Ferriero and Oury indicted

I think... (0.00 / 0)

this is a positive thing overall, but two things:

1. Is this another Chris Christie "I'm using my position to advance my power" move?

2. Will the Bergen machine just appoint another corrupt greaser at the top and let the cycle Ferraro started continue?

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by: storm2k @ Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 19:53:43 PM UTC

No, It is not Christie advancing his position (4.00 / 7)

This is his office doing a good job, just like most of the other prosecutions they've overseen.

Once it gets to the indictment phase, it is a pretty good bet that the politician is dirty if not guilty.  The career attorneys and FBI agents would not let Christie use indictments for political ends.

Christie uses other tools -- the Menendez and Xmas Tree subpoenas at auspicious times for Republicans, the attacks on Corzine regarding Adler, the appearances and swearing in of Republicans, etc. -- to take advantage of his office politically.

But this is likely a good and proper indictment, and more power to the US Attorney's office for it.

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by: nathanrudy @ Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 19:57:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Good (4.00 / 2)

Hang 'em high, and let's replace them with good, honest progressives!

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by: nathanrudy @ Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 19:58:13 PM UTC

This is a good sign (4.00 / 1)

I have my issues with how Christie uses his office for politics, but I have no issue with this indictment.

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by: huntsu @ Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 20:15:25 PM UTC

This Is Great News and an Opprortunity... (4.00 / 1)

....to begin the process of re-forming the BCDO.

It will be a big mistake if we go from one de facto corrupt machine boss to another.

The basis for winning elections in Bergen County should not be just how much money a party can squeeze out of "donors".

This resignation is an opportunity for the BCDO to turn over a new leaf and allow itself to be transformed into a transparent/democratic organization that I could be proud to support.

Meanwhile, Ferierro will have the best legal defense money can buy and if he is as innocent as he claims to be......no doubt he will succeed in creating enough doubt to get that verdict.

However if Ferierro, is found guilty, I hope that the judge throws the book at him.  

Maybe a stiff 7 to 10 year sentence would inspire Ferierro to cut a deal and really spill all the beans.   In that scenario, I dare say, we could see scores if not hundreds of indictments resulting from the downstream cascade.

Meanwhile, let's save the celebrations until we get some convictions.....let us pray that this is just a beginning.
 

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by: Nick Lento @ Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 20:42:51 PM UTC

Ok, lemme see if I am capable of saying the right thing (4.00 / 2)

"Nice move Christie"

Check out my 3 paragraph primer on Polywell Fusion.

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by: FogerRox @ Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 20:50:29 PM UTC

Re (0.00 / 0)

Do we still:

take a step back and wait for this case to pan out and not mix apples and oranges, especially in a mean-spirited away.

Or is that only when I write it?

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by: Thurman Hart @ Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 20:59:39 PM UTC

Wow (4.00 / 1)

Sigh of relief, vindication.  Hard to believe it was almost 3 years ago that those creeps tried to steal an election from my state senator.

THIS should get interesting......


One Vote.  Yours.  It really does matter.

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by: carolh @ Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 22:05:47 PM UTC

Have to admit Carol... (0.00 / 0)

I'd never heard of Oury before you called him out.

I think you were one of the first on the 'BCDO is corrupt' train.

Where's BlueBergen when you need him?!??!

"Where ever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Bonzai

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by: William Weber (WjcW) @ Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 23:36:23 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

wow is right (0.00 / 0)

carolh we have a major opportunity here to finally steer the BCDO in the right direction,with the" RIGHT LEADERSHIP" we can slowly( or quickly  which I would prefer) develop a Democratic Organization that we can say is being truly  run in a open,honest and transparent fashion

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by: amanjester @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 00:06:22 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

carolh (4.00 / 1)

for BCDO chair!

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by: Thurman Hart @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 01:59:12 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

AMEN! (4.00 / 2)

Imagine the kind of message that would send to the people of Bergen County as well as the state as a whole.

I have argued for some time that the Real Bergen Democrats could be a model for what needs to happen in every machine county in the state as well as the state as a whole.

If Carol or someone with her commitment to the democratic process and good, honest government were to become the next county chair in Bergen County, it could bring about a sea change in NJ politics.

Now if progressives in South Jersey could begin to stand up against the Norcross machine, that would be very exciting indeed.

