All Member Posts Tagged 'O'Brien' (8)

By Paul Briand



The shift of political power from Republicans to Democrats in the New Hampshire House is more significant a development than anything else that came from Election Day.



It is more monumental than the Democratic sweep of the top offices: Maggie Hassan for governor,…

Did Republican House Speaker William O’Brien intentionally hide prospective legislation from the public in advance of the statewide election?



That was the thought this week, but one that has been dismissed by O’Brien.



Apparently, the Legislative Services Office told the Concord Monitor that O’Brien changed a policy thereby making the bill requests private until after the…

By Paul Briand



An interesting dichotomy is at work among New Hampshire’s undeclared voters - while they generally lean in favor of Republican candidates, they aren’t much in favor of GOP causes, such as repealing the state’s gay marriage law.



A …

By Paul Briand



You have to wonder about House Speaker William O’Brien’s thinking..



He continues to support a conservative social agenda that includes the repeal of the state’s gay marriage law. Yet the very constituency he wants to please -- the business community -- as…

It was a near-perfect vacation week wrapped around the Independence Day holiday for lots of folks here in New Hampshire, including Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.



He managed to mix a lot of presidential campaign work with relaxing alongside his very large extended family at his Lake Winnipesaukee home in Wolfeboro.



There was Romney eating ice cream, hanging out at the water’s edge and watercraft riding with his wife, Ann.



And there was Romney giving…

By Paul Briand

Some legislators on both sides of the aisle in the New Hampshire House are questioning who knew what -- and when -- in the sorry series of events that led to House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt’s hasty resignation.



The question has to be asked -- and it has to…

From an outburst by a frustrated representative to a blizzard of activity in the House and Senate, it was a busy and headline-grabbing week in Concord at the State House.



Vaillancourt and O’Brien



Manchester Republican Rep. Steve Vaillancourt was removed, reprimanded and chastened for his “sieg heil” salute to House Speaker William O’Brien during a contentious exchange on a proposed voter ID bill.



The Tuesday outburst by Vaillancourt was widely…

Without question, Republican Rep. Steve Vaillancourt’s “sieg heil” outburst toward House Speaker O’Brien this week was inappropriate.



But the outburst speaks to a fundamental issue in the New Hampshire House: O’Brien is a my-way-or-the-highway tyrant who has created a level of political dysfunction in…