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On Twitter, It Took Mere Minutes For GOP To Blast Gov. Hassan's Compromise Plan

Twitter

More than anywhere else, New Hampshire political news breaks and is debated swiftly on Twitter. That includes tweets not just from reporters, but from the politicians themselves. Of course, all of this can be followed using the hashtag #nhpolitics.

Here's how news of Gov. Maggie Hassan's budget compromise unfolded on Twitter through the day. 

9:26 a.m.: Gov. Hassan announces her plan to present a compromise budget as an attempt to end the gridlock in Concord that allowed for the 2016 fiscal year to begin without a new spending plan.  The plan included the much-maligned business tax cuts Hassan criticized in her veto of the budget. But to offset the projected loss in revenue from those cuts, Hassan included a 21-cent increase to the cigarette tax and a $5 increase the car registration fee.

It didn't take long for the New Hampshire Republican Party leaders to pounce.

Credit Twitter

9:49: The New Hampshire Republican Party blasts Gov. Hassan for holding a press conference to unveil her budget proposal without inviting any Republicans. The party uses the hashtag #fraud."

10:03: Rep. Al Baldasaro, a Londonderry Republican, took only about half an hour to shoot down Hassan's plan, writing "Tax & Spend Maggie wants a compromise. MORE TAXES ON HARD WORKING PEOPLE! SHAMEFUL #NHPOLITICS #NHGOP

Credit Twitter

10:10: Activist organizations quickly began weighing in. The NH CleanTech Council tweeted, "Thank you @GovernorHassan for revised budget proposal restoring all dedicated renewable energy funds #nhpolitics

10:19: More backlash from Republicans, less than an hour after Gov. Hassan presented her plan. A Tweet from Amherst Republicans: "Wow! @GovernorHassan budget proposal is <> higher taxes! How innovative. #TaxinHassan #NHpolitics #IfItMovesTaxIt

10:42: Still, Democrat supporters like Katherine Rogers, a Concord representative, continued to defend Hassan's plan, tweeting, "Gov's plan has GOP priority tax cuts on faster timeline while protecting states long-term fiscal outlook #nhpolitics."

Credit Twitter

But by 11:06, it was clear Hassan's attempt at compromise would do little to break the budget stalemate in Concord and was likely dead on arrival. The New Hampshire House Republicans made their feelings clear in a tweet: ".@GovernorHassan spends $100m more in part by raising taxes and vehicle reg. fees. #nhpolitics"

So it only took about an hour in the world of social media for Gov. Hassan to present her plan, for New Hampshire Republicans to blast it and accuse her of a political stunt, and make it clear the state's budget gridlock is not going to end anytime soon.

Michael serves as NHPR's Program Director. Michael came to NHPR in 2012, working as the station's newscast producer/reporter. In 2015, he took on the role of Morning Edition producer. Michael worked for eight years at The Telegraph of Nashua, covering education and working as the metro editor.
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