O'Brien, Bettencourt Respond to Shaheen Speech

On Nov. 5, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., , R-Mont Vernon, during a speech at the Jefferson Jackson Celebration in Windham.

In response to Shaheen, O'Brien issued a statement on Monday afternoon fighting back:

“As Governor, Senator Shaheen supported a statewide sales tax, passed laws that forced health insurance companies out of the state, signed huge, job-killing business tax hikes and implemented a legal strategy that led to the Claremont II decision, which has undercut local control of education.  She even managed to double state spending in just six years.  In Washington, Senator Shaheen’s record has been equally abysmal.  The non-partisan Citizens Against Government Waste gave her just a 7% rating, and the National Taxpayers Union rated her at 8% – a total and abject failure by any measure.

 “Given Jeanne Shaheen’s big government, tax-and-spend record, being attacked by her is a badge of honor.  However, what really has caused her to act in such an offensive manner is that fact that we are working to restore the New Hampshire Advantage by getting the budget that she exploded back under control, cutting taxes to grow our economy and to create jobs and working to resolve the school funding problems that she created.  We will continue to bring fiscal responsibility to Concord, even as she continues to work to bankrupt the federal budget in Congress.”

Also issuing a statement was N.H. House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt, R-Salem, saying that Democrats would "rather defer to the politics of personal destruction" as he too countered Shaheen:

“Jeanne Shaheen should not only apologize to the Speaker,  but to the 57% of the hard-working, productive New Hampshire residents who were not born here but have added to the great quality of life that we all enjoy.  Instead of discussing substantive issues, Jeanne Shaheen has fallen into the same attack mentality that President Barack Obama uses. Her offensive remarks show that Jeanne Shaheen has been ‘occupied’ by the left wing. Gone are the days when Democrats would talk openly and respectfully to the voters about their philosophies, instead they’d rather defer to the politics of personal destruction.  It's understandable that the left doesn’t want to discuss their tax and spend, big government policies because Granite Staters know we can no longer afford to advance the Obama Administration’s agenda, of which Jeanne Shaheen remains in lockstep. Further, Speaker O’Brien was in fact not born in Massachusetts but at Fort Dix while his father was fighting to defend America’s freedom in the Korean War.”

Shaheen's remarks came before a crowd of over 200 Democrats who vocally supported her during the speech.