NHDP - Wacko Bird

Dear Friend:

Tonight, Tea Party leader and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul brings his extreme agenda to New Hampshire to raise money for the NHGOP.   In addition to headlining their dinner, Rand Paul is bringing a $10,000 check to the NHGOP to support his friends, Kelly Ayotte, Bill O’Brien, and Jeb Bradley. 

We have a donor who has pledged to match up to $5,000 we raise.  Will you help us reach our goal today?  Act now against Rand Paul’s extreme agenda:  Support our efforts with $50, $25, or $10 right now!

Since joining the US Senate, Rand Paul has stood at the extreme of the Republican Party:

• Voting against Equal Pay for Equal Work
• Supporting the Blunt Amendment allowing employers to deny health coverage on moral grounds
• Opposing the bipartisan Manchin-Toomey amendment
• Calling for the TSA to racially profile Middle Eastern students

Even his fellow Republicans think Rand Paul is out of touch with two time New Hampshire Primary winner, John McCain calling him a “wacko bird.” 

Helpus stop Rand Paul’s out-of-touch and extreme agenda today:  Contribute $50, $25, or $10 right now! 

Thank you for your support,

P.S. - Act now and help us with a $50, $25, or $10 contribution now to combat Rand Paul's Tea Party agenda!

NHDP Statement on NHGOP Event with Rand Paul

NHGOP Doubles Down on Tea Party Extremism Rejected in 2012 with Paul's Backward Agenda for Granite State Women

Concord - New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley released the following statement on Republican Senator Rand Paul's fundraiser in Concord this evening. 

"If any Republicans are still wondering tonight what went wrong in 2012, they need look no further than their keynote speaker.  Rand Paul has compared equal pay for equal work laws to the Soviet Politburo, co-sponsored the Blunt amendment allowing employers to deny women preventive health care and contraception, wants to defund Planned Parenthood, and defended Republican Todd Akin after his offensive rape comments.

"There can no longer be any doubt that the New Hampshire Republican Party has turned its back on traditional Granite State values, in a desperate attempt to become the face and voice of the irresponsible Tea Party and radical social conservatives.  There is no other explanation for honoring Rand Paul, someone so extreme even fellow Republican Senator John McCain called him a 'wacko bird.'"

RAND PAUL OPPOSES EQUAL PAY

Rand Paul Voted To Block The Paycheck Fairness Act Saying It Be Harmful. "Kentucky's two Republican senators yesterday helped their party block the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have given women new tools to combat pay discrimination in the workforce. Kentucky women make just seventy seven cents to every dollar a man makes. The same holds true nationally. To shrink that gap Democrats offered the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is intended to protect women who want to compare their salaries with the men they work with in order to see if there's a disparity. And it forces employers to prove any salary differences are job-related - not gender based. But Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul says the legislation would do more harm than good." [WKMS, 6/6/12]

Headline: "Rand Paul Compares Paycheck Fairness To Soviet Politburo" [Huffington Post, 6/5/12]

• Rand Paul Compared Paycheck Fairness To The Soviet Politburo Saying Americans Would Be Ceding Freedom If Judges Had Say Over Pay. "Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested Tuesday that a bill designed to bring women's pay up to the level of men's wages would have created some sort of paycheck Politburo... But Paul, a staunch libertarian, said passing a law that would have given judges more leeway to determine if a woman had been paid unfairly would be a step toward reviving the Soviet Union's notorious central governing body here. The United States' free market, he argued, works much better at setting wages at the appropriate level. 'Three hundred million people get to vote everyday on what you should be paid or what the price of goods are,' Paul told reporters on Capitol Hill. 'In the Soviet Union, the Politburo decided the price of bread, and they either had no bread or too much bread. So setting prices or wages by the government is always a bad idea.' Asked specifically about the lingering pay gap between men and women, the Kentucky senator did not back down, insisting that Americans would be ceding freedom if judges had more say over pay." [Huffington Post, 6/5/12]

 

PAUL WAS A SUPPORTER AND CO-SPONSOR THE OF BLUNT AMENDMENT

Rand Paul Co-Sponsored The Blunt Amendment. On 9/14/11 Rand Paul co-sponsored the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011.  [S.1467, 112^th Congress, 9/14/11]

Rand Paul Said He Would Vote For The Blunt Amendment Saying "You Should Not Be Forced To Buy Insurance That Goes Against Your Religious Principles." Rand Paul said of the Blunt amendment: "I think many Democrats are going to also vote with Republicans. I will vote to say that, yeah, this is a freedom of religion issue. You should not be forced to buy insurance that goes against your religious principles." [America's Newsroom, Fox News, 2/15/12]

