From my experience in politics, I know it’s always easy to say “No,” to simply “resist” or to lament what’s wrong. I have always advocated a positive, proactive vision for change, not just what a candidate or a party is against. That’s exactly what Senate Democratic candidates in New Hampshire are doing.
For the first time in anyone’s memory, a party seeking control of the state Senate in New Hampshire has actually laid out priorities with a plan of action that clearly reflects New Hampshire values. I am thankful that Senate Democratic leaders Donna Soucy and Dan Feltes are leading the charge. Donna, Dan and their colleagues have laid out a positive, proactive agenda that fights for all Granite Staters. They call it the Granite State Opportunity Plan. I call it the “people versus the powerful.”
The plan calls for five things:
First, a common-sense budget: A state budget that puts people first and works for everyone instead of sending our tax dollars to private prep schools or lavishing tax giveaways on big, out-of-state corporations. Democratic Senate candidates are prioritizing common-sense investment in education, infrastructure, child protection, local jobs and health care, including combating our opioid and public mental health epidemics.
Second, jobs and opportunity: The plan proposes advance job training and workforce development to meet the needs of workers and businesses in this state, helping those in recovery get good jobs, helping people on second and third careers left out or left behind in this economy, and helping graduating Granite State seniors have vocational and trades opportunities.
Third, smart energy: The plan recognizes that an energy policy that focuses on energy efficiency and local energy projects means local jobs and lower electric rates. So, the plan focuses on energy efficiency for everyone and relaxing outdated net metering restrictions and obstacles holding back our clean tech economy.
Fourth, support families: The plan makes paid family and medical leave insurance a reality, because no one should have to choose between work and family – we need to value them both. Whether caring for a newborn, getting yourself or someone close you to you healthy, including opioid addiction, or being there when a loved one is passing away, family and medical leave insurance is critical to a healthy family and in making the state an attractive home for young people and new businesses. In today’s economic environment, retaining the workforce of tomorrow is critical to the state’s economic competitiveness, especially with Republican Gov. Charlie Baker moving Massachusetts forward aggressively on workforce development, including family and medical leave insurance.
Fifth and finally, protect health care: With the Trump administration and potentially a U.S. Supreme Court putting protections for pre-existing conditions in their cross-hairs, N.H. Senate Democrats will work to shore up New Hampshire’s laws to make sure we protect the health care of all Granite Staters, including those with pre-existing conditions.
What was the Republican response to the Granite State Opportunity Plan proposed by the Senate Democratic candidates? The sound of silence. They don’t have a plan. In fact, when asked, the Republican majority leader Jeb Bradley just dished out stale talking points about how great he thinks Chris Sununu is. Then, Senate President Chuck Morse wrote a column in this paper (Monitor Opinion, Sept. 26) simply saying everything is rosy under Republican rule. Either Senate Republicans don’t have any plans for the next session, or they do have plans and they don’t want voters to hear about them. Either way, it is disrespectful to New Hampshire voters. Voters know where Senate Democratic candidates stand, and they know how Democrats will fight for them. It’s time for Senate Republican candidates to come out of the shadows and tell us what they stand for and who they are really fighting for.
(Paul Hodes represented the 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011. He lives in Concord.)