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John DiStaso's Granite Status: Jeb Bradley advocates flatter, simpler tax code
By JOHN DISTASO
Senior Political Reporter
4 hours, 15 minutes ago
JEB GOES FLAT. And he says it's a good thing.
Republican former congressman Jeb Bradley would rather be in the U.S. House, but he says the time off from Washington "has given me a little bit of a different perspective" from the rank-and-file taxpayer's point of view.
The result is that Bradley has become an advocate of the flat tax -- or at least a flatter and simpler tax code. He was scheduled to unveil his detailed position on the issue this morning on the RedState.com pro-Republican web site.
Bradley said yesterday the Democratic majority is ready to increase the budget and propose "huge tax increases," while the alternative minimum tax is about to effect millions of more Americans.
"Regardless of which party controls Congress next year and whoever wins the Presidency, we're going to have to have a debate on taxes," he said. "In 2010, the next Congress will deal with the 2003 (Bush) tax cuts that I voted for."
Bradley said he wants to "use the opportunity to move in the direction of a flat tax." He said that according to the White House Office of Management and Budget, Americans spend 6.5 billion hours compiling their tax returns using the 60,000 page code.
Bradley said Rudy Giuliani's proposal for rates of 10, 15 and 30 percent "makes sense," with an exemption for the first $30,000 to $40,000 of income for a family of four and deductions limited to the home mortgage and charitable contributions.
"Other than that, we should just scrap the code," he said. At the very least, "We've never had a vote on fundamental tax reform anywhere near this magnitude. I think we should."
The McCain return
A lot of potential adjectives could describe the return of John McCain to New Hampshire next Wednesday. Triumphant? Sure. Emotional? Maybe.
But according to McCain's former national political director, current senior advisor and long time friend Mike Dennehy, it's going to be pretty basic and quite familiar.
Dennehy this week was downplaying expectations for the event scheduled for the Exeter Town Hall at 1:45 p.m., saying, "It will be the usual typical town hall meeting, where we invite voters," rather than a full-blown rally.
After all, Dennehy said, McCain has some work to do -- work for the state's four electoral votes in the general election -- and he wants to start making his case. He said the date and time of the event "are as definite as they can be given that there is a strong possibility of some very important U.S. Senate votes next week."
State Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen said he expects a strong showing of former supporters of all the GOP presidential candidates as well as Republicans running for office this year.
The Democrats aren't saying what they'll be up to that day, but you can expect that they'll send a video camera-carrying "tracker" for sure.
Dennehy also said state McCain chair Peter Spaulding and co-chair Nancy Merrill will begin holding organizational meetings throughout the state beginning in the next two weeks to gear up for the general election. They'll use the McCain visit to launch the effort, he said.
When we contacted McCain supporter and former state GOP chair Steve Duprey yesterday, he was waiting to go through White House security to attend the McCain-George W. Bush press conference.
Duprey said he has traveled with McCain for all but five days since the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary and was now ready to "break off for a few days" and rejoin the campaign next Wednesday.
The alumni
New Hampshire "alumni" brought their efforts, and luck, to Hillary Clinton over the past several days.
Long-time Bill and Hillary-backers Terry Shumaker, Ricia MacMahon and Alice Chamberlin spent the last five days in the Dallas-Fort Worth area locking up Texas for the New York senator.
Shumaker said the three canvassed neighborhoods, phone banked and did surrogate work for Clinton. He said he spoke at several events, including an area NEA (teachers union) meeting.
"During the last three days, it felt a lot like New Hampshire," when Clinton came back to win after being down by double-digits in the polls, said Shumaker. "Something was happening but we couldn't tell if it was just where we were or statewide. Texas is obviously a huge state."
Clinton's former New Hampshire campaign manager, Nick Clemons, headed her get-out-the-vote effort in Texas. He had been earlier involved in the New Jersey campaign.
New Hampshire Clinton political director Sarah Nolan was also in Texas, while former state press secretary Kathleen Strand was in Ohio.
New Hampshire attorney Paul Twomey volunteered for Barack Obama in Ohio.
Kenney reaches out
Republican candidate for governor and state Sen. Joe Kenney has been visiting influential people in and around Frank Guinta's home turf of Manchester recently as a "getting-to-know-you" gesture.
