Foster’s Daily Democrat Endorses Jeb Bradley

In Washington our political leaders can’t seem to agree on the time of day let alone on bipartisan legislation aimed at resolving the many problems facing our country. In Concord, such is not the case. We have one of the most honest and truly bipartisan state budgets in a long time — sans smoke and mirrors. A bipartisan solution was found to avoid a potential $400 million hit to state coffers over a Medical Enhancement Tax lawsuit. And both parties were able to agree on a responsible way to offer health insurance to thousands of previously uninsured Granite Staters under the Affordable Care Act. So what’s the difference, you ask, between Congress and New Hampshire’s Legislature? There are many, but one difference is Jeb Bradley, who is running for re-election to the state Senate from District 3. Bradley has been around the political block enough times to know you don’t get anything done if you constantly pontificate and put ideology first. Just saying no is not a solution. It wasn’t when Bradley was in the U.S. House of Representatives and it hasn’t been since he began serving in the state Senate. It is a point made when we endorsed Bradley for state Senate in 2012: “In Congress and since, Bradley has served as a voice for common sense Granite Staters who value frugal yet productive government. “Working with the Republican majority in the state Senate, Bradley helped temper some excesses of the overly aggressive House, led by Speaker Bill O’Brien. This allowed middle ground to be found on some issues such as pension reform for state employees. In other cases, to include the House effort to deregulate guns, the Senate was able to stop myriad bills dead in their tracks. “Bradley is someone who chose not to take the veto-proof majority in the Senate and abuse it. He is someone who understands the need to work across the aisle.” The betting this time around is that the GOP will again control both the House and Senate, perhaps by strong enough majorities to hold similar sway. This makes it that much more important for level-headed leaders — like Bradley — to continue to guide the Senate and temper excesses regardless of who holds sway in either chamber. For those who have followed our editorial endorsements over the years, you may recall a re-occurring theme — be comfortable in your own skin. It refers to someone who knows who they are, what they stand for and how to go about accomplishing their goals in an orderly fashion. Over the many years of following state politics and the goings-on in Concord, we have seen only a relative handful of such leaders. Some have become governors and some have gone on to serve in Washington. But few have returned to put their bounty of knowledge and expertise to work again on behalf of the Granite State and its people as has Bradley As a result, we are urging readers, in the strongest terms possible, to return Bradley to Concord and the state Senate. Senate District 3 is comprised of Albany, Bartlett, Brookfield, Chatham, Conway, Eaton, Effingham, Freedom, Hale’s Location, Hart’s Location, Jackson, Madison, Middleton, Milton, Moultonborough, Ossipee, Sandwich, Tamworth, Tuftonboro, Wakefield, Waterville Valley and Wolfeboro.