Can you get yourself re-elected by lying to voters?
Of course you can. Candidates circling the ethics drain do it all the time. And that's what Republicans Caroline Casagrande & Mary Pat Angelini are banking on; if they suggest to enough voters that rising Democrat Vin Gopal is a crook, maybe they can keep their jobs.
The GOP's clearly concerned that Gopal might win. He's an effective, eloquent and inspiring candidate. Gopal's entire team, among other nods, won Democracy for America's national endorsement (disclosure: it was my pleasure to alert DFA to their strengths). Asbury Park Press endorsed Gopal, too, urging voters to consider him over Mary Pat Angelini.
So. What did Casagrande and Angelini do? They sent mail , produced by NJ GOP but approved by the two of them, that attempt to tar Gopal with the crimes of Perth Amboy Mayor Joe Vas, who went to jail for corruption. This kind of crap is right out of the Karl Rove playbook; create a scary-enough bogeyman and the voters will do what you want.
Yesterday, right-wing video bad boy James O'Keefe (Rutgers '06) gave a paid talk to the Bayshore Tea Party in Keyport, and barred a newspaper's video journalist from recording him. Alesha Williams Boyd reports it here. She is fairer in her telling of it than O'Keefe deserves, given how he treats other people.
It doesn't surprise me that the self-appointed king of video gotcha 'journalism' would want to control the cameras in the room. What I don't understand - Asbury Park Press (APP), I'm lookin' at you now - is why the video journalist/s in the room let him get away with that.
Given the ethical ease with which O'Keefe entraps people with his camera, this is an extraordinary video. Doug Hood, who shot it, deserves credit for recording the local Tea Party honchos defense of O'Keefe, but I wish he had done as he threatened - the 'off-stage' voices are hard to distinguish - just film O'Keefe, and let him storm out, covering that.
But what he did capture is the fear of Barbara Gonzalez, founder of the group he spoke to, that her draw, O'Keefe, would leave. After all, she says, "This is a guy who's in trouble with the law, he's got lawsuits up the kazoo (sic) for trying to help you with your freedom!"
I hope to hell somebody took this APP crew out for a round of quality tequila when they got back to the office after this encounter last night. They deserve it. Here's the video:
Note: I'm in a busy, loud place when I got this video - hat/tip John S. - and the video is a little confusing in spots.
Earlier this week, longtime double-dipper Carl W. Block was appointed as the next Ocean County administrator. In accepting the job, Block said he will resign his elected office, that of county clerk. That is not a selfless act of public service: Block will earn $149,500 per year as administrator, 30 percent more than his $115,000 salary as clerk.
With public pensions based on the three highest years of one's salary, the new job will set him up nicely for retirement.
I'm sure the Governor is just waiting to use this as the latest example of abuses in the pension system, right.
That speaks poorly of the Ocean County freeholders' desire to find the best person for the job, rather than the person in best standing with Ocean County Republicans
If he's the person in best standing with the Ocean County Republicans, that speaks volumes in itself. Their bench did get shorter when Assemblyman Van Pelt went down on corruption charges, but apparently Block with all his past questions is just the man for the job. As the editorial notes, how would they even know if anyone was better for the job than Block because they never bothered to even look. Looking forward, Block moving to the County Administrator spot does create an opportunity for Democrats.
I've been writing about this issue for weeks (see: http://www.wolfenotes.com/2010... so I was pleased to read a strong editorial by Asbury Park Press:
When will Dems press these issues?
Now and then, some public official will say things that make the attentive listener go, "Whoa! That doesn't sound quite right. Does this guy understand his job?"
The most recent example to come out of the Christie administration is found in the musings of Bob Martin, the new commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection
"I am very excited about taking on this position - and, if confirmed, I will work to advance DEP's core mission of protecting and preserving the environment of New Jersey," Martin said at his confirmation hearing last month. "At the same time I will help the DEP fulfill its role in growing the economy of this state."
Whoa. Since when is the role of the DEP to "grow the economy?" We thought the sole mission of the DEP was to protect the environment.
[...]
The DEP's job is to protect and preserve the environment, not to insert itself into questions of the economic issues involved. That's for other state policymakers to address. It is much too early to form any judgments on how Martin will do on the job. But some of his statements thus far should give those who care about New Jersey's environment real pause.
Asbury Park Press turned the cameras on Chris Christie yesterday during an editorial board meeting. This time, the governor goes a step further in his tough talk aimed at New Jersey's unionized teachers. When your property taxes go up, the governor doesn't want you to look in his direction, he wants you to place the blame squarely on your kid's 4th grade teacher:
... And if they don't (take a salary freeze & contribute towards the cost of health benefits) what you'll know is any job cut that happens, any property tax increase that happens is at the feet of the teachers union and not anybody else.
It seems almost certain that great demands will be placed even on state workers with solid contracts, but there's something unnecessarily pugilistic about Christie's fall-back Republicanist demonizing of teachers, and of public education. It's particularly ugly, given New Jersey's highly-ranked public school systems.
