What Are We, Chopped Liver?

Thank you! (0.00 / 0)

As an Ocean County resident, I've been waiting for the discussion to start around Runyan.  His voting records and tea party ties are damaging to the people he is supposed to represent.  Yes, Ocean County, get your freaking act together because Runyan should have NEVER been allowed to happen.  Maybe if I get a donkey or two...  

There is no political party to represent me now.

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by: HurtPillow @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 14:49:53 PM UTC

You are so right! (0.00 / 0)

The solidification of Jon Runyan's position is definitely an underplayed story in Congressional redistricting.

Other stories include:

1.  The fabulous Shelley Adler, John's widow and a brilliant force in her own right as an attorney and former Cherry Hill councilwoman, would have made a superb candidate in the existing Runyan district.  I hope she runs for office someday - what a credit to the elected polity she would be.  (Can I just say, I miss John.)

2.  Ed Potosnak, a great guy who'd be an amazing Congressman, is now faced with a nearly impossible CD 7 to run in, even in a Presidential election year.

3.  The good news is that Rush Holt and Frank Pallone are in better districts than before.  Whew!

4.  And though not related to redistricting, there's another Democratic showdown looming -  the great Newark Councilman Ron C. Rice vs. Congressman Donald Payne.

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by: Steven Goldstein, Garden State Equality chair @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 15:10:59 PM UTC

Left out in all this discussion (0.00 / 0)

is the decline of representation along the NJ Shore. Some of the most important NJ coastal issues of the last quarter century are looming right now and what do we have?

Congressmen from Hamilton, Mount Laurel and Cumberland County representing NJ Shore Counties.  

(LoBiondo's political roots are in Cumberland County, so I discount him as a true NJ Shore representative, however to be fair,  Cumberland does face many of the pressures that the traditional NJ shore counties face)

Our Long Branch Congressman, Frank Pallone representing what is essentially a Middlesex County based district.

As I posted before, this does not bode well for NJ's future.

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by: JackHarris @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 15:30:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Well we can change that (0.00 / 0)

I was just shifted from a good congressman who represents the Shore well (with a bumper sticker reading "I <3 NJ Beaches") to one who wants to redefine rape.

There are enough shore towns in the new 4th district that a solid contender could emerge (preferably a female to really hit Smith hard on the rape issue) and a few other names that I have in mind from Monmouth County.  

http://outspokenliberal.blogsp...

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by: tabbycat31 @ Fri Dec 30, 2011 at 02:14:08 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Ok, I'll Bite (0.00 / 0)

Who is on the bench in Burlington and Ocean Counties right now who can mount a credible (ability to fundraise+respect from general election voters) run aganist Runyan?

Because that's the only way you get DCCC interest and statewide or national interests to donate.

And by bench, I mean a long-term Mayor, a Freeholder or state legislator.

Or a celebrity like Carl Lewis or John Runyan.

Or a well-respected judge.

Who's on the shortlist?

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by: JackHarris @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 15:19:12 PM UTC

Democratic bench that can run against Jon Runyan in the new 3rd District (0.00 / 0)

Here is a complete list of Democratic Mayors, Freeholders, State Legislators, and celebrities who can run against Jon Runyan in the new 3rd congressional district:

Burlington County

Herb Conaway, Jr., NJ State Assemblyman (Delanco)

Mary Anne Reinhart, Burlington County Freeholder (Shamong)

Carl Lewis, former Olympic Champion

Dr. Gail Cook, outgoing Mayor of Beverly (who ran against GOP Senator Diane Allen this past November in the 7th District)

Randy H. Miller, Mayor-elect of Beverly

James Fazzone, Mayor of Burlington City

Brian Carlin, Mayor of Burlington Township

David Patriarca, Mayor of Pemberton Township

Ken Paris, Mayor of Delran Township

Darrell Booker, Mayor of Edgewater Park Township

Greg Lackey, Mayor of Medford Lakes

George Conard, Mayor of Riverside Township

Sidney Camp, Mayor of Westampton Township

Eddie Campbell, Jr., Mayor of Willingboro Township

Ocean County

Joseph M. Champagne, Jr., Mayor of South Toms River

Christopher Boyle, outgoing Mayor of Pine Beach

Thomas Connors, outgoing Mayor of Seaside Park

Jason Varano, outgoing Mayor of Berkeley Township

Bonnie Verga, outgoing Mayor of Beachwood  

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by: zi985 @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 23:58:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Also... (0.00 / 0)

Aimee Belgard - attorney, volunteer and former freeholder candidate.

Barry Bendar who challenged John Adler from the left the last time around.

I think the world of Dr. Gail Cook. Her campaign against Diane Allen got better over time, but she just doesn't have the charisma that is needed to run for congress. And of course, there's the Ocean County Democratic chairman. I don't know much about him, but he's got a great name - Wyatt Earp.

Blog: http://www.deciminyan.org

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by: deciminyan @ Thu Dec 29, 2011 at 00:51:49 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Ok, and out of that list.... (0.00 / 0)

1.) Who has the ability to raise over $1 million dollars in the next 8 months?

2.) Has a strong track record of accomplishments that has been noticed widely across at least one county and/or picked up by the Philly or statewide press?

3.) Has a significant tenure in an elected office or offices?

4.) Is widely known within their home county, if not the district?

5.) "Fits" the profile of the average general election voter (A suburban mom, a retiree,  an up by their bootstraps story, a farmer, ex-military, etc.  

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by: JackHarris @ Thu Dec 29, 2011 at 12:54:04 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Also, of the outgoing officeholders (0.00 / 0)

are they leaving on their own or did they just lose an election?  

