Candidates talk shop, drink coffee

29th June 2008

Candidates talk shop, drink coffee

By KYLE STUCKER Staff Writer
kstucker@nashuatelegraph.com

HOLLIS – Political platforms and campaign cornerstones were sandwiched between bagels and coffee Saturday morning as community members were able to get up close and personal with the state's Republican congressional candidates.

Second District candidates Grant Bosse, Bob Clegg, Jennifer Horn and Jim Steiner made an appearance at Lawrence Barn Community Center for "Coffee with the Candidates," which was designed to give voters a better understanding of each candidate.

Steiner said he would draw from the military style of camaraderie to work for the American people instead of special interest groups. His military experience sets him apart from the other candidates and the current Congress, as a former Green Beret has never been elected to Congress.

"I bring a foundation where my body and my mind . . . has been tested time and time again," Steiner said.

The common topics batted around over refreshments included offshore drilling, alternative energy sources and reducing federal taxes to boost small businesses and workers.

Each candidate expressed a desire to lift current domestic oil-drilling restrictions, although Nathan Rines, a Hollis resident, said he was persuaded by Horn's policy on alternative energy and foreign oil limitation.

"She knows how to fix the energy problem," said Rines, 27, who hadn't decided which candidate to support prior to speaking with Horn.

Horn said she plans to get rid of old regulations that restrict offshore drilling, as well as nuclear power development.

"I believe that we can do better," Horn said.

"The system is broken. It no longer serves the American people. It does not serve the people it was created to work for to begin with. I think we can change the system."

In addition to oil-drilling restrictions, Bosse said there is another piece of legislation interfering with the American way of life. Bosse wants to fully restore the Second Amendment and pass legislation that would allow gun owners to carry weapons on federal land, as well as over state lines, without prosecution.

"We're essentially telling people they don't have a right to defend themselves," said Bosse, referring to current restrictions on certain weapons.

Clegg, currently a Republican state senator, began his speech discussing the various accolades of members of the current Congress, such as degrees and levels of experience.

Even with their intellectual backgrounds, he said, one quality is absent in Congress and a drastic change is needed to fix current problems, such as the economy.

"With all those smarts, how come they can't balance the federal budget?" Clegg said. "They can't balance the federal budget because they have no common sense."

The breakfast was hosted by the town GOP committee and also featured Republican candidates running for other state offices, as well as U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who is running unopposed in the primary and will likely face former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen in the general election.