Rand Paul: "If You Have A Moral Objection To Either Birth Control Or Abortion That You Shouldn't Be Forced To Buy Insurance That Has And Pays For Things." Rand Paul said of the Blunt amendment: "Yeah, I see it as a religious freedom issue and that if you have a moral objection to either birth control or abortion that you shouldn't be forced to buy insurance that has and pays for things." [America's Newsroom, Fox News, 2/15/12]

PAUL WOULD DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Rand Paul Would Defund Planned Parenthood. "It is unconscionable that government would facilitate the taking of innocent life. I strongly oppose any federal funding for abortion and will stop the flow of tax dollars to groups like Planned Parenthood, who perform or advocate abortions." [Issues: Sanctity Of Life, Rand Paul's Official Senate Office Website, accessed 5/20/13]

Rand Paul Signed A Fundraising Letter For Americans For Life Calling For The Defunding Of "The Corrupt Planned Parenthood." "Americans for Life is leading a rapidly growing number of pro-life Americans like you who are fed up with their dollars funding the corrupt Planned Parenthood! And momentum is building quickly. Unfortunately, this is going to be a tough fight. You see, a stubborn Congress stands in the way. It will take every ounce of strength you have to break through the barriers in place designed to eradicate any legislation aimed at saving babies. You see, many of my colleagues in the Senate and House are beholden to Planned Parenthood and cowed by the pro-abortion propaganda hurled by the mainstream media. But that's not going to stop me. I hope it won't stop you. Will you take a stand now against the taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood?" [Rand Paul, Americans For Life Fundraising Letter, accessed 5/20/13]

PAUL STEPPED IN TO SUPPORT REPUBLICANS WHO MADE OUTRAGEOUS COMMENTS ABOUT RAPE

Rand Paul Stepped In To Defend Indiana Republican Senate Candidate Richard Mourdock Who Said Pregnancies Caused By Rape Were Something "God Intended To Happen." "Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is stepping in to the Indiana Senate race to defend Republican Richard Mourdock, who ignited a firestorm Tuesday when he said that pregnancies caused by rape are 'something God intended to happen.'  A top Paul advisor told Business Insider that the Senator's political action committee, RAND PAC, is making a 'six-figure' media buy in Indiana and plans to go on air Friday with an ad attacking Mourdock's Democratic opponent Joe Donnelly for voting against a bill that would have blocked foreign aid to Pakistan."  [Business Insider, 10/24/12]

Rand Paul Supported Missouri Republican Senate Candidate Todd Akin With An Ad Buy After His Infamous "Legitimate Rape" Comments. "According to the advisor, the ad will be similar to one that RAND PAC ran in Missouri earlier this month to support Republican Todd Akin, another embattled Senate candidate who was ostracized by the party for his now-infamous 'legitimate rape' comments." [Business Insider, 10/24/12]

NHGOP ASKS SHAHEEN TO DENOUNCE OBAMA'S 501(c)(4)

Concord – The New Hampshire Republican Party sent the following letter to Senator Jeanne Shaheen asking her to denounce Organizing for Action (OFA), a political organization led by President Obama. According to its Website, OFA “will operate as a ‘social welfare’ organization within the meaning of section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code.” The group has a chapter based in New Hampshire that is helping Senator Shaheen’s reelection campaign and promoting President Obama's liberal agenda.

Shaheen has come under fire for her repeated attempts to pressure the IRS to investigate 501(c)(4)s. She has specifically singled out conservative organizations on the floor of the Senate, but never criticized liberal organizations that promote candidates and causes that she supports.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen
520 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Shaheen,

On behalf of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee I am writing to ask that you officially denounce Organizing for Action (OFA) a political ‘social welfare’ organization led by President Barack Obama. OFA is a partisan group operating in New Hampshire to promote your party’s liberal agenda and assist your 2014 campaign. According to its website, “OFA will operate as a ‘social welfare’ organization within the meaning of section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code.”

For years, you and your fellow Democrat Senators have demonized conservative 501(c)(4)s like American Crossroads and Americans for Prosperity because you oppose their fiscally responsible values. You have repeatedly urged the IRS to crack down on ‘social welfare’ groups and specifically singled out conservative organizations on the floor of the United States Senate as examples. Yet you have failed to denounce liberal groups that promoted causes and candidates with whom you agree.

Asyou are aware, the IRS has inappropriately targeted conservative organizations that opposed the Obama Administration's disastrous policies. Federal agencies are influenced by the demands of United States Senators, and it would be naive to believe that top IRS officials were unmoved by your actions. There are very serious questions about whether your partisan effort to pressure the IRS to increase investigations of 501(c)(4) organizations contributed to the outrageous practices that took place at the agency.

You have responded to these concerns by claiming that you are troubled by the practice of both liberal and conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status. However you have never spoken out against any liberal ‘social welfare’ group and reports indicate that you are actively working with OFA to bolster your reelection effort.  

