Flotsam and Jetsam

You’ve got a friend Judd Gregg may actually be fortunate he’s not running for re-election this year.Not because he’d have to be spending most of his time defending his vote for TARP as well as his active involvement in creating it.And not because he would have to be explaining his decision to accept, and then reject, a chance to be President Obama’s secretary of commerce – although that would be a tough one.The biggest reason came Oct. 17, in a New York Times Magazine article. In it, the president was asked if there were any Republicans he trusted enough to work with on economic issue.”The first name he came up with was Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire,” writes the article’s author, Peter Baker.Then again, all things considered, Gregg’s probably lucky he decided not to run in a GOP primary this year.A must readHaven’t checked out The Lobby yet? Then this is what you’ve been missing:• A rundown of the 20 biggest political scandals in New Hampshire history.• A seriously good analysis by Kevin Landrigan on who’s putting all that dough behind attack ads in New Hampshire.• Details of a lawsuit against Sturm Ruger that the Army has recalled machine guns from Afghanistan because of defective parts manufactured in Ruger’s Pine Tree Castings facility in Newport.• Mr. Snitch – a political gossip column unlike any other in New Hampshire.• Blogs by the likes of Bob Clegg, Jack McEnany, John Milne, Tony Paradiso, Jim Splaine and Fran Wendleboe.The site – thelobbynh.com – is a joint production of NHBR – those trustworthy folks who’ve brought you Flotsam & Jetsam lo these many years – and the Nashua Telegraph.Under advisementPerhaps all those for-it-before-they-were-against-it legislators who now can’t say enough bad things about the new parole law that they wholeheartedly voted for last summer could take some advice that the tea partiers were offering to elected officials at the very same time.To wit: Next time read the bill.He can dream, can’t he?If there’s a Make a Wish for politicians, please reach out to John Babiarz.The perennial Libertarian candidate for governor has a dream, and it probably won’t take much to make it happen. And it would make him soooooo happy.In an interview earlier this month with New Hampshire Public Radio, Babiarz revealed his dream:”I’d like to at least purchase, even if it’s only one, one ad on Channel 9. I know it’s expensive. But it would make quite a statement if we could pull that off.”Babiarz said he had planned a “money bomb” fund-raiser to try to raise the cash. Here’s hoping he can, so at least something that happens this year of the Election Season from Hell might bring a smile to the cynical faces of even the most hardened politico.The bigger they come…Democratic Party bigwigs might have been patting themselves over the back with their “victory” in getting Cornerstone Action and the National Organization for Marriage to back down on the unauthorized use of a copyrighted photo in its anti-Lynch TV spot. (The one titled, “He’s Changed,” to which anyone paying attention could rightly reply, “You’ve got to be kidding.”)But the “action” didn’t exactly make marriage equality activists – who have not exactly been enamored of the party’s leadership on the issue – happy. As one put the “muscle-flexing” display by the party, “Is that the best they can do? Pathetic.”F&J TOTE BOARDCarol Shea-Porter: The congresswoman goes negative in her race against Frank Guinta – a reversal of her stand in ‘08 when she lashed out at then-opponent Jeb Bradley for doing likewise to her.Ann Kuster: She’s got the dough and what Bush 41 called the “mo.”Charlie Bass: Whoever thought “green energy” could be a campaign negative?Bill Sharp: The Grafton County register of deeds, who lost the Democratic primary to Orford resident Kelley Monahan, launches a write-in campaign to keep his job.Timothy Horrigan: The former Democratic state rep who earlier this year inartfully quipped on Facebook about Sarah Palin’s death, tries – and fails – to get his resignation from the New Hampshire House rescinded.Greater Hudson Chamber of Commerce: The U.S Chamber’s in-your-face political spending and attack ads convince the folks in Hudson to drop their membership.It’s been making the rounds…• If all Frank “Young Gun” Guinta can do is attack the media in response to questions about his surprise $350,000 (or whatever the heck the amount is) bank account, then he really needs to reload.• If Guinta doesn’t win on Nov. 2, he can make a living selling stock tips, dontcha think?• Gene Chandler one of the Dems “Extreme 16?” Come on now.• Mr. Snitch of The Lobby reports that Ray Wieczorek was saying really nice things about John Shea. A Republican executive councilor praising a Democratic executive councilor in an election year. What’s up with that?• The irony is that Kelly Ayotte’s e-mails about Officer Michael Briggs may not affect her from becoming senator, but they could be a big boost for cop-killer Michael Addison and his death penalty appeal.• In those e-mails, did Rob Varsalone give off a slight whiff of eagerness for Charlie Bass to lose in ‘06, or is someone just imagining it?