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by: JackHarris @ Thu Dec 29, 2011 at 12:55:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

the most provocative question in a thoughtful diary.... (0.00 / 0)

But wouldn't it be great if instead of spending megabucks on Dem vs Dem races, we could put some of that cash into a campaign to remove Runyan and Garrett?

YES!  IT WOULD!

activist for hire.

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by: Jay Lassiter @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 16:25:10 PM UTC

money isn't fungible (0.00 / 0)

Regardless of Rothman's decision, there would have been an expensive primary election in CD9 and even if there weren't, none of the money that was not spent there would have found its way to CD3.  The only place where it would have gone is CD5, whether Rothman was running against Garrett or not.

I do not believe that Joe Roberts kept Cherry Hill in CD3 to keep it competitive for Shelley Adler or anybody else.  I think that he did it to put a poison pill in the Democratic map that Farmer could not swallow, because Christie, Adubato, and Norcross cut a deal to give Adubato and Norcross the legislative map they wanted in return for the congressional map that Christie wanted.

Except when it had an exceptional candidate like John Adler running in it, CD3 was never a competitive district with Cherry Hill in it and it wouldn't have been a competitive district going forward either.  There are no more John Adlers in Cherry Hill or elsewhere.  He was a once in a century kind of candidate.  When we lost him, we lost more than we could ever know.  What is truly sad about his disappointing congressional performance is that it will likely overshadow a truly spectacular career as a state legislator.  It is so sad on so many levels.

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by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 16:54:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

by definition, money is fungible (0.00 / 0)

that's what makes it money

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by: sayitaintso @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 23:06:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

If that were true, progressives... (0.00 / 0)

...throughout the state would be smart enough to focus all of their dollars, shoe leather, and other resources on winning in the one district, CD5, where a strong Democratic candidate has a chance in hell of defeating the Republican incumbent.  However, because we do what makes us feel good rather than what is smart, we disperse our resources into the districts where we live regardless of whether or not those resources are being wasted or not.

For the same reason, money will be wasted on the primary election in CD9 unless Bill Pascrell retires or proves how much of a fighter he truly is by moving to Little Falls or North Haledon or Totowa or Wayneand taking on Rodney Frelinghuysen in CD11 where a significant amount of his former district, including but not limited to Republican towns where he performed very well and where State Senator Dick Codey performed extremely well last year.

But whether that happens or not, the one thing that I do know is that little to no Democratic money is going to be spent in CD2 or CD3 or CD4 or CD7 or anywhere else where there are Republican incumbents.  Conversely, very little Republican money is going to be spent in Democratic districts.  That is the nature of politics in NJ.  It really sucks, but until we organize to change the political system in our state, the only thing that we are doing when we compete in these unwinnable districts is wasting resources that we cannot afford to waste.

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by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Thu Dec 29, 2011 at 01:37:00 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

we are all chopped liver (0.00 / 0)

New Jersey now has exactly one (1) competitive congressional district in our state and party leadership (with the exception of Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg) that is more conservative than its rank-and-file members and the only people who we can blame for this situation are ourselves.

I looked back and saw that I started writing about redistricting nearly two years ago, arguing that progressives needed to actively engage the parts of the democratic process that were far too often ceded to party insiders.  For the most part, my regular pleas to engage the redistricting process and the leadership selection process has fallen upon deaf ears.

Now we are stuck with facts of the ground as they are.  We can continue to bitch and moan about our unwinnable congressional and legislative districts being ignored or we can start organizing to change our party and make it more progressive.  It might take a decade to be successful, but how many more decades will we wait for it to change on its own and be disappointed?

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by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 17:01:31 PM UTC

Shelley Adler for Congress (0.00 / 0)

If Rothman can relocate to Englewood why can't Shelley Adler relocate? It's not like she's a carpetbagger who never lived in the district. She has name recognition, and a widespread base of support. She will have to spend more time in Ocean County, but it's a pleasant irony that the town of Brick in OC which was added to the district to replace Cherry Hill had five Democrats recently elected to their town council. Brick may not be as solidly Democratic as Cherry Hill, but it is competitive.

http://christiegonewild.blogsp...

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by: ken bank @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 23:31:48 PM UTC

A List of Democrats who can run against Jon Runyan in the new 3rd District (0.00 / 0)

Here is a complete list of Democratic Mayors, Freeholders, State Legislators, and celebrities who can run against Jon Runyan in the new 3rd congressional district:

Burlington County

Herb Conaway, Jr., NJ State Assemblyman (Delanco)

Mary Anne Reinhart, Burlington County Freeholder (Shamong)

Carl Lewis, former Olympic Champion

Dr. Gail Cook, outgoing Mayor of Beverly (who ran against GOP Senator Diane Allen this past November in the 7th District)

Randy H. Miller, Mayor-elect of Beverly

James Fazzone, Mayor of Burlington City

Brian Carlin, Mayor of Burlington Township

David Patriarca, Mayor of Pemberton Township

Ken Paris, Mayor of Delran Township

Darrell Booker, Mayor of Edgewater Park Township

Greg Lackey, Mayor of Medford Lakes

George Conard, Mayor of Riverside Township

Sidney Camp, Mayor of Westampton Township

Eddie Campbell, Jr., Mayor of Willingboro Township

Ocean County

Joseph M. Champagne, Jr., Mayor of South Toms River

Christopher Boyle, outgoing Mayor of Pine Beach

Thomas Connors, outgoing Mayor of Seaside Park

Jason Varano, outgoing Mayor of Berkeley Township

Bonnie Verga, outgoing Mayor of Beachwood

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by: zi985 @ Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 23:53:18 PM UTC