This is going to be a quick diary because I have another event to run to in less than an hour. However, I will be back tomorrow morning to answer any questions or comments you may have.
First, I am proud to announce that I have been endorsed by Democracy for America. As one of 11 New Jersey candidates chosen, and just 1 of 2 not running for the State Legislature, I am honored and humbled to have received the endorsement of an awesome, forthright progressive organization. I have a picture of myself and Howard Dean from 2004 on my refrigerator; it is my hope that, when I am elected to the Berkeley Heights Township Council on November 8th, I can emulate his tell-it-like-it-is demeanor and open dialogue with his constituents.
The alliance between Labor and the Democratic Party has yielded rights that many take for granted like the 40 hour work week, minimum wage, Social Security, Medicare and workplace health and safety standards, which have all been won through the struggles of the labor movement.
That is a somewhat fair interpretation of history. Though it is worth noting the Democratic Party itself went through some dramatic changes during the same periods, most recently the loss of the South due to the Civil Rights Act and the Southern Strategy.
But what about today? What about the history we are writing through our collective actions? Will future generations look back, as the chair of the Democratic State Committee looked back at past generations, and see a clear alliance between Labor and the Democratic Party? I am not so sure.
Especially if they look at what is going on in New Jersey. A previously pro-middle class state still under Democratic Party control in the legislative branch, now working to bust unions and take away basic rights, like collective bargaining and a fair hearing before being fired. Adding insult to injury the Democratic Party leadership has provided aid and comfort to a Corporate Lobbyist turned Bush Fundraiser turned Blowhard U.S Attorney turned Governor to vilify teachers and attack their right to due process before termination. An open assault on the middle class from Labor's ally the Democratic Party.
Middle class? I thought we were talking about unions? Oh imaginary interlocutor, let me tell you a dirty little secret about capitalism...
The middle class is not natural, it is a construction, a political imposition.
It's been two months since I announced here I was running for office once again in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey - the town I've lived in all my life and the town I want to give back to as a Councilman! "Yellin for Council Version 2.0" has been rather successful so far, and I'm building on that momentum going into the June 7th primary.
With that in mind, I'm having my campaign kickoff this Saturday (June 4th) in Berkeley Heights - and every "Blue Jersey" blogger is invited to attend! It is at Noon at 345 Plainfield Avenue, at the pavilion of Columbia Park (the parking lot is behind the Middle School at that address). The kickoff is free and open to the public.
Yesterday, rumors that the state party chair proposed a map which would force two progressive State Senators into a primary enraged progressives and provoked a caustic response from this blog. The district contained three towns—Woodbridge, Edison, and Metuchen—and two State Senators—Barbara Buono and Joe Vitale. The idea wasn't an original one. A Woodbridge-Edison district is probably the most feasible way to make the Perth Amboy-New Brunswick district work, and that district is a priority of Hispanic organizations seeking to increase that group's representation in the legislature. more below
Last year, when I decided to run for Township Council, I neglected to inform my friends here at Blue Jersey about my decision. Poor Rosi had to break the news herself after the press wrote about my entry.
Not this time.
I put up my press release on the Internet last night, and Blue Jersey is the first to hear from me directly. I'm running again for Berkeley Heights Township Council, and I've learned from last time what it takes to win.
Come and support Wisconsin and local Democrats at a rally in front of the Cherry Hill Library on Kings Highway:
Tuesday, March 15
6:00 PM
Let Congress know that they can't balance the budget and reduce the deficit on the backs of the middle class without making the rich who drove this country into the ground with the ponzi scheme investments pay their fair share to get our country out of this recession.
h/t Andy Douglas, President of the Mount Laurel Democratic Club who provided me with this information
Meet and greet Marie Corfield, Democratic candidate for the New Jersey State Assembly from the 23rd district. Marie is a concerned citizen who will bring a new voice to Trenton - the voice of working people of New Jersey.
If you don't know Marie, she is a public school teacher from Flemington who was discourteously disparaged by Governor Christie in a Town Hall last year. She is running to help create good jobs for New Jerseyans, boosting public education, protecting the environment, and ensuring equal rights for all citizens.
It is a fact of political life that even the best candidates need to raise funds to get their message to voters. That's why we are holding a fundraiser for Marie in Moorestown on April 10th. Why so early when the election is in November? Again - another political fact of life: Political Action Committees who might be prone to supplement Marie's campaign with funds are looking to her ability to raise money herself. So it's not too early to contribute to Marie's campaign.
