The wild and wacky NJ-GOP senate race got even wilder and wackier when Murray Sabrin, who now calls himself "Maverick Murray", issued a press release demanding that US Attorney Chris Christie immediately investigate his opponent, former congressman Richard Zimmer, for alleged corruption related to the filing of candidacy papers to replace Andy "The Bean" Unanue (who is still vacationing in Colorado) on the ballot.
According to "Maverick Murray",
There have been serious allegations of corruption, intimidation and lawlessness surrounding the campaign of Dick Zimmer and Andy Unanue. The Republican voters need to be sure the process of selecting candidates to run for office has not been tainted and I call upon United States Attorney Chris Christie to investigate the charges leveled by State Senator Joe Pennacchio's campaign against Dick Zimmer and his campaign.
Apparently "Maverick Murray" thinks the US Attorney should have nothing better to do than investigate paper shuffling at the Division of Elections. If he accomplishes nothing else this election cycle, at least "Maverick Murray" provides the best definition for being a "Putz"!
The fact that Andy Unanue dropped out of the Senate race negates his need to move back to New Jersey, but still leaves the problem of his being registered to vote at a fraudulent address, one that is different from the state where he files his income taxes. And it doesn't change the fact that Anunae knowingly voted in the February 5 presidential primary from the fraudulent address.
And it doesn't change the fact that the people tasked with enforcing these rules at the state or federal level really don't care.
While people may not remember the road traveled come September, the traveling circus known as the GOP U.S. Senate Primary campaign has seen many twists and turns.
In less than one year, the NJ GOP has gone through or proposed 15 candidates, experienced many false starts, had calls for resignation of the State chair and for candidates to drop out all while giving us tons of fun to watch. Here's a recap, in case you haven't been following along...
4/26/07- Assemblyman Mike Doherty became the first candidate to join the show.
5/2/07- A blog aimed at encouraging former baseball player Al Leiter to seek the nomination was started.
7/11/07- Anne Estabrook dipped her toes in the water forming an exploratory committee.
8/9/07- Assemblyman"Jersey Joe" Pennacchio said he was mulling a Senate bid.
8/10/07- Assemblyman Doherty ended his short lived Senate bid leaving only Estabrook and Penachio as candidates expressing interest.
9/10/07- Pennacchio tapped Morris GOP chair to oversee his then exploratory bid.
10/22/07- Anne Estabrook let people know she would run for the Senate seat.
11/13/07- Al Leiter crushed the hopes of conservative bloggers by saying he had his eye on a Senate seat just not Lautenberg's in '08.
This is only the beginning of the ridiculousness. There is MUCH more below the fold...
"Andy Unanue's ridiculous candidacy had been going downhill ever since he launched it from the ski slopes of Vail, and now that it has officially flopped, Tom Wilson and the failed GOP party bosses have finally reached the letter Z in their rolodex with Dick Zimmer."
And then Joe Pennachio gives us the headline of the day with "Pennacchio on the anticipated announcement of the "Candidate du Jour," followed by this beauty of a release...
Whatever...
So the next time you are frustrated by the primary, remember it could be sooooo much worse.
Some Republicans say that Unanue is upset at the national Republicans' all out effort to push biotech millionaire John Crowley into the race, which went so far as to have John McCain and Rudy Giuliani call him and urge him to run. What's unclear is whether that anger will make Unanue more or less likely to forego his run.
According to Ortiz, however, Unanue isn't mad.
"The thing about Andy is that he doesn't have a big ego," he said.
Multiple Republican sources say Andy Unanue is preparing to drop out of the Republican U.S. Senate race and will be replaced by former Congressman Dick Zimmer.
The arrangement is not final, but Unanue has reportedly agreed to drop his candidacy, while Zimmer has agreed to replace him.
Good thing Andy doesn't have a big ego.
But what is it with the NJGOP? First they get a millionaire playboy (ok, he wasn't first) who wasn't sure if he lived out of state or with his mom and dad. Now they have a former Congressman and current lobbyist who isn't sure where he lives:
Zimmer, who served three terms in the 12th district from 1991-1997, lives and works as a lawyer/lobbyist in Washington but maintains a farm in Delaware Township. He decided to forego reelection in 1996 to run a Senate campaign against Robert Toricelli, losing by 10 points.
