News

Politicians make final push, offer vision forward

By Jordan J. Phelan
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HANOVER — A number of politicians — each in races of their own on Election Day — made a final visit to the Upper Valley in anticipation of Tuesday’s vote to discuss key issues and the future of the nation, regardless of the presidential election outcome.

On Saturday, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts traveled to Keene and Lebanon as part of her Vote Now literature drop tour in support of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California before hosting a brief conversation with local Hanover students to encourage young Americans to show up to the polls.

“This is how we hold those in power accountable,” said Warren to a group of students outside Lou’s Restaurant and Bakery along Main Street in Hanover.

In an interview with the Eagle Times, Warren elaborated on a number of issues ranging from mail-in voting to support for the Fourth Estate that she believes will need to be addressed whether Biden is elected or Trump is reelected.

For Warren, mail-in and absentee voting, which has played a large role in the record turnout expected in this year’s election cycle, can use some work to perfect for future elections.

“I believe we need voting reforms,” Warren said. “That should be a very high priority for the new Congress and we need to make sure that adequate resources go into everything from the design of the ballot to ensuring that every single ballot that’s cast gets counted. That’s an important federal priority and it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure that every American citizen gets access to voting. So that’s partly about passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, but it’s about much more. It’s also about the safety and security of all of our votes.”

The Harvard University law professor also commented on the media industry and its struggle to stay afloat during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. As newspapers that were already pushed to their financial brink prior to the pandemic continue to cut jobs or close entirely, most news first generated and reported on the local level, which offers imperative information that educates voters on policy changes and ballot measures that directly impact their community, has also begun to disappear.

“I believe that local coverage is powerfully important. I understand why we need national coverage, but local coverage is what holds both national elected officials but also state and local elected officials accountable. And without it, our democracy cannot function,” Warren said. “We’re going to have to find other ways to support local media financially and make clear to everyone how local news is a critical part of the functioning democracy.”

On police brutality and a nationwide plea for further transparency, Warren called on Congress to do their part.

“I believe in transparency,” Warren said. “[Congress has] a bill that has passed the House but Mitch McConnell won’t bring it to a vote in the Senate that would put in place some basic policing reforms all across this nation to help keep everyone safe.”

Warren also discussed the importance of the late former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsgurg not just on the bench but as a symbol for young Americans.

“Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump rammed through a Supreme Court nominee — that’s fundamentally wrong,” Warren said. “It is the last gasp of a Republican Party that knows that its extremist views are not shared by the majority of people across this country and they’re trying to find a way to tilt the courts even further in their direction. That’s not what our Supreme Court was designed to do. We need a supreme court that is less political and more independent.”

Warren, who served as special advisor to the secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, chose not to comment on recent reports by Politico that say the Massachusetts senator would like to be a part of Biden’s cabinet as Treasury secretary if he wins the election.

“I am putting all of my energy into this election,” Warren said.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire visited the owners of Time Out Americana Grill and Claremont residents on Friday to discuss the impact of the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic on small businesses and how continued fighting for an additional COVID relief package is needed across the country.

“From the beginning of this pandemic, I have been fighting to make sure small businesses and local communities on the frontlines get the support they urgently need,” Shaheen said. “When COVID-19 hit the economy, I worked across the aisle to make sure New Hampshire small businesses had the help they needed to keep their doors open. The Paycheck Protection Program we created has helped keep thousands of small businesses like Time Out Americana Grill afloat and their employees paid during this crisis. But businesses, hospitals, and local governments are still struggling, and I’ve been calling for another round of COVID relief that would provide meaningful aid for New Hampshire.”

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire met with business owners in Hanover and New London to discuss their COVID-19 operations, and how the government can best support them as we build back from this pandemic.

“Our New Hampshire businesses have demonstrated such fierce resilience and ingenuity throughout this pandemic,” Kuster said. “It is so incredible to meet with small business owners and community leaders to hear about how they have changed their operations to meet this new COVID-19 economy and adapt to safety standards. As we continue to build back, it is so important that we offer these small businesses support so they can stay open and continue serving our communities, and that’s what I’m fighting for in Congress and why I am urging my colleagues to come back to the negotiating table to get a relief package passed.”

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