Right now, it's Bill Clinton vs. Chris Christie for practically anybody with a telephone in upstate western New York State, where the NY-26 special election race between GOP's Jane Corwin and Democrat Kathy Hochul is boiling hot and may be a signal to Republicans, like all of NJ's GOP delegation, that they've gone too far. I wonder just what time this weekend Karl Rove placed a panic call to Chris Christie to help bail out his candidate.
Once again, Christie is following Rove's lead. American Crossroads, the beefy GOP money group Karl Rove started has been pouring cash into Jane Corwin's flagging campaign, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups. Few weeks ago, Corwin looked like a lock. But that was before widespread voter backlash to the GOP plan to end Medicare and replace it with a privatized voucher system proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan, a plan even Newt Gingrich calledright-wing social engineering.
Christie, and NJ's Republicans like my own congressman Lance, had better worry. New polling shows Kathy Hochul, longshot a few days ago, surging ahead of Corwin by 6 points.
Text of Christie's robo-call to NY, after the jump.
CBN, the Christian Broadcasting Network, picked up the story of Gov. Chris Christie's vacillation on the question of evolution v. creationism/"intelligent design." You knew they would; it's pandered right to them, and right to fundamentalist Christians who write checks to GOP candidates with the same vigor they write checks to TV preachers.
At this weekend's Democratic State Conference in Atlantic City, I caught up with 3 men who practice both science and politics - Congressman Rush Holt, Assemblyman Herb Conaway and congressional candidate Ed Potosnak. They all had something to say about Christie's creationist parry. That's below.
We don't generally reprint or link back to sources like CBN, but it's instructive to peep in on what Christie looks like over on their side. What they "heard" in what Christie said is in CBN's headline: Christie: Schools Should Be Able to Teach Creationism, and though their article is cautious in its language, that crap plays very well over there.
Let's face it; there are only a few explanations for Christie's statement. If he was pandering, CBN is here to tell you it worked. But, wait - was he? Is it possible Christie really believes the world began 6,000 years ago? What might he think fossils are? Creationism has been debunked and debunked again. Does he not know?
GOP voters are consistently tugged toward anti-intellectualism by their leaders, the dumbing down of an entire class of voters is in sharp contrast to the intelligent (if wrong) and well-thought out (if wrong) worldview that 30 years ago was outlined by the likes of William F. Buckley and other thinkers now called paleos by post-Reagan Republicans - overcome by a generation of climate change-denyers, creationist mythologizers, and dumb if pretty spokesmodels like Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, who is such a low-hanging fruit that a Cherry Hill high-schooler just went national with an invitation to debate her on the Constitution. Christie's statement is also germane because Christie wants to divert education funds to religious schools, a growing movement a lot of money is behind. Is he also unclear that it's science and not pretty religious myth that should be taught in schools?
Rush Holt: Congressman, physicist and the man who beat the Watson supercomputer in Jeopardy (Christie's statement) doesn't reflect well on New Jersey. If New Jersey wants to reclaim its title as the invention state, the innovation state, the source of america's productivity, then it can't be a know-nothing state. What bothers me about creationists - or icreationism-lit known as "intelligent design" is known as, is that it's lazy thinking. We've gotten ahead - as a species and as an American economy - by thinking deliberately and concertively about how the world works - as shown by the evidence we've observed. Creationsim ignores evidence and creationists are choosing not to live in the real world.
If you want kids to be prepareed to get ahead in the real world, you should teach them to observe the hard fact of the real world.
Herb Conaway: Physician and Assemblyman:
Freedom of expression and freedom of thought are sacred in this country. Our birthright. But with respect to teaching, let's make sure we're teaching science in science class - not something else.
Ed Potosnak: Congressional candidate, former chemistry teacher: A mistake we have made in the scientific community is referring to Darwin's theory instead of what it actually is, which is Dawrins law, which is that species evolve over time. While the explanation may change - hence why they call it a theory - the fact remains that our Governor is putting partisan politics and his political career ahead of scientific evidence.
Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis has cleared a major hurdle (pun intentional, sorry) in his bid for the LD-8 state Senate seat. Late this afternoon, Administrative Law Judge John Schuster III ruled that the GOP challenge to Lewis' residency requirement be dismissed.
