60-40 NATION:

Sununu was clearly fired up to talk about the budget's fiscal policies. Asked to name the elements of the budget he believes will be most significant 10 years from now, he immediately answered the elimination of the interest and dividend tax cuts and the family medical leave program.

"It's the hidden income tax," Sununu said of the plan to phase out the interest and dividends tax over five years. He said eliminating it in New Hampshire "has been discussed for 40 years, but no one had the courage to do it.

"Finally we said, 'Look, people have to come first, not government.' And we found a way."

Sununu was even more enthusiastic about his paid family medical leave program, which is essentially a new state employee benefit paid for by taxpayers that is made available to private sector businesses and workers who want to opt-in.

"It's an innovative private-sector solution that is going to work at very little cost and everyone has choice, with no income tax. It's too good to be true," Sununu said.

Sununu is less excited to talk about the cultural issues inspiring most of the post-budget debate, but he didn't back down.

On the new abortion law, which ends New Hamsphire's outside-the-mainstream standing as a state with no restrictions on the procedure up to the day of birth, Sununu said he believes he's with the people.

"There is 20 percent [of the people] on both sides where abortion is the only issue," Sununu said. "Well, I'm kind of in that 60 percent of everybody else. I always find there's always a middle ground. So I'm pro-choice, but like most people, I've never supported the idea of late-term abortion."

Polls show more than 80 percent of Americans, including many self-identified pro-choice people, agree with Sununu. 

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