Submitted by TheGraniteMoose t3_127np70 in newhampshire

All politicians have their pros and cons. Some can have more pros than cons and ultimately it's subjective, but when taking into account a state’s economy, its roads, bridges, infrastructure, its public safety, the fiscal stability of state government, and the opportunity it affords its residents, do you think that New Hampshire has done well or not under the current Sununu governorship, why or why not?

Please try to stay respectful with each other and of other's stances.

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otiswrath t1_jef09e7 wrote

I generally felt like he was a more or less neutral political figure for a while. A little too much in bed with the resorts and money in the state but more or less harmless. I even voted for him once.

Then he started trying to appeal more and more to the MAGA crowd. Signing the abortion ban, pushing for public tax money to be given to religious schools, spending NH tax dollars to "secure our northern border" etc.

The thing that really pushed me over the edge was when Rep. Jim Spillane (R) was calling for his supporters to commit a home invasion on anyone with a BLM sign in their yard and Sununu utterly refused to call him out because they are in the same party.

If someone threatens violence on your constituents you call them out. I don't care what party you are in.

That was when I knew that he doesn't actually care about NH, he just wants to be president so bad that he will sell out every single one of us to get there.

Edit: Oh yeah, and he is also responsible for losing millions in tax revenue and causing many people in the state to have criminal records because of his 1950's perspective on marijuana.

Edit2: Also, let's not forget that he vetoed the bill that passed the House and Senate that would allow citizens affected by PFAS contamination to sue the companies responsible to cover the medical testing they will have to do for the rest of their lives.

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ForeverAgreeable2289 t1_jefyfvy wrote

This. For his first couple terms including while Mango Mussolini was in office, Sununu was as sane as Republicans got. He stayed out of the culture wars and wasn't a covidiot either. He tried to do right by New Hampshire and not get involved in national level BS as most of the country's GOP went full Q Cucks Klan.

Then Biden took office, and Sununu changed drastically. If you've been paying attention at all, it's like he's a totally different person since Jan 2021.

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Double-Abalone7052 t1_jef3sp7 wrote

Oh I forgot about that thing with Jim, that guy is so unhinged. Back in 2016 I remember dipping out of Portsmouth Facebook group because he was SCARY.

And yes I actually voted for Sununu once. But then he went off the rails

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otiswrath t1_jef6jzh wrote

Just a reminder, there are at least 2 Jim/James Spillane/Splaines in NH politics.

James Spillane is the Republican state rep from Deerfield who has been arrested and convicted of Domestic Violence, multiple DUIs, and Reckless Conduct. (I think that one was from when he was shooting squirrels in his neighborhood with a .50 muzzleloader). He is the one who called for violence against anyone with a BLM sign.

Then there is Jim Splaine from Portsmouth who is a well respected member of the political community and has served in the State Senate, House of Reps, and City Council. He also sponsored the bill that made same sex marriage legal in NH.

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tourdedance t1_jefg7n3 wrote

There’s no such thing as a neutral political figure these days unfortunately.

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GonzoTheGreat22 t1_jeg9dly wrote

I could not have said it any better. He was fine… pretty good even, but he’s leaned into MAGAness to hard for me.

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BiffWiff t1_jegi9hg wrote

He was on PBS a few weeks ago sounding extremely in-MAGA, and quite reasonable.

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beyond_hatred t1_jegykbp wrote

I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until the"Trump guy through and through" remark.

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slimyprincelimey t1_jefgw3u wrote

He earned my respect with the "abortion ban". 24 weeks is the sane, moderate, politically supported position. Which is why he won reelection after doing it.

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juicebronston t1_jegb061 wrote

It’s political theater at the expense of women’s rights; nobody is getting abortions after 24 weeks.

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slimyprincelimey t1_jegdddq wrote

Ok so nobody is getting them so it doesn't matter.

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juicebronston t1_jege6wm wrote

Exactly, which is why he didn’t need to sign it into law. By signing it into law, he’s performing political theater at the expense of women’s rights, like I said.

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Lys_Vesuvius t1_jefj4ci wrote

Which is still much more liberal than the majority of Europe, including France, England, Italy, and Spain

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blumpkinmania t1_jegj0vp wrote

Not really. There are so many exceptions to 24 weeks to make it mostly meaningless.