After the ruling, Lewis had this to say:
I am very gratified with today's decision by the administrative law judge. I'm confident that the Lt. Governor will uphold the ruling so that we can devote our full attention to the real issues facing the residents of the Eighth District. The voters want to know where the candidates stand on the serious issues facing New Jersey and their visions for the future. They're not interested in partisan sideshows that distract from that important discussion.
The Republicans contend Lewis fails to meet the state's 4-year residency requirement. They say Lewis voted in California in 2009, paid taxes there (Lewis owns several homes), and maintained a website claiming Los Angeles as home. Lewis grew up in Willingboro and bought a house in Mt. Laurel he says is his residence.
Many people get involved in politics because they are passionate about an issue; they are concerned about soaring property taxes, overdevelopment, ensuring quality education for our children, or guaranteeing our civil rights--whatever the issue, at one point or another your political party has had a heavy hand in the decision making process.
People understand that they need to participate in the political process if they want results. For most that participation is limited to showing up on Election Day and casting a vote, for the more engaged it may be going door to door and helping out in a specific candidate's campaign.
What we don't often recognize is that those individuals who assume party leadership have a direct impact on which candidates run and what issues are on the party platform (if any). These positions are available to ANY concerned citizen and the time to seize the power is now.
The great thing about serving on the county committee is that it does not require a large investment of time, and provides a large measure of control of who represents us in Trenton.
In addition to electing the county party chair and awarding the party line for Senate and Assembly seats along with local offices, the county committee members participate in filling vacancies in office when someone resigns in disgrace, retires, or passes away. Shockingly, more than a third of the legislature has entered office by way of a vote of the county committee, not the general public.
It's because the county committees wield so much power that Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-37) and Senator Diane Allen (R-7) sponsored the Party Democracy Act, to ensure the political parties adopt rules and procedures ensuring fundamental fairness and guaranteeing a secret ballot when making important votes. The Party Democracy Act was signed into law in 2009, and now every Republican and Democratic voter is offered a fair chance to vote their conscience.
So if you're ready to do something, here are some basic tips for running for county committee. 1) Find out from your municipal clerk which political party committee seats are up for election this year; 2) Complete the Party Declaration Form (Democratic or Republican Party) for the County Committee you wish to run for; 2) Get a petition & required number of signatures from the municipal clerk (in most cases no more than 10 signatures needed); 3) File the petition with your town clerk by April 11th; 4) Show up on June 7th with your family and friends and vote for yourself (most seats are won with just a few dozen votes or less).
Visit www.TheCitizensCampaign.com and take our free, half-hour online class and learn the tips and tools to become a successful neighborhood party leader.
Once elected, you have the power to adopt or amend your party constitution, create your party platform, and seek the chairmanship of your county party.
The bottom line is, if you want to gain these powers, then you need to take this opportunity to step up to the plate.
For the past 10 years, eight of them with a Democratic Governor and all of them with a Democratic legislature, the GOP has whined that people are moving hand over fist out of the state of New Jersey due to Democratic policies.
Each time a prediction came out that NJ was going to lose a member of Congress, and we are, the Democratic Party was to blame.
So how do they explain the Census giving population growth of 377K over the past decade, a 4.5 percent growth in the number of people in the state?
Only two counties, Essex (D) and Cape May (R) lost population with every other county growing.
Twenty-eight states grew less than New Jersey in total residents added, putting NJ in the top 45 percent for population growth.
We're growing slower than the nation as a whole, sure, but a lot of that is because we are built out. We don't have a ton of places to put more people and the places we do have don't have jobs so putting more people there doesn't really make sense.
All in all, a 4.3 percent growth rate is pretty good. I'd rather have kept our Representative, but the idea that people are running away from New Jersey is just more GOP cow cookies.
Jobs. Economic stimulus. Women's health care. The budget choices that lead to our rising property taxes at home. The list goes on.
The Republicans in the state legislature are already so deeply bonded to their governor that they adhere to his policies even when something better, more independent and more intelligent should be expected of them. Whatever price we all pay for that would be higher if the GOP gets what it wants in November: a GOP-controlled NJ legislature.
This, called GOP Legislators Choose Polling Over Policymaking comes from the NJDSC communications shop. What do you think of it?
*** Update 4:29pm: Good guesses in Comments. You'll find the mystery man's real identity after the jump.***
This was snapped at yesterday's public hearing on legislative redistricting - historic because of the presence of the tie-breaking 11th member (no, he's not in the picture). Look at the guy on the right, head down in deep chat with Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. Know who that is?