If you are dissatisfied with the way Governor Christie is running the state, come to Marie's Moorestown Meet-Up
Sunday, April 10, 2011 - 1:00 to 3:00 PM
At the home of Marv & Marty Wienar
441 Crescent Avenue
Moorestown, NJ
(856) 722-9144 (for directions only. All other inquiries should be sent to corfield4assembly@gmail.com)
Feel free to bring a snack or drinks to share with the group. But be sure to bring your checkbook.
If you are unable to attend, but still feel that New Jersey's government needs people like Marie, you can send a contribution to:
Citizens for Corfield
9 Paddock Lane
Flemington, NJ 08822
Please include your occupation and your employer's name and address
Middlesex County Democratic Chairman Joseph Spicuzzo has turned himself in to face corruption charges according to NJ.com. We'll learn more at a 10:30AM press conference. As you'll see in our archives, Spicuzzo has had his share of controversies and Blue Jersey user kwilkinson warned: "we need to clean house in Middlesex county or the Democrats will continue lose seats around the county. "
Update 2: Statement from New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman John Wisniewski:
"I am disappointed and disheartened by the report today that former Sheriff Joe Spicuzzo has turned himself in to the State Police to face charges that allegedly touch on his tenure as Sheriff," said Wisniewski. "While Joe is entitled, under our Constitution, to the presumption of innocence, for the good of his family, our system of government and the Democratic party, he ought to consider stepping aside from his roles as a Commissioner of the Sports & Exposition Authority and Chairman of the Middlesex County Democratic Organization."
It is alleged that on two or more occasions from 2007 to 2008, while serving as county sheriff, Spicuzzo demanded that different individuals pay him bribes in return for him appointing them as new sheriff's investigators or promoting them within the sheriff's office. Sheriff's officers are hired through the civil service system, but sheriff's investigators are appointed by the sheriff. It is alleged that Spicuzzo solicited and accepted individual bribes of up to $25,000 from new hires for investigator positions. He allegedly took bribes totaling at least $50,000...
The state's investigation revealed that young applicants who were trying to obtain law enforcement positions as investigators were forced to use all sources of funding available to them to pay the alleged bribes. It is alleged that Spicuzzo also solicited bribes from more senior members of the office seeking promotion to new positions.
Chris Christie keeps telling me to get rid of civil service rules but this is an interesting counter example.
For the Democratic party, it's worse since a man who [allegedly] demands bribes for a law enforcement job is completely unfit to choose political candidates. Even worse, this is where tolerating sexual harassers in the party gets us. [Final Update: See comments for how the last statement is poorly phrased.]
Chris Christie's message to the legislature today was more of an audition to be keynote speaker at the 2012 Republican National Convention than it was a budget message. He spewed the Republican Tea Party red meat of divisiveness and union bashing. Since the mainstream media's love affair with Christie prevents them from presenting an opposing viewpoint, this video shows the Democratic response from Senator Sarlo and Assemblyman Greenwald.
Is New Jersey becoming (or is it already) a red state?
New Jersey is regarded as a solidly blue state. Even when under a GOP Governor like Christie Whitman, those Republican chief executives have been categorized as "moderate". But with the disappearance of moderate Republicanism and the election of Chris Christie, is New Jersey still as reliably blue as its reputation is?
Stephen Yellin, aka "Mr. Liberal" here. As a blogger at Blue Jersey since 2005, I've been able to take some of the lessons learned from writing here in the blogosphere, and put them to good use as a candidate.
I want to give you all a final update on my campaign for Township Council in Berkeley Heights, in Union County . With E-Day just 48 hours away (45 in New Jersey, since the polls open at 6AM EST), I can truthfully say that I have a good shot at victory on Tuesday.
It hasn't been easy, running in a Republican-leaning town in a Republican-leaning year. So why do I have a "good shot"? Read on below to find out...
Whenever I get my fill of whining about Government, I simply strap on my bitchboots, grab my videocamera and head to Trenton. Sometimes there's a juicy issue cooking that I want to follow. Like today.
From last night - congrats to Stephen. Promoted by Rosi Efthim
Hi all!
Just wanted to give you a quick update from tonight's election in Berkeley Heights. My running mate, Linda Weber and I won the primary for Township Council. We will be running with Ray Sullivan, who won the nomination for Mayor as a write-in.
