It'll Be Over Soon Abbie

Second Walker/Durant State Representative Debate (Video)

Ken O’Brien

The second debate between candidates for state representative in the Sixth Worcester District was held in Dudley on October 15 in Dudley.

Republican incumbent Peter Durant of Spencer faced off against Democratic challenger Kathleen Walker of Charlton.

Elizabeth Warren Would Reduce The Debt By More Than Scott Brown

Ken O’Brien

Despite Republican efforts to portray her as a tax-and-spend class-war mongering liberal, Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren has actually turned out to be a bigger fiscal hawk than her Republican opponent Scott Brown.

An analysis published on July 11th by the The Boston Globe found that Warren's deficit plan would cut 67% more of the debt than the plan offered by Brown.  

On Harry Reid’s Allegation

Ken O’Brien

The last week has seen a furor over allegations made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on the floor of the Senate.

Specifically the outrage was directed at Reid’s charge that he had been informed by an investor in Bain Capital that Romney had paid no income taxes for ten years.

As staunch a liberal icon as Jon Stewart delivered a scathing rebuke of Harry Reid on The Daily Show.

Over the weekend a close friend asked me why I didn’t speak out on this matter and join in the chorus of those denouncing Harry Reid for what was a blatantly political tactic. 

Whither Grover Norquist?

Ken O’Brien

Lawrence O’Donnell likes to refer to him as the “most powerful man in America who holds no elective office.”

He is Grover Norquist, founder and President of Americans for Tax Reform. He is most notable for the pledge his organization requires to support candidates for U.S. Congressional office. The pledge requires that the signatories promise to "oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rate for individuals and business; and to oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates." 

What Happened to New Hampshire?

Ken O’Brien

Years ago I spent a couple of years living in New Hampshire. This was while I was attending graduate school.

Now, I’ll quickly concede that Hanover is not typical of most of New Hampshire. However, while I went to school in Hanover, I lived in West Lebanon which was a little closer to the grass roots of life in rural New Hampshire.

While there has always been a fundamentally conservative and libertarian streak in the state, the last few years have seen the emergence, some would say predominance, of extremist fringe elements in New Hampshire politics.

With the New Hampshire Presidential Primary scheduled for this Tuesday, January 10, I thought the following synopsis of what has been going on in the state over the last two years would help to put that event in perspective.