He also put out a direct mailing to about 1,000 activists. In basic letter form, Kenney talks about his experience in Concord, his 28 years as a Marine and the fact that he grew up and has made his lifetime home in New Hampshire.
He doesn't mention that Guinta is a former New Jersey resident, but you get the picture.
Kenney says "it is important to the entire Republican party that we have a good primary" and he asks for contributions even if "some may not be ready to commit to a candidate yet."
Top secret
State Democratic Chairman Ray Buckley reportedly said last week he knows who the party's candidates will be for 20 of the 24 state Senate seats.
But he's not naming names. So far, we've heard nothing to indicate that the 14 Democratic incumbents won't all be running again. That leaves challengers for the 10 GOP seats.
Buckley's not only not revealing them, but we understand he's not telling any of his candidates who the others are.
Talk about compartmentalization.
On the Republican side, former state Sen. Carl Johnson and Rep. Fran Wendelboe are looking at possible runs for the District 2 seat held by Democrat Deb Reynolds.
Last night, GOP chair Cullen, Senate Republican Leader Ted Gatsas and other Republican state senators were scheduled to hold a closed-door strategy session to talk about the upcoming elections. The Republicans are expected to have eight incumbents seeking reelection, while Bob Clegg runs for the U.S. House and Kenney runs for governor.
Prescott's team
It's way too early to say if former state Sen. Russell Prescott will have a primary in his bid for the GOP nomination for the District 3 Executive Council seat held by Democrat Bev Hollingworth. But he has already secured to his leadership team the two Republicans he ran against last time around.
Former state Sen. Chuck Morse, the 2006 nominee, and Dover businessman Dan Philbrick have agreed to be on Prescott's leadership team, along with former Executive Councilor Ruth Griffin, former House speaker Donna Sytek, former state GOP chair Wayne Semprini, state Sens. Bob Letourneau and Mike Downing, as well as Strafford County Sheriff Wayne Estes and Rockingham County Sheriff Dan Linehan.
A boy shall teach him
Clegg's new Web site for his 2nd District U.S. House bid went up late yesterday, and you'll get a kick out of a video featuring his youth advisor, 11-year-old Tyler LaVoie of Hudson.
The obviously very intelligent Tyler gives computer novice Clegg instructions on how to use his own web site.
Tyler will also keep a video blog on the site.
"The kid is unbelievable," says Clegg.
No pushing
Mike Biundo, chairman of the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition, says his group's phone calls to taxpayers urging defeat for Granite State Fair Tax Coalition's anti-Pledge resolutions at 89 town meeting and elections is simple advocacy, not a push poll.
Biundo says NHAC is calling voters in the 10 most populated communities included in coalition effort and is "simply asking them if they are in favor of a broad based income tax or a sales tax.
"If they say no, we tell them what the fair tax coalition is doing and we ask them to show up at their town meetings or polling places to vote against the resolution," Biundo says.
Biundo says 1,500 voters in Salem, New London, Hudson, Hopkinton, Hanover, Jaffrey, Conway, Gilford, Hampton and Goffstown have told his callers they'll turn out.
Together in Manchester
In the "this-could-be-interesting" department, Guinta and Gov. John Lynch are scheduled to make back-to-back appearances on Tuesday at a Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Forum at The Derryfield.
Lynch will talk about the "state of the state" and Guinta, the "state of the city."
No reason to think it will be anything but cordial, but it still could provide a teaser for a possible fall campaign.
Helping Carol
The pro-Democratic advocacy group Americans United for Change tomorrow will begin airing a new radio ad lauding Rep. Carol Shea-Porter for voting for the economic stimulus package.
The ad urges voters to call Shea-Porter and "ask her to continue to work for a strong economy."
Group spokesman Jeremy Funk says it will air for 10 days and will be accompanied by "patch through" phone calls in the 1st District with virtually the same script.
"At the end of the call," explains Funk, "it patches those interested through to Rep. Carol Shea-Porter's office."
On camera?
