I have always believed that politics should be viewed as a type of community service, a path by which to help make the world in which we and future generations live a better place. I believe deeply that politicians should be true public servants, but too often our elected representatives disappoint us, putting power above the people and placing their own self-interests ahead of their elected duties. It is a non-partisan fact that politicians will sometimes do stupid, or worse, criminal, things and must be held accountable for those actions. When Rep. Todd Akin, R-MO, made a stupid statement …

Former New Hampshire Senator Warren Rudman passed away this week at the age of 82 from complications related to lymphoma. His loss is being memorialized in papers across the country, including the New York Times, the Washington Post and many others. Rudman became an impressive presence in Washington during his two terms as Senator, serving from 1980-1993. Rudman was aggressive and confrontational at times, but was also known and respected for his willingness to work across the aisle on big issues and small and he played an important role in American history during his years in Washington. …

The timing of this column did not allow for a salute to our military on Veterans Day, but I am a believer in saying thank you, so I will not allow the vagaries of a calendar to get in the way. We live in a nation that is seriously divided.  he results of our most recent elections certainly reflect that, with just over 2 percent of the vote between winner and loser. It seems that our political divisions run deeper each day, but I have always believed that good people can come together for a higher purpose in spite of political differences, and our men and women in uniform are the most …

What I Got Right: The Electoral College numbers. What Else I Got Right: Not much. With very little time to process it and absolutely no time to dig through exit poll cross tabs, here’s what I saw last night. First, while I got the Electoral College vote numbers almost exactly right, I got the candidate completely wrong. As predicted, many swing states were close, but in the end almost everyone one broke for the incumbent. From a political analysis point of view, this is a surprise for many reasons. Traditionally, when the incumbent has approval ratings as low as Barack Obama’s, he loses. …

I have been digging through polling cross-tabs, Electoral College maps, political blogs and countless interviews with “experts.” More importantly, I am listening to real people who live in the real world, outside the tight little universe of political operatives and analysts: parents, business owners, teachers, police officer, retirees and veterans. And as a result, I am calling it for Mitt Romney, and I’m calling it big. I say Mitt wins it with 300-plus Electoral College votes. I give him New Hampshire by at least 3 points. And, just between you and me, I think I am being conservative here. …

Hurricane Sandy, or “post-tropical storm Sandy” as the TV folks were calling her once she hit land in the Northeast, has come and gone and most of us here in New Hampshire are still standing.  The impact of the storm in the Granite State, while significant, was nothing when compared to New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. As many as 15 million Americans were impacted by the wrath of the 600-mile-wide storm, millions will be without power for as long as a week or more, and as of this writing 16 in the U.S. have tragically lost their lives. Sitting in my family room early …

People who were on the ground, present at the U.S. Consulate in Libya and at the CIA Annex about a mile away, are talking to Jennifer Griffin, one of the most well-respected reporters at the Pentagon, about what happened on the night of September 11th, and it is worse than any of us could have imagined. The CIA operatives on the ground asked for help – three times – and three times they were denied. The attack that began at about 9:40 p.m. at the Consulate was recorded and transmitted real time back to Washington where it was available at CIA headquarters, the Pentagon and the White House …

While most of the attention this election cycle has been focused on the presidential race and a very close gubernatorial contest, you may be interested to know that there will also be three ballot questions for voters to consider when they enter the voting booth. One in particular, Question 1, addresses an issue that has long shaped New Hampshire politics. Ballot Question 1 would amend our state Constitution to permanently ban an income tax in the Granite State. This question has garnered the interest and support of many, including former New Hampshire governors Steve Merrill, John Sununu, …

The President is fond of using the phrase “Let me be perfectly clear.” I have learned over the years that this is often a signal that he is about to be anything but perfectly clear.  I wasn’t originally going to address Tuesday night’s debate, but the President told a blatant falsehood when he said he referred to the attacks in Libya as terrorist attacks in his Rose Garden remarks the next day. He did not. He used the word “terror” in reference to the 9-11-2001 attacks. He and his administration blamed a stupid YouTube video for 14 days before finally acknowledging the attacks were a …

A few thoughts as we move closer to Election Day: Women: For months I have been saying that women are smarter and more independent than any political strategist gives them credit for being, and a new poll from Gallup/USA Today appears to bear that out. According to this poll, female likely voters in the swing states are now split evenly between Obama and Romney, at 48 percent each. This poll has caused an uproar throughout the political land, not just because the President appears to have over-played his chauvinistic, condescending hand on this one, but because for years now there has been an…

