Yesterday, the Hotline reported that Senator Joe Lieberman (CfL/R-CT) has endorsed Republican Susan Collins of Maine for reelection. Advisers to Congressman Tom Allen, who has all but officially declared his candidacy, spin this as good news because it shows that she is in line with other Iraq War supporters like John McCain and Joe Lieberman. I too hope that the people of Maine see this endorsement for what it really is; it shows that Susan Collins is just another member of the pro-Iraq War Caucus in the Senate and is not a moderate. Democrats need to make sure that they stop the spread of "New England for Lieberman" in 2008 by not only defeating Susan Collins, but also by avoiding a tragic mis-nomination in neighboring New Hampshire.
Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire is just as vulnerable as Susan Collins. He is out of touch on key issues like the Iraq War and embryonic stem cell research. Unlike in Maine, the Democrats of New Hampshire do not have one clear candidate to take him on. With former Governor Jeanne Shaheen and current Governor John Lynch on the sidelines, the nomination is coming down to Katrina Swett, wife of the former Congressman Dick Swett and daughter of Iraq War hawk Congressman Tom Lantos of California, and Stave Marchand, Mayor of Portsmouth. If not careful, Democrats may nominate an almost certain member of the "New England for Lieberman" Party: Katrina Swett.
Coverage has already been given on the front page of Daily Kos of how Katrina Swett endorsed Joe Lieberman in the general election and is now lying by saying that Barack Obama did the same. The Swett family is also close to Mitt Romney, who donated to Dick Swett's Congressional campaign. Democrats have a choice, either stand by while Katrina Swett and Susan Collins help spread the influence of Joe Lieberman across New England, or support Democrats Steve Marchand and Tom Allen. This isn't a news flash to anyone, so I would like to take advantage of the rest of this diary to explain why I, a libertarian Democrat, am so excited about the prospects for Democrats in these two races.
In Maine, the contrast could not be clearer between the two candidates on a fundamental issue of civil liberties and privacy: the REAL ID Act. We know where the state of Maine stands; its state legislature was the first state to reject the REAL ID Act. The libertarian Cato Institute called out Senator Susan Collins on its blog for being a REAL ID Act supporter and contrasted her out of touch stance with that of Congressman Tom Allen, who is leading the fight to repeal the bill.
I am excited about this crystal clear divide because of how well it fits the advice offered by Jesse Walker of the libertarian magazine Reason. One of the key pieces of advice for Democrats wanting to to appeal to libertarian voters is to "be good on the issues where the left is supposed to be good." Not only is Tom Allen leading the fight against the REAL ID Act, he supports medical marijuana, favors more open relations with Cuba, voted against reauthorization of the Patriot Act, and supported an effort to block funding for electronic surveillance programs not approved by FISA. Tom Allen is not afraid to stand up to defend our civil liberties just because Republicans claim it's necessary for "national security." This courage of conviction is refreshing after a Presidential campaign that saw our party nominate a candidate too timid to take on Bush on issues like the Patriot Act.
I believe that Tom Allen's ability to appeal to libertarian-leaning voters (moderates who care about civil liberties and fiscal responsibility, not third party extremists) will help him win Maine, a very independent minded state. Maine is the state where George H. W. Bush, the incumbent President, finished third in 1992 behind Ross Perot and Bill Clinton. In 1994, Maine elected Independent Angus King as Governor with a rather fiscally conservative platform ("sometimes the best thing the government can do is get out of the way."); it reelected him in 1998 with 59% of the vote. Tom Allen is clearly affiliating himself with the independent streak of many Maine voters, in stark contrast to Washington-minded Susan Collins.
As Maine goes, so goes New Hampshire? New Hampshire has long had a reputation for being an individualist state with a libertarian-streak. It's motto isn't "Live Free or Die" for nothing. But it is also the only state to flip from Bush in 2000 to Kerry in 2004. I believe this is a sign that moderate libertarians are open to the Democratic Party, especially when the major issues are social tolerance and responsible foreign policy. John Sununu's stance in opposing embryonic stem cell research and abortion may work in Southern red states, but it's out of touch for the Granite State. His support for the Iraq War will also alienate New Hampshire voters. The question is who will Democrats nominate to take him out.
Steve Marchand, who self describes himself as "fiscally conservative and socially moderate and environmentally progressive," calls former Senators Paul Tsongas and Warren Rudman political role models. He supports a withdrawal from Iraq, investment in new energy sources, and protection of the environment. What is especially appealing to me is his record as Mayor of Portsmouth gives him a proven history of fiscal responsibility that would protect him from Republican attacks as a "tax and spend liberal." As one of the most anti-tax states in the country, New Hampshire prefers fiscally responsible candidates like Steve Marchand. Just look at how he's positioning himself on the issue of taxes:
I am proud of my record on limiting tax increases and delivering value for taxpayer dollars as Mayor of Portsmouth, because I believe taxes cannot grow faster than taxpayers' ability to pay them.
Most Americans pay more in payroll taxes than they do in income taxes, but Bush/Sununu have focused on income tax cuts - which disproportionately help the wealthiest Americans. We should repeal parts of the Bush tax cut and use the difference to fight the deficit spending that is threatening the future economy of our children. Then, we should raise the earnings cap for payroll tax, and use the additional revenue to reduce the payroll tax rate for both the employee and employer sides of the payroll tax. This would lower the cost of hiring employees for employers, stimulate job growth, and put real dollars in the pockets of virtually all Americans.
Using the revenue created through these reforms, we can create an additional retirement savings account for every American to supplement Social Security, to encourage personal retirement savings, and to give working- and middle-class Americans a meaningful tax cut.
Marchand is shifting the debate away from the Republican message of tax cuts in general to one of focusing on tax cuts that really matter for average Americans. He is also focusing on how the Bush tax cuts have been fiscally irresponsible and have contributed to the deficit. Did I mention that Steve Marchand used to be the Northeast Director of the Concord Coalition? On social, foreign, environmental, and fiscal issues Steve Marchand is in touch with New Hampshire voters. John Sununu is not.
Democrats have some very exciting Senate races to look forward to in 2008. I'm already excited about these two races as opportunities for Democrats to focus on issues of social tolerance, civil liberties, reasonable foreign policy, and fiscal responsibility. The alternative is to allow our country to go in the direction of Joe Lieberman.