Judd Gregg Opposed the Martin Luther King Holiday...in addition to wanting to get rid of Commerce

KoKo

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Sun Feb-08-09 12:16 PM
Original message

Judd Gregg Opposed the Martin Luther King Holiday...in addition to wanting to get rid of Commerce

Edited on Sun Feb-08-09 01:10 PM by KoKo

Judd Gregg Obstructed MLK Holiday
By: Teddy Partridge Saturday February 7, 2009 1:41 pm
Text

As a congressman and as governor of New Hampshire, Judd Gregg opposed the creation of a state holiday honoring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. While much attention last year went to Arizona's long denial of a state holiday, New Hampshire's state holiday came even later, followed by last-in-the-nation South Carolina.

The King holiday faced a rocky road in NH. NH Senator Jim Splaine filed the first bill proposing a King holiday, in 1979. It was defeated, as were similar bills in 1981. Our current US Senator Judd Gregg opposed honoring Dr. King, when Gregg was serving in the US House back in the 80's. He continued to oppose it as Governor of NH. For a number of years NH celebrated "Civil Rights Day" instead of honoring Dr. King. The claim by a succession of NH GOP governors was that it wasn't just about one person; that the civil rights movement was more than that. This was an attempt at preventing NH from looking like a state full of pasty white bigots - a charge that continues to threaten NH's first in the nation primary status. Arizona voters opted to honor Martin Luther King in 1990. NH didn't until 1999. Governor Jeanne Shaheen was a strong advocate for renaming the holiday when she was re-elected in 1998. In 2000, NH celebrated Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Day for the first time.

So -- has the Congressional Black Caucus really set aside its concerns about Judd Gregg as Secretary of Commerce because of a little bureaucratic kabuki by Rahm Emanuel regarding where the Bureau of the Census gets its marching orders?

Because I don't really understand why America's first President of African heritage has invited a King Holiday obstructionist into his Cabinet. Does the Congressional Black Caucus understand?

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/02/07/judd-gregg-obstructed-mlk-holiday/

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stillcool

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Sun Feb-08-09 12:18 PM
Response to Original message

1. Does the Congressional Black Caucus understand?

I would say better than most.

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Warren Stupidity

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Sun Feb-08-09 12:18 PM
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2. Other than this being a bizarrely awful pick

that included bargaining away a potential Democratic Senate seat gain, I don't quite see what the problem is.

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ClarkUSA

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Sun Feb-08-09 12:25 PM
Response to Original message

3. And Hillary wanted to "Obliterate Iran"...

Edited on Sun Feb-08-09 12:45 PM by ClarkUSA

But now she's championing Obama's formerly "naive" foreign policy.

With regards to both Gregg and Hillary, remember that when you're in the Cabinet, you're not making policy, you're following
the President's orders on policy. Gregg's removal got rid of an incumbent Republican in NH. Now we're more likely to pick up
a Senate seat via Rep. Paul Hodes.

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KoKo

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Sun Feb-08-09 01:08 PM
Response to Reply #3

5. But the person serving in Gregg's seat in Senate is a Repug handpicked

by Gregg. So, in effect what did we gain from Obama picking Gregg if the Repug who serves until 2010 votes with Repugs, anyway? :shrug:

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ClarkUSA

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Sun Feb-08-09 04:18 PM
Response to Reply #5

9. The placeholder has said she will not to run in 2010. Rep. Hodes (D) is favored to win.

Edited on Sun Feb-08-09 04:25 PM by ClarkUSA

Team O is playing political chess while some at DU are still trying to master checkers. If Gregg had not
left his seat, Hodes and the DSCC would have had a tougher time. Take the long view and stop wanting
everything NOW. It ain't gonna happen until we get 60+ Senate seats.

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Captain Hilts

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Sun Feb-08-09 03:29 PM
Response to Reply #3

8. Only if they attacked Israel. That is, unfortunately, US policy. Has been for a long time. nt

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Captain Hilts

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Sun Feb-08-09 12:41 PM
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4. A LOT of folks want to get rid of the Dept. of Commerce. nt

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KoKo

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Sun Feb-08-09 01:10 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. Given our Financial Crisis...Commerce Department would seem to be very important.

Do they want to give all our trade and Commerce decisions to that fascist sounding Department of Homeland Security or the State Department?

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Captain Hilts

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Sun Feb-08-09 03:28 PM
Response to Reply #6

7. Commerce has spent too many years giving money to wealthy companies...

to do what they could afford to do on their own - market their products overseas.

I remember when Campbell's soup got a huge grant.

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