No one expected last night’s debate to be a decision-maker for voters. Traditionally the Vice Presidential debate has never had that kind of influence in a presidential race; after all, we vote for president, not vice president. Both candidates showed strength last night: Joe Biden remained true to his bulldog character and Paul Ryan did not disappoint those who know him to be one of the most intelligent, experienced, well-informed members of Congress.  We also saw some stark differences between these two men. The Vice President was rude, condescending, smirking and bizarre in his reactions (…

It’s a big choice. On Nov. 6, Americans are going to make a choice about the future of our country. They are going to choose not just the individual who will lead us toward tomorrow, but the direction we will take as well. It is a choice that, for some, is only now coming into focus. Last week’s debate between the President of the United States and the man who would like to replace him brought perhaps the greatest clarity yet as to the differences between these two men and the differences between their visions for America. Most political pundits predicted the exchange would have little impact…

Two years ago, my mother had a stroke. I don’t want to call it “massive” – that seems overly dramatic – but it was a major stroke. According to her doctors, it affected 20 percent of her brain, and two years later she is still living with the consequences. We discovered that the problem was really with her heart, which led to the stroke. The first two months were horrible. My parents are well into their seventies and we all understand that no one lives forever, but this was like having death knock at your door and then change its mind at the last minute. As bad as the physical effects were – …

I hate gender politics. It is demeaning to assume that women care less about the economy and jobs than do men, and equally demeaning to assume that men care less about our children’s health and education than do women. And even though Republicans are most often accused of being anti-woman, I continue to be shocked at just how incredibly tone-deaf our President’s campaign for reelection has been in regard to women. While both parties have concerted efforts to draw female voters to their ranks, only the Obama For America campaign has gone so far as to send a woman out to denigrate both our …

This President has gone from being incompetent to dangerous. It is bad enough that his primary foreign policy strategy for the past three and a half years has been “Look at me.  I am eloquent. I lived in a Muslim nation. Let’s all be friends.” And it is bad enough that his “let’s all be friends” policy has failed miserably. What makes it all intolerable – and incredibly dangerous – is his total lack of willingness to reevaluate and change course. Last week, the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, was killed in an attack on the American Embassy in Benghazi. He was murdered, his …

A funny thing happened on the way to the election – the Democrats are becoming the party of radical social positions. The President started it all with his assault on religious freedom earlier this year when we learned he would mandate that Catholic institutions and other religiously affiliated groups provide health insurance coverage for services that go directly against their religious beliefs. The debate around religious freedom versus mandated birth control coverage grew throughout the spring, and President Obama made it a cornerstone issue as he launched his campaign, even running …

As New Hampshire citizens trickle out to vote in primary elections and enjoy the seasonably comfortable weather, we are also remembering with continued sorrow the day when 3,000 innocent souls were lost in a moment of sheer terror. The day will pass, as each September 11th for the previous 10 years have passed, with citizens gathering for ceremonies and remembrances that will include the reading of the names, shared prayers, holding hands and bowed heads. It will pass, I imagine, as each September 11th for the rest of our lives will pass, with an ache in our hearts and tears in our eyes. It …

Here are 10 quick thoughts on the RNC and DNC conventions: Fourteen straight days of politicking and conventioneering come to a close tonight when President Obama addresses the Democratic convention. Will he be able to match soaring rhetoric and Grecian columns of 2008? And did they move to a much smaller indoor venue because of predictions of “passing thundershowers” or because they couldn’t find 74,000 people to fill the outdoor stadium? Paul Ryan’s keynote address last week reinforced for Republicans why they love him so much and added even more momentum to the GOP general election train. …

It has suddenly gotten very quiet in my house. The children are off to college and back to high school, beach days are over and it’s back to just me sitting alone at my computer. Even the dog is quieter than usual, slumped in his doggie bed with his chin resting on the edge, looking as down as I feel. I know I am supposed to be happy when the kids go back to school – or off to a new a job, or whatever – but I’m not. At least, not entirely. Of course I am proud of their progress and pleased to see them all finally embracing ambitions and goals, happy for them as they move ever closer to …

Neil Armstrong, a true American treasure, passed away last Saturday at the age of 82. I was too young when Armstrong took those historic first steps to remember them myself, but across the country and around the world, people watched as he completely redefined the boundaries of what was possible. Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew not only went where no man had gone before, they went where most believed it was impossible to go. Even as the lunar module set down upon the surface of the moon, the majority of scientists around the world were braced for disaster, holding their breath until the …