Bradley, commenting on state GOP Chairman Cullen's proposed ban on Democrat videotapers at party meetings:
"I was so accustomed to having a camera in the face for the four years I served in Congress. If you're at a public forum, you should expect that. But if it's a private gathering, then it's up to the host" to decide who should to attend and videotape.
Cullen, by the way, stresses that his proposal applies only to party meetings and that meetings, such as service clubs, news conferences and campaign stops are "fair game" for taping.
Quick takes
-- It's a sad week in the New Hampshire political community.
Our sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of House Republican leader Mike Whalley, who passed away last weekend.
-- John Sununu's Senate campaign has hired Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies as its pollster.
It's the first time Bolger, who is highly regarded among Republicans in Washington, has worked for Sununu.
-- Quietly frustrating some top New Hampshire Democrats, the Democrat-led U.S. House Judiciary Committee is now believed to be looking at later this spring for a hearing on the 2002 Republican phone jamming scandal. Committee chair John Conyers, D-Mich., agreed to hold a hearing but the committee never officially scheduled one, although some interested parties last month were given next Wednesday's date.
-- Bradley begins a new campaign feature tomorrow with "Java with Jeb" at local coffee shops. The first meeting will be at Harvey's Bakery in Dover.
-- The Democrats poke fun at Sununu in a new animated video entitled "Sun-No-No-No" posted on the Blue Hampshire and Roadblock Republicans Web sites. It's a takeoff on Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" video featuring a pole-vaulting Jeanne Shaheen and a telephone wire-cutting Allan Raymond of phone-jamming fame. Former party chair Kathy Sullivan came up with the lyrics, she said, during a retreat for Shaheen's staff and supporters. The Roadblockers found the Winehouse voice impersonator.
-- Kevin Hodges, former senior staffer on Bill Richardson's campaign and 2006 campaign manager for Bob Backus' state Senate campaign, has been hired as the director of the House Democratic Caucus PAC.
-- Cullen says David Welch, husband of state GOP political director Allison Welch, has taken a job with the McCain campaign in Washington. He would not confirm reports that Allison has left or is leaving the party, saying that "she has a home with us as long as she wants one."
John DiStaso is senior political reporter of the New Hampshire Union Leader.
John DiStaso's Granite Status: Jeb Bradley advocates flatter, simpler tax code
By JOHN DISTASO
Senior Political Reporter
4 hours, 15 minutes ago
JEB GOES FLAT. And he says it's a good thing.
Republican former congressman Jeb Bradley would rather be in the U.S. House, but he says the time off from Washington "has given me a little bit of a different perspective" from the rank-and-file taxpayer's point of view.
The result is that Bradley has become an advocate of the flat tax -- or at least a flatter and simpler tax code. He was scheduled to unveil his detailed position on the issue this morning on the RedState.com pro-Republican web site.
Bradley said yesterday the Democratic majority is ready to increase the budget and propose "huge tax increases," while the alternative minimum tax is about to effect millions of more Americans.
"Regardless of which party controls Congress next year and whoever wins the Presidency, we're going to have to have a debate on taxes," he said. "In 2010, the next Congress will deal with the 2003 (Bush) tax cuts that I voted for."
Bradley said he wants to "use the opportunity to move in the direction of a flat tax." He said that according to the White House Office of Management and Budget, Americans spend 6.5 billion hours compiling their tax returns using the 60,000 page code.
Bradley said Rudy Giuliani's proposal for rates of 10, 15 and 30 percent "makes sense," with an exemption for the first $30,000 to $40,000 of income for a family of four and deductions limited to the home mortgage and charitable contributions.
"Other than that, we should just scrap the code," he said. At the very least, "We've never had a vote on fundamental tax reform anywhere near this magnitude. I think we should."
The McCain return
A lot of potential adjectives could describe the return of John McCain to New Hampshire next Wednesday. Triumphant? Sure. Emotional? Maybe.
But according to McCain's former national political director, current senior advisor and long time friend Mike Dennehy, it's going to be pretty basic and quite familiar.
Dennehy this week was downplaying expectations for the event scheduled for the Exeter Town Hall at 1:45 p.m., saying, "It will be the usual typical town hall meeting, where we invite voters," rather than a full-blown rally.