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Alantsu t1_jef2dzx wrote

I think he’s a POS for following the culture wars against trans and LGBTQ. He’s shown he’s more than willing to dump public education for a voucher system. He preaches living free but repeatedly vetos bill to legalize recreational cannabis because he wants the state to have full control, not the “free” people. He promoted raising an already extremely high property tax to give businesses more tax breaks. We have next to no access to mental health services. In all he keeps the state stagnant in hopes of being that “middle road” candidate which just means pro corporate policies with no real help to any of the people. Legacy politicians need to go.

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Double-Abalone7052 t1_jef4v9o wrote

Yeah I really think we should do something about the Nepo babies everywhere. Time to go

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n0v3list t1_jefglkv wrote

Seriously. If other people can’t see how the state has been negatively impacted by this fictitious partisan feud then I’m not sure how much their opinion matters. We need to take into consideration the welfare and needs of all state citizens, not just those who share your beliefs or your socioeconomic status. Even those I disagree with fundamentally I still consider at the voting booth.

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Ordinary_Variation10 t1_jefq9go wrote

What did he do with the culture against trans and LGBTQ? Not trying to start something, legitimately don't know.

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Alantsu t1_jefzxyx wrote

MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you going to engage on things like this? Like- like Sanders and DeSantis has in terms of issues on gender and issues of race?

GOV. SUNUNU: There should be absolute leadership on that, about what that's about. And this idea that, you know, you have to- you know, we have forced language, that we have forced ideas on our kids that we're going to force anything–-

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BiffWiff t1_jegiiy6 wrote

Meh, this is what you’re pissed about? Come on.

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Justice-Girl-369 t1_jeglxeg wrote

Literally, he probably wasn't trying to say anything that was problematic. Not easy being a politician and speaking on these societal issues.

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skigirl180 t1_jeh2djh wrote

He should have been prepared for this question. It's not like he is new to being a politician.

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Wiked_Pissah t1_jef1tz4 wrote

He is useless. Ineffectual as a policy maker and impotent as a leader would be about the best (nicest) words I can come up with to describe him. But, he isn't Trump or DeShithead so he has that going for him.

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Double-Abalone7052 t1_jef4q1u wrote

But the problem is that he aspires to be those guys. He called himself a Trump guy through and through, and he wants New Hampshire to be the Florida of the north. He’s not as crazy as those two because he doesn’t have the power to display it, but he aspires to be them.

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Wiked_Pissah t1_jef4y90 wrote

I can't argue with that. Sure as hell doesn't make me like him more. Hate is hate. And they are all full of it as far as I can see.

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seanwalter54321 t1_jego127 wrote

If you really think he aspires to be either one of them you’re to politically biased. He’s criticized both of them numerous times and stayed far more neutral than either of them.

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n0v3list t1_jefgu0h wrote

Is he not far removed? Anyone drawing a line in the sand should immediately be discredited.

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[deleted] t1_jef17qc wrote

[deleted]

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Double-Abalone7052 t1_jef4afn wrote

That’s what I thought too until he did an abortion ban and then started screaming about the northern border, as if that’s a problem lol

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slimyprincelimey t1_jefgrhk wrote

"abortion ban"

on pregnancies after 24 weeks

Which is the mainstream moderate opinion and comports with most other western nations policies.

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TitanCubes t1_jefiywu wrote

It’s not the mainstream moderate opinion, it’s the mainstream Democrat position. It’s pretty radical by international standards, most western nations have bans between 12 and 16 weeks.

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Able_Cunngham603 t1_jeg6jjp wrote

As a reminder for the arithmetically-challenged, 24 weeks is 6 MONTHS.

Preventing abortions after 6 months of pregnancy is hardly an abortion ban.

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[deleted] t1_jef72rj wrote

[deleted]

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Darwins_Dog t1_jefrqxf wrote

He went on the radio and bragged about his pro-life credentials after signing the law, so I think people are reacting to that as much as the actual law. The ban after 24 weeks is fairly reasonable imo, but bragging about signing the first ban in decades put a lot of people off.

