Much of the political blog news over the weekend involved the American Spectator article by Angelo Codevilla about the ruling class mentality from both elected Republicans and Democrats. I have little doubt he has a point, but it is going to be hard to sell in NH. Our Republican Senators over the last two decades have been John Sununu, Judd Gregg, Bob Smith, Gordon Humphrey - all yearly winners of "taxpayer friend" awards for spending little on their own offices, keeping away from graft and patronage, and consistently voting for small government. These guys were on this decades ago. It used to be part of our character up here. Our big Washington corruption scandal was in 1958, and centered around the gift of a fur coat. (We got a new great ski resort out of Adams' firing, though.)
So we don't share the throw-them-all-out attitude up here as much as we might. Perhaps we should though, now that 40% of our population comes "from away," especially Massachusetts (and not even Republican areas of MA like Scituate or Sudbury). We've not only elected a Democratic earmarking cipher like Jeanne Shaheen, but looking at Craig Benson (a New Yorker), elect a deteriorated form of Republican now as well. I credit Democrat John Lynch for being a throwback incorruptible.
Given all that, maybe we will recognise what we've lost and stress integrity again. But the dissatisfaction isn't in our bones as it is in other places.
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