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by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 03:07:07 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thanks (0.00 / 0)

for the vote of confidence, but we have a few folks in mind for the job already.....

Boy, it was so unfair tonite that I missed the big announcement and was in council meetings from 6:30 till 12:30 tonite.

I couldn't even sit home and pop open some champagne!

I'm just annoyed that boy had to go to Denver and prolong this embarassment with less than 2 months to go till election day....

Obama - forgive us!

One Vote.  Yours.  It really does matter.

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by: carolh @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 04:50:53 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Here is my favorite Diary (0.00 / 0)

I wrote about the Pay to Play twins, Dennis Oury and Joe Ferriero:

http://www.bluejersey.com/show...

Enjoy!
I put a lot of work into my chart.  Too bad it didn't help us win the primary - what with all those companies paying so much to defeat us.  

Lets hope the guys whose political  mantra is "by any means necessary" are out of commission for a while.

One Vote.  Yours.  It really does matter.

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by: carolh @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 05:01:10 AM UTC

To remind everyone: (4.00 / 1)

While we are trying to get back to the business at hand - the FOJ are putting forward the name of a guy at the head of the BCIA which is one of those "Shadow Governments" that can spend your tax money and lots of it with NO oversight.  Here's the diary of that press conference with Senator Weinberg and Assemblymembers Johnson and Huttle.

http://www.bluejersey.com/show...

Mr. O'Malley - whose name was floated today to replace Joe Ferriero as Chairman of the BCDO works for the BCIA where Dennis Oury had a great job - until - why until today of course!

We can't let them pull a McCain/Palin on us - you know "That's not change - That's more of the same!"

We have to REALLY make change at the BCDO or this long long war was for naught.

Now, Governor, how about that Party Democracy Act?  Are you REALLY ready for some ethics reform?

One Vote.  Yours.  It really does matter.

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by: carolh @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 05:14:35 AM UTC

time for a rbd meeting (4.00 / 1)

and soon I hope we have to keep going foward with our vision
of a honest and clean government

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by: amanjester @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 11:49:31 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

RBD Really Should Become RNJD (4.00 / 1)

This is something that has been obvious for years.  There is a need for a statewide REAL Democratic organization that has as its "Prime Directive" killing destroying demolishing the whole pay to play systemm and returning governance back to the people.

I realize that some elected officials feel a kind of loyalty or obligation to their "colleagues" and are reluctant to "rock the boat" but, that's no reason for the movement to die before it really even is born.

Let me put it this way: Progressives do indeed have to take over the NJ democratic party.  We truly do represent the will of the vast majority of NJ Democrats.

I don't think there's one real NJ Democrat who wants to keep the status quo alive......unless they are getting benefit$ from that status quo.

Ferierro is just the visible tip of the iceberg, we know that.  All we want is clean, really clean government.  Why is that considered such a radical concept in New Jersey?

The old leadership needs to have a serious/profound/genuine conversion or they should be defeated in primaries...it's that simple.    The status quo is unacceptable.

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by: Nick Lento @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 12:36:54 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

how about (0.00 / 0)

you nick ,so far everything that you have posted is right on the money. I know what do you say guys NICK AND CAROL, NICK AND CAROL, CAROL AND NICK, CAROL AND NICK for chair and vice-chair
what do say huh huh????

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by: amanjester @ Thu Sep 11, 2008 at 03:11:58 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

We can start (4.00 / 1)

by calling Governor Corzine to really put teeth into ethics reform and by calling our legislators to actually pass the bipartisan Party Democracy Act for real.  We know where the problems are.  We know how to fix them.  We just need the "powers that be" to actually get the collective will to change things.  

Money doesn't talk - it swears - and it is the fact that politicians running for re-election need lots of cash that causes this problem.  Since the Clean Elections program was derailed - and having it during a PRIMARY would be a great time to use it, we need to find another way to take $$$ out of the process.  It was $$$ for elections that caused Dem politicians who knew better not to stand up to Boss Joe.  It is their inability to stand up to Boss Joe, that may now be their undoing - as they may lose in November.
My only hope is that in Bergen, these indictments don't harm the candidacies of Dennis Shulman and Barack Obama - who both ran honest campaigns here.  Obama actually won DESPITE Boss Joe turning the BCDO into Hillary Central.  


One Vote.  Yours.  It really does matter.

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by: carolh @ Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 15:18:15 PM UTC