Why LD38 matters today

by: carolh

Sun Apr 10, 2011 at 12:37:33 PM EDT

As hard as the BCDO has worked over the years to elect Dems in Bergen county and to the NJ Legislature over the years, I have witnessed a myopia regarding races outside the little fiefdom ruled by the BCDO.

In fact - a total disregard when it came to things like Scott Garrett's seat in the Congressional 5th.  Paul Arohnson got very little help from the BCDO because it was all about local control. Control the County Exec seat and you control all the patronage mills.

That myopia is still present, but what has changed - is the nation.  While Joe Ferriero may have brought Pay to Play in NJ to a whole new level, the Koch brothers have trumped even him.  The nation is witnessing an assault on our local - state legislatures in order to deliver rubber stamp approvals to radical Republican Governor agendas across the country.

While the folks who did things the same old way in NJ for years are gearing up and pulling the same old myopic navel-gazing tactics, there is a tsunami building outside our tiny crowded state borders.

The BCDO does not need to merely worry about the Real Bergen Dems anymore.  There is a bigger threat to them that they are still not seeing.  The attack on unions NATIONWIDE to completely eliminate Barack Obama's chances of re-election are happening on STATE battlegrounds - in STATE legislatures.  Because they can get rid of the unions that locally get boots on the ground in 50 states for the Democrats.

So, when you choose a candidate today in LD 38, you have a choice to choose a LABOR attorney who has the million members of Democracy For America behind him.  NATIONAL recognition at a time of NATIONAL emergency.  OR, you can choose another admirable candidate with no such name recognition.  

Jeff has a virtual army of fired up Democrats across the country as well as NJ to help keep NJ's legislature in Dem hands.

You could vote for the unknown candidate who is not a LABOR attorney, but don't you want the guy who built his career protecting union workers, with the most committed (over a million) and energetic friends (DFA!) to help us fight off the RNC onslaught coming this way?  The tsunami the Bergen Bosses don't see, the one that may give the Republican's favorite governor the legislature the Koch Brothers want him to have?

Voting for Jeff today in LD38 should be a no brainer, but until the Bergen Bosses get some new glasses, we may have a really tough election season this November.