Next, she complimented Mr. Zimmer's wife about her starring role in one of his advertisements, in which she appears holding a sheep on the couple's farm in Delaware Township.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for more commercials of candidate's wives holding sheep. Yep. Got the Tivo going already.
In the New Jersey GOP Senate primary race we start with Mean Murray Sabrin, Jersey Joke Pinnocchio and Annie "the Nebish" Estabrook. First, Murray attacks Annie, Annie gets all famished and flubs her lines, then Annie has a stroke and everyone else in the GOP gets agita. To cure the agita the GOP big shots turn to Andy "The Bean Baron" Unanue who, they later find out, is really a nightclub owner from New York who lives with his parents in New Jersey so he doesn't have to pay taxes, and then is fired from the bean factory by his own cousins who claim he was drunk on the job.
That's not all. In desperation the big shots turn to The Miracle Worker, John Crowley, who single-handedly saved his own kids from an incurable disease. They hope he can perform another trick and miraculously save the NJ GOP from another statewide embarrassment. The Miracle Worker says he'll think about it, then after thinking about it says he won't do it. Then The Miracle Worker gets a call from the War Hero (John McCain) begging him to reconsider, which he does. Then The Bean Baron says he'll get out if The Miracle Worker gets in. The Miracle Worker says he'll probably get in, but then at the last minute changes his mind again and says this time he's definitely not getting in. Then The Bean Baron says he's definitely staying in even though he's on vacation and doesn't know when he'll be back. Now there's a rumor that another GOP Big Brand Name (Tom Kean Jr.) is thinking about getting into the race if the Bean Baron decides to get out, which the Bean Baron has said he won't do but might do because he said before he won't do it but then said he might do it.
In the meantime, back at the Democratic Ranch, everyone waits for the gunfight at the New Jersey corral between Frank "the Alte Kocker" Lautenberg and Rob "Joe Lieberman Wannabee" Andrews. It looks like the GOP will give us The Keystone Cops while the Democrats give us their version of the main event from Rocky VI.
Andy Unanue will drop out of the U.S. Senate race before the filing deadline on Monday, according to sources familiar with the GOP campaign. The millionaire Goya Foods heir entered the race on Easter Sunday and has captured organization lines in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Hudson, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties. He returned from an extended trip to Colorado today.
Yes....we need more New Yorkers representing NJ in the Senate, we need more substance-challenged club owners in the Senate, we need more Repug millionaires in the Senate who can't even "announce" they are running to represent NJ in the Senate from a NJ location. Yes, let's all vote Unanue!
I'm beginning to think Frank Lautenberg must be subsidizing Republican Murray Sabrin's campaign as his own personal attack dog, considering all the damage Murray is inflicting on his GOP primary opponents. By the time Murray gets through with them, if either of them wins the nomination they'll be so bloodied and battered their own mothers won't recognize them.
Regardless, Murray closely resembles Joe Cantwell (played by Cliff Robertson), a main character loosely based on Richard Nixon and Joe McCarthy from Gore Vidal's play called
"The Best Man" about two rivals for the presidential nomination. I've seen the movie version several times and, though made in 1964, eerily resembles many of the current crop of presidential contenders. Joe Cantwell, just like Murray Sabrin, comes across as a reactionary Goldwaterite with a mean streak which exemplifies Cantwell's belief that the ends justify the means. Like Murray, Cantwell doesn't hesitate to dish the dirt against his main rival for the nomination, accusing the latter of extra-marital affairs and a history of mental illness.
To me, Murray Sabrin is the reincarnation of Joe Cantwell. The problem for NJ Republicans is that, unlike the "Best Man", they lack a credible opponent who can withstand Murray's personal assaults. Instead they have to choose between an affable boob calling himself "Jersey Joe" and a professional adolescent who can't decide where he lives.
