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Balls v. no balls: John Adler, you did this to yourself

by: Rosi Efthim

Fri Mar 19, 2010 at 01:03:30 PM EDT

balls -noun: Ron C. Rice

From facebook:

Ronald C. Rice: Message To Wavering Congressional DEMS: With this information, please grow a backbone and pass what we sent you to DC to do in the first place. Rep. Adler, we are watching, please don't let NJ and those that supported you when you supported President Obama down [snip]
Ronald C. Rice:... and that's why you can start calling his opponent Congressman Runyan. I rather have a Republican in that seat that I know is a an actual Republican than one that supports Obama and progressive politics to get elected and then acts like a Repug. Good riddance to him and all fair weather DEMS, we hardly knew ye all.

What the hell does it say about the re-election chances of the hard-won candidacy of Rep. John Adler, when an almost comically insubstantial candidate like Football Republican Jon Runyan can issue a testosterone-charged message like You can run but you can't hide as he did when he formally got into the race last night. And have it all be taken seriously. Which, it is - and should be - but only because of how Adler squandered his own chances, and poorly served the people who needed him most.

Runyan? Really? Burlington County voting records show he registered as a Republican November 10, 2009, 1 day before the news that he was his county's choice to lead the charge against Adler. Between 2000, the year Runyan registered to vote in Burlington, and 2008,

Runyan only voted in 5 general elections, sitting out 4. He has no record of money contributed to political candidates. Some football players are very smart - my father was - so this isn't about football-players-are-dimwits. But there's nothing in this guy's record or history that suggests he's even a particularly civic-minded citizen, let alone a man who should be deciding national policy.

And yet, this is who the Burlington and Ocean GOP (who are not as lost as last time) and the GOP in that little slice of Camden County have put their faith in to beat Adler.

And - wow - if that wasn't enough, it is Adler who's earning high praise from the Tea Party people. And now Americans for Prosperity, led in NJ by Steve Lonegan, is taking credit for Adler's stubborn refusal to enact health care reform, citing AFP-led rallies in Toms River and Marlton supporting Adler for not changing his vote.

Great. We've got Tea Party and AFP activists overjoyed with Adler, and the incumbent himself thumbing his nose at his party. And stronger politicians - like Newark's Councilman Rice - openly challenging him.

John Adler, you walked away from your responsibility to the people who needed you most in your District (Adam will have more on this) and played right into the hands of the far-right. I don't know who's going to knock themselves out for you this time, congressman. I do know quite a few people who were there for you last time, who will not be there for you again. Nicely played.

Rosi Efthim :: Balls v. no balls: John Adler, you did this to yourself

Tags: John Adler, jon runyan, health care reform, (All Tags)

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Balls v. no balls: John Adler, you did this to yourself | 8 comments

Adler's arrogant chickens coming home to roost (4.00 / 1)

The first time that I ever met John Adler (we might have crossed paths when I was working for Jim Florio in 2000 and spending a lot of time in South Jersey, but I do not remember) was in the Spring of 2003 when he was a surrogate for John Kerry and Reed Gusciora was a surrogate for Howard Dean and they were debating surrogates from some of the other Presidential candidates. After the debate, which Reed won decisively, I had the opportunity to talk to Adler and ask him why he was supporting Kerry over Dean.

His obscenely arrogant answer was "I only support winners. For as long as I have been active in Democratic politics, I have only supported winners and Howard Dean doesn't have a chance in hell of winning the Democratic nomination." When I asked him when he got his start, he said, "1972 with the McGovern campaign," to which I responded, "Wasn't McGovern as much of a longshot when he first started running as Howard Dean is now?" He said, "Of course, but Democrats have learned a lot since then and they are never going to support another McGovern ever again."

Needless to say, I didn't like John Adler very much back then and one of the worst aspects of losing to John Kerry, aside from nominating another Mike Dukakis, was seeing his smug face at the 2004 NJDSC Conference in Atlantic City. That said, my opinion of him definitely improved when he proved himself to be a true champion of marriage equality during the 2007 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on civil unions when he expressed a reticence to support the bill, because it wasn't marriage.

This is why I was so happy when he was an early supporter of Barack Obama's against Hillary Clinton and was even going to take one for the team by being willing to leave the power and prestige of a safe State Senate seat for the questionable future of a very tough Congressional seat. And while I was fearful about losing his liberalism in the State Senate where it was really needed, I was still happy for him when he won in November 2008. The last thing that I ever expected to see was this once proud liberal, as arrogant as he was, become the shell of his former self that he has. It is truly sad.

Undoubtably, losing John Adler and replacing him with James Beach in the State Senate was a tremendous loss to the progressive community, but losing John Adler completely the way that we have over the last year-plus is worse than anything we could have ever imagined. As it turns out, the State Senate's loss was just as much the House's loss as well.

by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Fri Mar 19, 2010 at 19:14:30 PM UTC

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Do we need to settle for Adler as the nominee? (0.00 / 0)

Is there anyone out there in the Progressive community willing to take on John Adler in a primary, or is the election calendar too far down the road for that to happen?

Blog: http://www.deciminyan.org

by: deciminyan @ Fri Mar 19, 2010 at 20:08:00 PM UTC

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Draft Jay Lassiter for U.S. Congress (0.00 / 0)

I believe that Jay lives in the district.

Otherwise, I doubt that any of the people who were soundly defeated by Jim Saxton over the last decade have any interest in taking him on.

by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 01:58:05 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Adler's an idiot (0.00 / 0)

That's why I wrote in "Fuck The Machine" on my ballot. He's a Norcross lackey, plain and simple

And as for John Runyan, what's funny is the most Republican part of the district, Ocean County, is GIANTS country. Thus, that's going to depress turnout for a former Phillybird

-Jordan O

http://pinelandsprogressive.blogspot.com

by: IndependentNJ @ Fri Mar 19, 2010 at 22:44:25 PM UTC

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I'm not sure if Norcross has anything to do with it (4.00 / 1)

While Norcross definitely has ties to the insurance industry, I am not sure if those ties include the health insurance industry.

Also, if he was the one pulling on Adler's strings, he would also be controlling Rob Andrews as well who as best as I can tell is on board with HCR.

by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 02:02:17 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thank you John Adler! (0.00 / 0)

Thank you John Adler to standing up to your out of control, radical, undemocratic leadership. Thank you for standing up against a government takeover of health care! :-)

by: RightOne @ Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 03:48:25 AM UTC

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@RightOne (0.00 / 0)

This is a common misunderstanding of the Right. The government is not taking over health care - that's the subject of a future debate. Rather, the government is proposing to impose regulations on the for-profit insurance companies so that most Americans have access to some form of health care. It is unconscionable that in the United States of America in the 21st century, that 40 million people don't have the access or wherewithal to obtain basic health services and that 45,000 Americans die each year as a result.

Blog: http://www.deciminyan.org

by: deciminyan @ Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 12:03:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Adler's political career is winding down (0.00 / 0)

He's taking as much as the insurance lobby is willing to give before the final curtain closes.
If he's smart he'll chose to not run again.
As he see the fund raising dry up he'll get the message.
The insurance lobby will shut him out when he becomes a meaningless vote. By shilling for insurance companies he gives the big finger to the Democrats who put him in office, so that support is gone, and Republicans will never vote for him. The question is: Does Adler want to go out losing by 25 points to a football player with no political experience?
It looks like practicing law or being an insurance lobbyist is in his future.

Restore democracy and the Constitution for which it stands.

by: The Wizard @ Sat Mar 20, 2010 at 12:00:10 PM UTC

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Balls v. no balls: John Adler, you did this to yourself | 8 comments