Politico (12/5/12) reported that you attended a private meeting in December with Senators Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer “imploring” them to “lead the charge” for the former Obama Campaign, now Organizing For Action, to share voter files with your campaign. Your Chief of Staff Maura Keefe is quoted in the same story saying that she would welcome “any assistance” from OFA for your reelection effort.

If you truly are concerned with the practices of liberal 501(c)(4)s, you will denounce OFA the same way that you denounced American Crossroads and American for Prosperity. You will also call on OFA to refrain from assisting your reelection effort in any way, and return any voter files you may have already obtained from this organization. Otherwise you will prove to Granite Staters that you are willing to tolerate the actions of liberal 501(c)(4)s while you instigate partisan witch-hunts against conservative groups.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Matthew Slater
Executive Director
New Hampshire Republican State Committee

Background Information:

Shaheen Attended A Private Meeting With Harry Reid And Chuck Schumer “Imploring” Them To Lead The Charge For The Obama Campaign, Now Organizing For Action, To Share Its Voter Files. “So intent are Senate incumbents to get their hands on the voter files that, at a private meeting with Senate leaders and incumbents up for reelection in 2014, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Tom Harkin of Iowa led the group in imploring Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to lead the charge.” (Lois Romano, “Dems To Obamaland: Share Your Data,” Politico, 12/5/12)

In December 2012, Shaheen’s Chief Of Staff Said The Shaheen Campaign Would Welcome “Any Assistance” From OFA. “‘The Obama campaign had the best get-out-the-vote effort in New Hampshire history, so obviously any assistance we could get as we try to replicate that effort would be very helpful,’ said Maura Keefe, Shaheen’s chief of staff.” (Lois Romano, “Dems To Obamaland: Share Your Data,” Politico, 12/5/12)

NHDP - NHGOP Credibility Eroding with Hypocritical Attacks

Concord - New Hampshire Democratic Party Communications Director Harrell Kirstein issued the following statement responding to the latest hypocritical attack from New Hampshire Republican Party on SB152. The NHGOP's press release ignores the fact that the majority of Republican State Senators voted for SB152 as did nine Republicans in the House this afternoon.

"Like the Wizard of Oz, Chairwoman Horn is desperately hoping no one looks behind the curtain to notice her partisan press releases continue to attack Republicans in both the House and Senate who voted for SB152. It is clear that Horn and the NHGOP's statements have no basis in reality or fact but are just an endless series of pathetic partisan attacks attempting to distract from the epidemic of inappropriate and shameful comments made by New Hampshire Republicans. The only thing missing from the NHGOP's act are a smoke machine and emerald goggles to blind New Hampshire voters from the blatant hypocrisy coming from the New Hampshire Republican Party."

NHDP - Misleading Rubio Ad Ignores Massive NH Support for Expanding Background Checks

"Notably absent from Rubio's misleading new ad are the words 'new' and 'hampshire,' probably because according to multiple independent polls 90% of New Hampshire citizens support expanding background checks - exactly what Ayotte and Rubio voted against.  It doesn't matter how many deceitful and dishonest ads bought by out of state rightwing politicians and PACs for Kelly Ayotte pollute New Hampshire televisions, Granite Staters know the truth.  Ayotte opposed bipartisan commonsense background check legislation that would have helped keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill who could pose a danger to themselves and others." - NHDP Communications Director Harrell Kirstein

FACT: SEN. AYOTTE AND RUBIO OPPOSED A BIPARTISAN AMENDMENT TO EXPAND BACKGROUND CHECKS ON GUN PURCHASES

Sen. Ayotte, Sen. Rubio Opposed The Manchin-Toomey Amendment To Expand Background Checks. [Senate Vote 97, 4/17/13]

Manchin-Toomey Was "Bipartisan Legislation To Expand Background Checks To Gun Shows And The Internet."  "Bipartisan legislation to expand background checks to gun shows and the Internet. This is the Manchin-Toomey proposal that's getting so much press lately. This amendment would essentially become the new gun bill if it passed. It would require all buyers of firearms at gun shows and over the Internet to complete federal background checks first. It would also strengthen laws against gun trafficking and straw purchases and provide funding for school safety."  [Washington Post, 4/17/13]

Manchin-Toomey: "Extends The Existing Background Check System To Gun Shows And Online Sales."  "The Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act would require states and the federal government to send all necessary records on criminals and the violently mentally ill to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The bill extends the existing background check system to gun shows and online sales."  [Pat Toomey Press Release, 4/10/13]

FACT: SEN. AYOTTE VOTED FOR AN AMENDMENT THAT WEAKENED GUN SAFETY PROTECTIONS

Sen. Ayotte Voted For The Grassley-Cruz Amendment. [Senate Vote 98, 4/17/13]