In a press release issued this afternoon, Republican Senate candidate Murray Sabrin called on US Attorney Chris Christie and NY and NJ insurance departments to investigate "Andrew Unanue's possible violations of Federal Voter Laws and State Auto Insurance Laws" after admitting he lives in New York, but votes and pay for auto insurance in New Jersey:
"Voter fraud is a serious violation and if Andy Unanue committed such violations he should be held accountable. I call upon United States Attorney Chris Christie to investigate these severe revelations of Andy Unanue living in New York City while voting in New Jersey."
"New York and New Jersey have the highest auto insurance rates in the nation because of fraud. Andy Unanue's recent comments about having a New Jersey driver's license while living in New York City are extremely disturbing. I am calling upon the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor in New Jersey and the New York State Insurance Department Fraud Bureau to investigate these troubling disclosures by Andy immediately."
Chris Christie has made a lot of hay over his bi-partisan political convictions, a record that is largely reliant on his early indictment of Republican Jim Treffinger in spring 2002. At the time, Treffinger was the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for US Senate.
Now Christie has an opportunity to bookend his career as a US Attorney -- even if McCain wins it is very unusual for a US Attorney to continue after eight years -- by investigating and indicting another leading candidate for the Republican nomination for US Senate: Andy Unanue.
Mr. Unanue appears to have committed voter fraud by maintaining and exercising his voting rights at his parent's house in Alpine while admittedly living on Central Park West in Manhattan. According to Unanue's campaign manager, Unanue "votes in New Jersey."
That is a clear and almost admitted case of voter fraud, something that the Department of Justice -- the folks Christie works for -- has made a priority over the years. All Christie has to do is get the voter files from Bergen County, see if Unanue voted in the 2006 congressional elections or the 2007 legislative elections, and then impanel a grand jury for the indictment. It's not a heavy lift.
Department officials defend their record. "The Department of Justice is not attempting to make a statement about the scale of the problem," a spokesman, Bryan Sierra, said. "But we are obligated to investigate allegations when they come to our attention and prosecute when appropriate."
And the man who hired Christie (and received a no-bid sweetheart contract worth up to $52 million), John Ashcroft, also considered this a priority:
Combating voter fraud, Mr. Ashcroft announced, would be high on his agenda. But in taking up the fight, he promised that he would also be vigilant in attacking discriminatory practices that made it harder for minorities to vote.
"American voters should neither be disenfranchised nor defrauded," he said at a news conference in March 2001.
Christie is most likely aware of all this, since US Attorney's went through special training.
At the same time, the department encouraged United States attorneys to bring charges in voter fraud cases, not a priority in prior administrations. The prosecutors attended training seminars, were required to meet regularly with state or local officials to identify possible cases and were expected to follow up accusations aggressively.
Well, Mr. Christie. Your job is clear, and you can demonstrate your commitment to non-partisan justice by investigating and prosecuting this already admitted case of voter fraud.
"Andy Unanue lives in New Jersey, he votes in New Jersey, his car is registered in New Jersey, he pays New Jersey auto insurance, and his business is in New Jersey. Andy Unanue is New Jersey."
Today we learned from Herb Jackson -- one of my absolute favorite writers on politics, BTW -- that Senate candidate and NJ GOP savior Andy Unanue allowed Goya Foods to pay for a political consultant when he was considering a run for Congress a couple years back. This is a serious no-no, because corporations are not allowed to fund political campaigns. That's why they set up PACs.
So that's one count of campaign finance violation.
Now we learn from PoliticsNJ.comPolitickerNJ.com that Unanue doesn't even live in New Jersey, but in New York City.
But that's not the real news, which is buried under the headline and lead. Apparently Unanue is engaging in a little voter fraud in that he is registered to vote at his parent's house, but doesn't live there.
Voting records show Unanue listed at an Alpine residence. A search of tax records for that home, however, shows that it is owned by his parents, Joseph and Carmine Unanue. The housekeeper confirmed that the home does not belong to Andy Unanue and he does not live there.
But wait, it turns out that Unanue is living in New Jersey, because, you see, he is New Jersey.
"Andy Unanue lives in New Jersey, he votes in New Jersey, his car is registered in New Jersey, he pays New Jersey auto insurance, and his business is in New Jersey," said Unanue Campaign Manager Mark Duffy. "Andy Unanue is New Jersey.?