Here's Christie, yesterday. The key line comes in at the :57 second mark:
As a tax guy, I tend to gravitate towards analyses of tax issues, and there certainly hasn't been a shortage of them. And while the first 2 parts of this series focused on the Governor's race, this part will focus on the APP and it's recent attempt to act as teabaggers.
It is true that NJ property taxes are very high. It is also true that it is a result of a very complex and convoluted system that requires major overhaul - and while Chris Daggett's plan is interesting, it doesn't address some of the very large and fundamental issues.
That being said, the APP has gone "all in" when it comes to taxes - but on any level of analysis, it is less substance and more cheerleading for protests and feeding off of the bordering-on-violent hysteria that we all saw this past summer. I'll highlight three things in this post that at best, show irresponsible journalism and at worst, can be classified as an "in-kind donation" to the Republican party.
The "Tax Crush Series"
While I won't go into all of the issues noted in each of the 8 days, there are a couple that I want to highlight. On Day 1 of the 8 Day "Tax Crush Series", there was a link to "How to Fix New Jersey". Sounding noble, it lists a number of "solutions", however they range from far fetched to outrageous. Things like Convene a Constitutional Convention (not ever going to happen) to Cutting Expenses (which the APP admits won't do anything to cure any property tax costs) to Shuffle the Tax Structure (which Daggett's plan does but takes from the property tax and higher wage income tax and shifts to a higher sales tax base) to Leaving the State (way to support NJ) are the proposed "solutions" - none of which do much other than stir up more angst and frustration.
On Day 3, the top story puts blame on unions - a favorite target of FOX News and the Republican party, and also cites the much debunked "people are leaving the state" argument. Both of which are tried and true "blame game" actions and not much else - even more since a basic google search will debunk both of these claims.
The "Action Plan"
Short of actually sponsoring and organizing teabagging parties, the APP posted its "Action Plan for Citizens as an OpEd shortly after its 8 days of riling up its readers. Ironically, after the 8 day "Tax Crush Series" finger pointed and complained, the article started with the following:
Are you ready to stop complaining about your taxes and start doing something about them? Here are some ways to fight back
Search the online comments section for other outraged people to make yourself more angry. That's responsible. It's quite clear they're pushing a partisan agenda, which while not surprising is still disappointing, because now more than ever we need real reporting to inform the readers of the complex issues facing our state.
Some of the "action items"?
Make noise. Let your elected officials know you are out there, that you're angry and that you want them to lower your tax bills.
So the first action item after "ready to stop complaining" is to complain and complain loudly. Others noted include:
On Tuesday's editorial page, we will publish a survey we will provide each of the candidates for state office in November. It will ask them to state their three most important ideas for reducing taxes and government spending, and which of the 20 points in the Asbury Park Press/Gannett New Jersey tax relief plan they would push for if elected. The candidates' responses to the surveys will be posted at APP.com. If you don't see their response, badger them until they have completed the survey.
Organize. Join together with neighbors and friends who feel the same way you do about unaffordable taxes. Plan letter-writing campaigns, protests, rallies and other actions that will demonstrate to your elected officials that you will not go away until things change.
So....you should stop complaining and (1) complain loudly, (2) "badger" your local office candidates and (3) organize protests, which is complaining loudly together with others who are angry.
How responsible of the APP.
After the jump, I'll get into APP's call for "A Citizens' Army".
1. Make noise. Let your elected officials know you are out there, that you're angry and that you want them to lower your tax bills.
Look of course no one is happy about taxes, but lets see them encourage people to try and understand the problem we actually have rather than just inciting more anger. They continue with their steps in the plan:
3. On Tuesday's editorial page, we will publish a survey we will provide each of the candidates for state office in November. It will ask them to state their three most important ideas for reducing taxes and government spending, and which of the 20 points in the Asbury Park Press/Gannett New Jersey tax relief plan they would push for if elected. The candidates' responses to the surveys will be posted at APP.com. If you don't see their response, badger them until they have completed the survey.
Yes, badger your representatives and candidates until they complete the Asbury Park Press survey of their very own tax plan. Why do a newspaper even have a tax plan, they're supposed to report on the plans of others. They continue:
5. If you, your friends or neighbors have been involved in any anti-tax initiatives at the federal level, draw on those experiences to help organize networks or build on existing ones to keep the pressure on Trenton.
Go find national anti-tax people so they can add to the complaints, because that will help solve the problem. How about keeping the pressure on the newspapers to report the news, not make it themselves? And let's not forget the step in the action plan where you find other people who read the Gannett newspapers:
6. Network with people who have expressed views similar to your own in the "Tax Crush" series Story Chats and the Sound Off portion of our online "Tax Crush" section. Join forces, work together.
Search the online comments section for other outraged people to make yourself more angry. That's responsible. It's quite clear they're pushing a partisan agenda, which while not surprising is still disappointing, because now more than ever we need real reporting to inform the readers of the complex issues facing our state.
