Lynch passed one of the nation's toughest laws to protect children from sexual predators.

• John Lynch continues to work to help families and businesses rebuild from the recession. He recently created the Green Jobs Launching Pad to help innovative new companies grow and create jobs in the Granite State. And Gov. Lynch's bipartisan NH Working initiative will help companies save money and avert layoffs, and help workers find new jobs.

NHDP - Republican Candidate for Governor Compares Paying Taxes to Rape

Republican rhetoric reaches new lows; candidates for high office should publicly condemn the disgusting statement and pledge to run clean, civil campaigns

Concord - Jack Kimball, Republican candidate for governor, compared paying taxes to getting raped yesterday.

"Republican rhetoric is completely out of control," said Derek Richer, press secretary for the New Hampshire Democratic Party. "A spirited debate on tax policy is one thing, but comparing taxes to rape is disgusting.  His comments are degrading to the real people who have suffered from this horrific crime. They are offensive to both women and men, and have no place in civil political discourse."

"Do the other Republican candidates for high office agree with Kimball's statement?" asked Richer.  "John Stephen, Kelly Ayotte, Charlie Bass, Rich Ashooh, Frank Guinta, and the other Republican candidates need to make a decision.  Are they going to pander to the fringe elements in their party or are they going to going to run civil campaigns?"

The comments from Kimball are just the latest example of what has become a pattern of shocking statements and disturbing behavior by the Republican Party during this election cycle.

This week, John Stephen embraced an ad campaign by a sleazy out-of-state group that advanced an agenda of hate and discrimination.

And last week, Republican Chair John H. Sununu chastised the media for reporting on right wing protesters who hurled racial slurs at members of Congress and spat on them as they walked up the Capitol steps to vote on health care.

"The Republican Party is intentionally fostering hate and anger among the extreme right wing members of their party," continued Richer. "We are seeing the sad results of a strategy that Sununu outlined back in September."

In an interview with Fosters Daily Democrat, Chairman Sununu outlined exactly this approach.  In the article, "The GOP will benefit from angry voters," Sununu explains that the GOP strategy is to make the extreme right wing of the Republican Party as angry possible. He said, "You know, I think one of the last things Louis XIV kept telling his people was that the anger of the people will turn the people toward us."

"The people of New Hampshire are sick and tired of the politics of hate," added Richer.  "Republican political rhetoric has reached new, shocking lows and the candidates for high office should condemn the offensive statements by Jack Kimball, the National Organization of Marriage, and Chairman Sununu and pledge to run clean, civil campaigns."