Activists Say Bass Should Vote to Raise Taxes on the Wealthy: VIDEO

Political activists hoping to influence New Hampshire’s two “lame duck” Representatives to Congress held protests on Dec. 28, calling on them to vote on a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff that would raise taxes on the wealthy.

Supporters of The Action, a joint venture NH Citizens Alliance for Action and Granite State Progress, which hopes to rescind tax cuts for households making more than $250,000 annually, staged the protests at the office of U.S. Rep. Charles Bass, R-NH-CD2 on North Main Street in Concord, as well as U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta’s office in Manchester. 

“Our message here today to Congressman Bass is that we want him to demonstrate leadership,” Melissa Bernardin, a field organizer with the effort, said. “The U.S. House has not demonstrated leadership … the people of New Hampshire want him to go back to D.C. and support a deal. Specifically, revenue has to be a part of it, to solve this. The wealthiest Americans have to pay their fair share.”

The protesters also complained that they had been unable to reach Bass about their concerns saying his regional offices were closed, email wasn't being answered, and voicemail boxes were full. A visual inspection of his Concord office, located just about the doorway where the protesters were located, confirmed that it was closed and empty.

According to Stephanie DuBois, a Bass spokeswoman, his Concord was closed last week “to provide sufficient time for the agency to prepare for the transition to the new Congress.” The D.C. office closed at the end of November and there are “limited resources to check and respond to inquiries” at his website. Snail mail though is still being received in D.C., in order to ensure that cases “are properly dealt with for constituents needing assistance.”

On the fiscal cliff issue, DuBois said Bass was “committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to prevent our nation from going over the fiscal cliff and believes that both parties must consider all options and issues as we work to resolve this.” She noted that he supported “the only bipartisan budget earlier this year, modeled after the Simpson-Bowles Commission's recommendations, to reduce the deficit through tax reform and spending reductions.”

Bass also “signed a letter to House Leadership earlier this month with many of his Republican and Democratic colleagues calling for all options for mandatory and discretionary spending and revenues to be on the table during the discussions," DuBois said.