So now he shows up to work hung over, misuses corporate funds to pay for campaign expenses, and is registered to vote at an address where he doesn't live.
Great recruit, Tom Wilson. Please, give us some more!
This is a transcript of Andy Unanue, the current savior of the NJ Republican Party's effort to win a statewide race, where he defends himself against the charge of being drunk on the job by saying he was just hung over.
Q: Did you hear some testimony regarding your drinking alcohol [on the job]?
A: Yeah.
Q: Were you ever drunk in the office at GFI's [Goya Foods] headquarters?
A: No
Q: Were you ever drunk in any other offices where you worked?
A: No.
Q: Were you ever hung over in the office?
A: Sure, yes.
"Sure, yes." he says. As if this were a normal occurrence for an officer of a major corporation to show up to the office hung over.
If that's what he did while managing the family business, imagine what he would do in the US Senate.
New Jersey Republicans have been freaking out for the past few weeks about the prospect of running either Joe Pennacchio or Murray Sabrin against Senator Lautenberg.
Sabrin is the Ron Paul libertarian type (though not really: he's for a constitutional ban on abortion, a national language, etc): 1/3 good ideas, 1/3 "interesting" ideas and 1/3 absolutely crazy ideas.
Pennacchio wrote a manifesto in 1991 (that just got unearthed) that actually had a lot of good ideas in it (which Republicans hate), but he's since renounced most of those anyway. But it also had controversial stuff about how women are equal (but not really) to men and about putting homeless people onto military bases. And the whole thing overcompensates a bit on the issue of race. My favorite line reminds me of Joe Biden: "Shelby Steele, a black English professor at San Jose' State has written eloquently on American race relations."
Since Anne Estabrook dropped out of the race, Republicans have been throwing out all kinds of names as potential third options. Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Al Leiter and lately, Andy Unanue - former COO of Goya Foods.
The last one stuck and he threw his hat in the ring yesterday. And it's funny how giddy Republicans are about him. NJ GOP chair Tom Wilson:
"The opportunity to put a different face on the Republican Party and have a candidate who is young, Hispanic and so dynamic excites a lot of the party leaders right now."
That is quite a different face. They're going from running a disgusting, racist campaign against Senator Menendez in 2006 to running a Hispanic of their own less than two years later.
The GOP still doesn't get it. You don't automatically win over Hispanics or blacks or any other group just by running them for office. You start by not being so racist and scapegoating them for all of the country's problems.
I don't know very much yet about Unanue, but I do wonder how it must feel to be drafted by and agree to run with the party that used your ethnicity to scare voters in the prior election.
New Jersey GOP leaders had their Easter prayers answered today as a
political news site is reporting multi-millionaire businessman Andy Unanue will seek the nomination to take on Frank Lautenberg for the US Senate. After multi-millionairess Anne Estabrook withdrew after suffering a stroke, the GOP's country club establishment went about frantically trying to find a replacement to prevent the nomination from going to one of the two reactionary wingnuts vying for the seat.
Unanue is heir to the Goya Foods family fortune, the largest Hispanic-owned business in the country. As such, he can finance his own campaign. He can also appeal to New Jersey's considerably influential Hispanic community.
This Easter weekend New Jersey's Republican leaders are praying desperately in their country club hangouts as they anxiously await a decision next week by a potential messiah who will deliver them from the yoke of having to choose between the lesser of two clowns to run against Frank Lautenberg. Andy Unanue is young, articulate, moderate and most important, as heir to the largest Hispanic-owned business in the US (Goya Foods), fabulously wealthy and willing to finance his own campaign.
The real challenge for the chablis-and-brie country club set will be getting their chosen savior passed the gauntlet of reactionary Pharisees who seem to be coalescing around "Ron Paul wannabee" Murray Sabrin.
The small but potent group of Pharisee wingnuts in the NJGOP is alreadygearing up to politically crucify Andy Unanue should he have the temerity to defy their aspiration to win the primary for Sabrin. Expect the mud-slinging (mostly in one direction) to be fast and furious.