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theroy12 t1_jeh3n37 wrote

Putting some spin on the ball to a core constituency after signing a pretty reasonable bill is out of bounds? That’s gonna disqualify a LOT of politicians if that’s the bar to clear

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JackSteele33 t1_jefgzrt wrote

It’s a moot point really…. You won’t find a doctor that will do an abortion after 24 weeks for non medical reasons anyways.

That’s pretty much been the industry standard forever. But it still makes peoples brains explode when they ban late term abortions.

Late term abortions for non medical reasons are not a thing and never have been.

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theroy12 t1_jeh4luf wrote

That’s not exactly true. The pro-choice Guttmacher Institute estimates ~12k per year, and most not bc of fetal abnormalities or danger to the mom. Small percent of overall abortions in the US, but still a fairly large number

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golemsheppard2 t1_jeezbyy wrote

I think he has done a good job being what most independents vote for him for. He's a tempering moderate. He's stated that he won't change our abortion laws despite attempts to legalize all abortions including late term and partial birth abortions, as well as republican attempts to push a ban beyond six weeks. He's kept it at 24 weeks, just like it was pre Dobbs. I appreciate that he's disappointed the fringes on both sides of the aisle.

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chain_me_up t1_jeg3zuy wrote

Daily reminder that late term/partial birth abortions are incredibly uncommon and only performed when absolutely necessary. Just about anyone having one of these procedures wanted their baby and got the worst news ever.

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NetHacks t1_jeg9wcg wrote

Take your facts and get them out of the way of peoples feelings.

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chain_me_up t1_jegai6m wrote

You're right, I'll replace them with thoughts and prayers

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GonzoTheGreat22 t1_jegabxf wrote

I’ll challenge only the last part. He has pandered more so to the MAGA crowd over the past term. Only one fringe seems to be disappointed.

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GlItCh017 t1_jef29kg wrote

Started off between good and meh. Now he's somewhere between meh and bad.

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alkatori t1_jef1ko2 wrote

Between Meh and Good.

He veto'd a lot of bad gun control proposals, which was good.

He's blocked marijuana legalization, which is bad.

He's both distanced himself from and tried to be a part of MAGA. He released something awhile back complaining about border security, which just... isn't an issue we are concerned about at all.

Otherwise he's been a very middle of the road candidate. He's easy to vote for because you see him resisting changing much. His opponents always run on a mix bag of positive + negative changes (at least to me and most people I know).

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n0v3list t1_jefh8ap wrote

Your sentiments are a clear indication we need an alternative to “easy to vote for”.

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alkatori t1_jefj01m wrote

I would love better alternatives. Especially at the higher levels of government.

I mean this is partly why I voted for President Biden. I'm not a fan but I found the other guy to be a toxic mess.

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prestigious_delay_7 t1_jef2my5 wrote

I feel like the border issue is something he does for political grandstanding, but all politicians do that so I don't care. It doesn't seem like it'd be an issue that would affect me in any meaningful way so I shouldn't listen to people that make an issue about it.

I do wish he would change his stance on marijuana legalization though.

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Double-Abalone7052 t1_jef4gn9 wrote

I actually do care if our politicians are spending time and money screeching about the Canadian border when it’s not an issue. I also care when homeland security or immigration or whoever does it starts pulling people over on 93 up there without probable cause just because it’s within 100 miles of the border. I have a huge problem with that and I don’t even drive up there it’s just wrong

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prestigious_delay_7 t1_jef5hy8 wrote

I agree with your stance, especially to your point about border security searching people within 100 mi of the border. But if I was looking for perfection from my politicians I will never be happy. I can easily find something to dislike about every single one of them, so I need to focus on issues that are actually important to me and northern border security is near the bottom of the list.

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V1198 t1_jef5mwx wrote

He’s in the seat because of his father, basically nepotism, and he’s got nearly nothing to show for his time in power. How he clings on is beyond me and his image as a moderate is a paper thin mask that’s easily peeled away.

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juicebronston t1_jegcbgo wrote

Pretty much how I feel. Would he be elected governor if his last name wasn’t Sununu? No way.

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NHGuy t1_jefv7xs wrote

He was voted in so it's not nepotism. Name recognition got him those votes.