Richard Cohen describes an interesting intra-Democratic Party dispute in Haledon, Passaic County, New Jersey. The principal characters are Domenick Stampone, Haledon's mayor who is running for re-election, and Dom Fusco, his challenger in the primary. Jerry Volpe, the "rebellious local leader of the Haledon Democratic Committee," backs Fusco, and John Currie, "the very powerful chairman of the Passaic County Democratic Party," backs Stampone.
Superior Judge Margaret McVeigh will decide Wednesday who controls the Passaic County Democratic line in Haledon, the small but politically divided borough that is raising a ruckus this primary season. Two opposing slates of candidates for running for mayor and council positions are vying for placement on the regular Democratic line, the coveted top spot on the party's June primary ballot....
Both slates submitted petitions to run under the regular Democratic line on the June ballot with the party slogan, Passaic County Democratic Organization, Inc. Passaic County Clerk Kristin Corrado gave the line to Fusco because he submitted his petitions one day earlier than Stampone...
Volpe says the Haledon Democratic Committee bylaws give him the "sole authority" to name Haledon municipal candidates to the county line.
The key argument on the other side is here:
Stampone's attorney, Michael A. Cerone, Jr. argued that the Passaic County Democratic Organization is a non-profit corporation, and that Currie is the head. The slogan that appears on the ballot, Passaic County Democratic Organization, Inc., belongs to him.
I am not as wise as Solomon but this one seems pretty easy to me. If I were the judge, I'd rule that the Democratic voters are the owners of the Democratic party, and no one can run "on the line" until they win the primary. That would serve both of these would-be political bosses right.
The good news, however, is that no one has resorted to fradulent absentee ballots (yet), so Haledon is pretty far from making its way to the top of the controversial New Jersey primaries list.
Personally, this is a great thing to see, as the Democratic Party (both on the local, state and national levels) have taken progressives for granted - using us as an ATM (or in this instance as coined by someone who I will certainly credit when I remember, a gAyTM) to elect their candidates because "the other party is worse" but then offering little in the way of real change.
"Better than the alternative" has gotten real old real quick - we have had large majorities as well as the Governorship here in NJ for quite some time now - and a good number of progressive issues and causes have gotten little traction. On the Federal level, this is the same story - first it was "we need a majority", then it was "we need a bigger House majority and 60 Senate seats", and even then it took a shitstorm to even get the repeal of DADT on the agenda.
The Democratic Party (again, here in NJ as well as on a national level) should see this as yet another sign of a wake up call. No longer are progressives happy to work and donate to the party structure only to get pushed aside. The rise of the national netroots has given progressives the ability to donate and promote individual candidates based on views, support of issues or to reward for "going to bat" for progressive causes.
Amazingly, equality is one that has to be pushed for over and over and over again - and is one that is pushed aside or given half-hearted "separate but equal" actions.
National and State Democratic Party leaders should sit up and take notice - the progressive netroots and grassroots has been kicked around for long enough, and has been able to organize in one of the few ways that elected officials react to - money and donations. The tired excuses and lack of support by those who made promises in order to gain support and election will most certainly come back and bite them over time.
It may not be this November, but you can bet this is more of a blueprint for future netroots and grassroots campaigns and less of an aberration. The state and national Democratic Parties can ignore this or write it off, but they do so at their own peril.
When Accountability Now - a new national PAC - rolled out a couple of weeks ago, there were some dustups about what its purpose was. Were founders like Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos and Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake and the high-octane groups aligning with them really going flat out after moderate electeds of their own party? That's the kind of thing some of the headlines suggested.
But Accountability Now's new Executive Director Jeff Hauser, who ran Dennis Shulman's interesting but ultimately unsuccessful challenge to Rep. Scott Garrett last year, has it clear:
He talks about watching Democrats, the new power, being showered with lobbyist attention, and the risk that incumbents of his own party might begin to toe K Street's line or succumb to D.C. groupthink, just like Republicans did. The rationale makes sense. Incumbency is a cushy advantage; reelection almost a reflexive privilege. That leaves incumbents vulnerable to losing touch with their own districts, and caving to the demands of corporate interests. The organizational support AN hopes to provide - to challengers - is designed to making it more likely that if incumbents get out of touch they'll have a serious primary challenge. It's designed to get them looking over their shoulder and not too comfortably. Incumbents doing right by their districts, he says, have little to fear from AN.