I'll pull this diary back up to the frontpage at around 4pm, check in to see if anybody can name this guy, and know his significance. And I'll give you the answer then if somebody hasn't already nailed him.
Frank Lautenberg laid it all out on the floor of the Senate yesterday, decrying the sharp rightward turn of the Republicans "on the other side of the aisle" to accommodate the Tea Party activists now controlling the GOP. On higher ed:
Here in Congress, tea party activists have seized control of the Republican side of the aisle. And it is far from a tea party for lots of jobless people, those qualified to study in college but just unable to pay the freight.
On the GOP plans to slash funding:
We know that cutting critical programs now brings high - sky high - prices later; more illnesses and a less educated society.
The Senator calls out the Tea Party's "toxic" agenda, proposed cuts to early education funding, college tuition assistance, medical research, women's health care and environmental protections. And that includes a big NO to "200,00 little kids who now go to Head Start."
Lautenberg urges a full-on rejection of the GOP's Tea Party agenda: "When they say, 'Have some Toxic Tea,' we must say: 'No.'" This is your senior Senator:
If you're tracking the key messages broadcast by Gov. Christie and his GOP supporters vs. the key messages from the Democrats, the two videos below are instructive. Christie's, released yesterday, is about lotsa stuff - "Big" stuff! The Democrats put theirs out today, a direct answer to Christie's, and focused on the one thing Christie doesn't mention: Jobs.
So, let's review, and then you can watch, compare and contrast.
Christie's: bombastic ("Big Things!"). Pounding music (though "Ride of the Valkyries" would work too). Comprised entirely of Christie sound-bites. Recording of wild applause on continuous loop to give the impression his every word inspires ovation! and appreciation! Oh, and one other difference, as well.
Democrats: Focused on jobs, with a specific agenda, and a host of proposals for Christie to sign. Music: cribbed off Christie's. Live with it. Oh, and one other difference: One of these 2 videos was paid for with your tax dollars.
(Below the Democrats are first, because I couldn't bear to feature Christie's first - Live with it.)
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?
Chris Christie loves to travel lush on the taxpayer's dime, plus there's more snow in the forecast. So one of the Governor's top priorities this week is to get the hell out of town - to Illinois! Christie's heading west to romance Illinois businesses, following an airwaves assault by Christie promising rainbows and unicorns for businesses willing to relocate. Christie smelled blood in the water when Democratic governor Pat Quinn and the Democratic-majority legislature boosted the state's corporate income tax by 46% and the individual income tax rate by 67% this month, as Illinois grapples with its own budget crisis.
Republican governors seem to be operating in pack-mentality. GOP governors Scott Walker (Wisconsin) and Mitch Daniels (Indiana) - and the GOP mayor of Indianapolis have all already either given interviews criticizing Quinn or made full-out media buys to lure Illinois businesses to their own states and city. But you know it's Christie who will be the attention-hog.
The radio ads - starring himself - launched last week (listen). There's even a read-my-lips style promise of "I will not raise your taxes". But sounds like Christie's going to get some serious static in the Land of Lincoln (this is hilarious). Here's Quinn:h/t ken bank
We posted earlier that Rep. Frank Pallone was interrupted as he read aloud part of the Constitution this morning on the House floor. Capitol Police arrested 48-year-old Theresa Cao of New York; she was charged with unlawful conduct, disruption of Congress, was processed and released.
Via Dave Weigel at Slate, we find out Cao is a pretty well-knows birther activist and supporter of Lt. Col. Terry Lakin, an Army doctor who was court-martialed for refusing to deploy to Afghanistan because he doubts President Obama's legitimacy.
Here's the lady's blog, Got Heaven's Bailout?, which looks like a lot of mosque-destroying, Saul Alinsky-hating, anti-Muslim religious mumbo-jumbo to me. She was yelling about Jesus when she was remove from the Gallery. And, via AP, here's Cao's disruption of Pallone's Constitution section (FYI - Pallone told TPM the section readings were assigned on a first come, first serve basis):
Fifteen donors pooled their money to provide 60% of the funds used to power Reform Jersey Now, the shady slush fund created to privately boost Chris Christie's agenda, and hit Democrats who might oppose it. The fund was created for the new governor by his GOP allies and run by Mike DuHaime, GOP strategist and the architect of Christie's campaign, with former Franklin Lakes councilman Chuck Shotmeyer listed as president.