And for those who are incapable of interjecting their own assumptions into things...I'm not defending him, just clarifying that that's not what nepotism is

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SellingCoach t1_jef6dpp wrote

He's OK, just the way I like my NH governors. I'm a Republican but more like Republican Light (same great taste, fewer calories) so I prefer as little BS as possible out of the governor's office.

My favorite gov was probably Lynch even though he was a Democrat. I voted for him every time he ran. Cool dude.

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largeb789 t1_jef9vz2 wrote

I wish more politicians were like Lynch.

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The_Road_is_Calling t1_jeg0ul5 wrote

Any high level politician who drives himself around in his personally owned minivan is okay in my book.

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CupcakeFreedom t1_jef20rn wrote

He’s predictable in that he’s going to give politician answers and try to look good on a national stage. Very little change, it feels like we’ve been frozen in time since he’s been in office. Also predictable in that you can tell his Dad still has his ear, doesn’t want to anger old conservatives and we as a state end up behind on everything. You pick an issue and I’ll show you a neighboring state doing it better. Education, Transportation, Freedom (lol) etc etc

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Woofde t1_jegr48f wrote

Sure on specific issues other states may do certain things better, but we have the best overall state in the area. Maine, Mass and VT have areas they seriously lack, while I don't think we have anything that's horrible persay

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Serenla87 t1_jef6o1z wrote

He clearly learned at his Dad's knee and he is like Teflon. It doesn't matter what I believe which is he's a grifting sell out who sold our kids Education system for a bite of power, folks love him.

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Ok-Championship1993 t1_jefj94g wrote

He’s MAGA curious. He needs to go.

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Woofde t1_jegr8y8 wrote

If Dems would stop putting idiots on the opposition I'd agree.

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Ok_Nobody4967 t1_jefl35p wrote

Insidious. He portrays himself as a moderate, yet he has done a number of demonstrating more extremist behavior.

  1. Banning abortion after 20 weeks. My opinion is that it is no one’s business. I have known women who had to go out of state for an abortion because their fetus had fatal abnormalities. This decision should be up to the patient and doctor. Government has no business in people’s business.

  2. Department of Education. He appointed Edelbutt to be the secretary. A man who homeschools his children and has never had any experience in public education. His policies of school choice is aimed to defund our already suffering schools. Those who could well afford private schools can dip into that money.

  3. Appointments to the state Supreme Court. The conservative judges have been sideline with corporations—look at the St. Gobain’s water pollution fiasco. Merrimack residents are unable to get the aid they need for the contaminated water that St. Gobain created. This is just one example of what the state Supreme Court has done.

  4. Cutting taxes to corporations and the rich, while cutting services. Our social service safety net for our state’s most fragile has suffered. Children, elderly and mentally ill people have had numerous cuts in services, while others enjoy tax cuts.

  5. Refusal to legalize marijuana. I personally do not partake of the drug. I appreciate its benefits for those who benefit from it. Legalizing it, the state could reap the benefits from taxation. I personally think that we could have had dispensaries that were state run, just like our liquor stores.

  6. He seems to think that if he gets photo ops around the state, that’s governing.

  7. He has flip flopped over quite a few issues.

Those are just a few off the top of my head.

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goingonago t1_jegde6k wrote

Number 2 is what I was looking for someone to say.

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paraplegic_T_Rex t1_jefn5x5 wrote

He pretended to be neutral for a long time and then sold out to the MAGA crowd. The guy has absolutely no conviction on anything except his “reefer madness” stance on marijuana, and he’s utterly useless as a leader. He’s just a figure head.

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chain_me_up t1_jefkbtp wrote

Not a fan. Fuck him for the abortion ban, he doesn't care about LGBTQIA+ protections/rights, mental health services are absolutely abysmal here, he wants to bail out businesses more than help his citizens, he constantly vetoes marijuana bills since it means the state wouldn't be able to run their monopoly like the liquor stores, and he wants to appeal to the MAGA idiots. Frankly I don't understand why so many people vote for him.

Edit to add: He's not calling out these ridiculous book bans or parents begging to not let their kids know that some kids have 2 mommies/daddies and supports vouchers instead of our crippled public education. Surprised he's not calling out drag queens yet with the lot of them.

