Radio Daze: Speaker O'Brien on 'The Exchange'

It was quite a performance by state House Speaker Bill O'Brien yesterday on New Hampshire Public Radio. In just one hour with Laura Knoy on 'The Exchange,' O'Brien claimed the tobacco tax cut has not reduced revenue, attacked UNH professors as inefficient and unproductive, defended guns in the State House, criticized police for opposing "stand your ground" legislation, defended gay marriage repeal as an act of fiscal responsibility, accused Democrats of a war on religion and labeled Concord Monitor reporters as Democratic propagandists.

On the University of New Hampshire:

"Its workers are inefficient and unproductive. They don't teach as many hours as they can. ... We have instructors over there that teach 8-10 hours and take long sabbaticals."

On guns in the State House:

"There's a reason that New Hampshire doesn't have metal detectors at the entrance way of the State House. That's because it's not a gun-free zone and therefore it's not an unsafe zone as you find in other areas where guns are prohibited."

On marriage equality:

"If our families are weak, then we'll never be able to have final fiscal responsibility. Because if government needs to step up for weakened families, then there's going to be an unlimited call on government resources. ... One thing that makes our families strong is a traditional definition of marriage."

On reproductive rights:

"There just is not a war on women. What there is, is the local Democrat [sic] party carrying forward the national message in order to try to solidify a position with women, and they're doing it by having a war on religion -- a war on the Catholic Church."

On the Concord Monitor:

"If they choose to be propagandists for the other party, then they have to understand that no one is going to look at them as legitimate journalists, and we have no obligation to treat them that way. ... They have to engage in responsible reporting and they haven't done any of that."