http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/0606200...oria/106424.htm
QUOTE
Endorsement hobbles state’s political style
It is an affront to the voters of New Hampshire that the Washington power-brokers who run the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have announced their endorsement of Manchester state Rep. Jim Craig to run against incumbent Republican Jeb Bradley for the 1st District congressional seat in November.
Our outrage is not because of the endorsement - many organizations and individuals will be making endorsements as the campaign heats up. It is because of the power that endorsement carries and the timing of it.
The filing period for this year’s elections begins on June 7. The timing of this endorsement is obviously an attempt to give others seeking the Democratic nomination second thoughts about running and thereby deprive New Hampshire’s Democratic voters of real choices in the primary.
The DCCC endorsement also carries the promise of hundreds of thousands of dollars and Washington-based help in running a campaign. That, too, has a chilling effect on others seeking to have their voices heard in the debate about who can best serve the citizens of the state’s 1st District in Congress.
We often hear politicians, most often Democrats, whine about the influence of big money in the political system. But here is a sanctioned national Democratic Party organization using the promise of big money to keep potential candidates out of a race. It undermines the system as much as having the oil companies contribute money in order to influence a congressional vote.
It also seems the DCCC’s endorsement has some strings attached. Craig will have to sign a "memorandum of agreement" with the committee concerning how much money he will raise and what kind of "grass-roots" organization he will establish.
It makes us no more comfortable to think of the individual who is supposed to be representing our needs in Congress being tied to the Democratic Party leadership any more than to the Republican leadership.
We don’t need Washington insiders involved in our campaigns - at least not at this point in the process. New Hampshire voters - Democratic and Republican - are more than capable of choosing who they want representing them in Congress without our choices being limited by people who have no idea what our state is all about.
It is an affront to the voters of New Hampshire that the Washington power-brokers who run the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have announced their endorsement of Manchester state Rep. Jim Craig to run against incumbent Republican Jeb Bradley for the 1st District congressional seat in November.
Our outrage is not because of the endorsement - many organizations and individuals will be making endorsements as the campaign heats up. It is because of the power that endorsement carries and the timing of it.
The filing period for this year’s elections begins on June 7. The timing of this endorsement is obviously an attempt to give others seeking the Democratic nomination second thoughts about running and thereby deprive New Hampshire’s Democratic voters of real choices in the primary.
The DCCC endorsement also carries the promise of hundreds of thousands of dollars and Washington-based help in running a campaign. That, too, has a chilling effect on others seeking to have their voices heard in the debate about who can best serve the citizens of the state’s 1st District in Congress.
We often hear politicians, most often Democrats, whine about the influence of big money in the political system. But here is a sanctioned national Democratic Party organization using the promise of big money to keep potential candidates out of a race. It undermines the system as much as having the oil companies contribute money in order to influence a congressional vote.
It also seems the DCCC’s endorsement has some strings attached. Craig will have to sign a "memorandum of agreement" with the committee concerning how much money he will raise and what kind of "grass-roots" organization he will establish.
It makes us no more comfortable to think of the individual who is supposed to be representing our needs in Congress being tied to the Democratic Party leadership any more than to the Republican leadership.
We don’t need Washington insiders involved in our campaigns - at least not at this point in the process. New Hampshire voters - Democratic and Republican - are more than capable of choosing who they want representing them in Congress without our choices being limited by people who have no idea what our state is all about.
