The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester, Granite Status column [The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester]

April 09--See our report on Vice President Joe Biden's planned visit to Exeter below.

MONDAY, APRIL 9, UPDATE: Republican candidate for governor Kevin Smith on Monday called for reducing regulations on New Hampshire health insurance companies and electric utilities in an effort to reduce costs to consumers.

Smith released the second part of his economic plan, which he calls "New Hampshire's Future is Now." He released the first part, focusing on business tax reforms, last month.

On health care, Smith says that as governor he would oppose any "Obamacare mandates" on the state and have the state join the current federal lawsuit "that will allow our state to opt out of the program."

He said he would work to allow Granite Staters to purchase health insurance across state lines and allow New Hampshire health insurance companies to offer "alternative plans to customers and pare back the coverage mandates that the state imposes."

"We should not force a small company to pay $11,000 a year per employee for a certain coverage if none of the employees have a need for it and are willing to opt out," Smith said.

Smith would also try to form compacts with surrounding states to purchase health care coverage , which, he said, would reduce costs.

Democratic candidate for Governor Maggie Hassan said Smith's plan is similar to a bill passed by the House that would allow the state to be part of "an interstate health care compact" which would then receive block grants from the federal government for Medicare.

Hassan said allowing the state to take over Medicare would result in "drastic cuts" to the health care system.

"Ovide Lamontagne, Kevin Smith and the Bill O'Brien legislature have supported drastic cuts to our hospitals and to other institutions that Granite Staters count on," said Hassan. "So when they talk about taking over Medicare, you can bet that they don't intend to make subtle reforms. They intend to make drastic cuts that will make it impossible for our seniors to receive the benefits that the current Medicare program provides."

Smith would also eliminate the Certificate of Need process "so that more competition of service and care can exist within New Hampshire's health care economy."

To reduce electricity costs, Smith said he would "promote policies that give our utilities the flexibility to obtain and provide the cheapest electricity possible instead of picking winners and losers."

He would also "eliminate onerous, environmentally-neutral, rate-hiking energy regulations such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (cap-and-trade) policy," and "develop a long-term comprehensive energy policy aimed at reducing energy costs for consumers and businesses by reevaluating current energy regulations, appropriately managing the state's energy generation assets and public utilities, working to provide greater market certainty for energy end-users, and exploring alternative forms of energy for the future."

The full plan can be seen at KevinSmithForGovernor.com.</p>

(Earlier updates and the full April 5 Granite Status follow.)

MONDAY, APRIL 9, UPDATE: TALKING "TAX FAIRNESS." Vice President Joe Biden will talk about President Barack Obama's "efforts to promote tax fairness" during a stop at the Exeter Town Hall on Thursday, the Obama campaign says.

It will be Biden's fourth visit to the state in five months. He previously visited the state in November, January and February.

Democrat Biden will visit a town considered by many in New Hampshire as the birthplace of the Republican Party, and GOP hopefuls, including Mitt Romney, have made frequent stops at the historic town hall.

As the Granite Status first reported last week the Obama campaign is putting a full-court press on New Hampshire, with 30 staffers in seven offices throughout the state.

The Republicans say they will catch up quickly once a presidential nominee is chose, but at the moment, the Mitt Romney campaign has no full-time staff in the state. Political consultant Jim Merrill is working to continue and build on the organization Romney developed during the presidential primary campaign.

The Obama campaign says Biden will talk about Obama's efforts "ensuring millionaires and billionaires do not pay less in taxes than middle class families. In his speech, the Vice President will discuss the President's commitment to creating an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules.

Biden is expected to draw a contrast with the Republican candidates who, the campaign says, support continuing "tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans" instead of "taking steps to reduce our deficit and investing in things that will grow our economy and keep us secure: education, research and technology, a strong military and retirement programs like Medicare and Social Security."

The campaign says Obama has called on Congress to pass the "Buffett Rule," which says, according to the campaign, "if you make more than $1 million a year, you should pay at least the same percentage of your income in taxes as middle class families do. If you make under $250,000 a year, your taxes should not go up."

According to the campaign, Biden's visit will be the fourth in a series of speeches that kicked off last month in Toledo, Ohio, and has included stops in Coconut Creek, Florida and Davenport, Iowa.

The Obama campaign today also promoted a new Twitter handle for the vice president, @JoeBiden.

(Earlier updates and the full April 5 Granite Status follow.)

THURSDAY, APRIL 5, UPDATE: NO "PLEDGE" FOR KENNEDY. The latest entrant into the New Hampshire gubernatorial sweepstakes is a 52-year-old former firefighter and 29-year U.S. Air Force veteran who believes that taking the "pledge" to veto a broad based income or sales tax is "an antiquated thought process."

For that reason, Democrat Bill Kennedy of Danbury said Thursday, "Anybody who makes a tax pledge I don't see as a good candidate for this state."

In his first interview since announcing his candidacy for governor on Wednesday night, Kennedy, who works in retail and owns the now-closed Inn at Danbury, said the two Democrats in the race, former state Sens. Maggie Hassan, who has pledged to veto a broad based tax, and Jackie Cilley, who has refused to take the "pledge," are too far left. The Republicans in the race, attorney Ovide Lamontagne and activist Kevin Smith, are too far right, he said.