After all, Dennehy said, McCain has some work to do -- work for the state's four electoral votes in the general election -- and he wants to start making his case. He said the date and time of the event "are as definite as they can be given that there is a strong possibility of some very important U.S. Senate votes next week."
State Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen said he expects a strong showing of former supporters of all the GOP presidential candidates as well as Republicans running for office this year.
The Democrats aren't saying what they'll be up to that day, but you can expect that they'll send a video camera-carrying "tracker" for sure.
Dennehy also said state McCain chair Peter Spaulding and co-chair Nancy Merrill will begin holding organizational meetings throughout the state beginning in the next two weeks to gear up for the general election. They'll use the McCain visit to launch the effort, he said.
When we contacted McCain supporter and former state GOP chair Steve Duprey yesterday, he was waiting to go through White House security to attend the McCain-George W. Bush press conference.
Duprey said he has traveled with McCain for all but five days since the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary and was now ready to "break off for a few days" and rejoin the campaign next Wednesday.
The alumni
New Hampshire "alumni" brought their efforts, and luck, to Hillary Clinton over the past several days.
Long-time Bill and Hillary-backers Terry Shumaker, Ricia MacMahon and Alice Chamberlin spent the last five days in the Dallas-Fort Worth area locking up Texas for the New York senator.
Shumaker said the three canvassed neighborhoods, phone banked and did surrogate work for Clinton. He said he spoke at several events, including an area NEA (teachers union) meeting.
"During the last three days, it felt a lot like New Hampshire," when Clinton came back to win after being down by double-digits in the polls, said Shumaker. "Something was happening but we couldn't tell if it was just where we were or statewide. Texas is obviously a huge state."
Clinton's former New Hampshire campaign manager, Nick Clemons, headed her get-out-the-vote effort in Texas. He had been earlier involved in the New Jersey campaign.
New Hampshire Clinton political director Sarah Nolan was also in Texas, while former state press secretary Kathleen Strand was in Ohio.
New Hampshire attorney Paul Twomey volunteered for Barack Obama in Ohio.
Kenney reaches out
Republican candidate for governor and state Sen. Joe Kenney has been visiting influential people in and around Frank Guinta's home turf of Manchester recently as a "getting-to-know-you" gesture.
He also put out a direct mailing to about 1,000 activists. In basic letter form, Kenney talks about his experience in Concord, his 28 years as a Marine and the fact that he grew up and has made his lifetime home in New Hampshire.
He doesn't mention that Guinta is a former New Jersey resident, but you get the picture.
Kenney says "it is important to the entire Republican party that we have a good primary" and he asks for contributions even if "some may not be ready to commit to a candidate yet."
Top secret
State Democratic Chairman Ray Buckley reportedly said last week he knows who the party's candidates will be for 20 of the 24 state Senate seats.
But he's not naming names. So far, we've heard nothing to indicate that the 14 Democratic incumbents won't all be running again. That leaves challengers for the 10 GOP seats.
Buckley's not only not revealing them, but we understand he's not telling any of his candidates who the others are.
Talk about compartmentalization.
On the Republican side, former state Sen. Carl Johnson and Rep. Fran Wendelboe are looking at possible runs for the District 2 seat held by Democrat Deb Reynolds.
Last night, GOP chair Cullen, Senate Republican Leader Ted Gatsas and other Republican state senators were scheduled to hold a closed-door strategy session to talk about the upcoming elections. The Republicans are expected to have eight incumbents seeking reelection, while Bob Clegg runs for the U.S. House and Kenney runs for governor.
Prescott's team
It's way too early to say if former state Sen. Russell Prescott will have a primary in his bid for the GOP nomination for the District 3 Executive Council seat held by Democrat Bev Hollingworth. But he has already secured to his leadership team the two Republicans he ran against last time around.
Former state Sen. Chuck Morse, the 2006 nominee, and Dover businessman Dan Philbrick have agreed to be on Prescott's leadership team, along with former Executive Councilor Ruth Griffin, former House speaker Donna Sytek, former state GOP chair Wayne Semprini, state Sens. Bob Letourneau and Mike Downing, as well as Strafford County Sheriff Wayne Estes and Rockingham County Sheriff Dan Linehan.