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jgren91 t1_jef13aa wrote

Could be better could be worse. I voted for him twice but he lost me last election. I feel he needs to start rolling with the times on some things and listen to what the people actually want even though he doesn't approve

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VenserSojo t1_jef33i1 wrote

Meh-Good, he's generally okay and the alternatives have been absolute shit so I'll vote for him, my only real gripe is weed money being loss due to the desire for a state dispensary or nothing.

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Double-Abalone7052 t1_jef50xf wrote

Weed money is even being lost in the medical card program because it’s so expensive in New Hampshire most of us just drive to Maine.

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Double-Abalone7052 t1_jef3ln2 wrote

I was OK with him until he did the abortion ban, and then when he went on TV shouting about the northern border I lost any respect for him that I had. Totally ridiculous

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Zachisawinner t1_jefd7tl wrote

He was meh until he starting kissing Trumps ass. Now he can line up to suck my dick.

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Rooster_Local t1_jefiitv wrote

Fine? In that he hasn’t done anything drastic and mostly seems to try to keep things calm, I guess. That feels like what most NHites look for in a governor anyway. NH is a very conservative state in the literal sense of the word… ie people seem to just not want stuff messed with too much.

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notadaleknoreally t1_jefjl7u wrote

He’s a legacy name with charm.

But skills as a politician? Not so much. He can’t negotiate his way out of a wet paper bag.

As a party leader he has shown to be ineffective at leading his party.

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Oakley7677 t1_jefabme wrote

Very good. He has done a good job balancing the left and right, and finding common ground. I also think he did a good job handling covid for the same reasons.

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jimsensei t1_jeff1lc wrote

Sununu is gearing up to run for president, and when he does h is going to try to position himself as the adult in the room. But when you scratch the surface he's no different than DeSantis and the like; anti-abortion, anti-public education, anti-marijuana, pro-corporations, and pro- 1%.

Just because he's not foaming at the mouth to go after trans kids doesn't mean he's a good guy.

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MidwestBulldog t1_jefosc5 wrote

I'm old enough to remember when his Dad used to excoriate the Kennedys for dynasty politics. A man who worked for both Bush presidencies.

Yet here we are today talking about his son, the governor.

We could use fewer nepo babies in American politics. Not all of them, like the Sununus, have your best interests at the forefront of their agenda. Plus, the kid is a bland Trump.

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ParadigmCG t1_jeghaxk wrote

He's historically been a good representation of NH at large.

Recently NH has moved a little socially left and his stance on weed has everyone mad.

Currently I think a slightly more left and slightly more socially-libertarian would be more representative of NH.

Taxes are important, social services are important. The books kids can read, the way people dress, a person having an abortion, a person smoking weed, etc is not something the government should even comment on, let alone hold sway over.

Lots of angry right wing people deny the shift but it's just that -- denial.

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Undaedalus t1_jefez0v wrote

He's a nepo baby who thinks he's entitled to be governor because his dad was pretty popular 40 years ago.

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NHGuy t1_jefvfcf wrote

Again, it's not nepotism if voters vote you in on name recognition

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averageduder t1_jegc6d5 wrote

Like a 5-6/10 if I ignore the abortion stuff and his appointment if edelblut.

Edelblut is unqualified and a fucking idiot , and even if Sununu was lynch that appointment alone is enough to take him down.

I hope he receives a real challenge in 24.

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dojijosu t1_jefgli8 wrote

Neutral in the worst possible way. What he sells as moderation is actually just that he has no compunction in going whatever way the political winds blow at any given time, even if they are blowing two ways at once.

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shortieXV t1_jefodzo wrote

Dude is a turd. Vetoed bills that would have improved voters rights so he is taking away my power which I dislike.

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bingqiling t1_jeforzm wrote

He's just so out of touch with the reality of people's day to day lives. I'm tired of the ultra wealthy horrding their money and making decisions just in the interest of other rich people....it's especially frustrating how NH politics is set up, you basically either have to be incredibly wealthy (so you don't need a job) or reitred to be involved at the state level....

He could be a lot worse, but I feel like the bar for the people that represent us and are supposed to be making decisions to benefit us is unbelievably low....

Biggest frustration is how he will not legalize marijuana, which would generate revenue and the state could support reducing property taxes, it's ridiculous. We have an aging population with many on fixed incomes and here is a clear bi-partisan solution to help people.

