Menendez to serve as Clinton Campaign national Co-Chair

What or who does Menendez bring with him? (4.00 / 1)

That's the next obvious question. Menendez is a boon to her campaign in North Jersey, where she is getting hammered by Obama (and Codey going with Edwards didn't help either).

A recent Record article noted the Clinton campaign sending Mark Penn to court Ferriero because she cannot afford to lose the leadership of Bergen County along with that of Essex and Hudson. Obama has Booker and Healy -- two of North Jersey's top power-brokers. Menendez is a tourniquet to stop that bleeding, but Booker and Healy are far closer to the ground than Menendez is and they have much more time to devote to local politics.

That's not saying Menendez is diving back into local politics here. It's a presidential race! He is a prominent figure on the national scene who has gained serious stature and respect.

It's not so much about the polls as it is about the turnout. Can Menendez turn primary voters out? Or will he just affect the broad opinion polls that do not accurately reflect who is actually turned out in force in February.

If Menendez went with Obama, this would have been a bombshell. New Jersey would come down to Edwards, with supporters in the resurgent Democratic South part of the state, versus Obama's proved supporters in the North. Central Jersey would be a grab-bag, but Clinton would have been knocked hard.

Menendez is a great boost for Clinton.

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by: JRB @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 16:29:49 PM UTC

so what? (0.00 / 0)

Sure, it may help a bit institutionally..but what self respecting democratic primary voter is going to make his/her decision based upon what bob menendez says? seriously

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by: backandfly721 @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 17:23:18 PM UTC

Is this really news? (0.00 / 0)

Bob Menendez supports a colleague from New York?

Is Menendez the only US Senator to support Hillary other than Schumer? What's next? The Frank Lautenberg endorsement?

You must be joking.

NJ has seven congressional Democrats (Payne, Sires, Pascrell, Holt, Pallone, Rothman and Andrews), who are they endorsing?

That is far greater barometer than Menendez or Lautenberg.

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by: BigDaddyDem @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 17:40:55 PM UTC

Major NJ endorsements (0.00 / 0)

Hillary Clinton
Gov. Jon Corzine
Sen. Bob Menendez
Rep. Robert Andrews
Rep. Frank Pallone

Rudy Giuliani
Rep. Frank LoBiondo

Duncan Hunter
Rep. Jim Saxton

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by: Juan Melli @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 17:48:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Sires (0.00 / 0)

I thought he had come out for Hillary, too. Don't know why I think that, though.

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by: Brian McGinnis @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 18:52:19 PM UTC

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Booker & Healy (0.00 / 0)

Mean alot more votes than Bob Menendez. In fact the guy I want endorsing me is Brian Stack and his 10-1 margin of victory in Union City over Vega!

County chairmen and mayors is what will drive the votes, not the US Senator and the other US Senator who can't walk by Arlington Cemetery sincy Pallone, Andrews and Rothman were seen chasing him shovels!

(that's a joke...)

BDD

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by: BigDaddyDem @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 20:44:21 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Senators endorsing Clinton (4.00 / 1)

Also since you asked...

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) 
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) 
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) 
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)

(info from the Hotline)

Obama, Biden and Richardson all have one Senator endorsement also - the other Senator from their own state. Clinton is the only Democratic candidate at this point with Senators outside of her state endorsing her.

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by: Juan Melli @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 17:51:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Presidents or County Chairman (0.00 / 0)

Reminds of the 1964 Democratic Convention held in Atlantic City when Lyndon Johnson was considering Neil Gallagher of Bayonne as his running-mate before he settled on Humphrey.

Governor Hughes tells the story of when he was on the phone with Johnson and had to cut it short because Hudson Chairman John V Kenny was on the other line holding!

Moral of the story: all politics is local, even presidential politics and endorsements.

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by: BigDaddyDem @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 20:53:35 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

payne (0.00 / 0)

i agree with BigDaddy that this is hardly a bombshell.

likewise i am curious to see who Payne picks.  Pallone, Holt too.


activist for hire.

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by: Jay Lassiter @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 17:57:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Pallone (0.00 / 0)

I think he's already endorsed Hillary.

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by: PocketAces @ Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 18:33:10 PM UTC

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Avoiding Pain Next Year (yea, bad pun, I know) (0.00 / 0)

But with Booker being Booker in, it may make sense for Payne to endorse Obama and try to avoid creating a further divide between him and the Mayor. 

Menendez matters some for Hillary as she can have him send out fundraising letters, robocalls, etc.  NJ is a state she should win in the primary season so the less time/energy she spends here (as a result of endorsements using their networks to pull votes) the better her chances in other states.

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by: BlueJG @ Wed Jun 13, 2007 at 20:44:21 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Payne's Pain (0.00 / 0)

I think that Payne is smart enough to know that he is going to face a primary challenger next year no matter who he endorses for President of the United States.

That said, if he thinks that by June 2008, Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee, it would be smart of him to endorse her and be in a position to ask her and Bill to make some campaign appearances on his behalf.

Most likely, if she is the Democratic nominee, she'll be smart enough to avoid getting in the middle of an ugly Congressional primary fight a month before the Democratic National Convention, especially if Rudy Giuliani is the Republican nominee and New Jersey becomes a battleground state.

That said, if Obama, backed by Booker, Healy, and maybe a few other urban Mayors can close the gap here and make Clinton start to feel the heat, she could be desperate enough to cut a deal with Payne.

And indicator to what both Donald and Hillary do could be what his brother, William, does in the months leading up to his independent State Senate bid this November.

If William Payne, who was apparently snubbed by Obama recently in his attempt to get a quid pro quo, endorses Hillary and can get her and Bill to appear with him in Newark prior to the November legislative elections, it is not out of the question that Donald could cut a similar deal with the Clintons, albeit with some greater degree of risk involved on the part of the Clintons.

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by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Wed Jun 13, 2007 at 22:27:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]