A boy shall teach him
Clegg's new Web site for his 2nd District U.S. House bid went up late yesterday, and you'll get a kick out of a video featuring his youth advisor, 11-year-old Tyler LaVoie of Hudson.
The obviously very intelligent Tyler gives computer novice Clegg instructions on how to use his own web site.
Tyler will also keep a video blog on the site.
"The kid is unbelievable," says Clegg.
No pushing
Mike Biundo, chairman of the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition, says his group's phone calls to taxpayers urging defeat for Granite State Fair Tax Coalition's anti-Pledge resolutions at 89 town meeting and elections is simple advocacy, not a push poll.
Biundo says NHAC is calling voters in the 10 most populated communities included in coalition effort and is "simply asking them if they are in favor of a broad based income tax or a sales tax.
"If they say no, we tell them what the fair tax coalition is doing and we ask them to show up at their town meetings or polling places to vote against the resolution," Biundo says.
Biundo says 1,500 voters in Salem, New London, Hudson, Hopkinton, Hanover, Jaffrey, Conway, Gilford, Hampton and Goffstown have told his callers they'll turn out.
Together in Manchester
In the "this-could-be-interesting" department, Guinta and Gov. John Lynch are scheduled to make back-to-back appearances on Tuesday at a Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Forum at The Derryfield.
Lynch will talk about the "state of the state" and Guinta, the "state of the city."
No reason to think it will be anything but cordial, but it still could provide a teaser for a possible fall campaign.
Helping Carol
The pro-Democratic advocacy group Americans United for Change tomorrow will begin airing a new radio ad lauding Rep. Carol Shea-Porter for voting for the economic stimulus package.
The ad urges voters to call Shea-Porter and "ask her to continue to work for a strong economy."
Group spokesman Jeremy Funk says it will air for 10 days and will be accompanied by "patch through" phone calls in the 1st District with virtually the same script.
"At the end of the call," explains Funk, "it patches those interested through to Rep. Carol Shea-Porter's office."
On camera?
Bradley, commenting on state GOP Chairman Cullen's proposed ban on Democrat videotapers at party meetings:
"I was so accustomed to having a camera in the face for the four years I served in Congress. If you're at a public forum, you should expect that. But if it's a private gathering, then it's up to the host" to decide who should to attend and videotape.
Cullen, by the way, stresses that his proposal applies only to party meetings and that meetings, such as service clubs, news conferences and campaign stops are "fair game" for taping.
Quick takes
-- It's a sad week in the New Hampshire political community.
Our sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of House Republican leader Mike Whalley, who passed away last weekend.
-- John Sununu's Senate campaign has hired Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies as its pollster.
It's the first time Bolger, who is highly regarded among Republicans in Washington, has worked for Sununu.
-- Quietly frustrating some top New Hampshire Democrats, the Democrat-led U.S. House Judiciary Committee is now believed to be looking at later this spring for a hearing on the 2002 Republican phone jamming scandal. Committee chair John Conyers, D-Mich., agreed to hold a hearing but the committee never officially scheduled one, although some interested parties last month were given next Wednesday's date.
-- Bradley begins a new campaign feature tomorrow with "Java with Jeb" at local coffee shops. The first meeting will be at Harvey's Bakery in Dover.
-- The Democrats poke fun at Sununu in a new animated video entitled "Sun-No-No-No" posted on the Blue Hampshire and Roadblock Republicans Web sites. It's a takeoff on Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" video featuring a pole-vaulting Jeanne Shaheen and a telephone wire-cutting Allan Raymond of phone-jamming fame. Former party chair Kathy Sullivan came up with the lyrics, she said, during a retreat for Shaheen's staff and supporters. The Roadblockers found the Winehouse voice impersonator.
-- Kevin Hodges, former senior staffer on Bill Richardson's campaign and 2006 campaign manager for Bob Backus' state Senate campaign, has been hired as the director of the House Democratic Caucus PAC.
-- Cullen says David Welch, husband of state GOP political director Allison Welch, has taken a job with the McCain campaign in Washington. He would not confirm reports that Allison has left or is leaving the party, saying that "she has a home with us as long as she wants one."
John DiStaso is senior political reporter of the New Hampshire Union Leader.