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Juan Melli: Politician of the Year

by: Jason Springer

Fri Dec 22, 2006 at 01:00:41 PM EST



Politics NJ 2006Congrats to Blue Jersey founder Juan Melli on being named PoliticsNJ's Politician of the year.  It is very much deserved.  Check this line out...
It's not easy to balance an aggressive activist bent with the ability to work with the established politicos, but Melli and the folks at Blue Jersey, the progressive blog he started, have been able to do it. The online presence is often caustic and pointed, and willing to take on powerful Democrats like Sen. Bob Menendez after his fall vote to authorize wiretaps without warrants, or to ridicule Governor Jon Corzine for flip-flopping on property tax reform. But Melli is able to tap fellow Blue Jersey bloggers and his own real world network to get podcast interviews with these same politicos -- including Menendez -- and get them to give blunt assessments on the record. The reason is that Melli is always fair and unwilling to go after someone unless it is deserved, and politics watchers, from the most radical activist to the most entrenched politicos, know it.
Great job Juan and thanks for all your hard work!  And for the Jill Hazelbaker's of the world who believe you can't believe whats on blogs, a blogger just won politician of the year.  How bout dem apples?
Jason Springer :: Juan Melli: Politician of the Year
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FRIST! (0.00 / 0)
Congratulations.  Good choice by nj.com.

DBK

Did you mean to write... (0.00 / 0)
...first or were you referring to the filibuster protests?

[ Parent ]
Speaking (0.00 / 0)
as a a blogging typo queen (Egad! should I use that word here?), a First is a a Frist.  Both he and it are a joke.

[ Parent ]
Congratulations to a fellow Dean Democrat (4.00 / 1)
Mike Beson won Politician of the Year in 2003 and with Juan's victory this year, core Howard Dean supporters have claimed two out of the last four award winners.

I think that history will prove that Dean's Presidential run in 2004 will have spawned more future political leaders than George McGovern's run it 1972, which is credited with the generation of political leaders that came to power in the 80s and 90s.

I also feel confident in saying that the future Democratic Presidents who found their voices in the Dean for America movement will not sell out the values of that movement the way that Bill Clinton did when he lobbied for and signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law in 1996.

Congratulations Juan!


SUCCESS COULD NOT FIND MORE DESERVING PEOPLE THAN JUAN AND EVERYONE ELSE AT BLUE JERSEY -- YOU ARE THE BEST. CONGRATULATIONS! (0.00 / 0)
Few New Jerseyans in our lifetime have had as much of an impact as Juan and everyone else in the Blue Jersey community, particularly all of you who founded Blue Jersey and all of you front-page bloggers.  Juan, a gem of a human being, no doubt would have this award go to all of you.

You've all done it in a way the politicians should envy:  You're kind, honest, insightful and just about the most wonderful people on the planet.  All of us at Garden State Equality are so, so proud of you. 

We look forward to honoring Blue Jersey at Garden State Equality's annual Legends Dinner on Sunday night, March 4, 2007 at the Maplewood Country Club, Maplewood, NJ.

On behalf of all of us at Garden State Equality, MAZEL TOV!


thank you (0.00 / 0)
and no doubt, this is Blue Jersey's honor, not mine. The front-pagers all deserve credit for this, but beyond that, so does the entire community that contributes to the dialog here.

[ Parent ]
CONGRATULATIONS, JUAN! (0.00 / 0)
Nobody deserves it more!

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."  (Teddy Roosevelt)

Jeebus Juan (0.00 / 0)
I thought you were an engineer.

Oh happy day -- I can use this pic! (4.00 / 2)
PoliticsNJ also explains the conversation taking place in this pic of Juan & U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12), which is apparently NOT about how to best grapple stuffed animals.

What is summa smart? Melli will get his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University this spring. His research interests include computer modeling of fish-like swimming and control and gait-generation for fish-like bodies. At the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach in Germany last year on Dynamical System Methods in Fluid Dynamics, he won an award for Motion Planning for an Articulated Body in a Perfect Fluid. How many New Jersey pols, besides Rush Holt, get that kind of stuff?


who knows? (0.00 / 0)
Maybe they were debating the mechanics of the grappling claw and developing strategies on how to get their respective stuffed animals of choice.

[ Parent ]
this is begging (4.00 / 2)
for a caption contest

[ Parent ]
Rock on! (0.00 / 0)
Congrats, Juan...well deserved!

How Telling! The Politician of the year....isn't a Politician! (0.00 / 0)
Imagine a government managed by informed intelligent competent citizens with no financial interests (campaign "contributions"/whatever) in the outcomes of policy decisions!

Go Juan go!  So far so good!!!

May your sterling qualities shine on even more brightly as success (and even a modicum of power ;-) offer you their temptations.


Congratulations, Juan!! (0.00 / 0)
Juan,

I haven't known you long, but one thing I do know is that you richly deserve this!

Congrats!!

Hugz,

Becky


The questions remain (0.00 / 0)
Will the corporate media recognize that they've been supplanted by the new majority, bloggers?
And Juan, did Jill Hazelbaker ever thank you for all the recognition she got from getting caught trolling here?

Restore democracy and the Constitution for which it stands.

Congratulations! (0.00 / 0)
A well deserved honor!


I have to think of a witty signature about Frank LoBiondo

A bit (0.00 / 0)
off topic, but -

After I read this diary, I went over to PoliticsNJ.  It looks like you are in good (and a lot of bad) company!

When I read the essays usually printed there, I find them bone dry (but good), bad, or boring.

But their end of the year picks are fun!  I disagreed with some and didn't know a lot of the people, so couldn't agree or disagree.

Their "photo" of Wayne Bryant is a keeper!


Congratulations Juan (4.00 / 1)
And I didn't know you were THAT MUCH of a brainiac.  Bluejersey.com was a great resource of information as weel as a format to post messages this year as NJ fought for congressional seats.  Thank you for your help, but I hope you don't neglect your studies or your health!  Take care and best wishes.

You rock, Juan (0.00 / 0)
Since I didn't see a trackback feature here, enjoy!

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