How will AN zero in on their targets? Watershed votes on issues like economic recovery, the budget, healthcare, Employee Free Choice, energy/climate change and immigration reform will be watched. And polling will study the districts.
Hauser sat down for an on line chat with Blue Jersey yesterday. He calls the current system dysfunctional:
[snip] Unlike you or I, who are reviewed in our work constantly, members of Congress too often get a free pass.
AN wants to connect prospective candidates - viable candidates with fundraising mojo or the clear ability to attract resources - with national, people-powered movements, like MoveOn, SEIU, DailyKos, ColorOfChange.org, 21st Century Democrats and BlogPAC. And Democracy for America (DFA).
DFA Chair Jim Dean called in on Blue Jersey Radio last night, to underscore DFA's enthusiasm for the way vigorous primaries empower voters. Dean:
If this party embraces that, we're going to be around end prosper for a long time. But if it reverts to the power of incumbency we saw during the Clinton administration we're going to be out on our ass.
What's that you say? November 5th is a long way off? We have about 4 weeks left in THIS election?
Absolutely RIGHT! There's STILL time for ALL of New Jersey's Democrats with safe seats and deep pockets to get off their butts and open their wallets in support of the WHOLE ticket!
(This started out as a comment in Thurman's excellent diary The Senate Race that Wasn't http://www.bluejersey.net/show... but it went a bit far afield from his immediate subject......)
..........I wish Lautenberg and Stender had used their financial advantages and momentum to call upon ALL of the NJ congressional delegation to make it a CRUSADE to put win in ALL the contested seats.
Frank and Linda will likely win; but they could have been far more aggressive and won for the whole state instead of just focusing on their own elections.
The same applies to all the congressional incumbents like Rothman and Pallone et al who have safe seats. Why aren't they all all over the state stumping for every challenger??? Makes no sense to me. Is that considered "rude"? Is there an unwritten law against congresspeople supporting challengers to sitting members???
We could have had a statewide reform movement that would have garnered another half a million new voters to vote for Barack and to create a downticket landslide that just might have swept folks like Tom Wyka and certainly Dennis Shulman into office. As it is they are still fighting long odds
I really do wonder about the intelligence, competence and motivations of the NJ Democratic party.
Do they REALLY want to win big and REALLY clean up/transform our state? Or is it just about maintaining a corrupt status quo that puts more money into the hands of the same individuals and corporations that have been raping us forever?
Yeah sure, I'll vote Democratic across the line.....but only because the Republicans would be even worse for New Jersey.....but is that really the best we can do???
It's time the people of New Jersey, MOST of whom will back a progressive reform agenda that provides fundamental root to branch change, literally TAKE OVER the state Democratic party from the morally/ethically corrupt hacks who are now in control.
Nothing less will do the job.
The people, institutions and corporations who have been living "high on the hog" off of the hard work and sweat pf NJ taxpayers have to be thrown out of office and thrown into jail (where possible). There is no more "fat of the land" for them to live off of.
As many of you know, four years ago I decided to see how local politics really operates and became Chairman of the New Providence Democratic Party in New Jersey. New Providence had not elected a Democrat in nearly fifty years. I promised to serve a maximum of four years as Chairman and, keeping to my promise, I retired on November 7, 2007. I now no longer serve in any political capacity and am thus able to devote my full energies to my family, work and this column.
One of the most difficult things for me to hear when Jersey politics is discussed is some variation of, "You're in Jersey now!" Usually it is said with a shrug and a nod and usually it is said in conjunction with some so-called "public servant" getting caught with his/her hand in the till. Good God, if you're so blase about getting ripped-off that you can't even be outraged by it, then you deserve to get ripped-off!
Except no one deserves to get ripped-off. That's why it's a crime. There is simply no defense for a politician to be on the take. I don't care if every stinking person in the history of that office has done things this way, no one is entitled to break the law or to use public office for private gain. It's wrong. Period. And if you need that explained to you then you don't need to be running for office in the first damn place.
There is no good comparison for the effect of the pervasive corruption in our political system. Cancer can be cut out or treated. A disease can be isolated, it's cause determined, positive action can be taken to, at least, ameliorate the effects of the disease if not cure it entirely. Innoculations can prevent the widespread passing of some diseases. None of this is true of the depth, the breadth, and the sheer gall of the corruption that blights our state.