Speaker Roberts unloaded on Asbury Park Press Columnist Bob Ingle with an Editorial published in the paper yesterday. Here's how he began:
For the past two weeks, Gannett New Jersey's Trenton bureau chief, Bob Ingle, has devoted his Sunday column to the kind of rumor-mill nonsense one generally associates with celebrity gossip rags - not some of New Jersey's largest newspapers. His latest doses of nonsense (Sept. 13 and Sept. 20) would have been laughable if there wasn't a chance someone would take them seriously.
Like most people, I generally ignore Ingle's inconsequential diatribes. But his latest assertions are so over-the-top inaccurate that a response is warranted.
Ingle professed to have "word on the street" knowledge of my motivations for stepping down as Assembly speaker. I'm not a journalism scholar, but I'm certain "word on the street" isn't solid sourcing. I'm surprised the editors of the Gannett newspapers would allow such irresponsibility.
To Gannett's credit, at least they printed that shot Roberts took at the paper's editorial staff itself. Follow me below the fold as Roberts continues to lay the smack down on Ingle.
This year, two seats now held by Republicans are up for grabs. If the Democrats capture just one of them, they will control the board for the first time in two decades. We believe voters would be better served by retaining the 3-2 Republican majority, re-electing Freeholder Director Lillian Burry, who, despite missteps, has done a creditable job during her first three-year term, and John Curley, a former Red Bank councilman who is seeking the seat being vacated by William C. Barham.
Ok, so they warned the voters of the stakes and asked them to just forget the mistakes of the freeholder director because she didn't have any really big screw ups, especially when compared to the past corruption. We also need to note the change they said the Freeholder board needed and who they REALLY wanted to see make it:
There is more work to be done on the freeholder board. It needs to conduct its meetings in the evenings, when more members of the public can attend. It needs to bid on professional services, particularly engineering and all types of insurance. And it needs to bring down legal costs. Having said that, the board has come a long way in the past two years. This year, it has worked well under Burry's direction and would work even better under the watchful eye of Curley.
The APP made their position clear. Regardless of the positive change made on the board since electing two Democrats in 2006 or the fact they acknowledge themselves much more needs to be done, now was not the time to take that big leap to Democratic Control by electing Amy Mallet. Unfortunately for the Asbury Park Press, the voters rejected their judgment at the ballot box. Now in an effort to remain relevant, they are ready to apply the brakes to the choice the voters made before Amy Mallet even gets sworn in and the Democrats take control:
The long-delayed election results that will give Democrats control of the Monmouth County freeholder board next year should not be interpreted as a clear mandate for change, as suggested this week by a spokesman for the county Democratic leadership.
They say long delayed as if it's Amy Mallet's fault that it took two weeks for the votes to be counted and that should lessen the statement her victory made. And what prompted this latest outburst?
County Democratic spokesman Mike Mangan warned the current Republican-controlled board not to help party loyalists "burrow in" to county jobs before Democrats assume 3-to-2 control in January by extending contracts, giving them new assignments protected by civil service or providing them with salary bumps. Good advice. But he added, "Voters have spoken and want Democrats in control." That's debatable.
Hmm, I'd say that's better than good advice and it's not debatable at all that the voters ignored their pleas electing a Democrat for freeholder giving Democrats control of the board. The Asbury Park Press needs to accept that fact and move on to more important issues. The editorial continues by "analyzing the results":
Republican Freeholder Director Lillian Burry received the most votes. Democrat Amy Mallet's margin of victory over Republican John Curley was one-fifth of 1 percent. That hardly suggests county residents were clamoring for change. Mallet's success was due to the coattails of Barack Obama, name recognition gained from her failed 2007 Assembly bid and repeated promises that Democrats would be more fiscally responsible than Republicans. Humility here clearly is in order.
At some point they might want to actually give Mallet some credit for winning. The editorial also talks about Mallet's past assembly run helping her gain name recognition while conveniently overlooking the name recognition gained by the two Republicans because they were incumbents. And while we're on gaining from previous coverage, I assume they will be calling out Chris Christie for the coverage he has gained in the past few years for his potential gubernatorial run.
The bottom line is that Democrats should make the change they were elected to provide. They should continue with the progress that the APP even acknowledges has already been made. The Asbury Park Press should give the Democrats a chance to take office before they try to dictate the agenda once again. The voters already saw through their hypocrisy and responded by electing a Democrat to change control on Election or the next step might be their subscribers realizing and taking their money elsewhere.
That's what the rumors say. And these photos from APP's website suggest it's true:
[Caption: "Asbury Park Press trucks lined up to block off access to to President Bush's arrival by helicopter. Mike Chadwick, fleet supervisor blocks off entrance to press facility. Dave May/photo"]
Bush's first visit to Monmouth county since he's been president started and ended at the Asbury Park Press -- the only major daily paper in the state to endorse his reelection campaign in 2004.
So the APP provided logistical staffing for the president's visit to New Jersey. I'm sure this won't affect their stellar record of objective journalism.