National Review:  "There Is No Expansion Of Background Checks In The Grassley And Cruz Legislation."  "There is no expansion of background checks in the Grassley and Cruz legislation. Instead, there is funding devoted to increasing gun prosecutions: $50 million over five years for prosecution of felons and fugitives who try to buy guns (in 2009, according to the NRA, 77,000 people failed the NICS background check, yet fewer than 100 were prosecuted). An additional $45 million will be distributed over three years to hire assistant U.S. attorneys and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearm agents in especially violent areas."  [National Review, 4/17/13]

New York Daily News: "Beefed Up Background Checks" Were Not Part Of Grassley Cruz.  "The amendment Ayotte referenced, known as the Grassley-Cruz amendment, for the senators who co-wrote it, contained several Republican proposals, but beefed-up background checks were not among them."  [New York Daily News, 5/7/13]

Politico: Grassley-Cruz "Ignored Gun Shows And Internet Sales Entirely."  "Instead, the Granite Stater backed an alternative measure written by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that ignored gun shows and internet sales entirely, instead focusing on encouraging states to submit mental health information to the background check database."  [Politico, 5/7/13]

Washington Post:  Grassley-Gruz "Would Loosen Gun Restrictions By Making It Easier To Purchase And Carry Guns Across State Lines." "The main Republican alternative to gun control, proposed by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ted Cruz (R-Ariz.) failed with 52 senators in favor and 48 opposed. It would increase funding for criminal prosecution, school safety, and mental health resources and create a task force to go after felons who fail background checks. It would also criminalize trafficking and straw purchasing and increase the penalties for them. At the same time, the amendment would loosen gun restrictions by making it easier to purchase and carry guns across state lines."  [Washington Post, 4/17/13]

Grassley Cruz Would Make It Easier For People Who Had Been Involuntarily Committed To Buy Guns.  "The NRA-approved substitute Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) offered today would actually make it easier for some mentally ill people to obtain guns. The bill states that it strengthens the federal background check system to ensure that mentally ill people don't purchase guns. But it defines that term narrowly and would allow patients who had been involuntarily committed and treated for mental illness to pass a federal background check and buy weapons.  For instance, current law prohibits people who are ordered by a court into involuntary treatment from buying weapons - even though individuals can petition to have their rights restored in 22 states. Under the bill, individuals who are released could seek to have their name removed from the federal database immediately and would not have to go through a formal adjudication process to prove worthiness to buy a gun. People who were determined to be a danger to themselves or others would only be prohibited from gun ownership if they are proven to be imminently dangerous."  [Think Progress, 4/17/13]

FACT: MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT POLL SHOW 9 IN 10 NH VOTE SUPPORT EXPANDED BACKGOUND CHECKS - EXACTLY WHAT AYOTTE AND RUBIO VOTED AGAINST

NEC POLL: "Voters Overwhelmingly Approved" Of Proposal For Universal Background Checks 88% To 10%. From the Director of the New England College Poll, Dr. Ben Tafoya "New Hampshire voters show surprisingly strong support for these gun control move.  There are deep and lasting effects on the  public from the heightened level of sensitivity toward these issues in light of the tragic  shootings in Newtown, CT. We have seen in this NEC poll and other numbers from other  organizations strong national support for increased efforts to restrict access to assault  weapons and guns in general by those who do not pass background checks. The numbers of voters in support of universal background checks are so high as to make demographic examination worthless. It is difficult to imagine the voting public has a great consensus on anything than they show on this issue." [NEC.ed, 1/24/2013]

PPP: "Gun Show Background Checks Are Pretty Universally Popular In New Hampshire" And "Ayotte Is Facing Some Serious Backlash From Voters." From Public Policy Polling, "Ayotte now has a negative approval rating with 44% of voters giving her good marks and 46% disapproving. That's down a net 15 points from the last time we polled on her, in October, when she had a 48% approval with 35% disapproving. 75% of New Hampshire voters- including 95% of Democrats, 74% of independents, and 56% of Republicans- say they support background checks. And 50% of voters in the state say Ayotte's 'no' vote will make them less likely to support her in a future election, compared to just 23% who consider it to be a positive." [PPP Poll,4/24/2013]

UNH Poll: 94% Favor Background Checks To See if Buyer Has Been Convicted Of A Felony, 95% For Buyers At Gun Shows.  From the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, "In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, lawmakers in Washington are debating several measures aimed at curtailing gun violence. New Hampshire residents show very strong support for background checks for the purposes of keeping  guns out of the hands of felons, people with mental illness, and for background checks for gun purchases at gun shows." [UNH Poll, 2/8/2013]

Headline: "NRA Misrepresents Police Survey, Legislation." FactCheck.org wrote, "On the day the Senate voted down a series of gun control bills, the National Rifle Association made false and misleading claims in opposing a measure to expand background checks. Online ads from the NRA wrongly claimed that "80% of police say background checks will have no effect" on violent crime. The survey cited in the ads by the NRA says nothing of the sort." [FactCheck.org, 4/18/2013]