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Ordinary_Variation10 t1_jefpkk6 wrote

All in all good. The State needs to start to address the mental health issue in the State, specifically State-run hospitals for the mentally ill. Time to get the homeless situation under control.

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puellasedet22 t1_jeg0p0j wrote

He sided with St. Gobain by vetoing the House and Senate bill to allow medical monitoring in NH. His NH Supreme Court refused to look at the facts and took his side. He’s got to go if he won’t stand up for all the citizens who were poisoned by St. Gobain.

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toddart t1_jeg5tbv wrote

Bad - He pretends to be moderate but is so far up the right wings ass it’s crazy.

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smartest_kobold t1_jef2ycn wrote

Maintaining the status quo and some self serving policies. Average?

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tracymartel_atemyson t1_jefldnc wrote

he’s a middle of the road fiscal conservative. i’ll take him over the other crazy ones out there that are banning peoples rights and targeting children. I think he’s an okay example of NH and live free or die for now. he should consider legalizing weed because the state is really missing out on a HUGE payday. but i’m only like a year in to NH and moved from Florida so it’s refreshing here in my opinion

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GazuGaming t1_jefto3u wrote

Definitely not positive, depends on how low one’s expectations were/are

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bp67293 t1_jeg0461 wrote

Sununu is fine and fits NH. That’s really all it is. “I love my trans son and my AR-15” energy

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bigladydragon t1_jeg2zp1 wrote

He’s moderate and not a total jerk like desantis and other Republican governors, having said that I only vote straight democratic so I wouldn’t vote for him. He will turn full on maga if he thought it would help him with his presidential aspirations, so be careful of his moderate facade, it’s simply just that.

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Jean-Paul_Sartre t1_jeg5cgq wrote

Rather him than whatever nutcase the GOP would have nominated in his place.

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Quirky_Butterfly_946 t1_jeg8rqs wrote

I think he is doing a good job. But then again all I have to go by is the disaster call MA

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NetHacks t1_jeg9bpb wrote

The reason that new hampshire is where it is today is because this administration has never had a plan for the economy, housing, or energy that had a direction as to where we're going. In the middle of a huge natural gas shortage, we're now seeing why having almost all of our power plants being natural gas is a bad idea. On top of that we're struggling to get net zero for solar moved up from one MW to 5 MW. While every state around us builds its way out of an energy crisis, we sit here and hope it will all blow over. Hassan and the democrats should have worked towards a solution for northern pass. But once that didn't go through, we needed another solution and we instead got nothing. Now we just shut down power plants with no plans on what to do down the road.

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Greyskies405 t1_jegbryd wrote

Good during COVID, an opportunist shill most of the time otherwise

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piscatator t1_jegtesi wrote

I really can’t think of much that he has done. He did buck his party when they got a little extreme on Covid. I am against the whole delicensing idea. Honestly what I have learned over the years living in NH is that State government does very little in general and that includes the Governor.

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BlackJesus420 t1_jef11co wrote

He’s been good. Not great, but good. And given the array of psychos the GOP has on offering, he continues to be a breath of fresh air.

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akmjolnir t1_jefdppl wrote

He could be a lot worse for the state and its citizens, but it'd be a lot cooler if he was better.

I think there's a lot of people that have never lived outside of NH, and haven't had the luxury of living in a truly shitty state, like Texas or South Carolina.

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UnfairAd7220 t1_jeg59cf wrote

On a 'net basis' he's been OK. He hasn't increased gov't control of anything, so that's welcome.

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Dependent_Season_669 t1_jegf9fh wrote

I initially liked him at first, but I changed my mind during COVID. I'm a teacher and felt as though he left us all high and dry during the heat of the pandemic. Not to mention the private school voucher debacle. He's definitely not the WORST, but I have lost respect for him for sure.

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theroy12 t1_jeh3ado wrote

Kept the state largely open and my kids in school (yes I know that’s a simplification) but I’ll always be grateful for that

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BrianOKaneMaximumFun t1_jegptr4 wrote

Personally, I think he is the worst governor in the country. Between the business shutdowns, the mask mandates, the stay-at-home orders, and what he did to the NH Nine. I'm a libertarian/conservative and would rather have a Democrat. At least they are honest about who they are and don't pretend to be conservative.

0