Kennedy says he is "the guy who's going to appeal to the undeclareds and independents."

Although he is relatively unknown, he is 100 percent dead serious about mounting a serious candidacy.

Kennedy is married, has a large family, was born in Germany to a military family and has lived in New Hampshire for 44 years, having grown up in Portsmouth and formerly owned a collectibles business in North Hampton. He said he has a sociology degree from the University of New Hampshire.

Kennedy made it clear he is not now promoting or even supporting an income or sales tax for the state. But said he is "open to discussion" about it, intends to research the issue and sometime before the party primary in late summer, will "give voters a clear direction" of how he feels about it.

Kennedy calls the property tax burden the top issue in the state and said he intends to find ways to relieve it.

"They've put the burden of fiscal responsibility on the property taxpayers of this state," Kennedy said. "We're bleeding the property owners to a point of irrational, almost criminal levels."

He said a broad based tax, handled properly, can offer that relief. California, he said, has a "good property tax program. They limit the property tax to 1.1 percent of assessed value or the sales value, which is much fairer than the system we have."

But, he said, "I'm not going to tax the New Hampshire constituency at a higher level than they are being taxed."

Kennedy said he is open to expanded gambling, but has no specific position at this point. He said he wants to "research where our tolls are going" before deciding his position on any possible change in the gasoline tax.

"Times are changing," Kennedy said. "Someone who doesn't look at all possibilities is not the right fix for New Hampshire. And if they are completely left on the social spectrum, I don't agree with that, either.

"On the Republican side," Kennedy said, "they are a little more far right and I think they are a little more religiously influenced than my Democratic counterparts.

"People are partially responsible for themselves and we need to have those umbrellas, those caveats to protect people who can't protect themselves," Kennedy said, explaining his view on entitlements.

"We need to take care of people in the communities. Brother needs to take care of brother. Sister needs to take care of sisters. But we don't need to bleed the property owners and the bread-winners to do that," he said. "We just need to be more efficient."

He also said abortion and other social issues should not be the focus in Concord. He said he "will not force my opinion on the constituency. I'm a collaborative-type guy.

"I hate the petty bickering in the Legislature," Kennedy said. "I want to try to unite it. I believe I'm the bridge between the moderates and the two parties."

Kennedy said that "philosophically," he is "very close" to Gov. John Lynch, except for the fact that Lynch took the no-broad based-tax pledge in all four of his elections. He said he has been only "loosely" involved in party politics as a member of the Danbury Democratic Committee, "but I don't see that as a detriment."

State Democratic Party Raymond Buckley said today he knew little about Kennedy, adding, "I look forward to meeting him."

Kennedy, said, "John Lynch was a political neophyte as well" and yet was elected governor in his first attempt. Kennedy said he began seriously considering a candidacy in January.

Kennedy said he considers himself a "progressive" in the sense that he "look at alternatives," not in the sense that he is liberal in his views.

He said that the Republicans in the Legislature have cut the budget to the "bare bones," but said he believes even more efficiencies can be found.

"I've heard nothing but complaints from state workers about the sacrifices they've had to make," said Kennedy. "Granted, some are paid relatively well and have good benefits, but many are at the lower end of the spectrum and are just making ends meet."

Kennedy said the military rewards those who suggest more efficient ways of doing business, and, "I'd like to implement something like that" on the state level.

Kennedy said that as a member of the Air Force, he was on loan to the U.S. Border Patrol in Miami.

"I saw the most negative aspects of our effort to combat the drug menace," said Kennedy, who said he is "more liberal on marijuana. Our demon is meth, cocaine, heroin."

He said he also spent more than six months in Afghanistan in 2008 heading the training of Afghanis to become police officers.

Kennedy said he will run a grassroots campaign and has hired Tracy Lee Broderick of Nashua as his campaign manager.

State Republican Chairman Wayne MacDonald said this afternoon he is confident "that the Republican Party will re-take the governor's office in November because there is a sharp contrast between our two sides. The party of Jackie Cilley, Maggie Hassan and Barack Obama wants the government to control more of the people's money, while our party wants to continue its fight to reign in government growth and establish an environment that creates jobs."

QUICK TAKES:

- State Sen. Matthew Houde of Plainfield, one of just five Democrats in the state Senate, announced this week he won't seek a third term.

Democrat Brian Rapp, a Claremont firefighter and school board member has said he will run for the District 5 seat, while state Rep. David Pierce, D-Etna, is seriously considering it.

- Conservative activist Jennifer Horn is hosting Charlie Bass, who defeated her in 2010 2nd District U.S. House primary, for a private "tax day talk" at her Nashua home on April 15.

- Bill Binnie'sWentworth-by-the-Sea Country Club will host the second annual Republican Party Golf Tournament on May 14. Cost is $150 a person and sponsorships range from $150 to $750.

John DiStaso is senior political reporter of the New Hampshire Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News.

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