Rather than take the stage and bloviate about two subjects she knows little about—bipartisanship and the art of compromise—Governor Hassan should have taken a seat in the audience and learned a thing or two.
Governor Hassan didn’t waste any time distorting her record in order to plug the day’s buzzword, bipartisan, 15 times. (Despite delivering a less than ten-minute speech!)
To set the record straight, we took the liberty of bringing Governor Hassan’s rhetoric back to reality. Here’s how Governor Gridlock’s “bipartisan leadership” has actually played out in New Hampshire:
HASSAN: “In New Hampshire, we do democracy better than anyplace else.”
- REALITY: Foster’s Daily Democrat: “We Consider [Hassan’s] Veto A Serious Mistake In Terms Of Serving The Best Interests Of The Granite State.” (Editorial, “Gov. Hassan’s Budget Veto Will Prove A Mistake,” Foster’s Daily Democrat, 7/2/15)
HASSAN: “Bipartisanship is setting aside preconceived notions and rigorously examining our own long held positions.”
- REALITY: Hassan Called The Business Tax Cuts She Signed Into Law “Unfunded Tax Cuts For Big Corporations.” Hassan: "I will veto it if it comes to my desk as it is. I have been at the table with Republican leadership and have been clear throughout the process about how we can achieve a bipartisan budget that addresses our shared priorities, but Republican leadership refused to compromise on any of the major issues – most critically their unfunded tax cuts for big corporations.” (Governor Maggie Hassan, “Republican Budget Is Fiscally Irresponsible and Unbalanced, Will Veto If Comes to Desk As It Is,” Press Release, 6/18/15)
HASSAN: “Bipartisan problem solving means doing hard things.”
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REALITY: The Telegraph Said “It’s Hassan Who So Far Is Firing Off The Harshest Rhetoric And Appears Most Motivated By Political Ambition.” “While both sides share responsibility, it’s Hassan who so far is firing off the harshest rhetoric and appears most motivated by political ambition. Hassan knows she’ll need the support of state employees to make a Senate bid, so the pay raise is crucial if – as many believe – she makes a run at Sen. Kelly Ayotte. It’s not the elephant in the room; it’s the whole safari.” (Editorial, “Stopgap Budget Is Not Governing,” The Telegraph, 6/28/15)
- REALITY: The Union Leader Said Hassan Used “Imaginary Money” To Fund Her Budget Proposal. “It is a lot easier to write a budget, as Gov. Maggie Hassan did this year, when you get to use imaginary money you do not have and are unlikely to get… Hassan was able to propose spending more because she started with much higher revenue — imaginary revenue. She estimated that state revenue over the next two years would be $229 million more than the House estimated.” (Editorial, “A Realistic Start: The House Finance Committee budget,” Union Leader, 3/30/15)
HASSAN: “Bipartisanship isn’t signing onto a bill where you agree with almost everything in it or naming a bill with a title that gives lip service to a policy or idea without actually enacting the policy or furthering the idea in the bill itself.”
- REALITY: Hassan Appointed A Commission On Innovation, Efficiency, And Transparency, But Refused To Release Internal Proposals She Requested To Make State Government More Efficient. “Gov. Maggie Hassan says she’s all about government efficiency and transparency. But when it comes to efficiency in government spending, she’s hardly transparent. Pulling together the state’s two-year, $10 billion budget – which affects virtually every person in New Hampshire – is shaping up to be the big challenge of her second term. Already Hassan has required state department heads to submit proposals detailing how their agencies can be more efficient and effective in the coming years because there’s hardly enough money to go around and people haven’t fully recovered from the recession. But Hassan doesn’t want you to see them. The Monitor filed three separate requests under the Right to Know law and the state Constitution asking Hassan to release the efficiency proposals that were due to her office by Dec. 1… Publicly, Hassan often cites innovation, efficiency and even transparency as priorities. And she’s appointed a commission to explore how state government can improve in those areas.” (Jonathan Van Fleet, “Despite Claims Of Transparency, Gov. Hassan Refuses To Release Proposals To Make State Government More Efficient,” Concord Monitor, 1/11/15)
HASSAN: “Bipartisanship is engaging in the hard process of give and take. It is recognizing that you aren’t going to get everything you want.”
- REALITY: On June 25, 2015, Hassan Vetoed The New Hampshire Legislature’s Budget. (“Gov. Maggie Hassan Vetoes Budget Passed By NH House, Senate,” Associated Press, 6/25/15)
HASSAN: “There is a difference between superficial and substantive bipartisanship.”
- REALITY: Hassan In 2012: “This About Whether The Tea Party In New Hampshire Is Going To Consolidate Its Power By Taking The Governor’s Office Or Whether We’re Going To Take The Governor’s Office As Democrats And Move The State Forward.” “‘I wanted people to focus on the importance of the governor’s race in this election cycle,’ Hassan said after the event. ‘This about whether the Tea Party in New Hampshire is going to consolidate its power by taking the governor’s office or whether we’re going to take the governor’s office as Democrats and move the state forward.’” (Jim Haddadin, “Bill Shaheen Appears At Hassan Campaign Stops In Dover,” Foster’s Daily Democrat, 8/29/12)