Was this list released today to divert attention from Chris Christie's irresponsible decision to leave the state to avoid handling a messy snow emergency? The governor's due back in New Jersey tomorrow.
In a memo Reform released today, 244 donors are listed - including the core 15 - combining for a total raised of $623,784. Read the entire list here.
Missing is a list of the fund's expenditures, so New Jerseyans can follow the impact of the private financing of the slush fund's activities. For the most part, Reform acted in secret, but some of its projects are known: radio ads in June supporting Christie's property tax agenda (and in no way making clear that the support came from a group organized around the governor), and a direct mail & robo-call campaign directed at Democratic lawmakers like senators Steve Sweeney and Paul Sarlo. Reform had a half-year life, and will shut down Friday.
John Crowley (Princeton Twp), Amicus Therapeutics CEO who almost ran for US Senate in 2008, and the subject of a film about his children and their rare illness.
Sol Barer (Westfield), former CEO of Celgene Corp, a biotech firm.
Spencer Baretz & John Hellerman, of Hellerman Baretz Communications, a PR firm.
2 national GOP committees; a policy committee under the Republican Governor's Association, which made an adoring short film about Christie's 2009 upset win that premiered in a D.C. theater, and the State Government Leadership Foundation.
4 companies in the construction & development sector: Ferreira Construction Co., George Harms Construction, Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, and home-builder Toll Brothers Inc..
Issues Mobilization Committee, a Realtors issues group.
Jeff Michaels, former chief of staff under Gov. Donald DiFrancesco
follow me below the fold for more scandalous details.
When 9/11 happened it was an affront to everything Americans hold dear. It was indiscriminate, it was an attack on innocents, it was an assault on civilians, it was mass murder for no apparent reason.
There were lots of us out there talking about this, and there was no dearth of taking heads and politicians talking about the import of this day. But we knew the import of the day ourselves, and didn't really need to be told.
The two best responses, in my opinion, were both by comedy writers and delivered pitch perfect. One was the Onion -- a spastic, slapstick, rude, nonsensical and riotous online spoof of modern news dissemination -- imagined what a press conference from God after 9/11 would be like. It ended like this, which still makes me tear up:
My organization, the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG), recently released a report with the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) proposing $600 billion in federal budget cuts. The NTU is a group that often disagrees with us, and our goal was to create some early consensus on specific budget cuts that target waste, inefficiency, and corporate handouts in the federal government. The report is here.
Everyone knows the federal deficit is important. Yet polls like this show that the deficit continues to be a low priority for Americans.
President Obama's fiscal commission did not quite achieve the super majority vote required to prompt direct congressional action on implementing budget reform. This means that now, more than ever, it is critical for Americans (and New Jerseyans) to press their federal representatives to take serious action.
Yet New Jersey is struggling with many economic problems of its own, and it can be tough to look past city and state budget crises. Yet as long as we put off fixing the federal budget, we will continue to waste our tax dollars, and money that could be used for helpful services or creating solvency will end up in irresponsible subsidies or inefficient programs. What does the Blue Jersey community think about this? Have any of you experienced direct consequences stemming from our federal budget deficit? How can we make the federal deficit a New Jersey priority?
For a while there, it was beginning to look like DSCC had bed bugs. Bob Menendez, facing his own 2012 re-election (not to mention a Tea Party who wants his hide) is ready to step down from his 2-year stint as the Dems' campaign chief for the Senate.
Harry Reid offered the job to Washington State's Patty Murray (who turned it down). So did Virginia's Mark Warner, and Colorado's Michael Bennet. NY's Chuck Schumer (who ran DSCC from 2005-09) took himself out of the running. But Murray changed her mind; it was announced today she'll chair DSCC. Big job. This cycle, 21 Dem incumbents are up, and both independents who caucus with the Dems, Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman (one worth saving, one not). Only 9 Republicans are up for re-election.
One of Murray's top priorities will be making sure her predecessor Bob Menendez makes it through his "first" re-election to the Senate. Menendez was appointed by Gov. Corzine to fill his own Senate seat when Corzine became governor. He took office in January, 2006, and defeated Tom Kean, Jr. later that same year to keep his seat. But this is the first time Menendez has a longer Senate record to run against. As the man who presided over Dems keeping control of the Senate, he's got a big, red GOP target on his back. Then there's the Tea Party people, enraged by a Latino with power, and vowing to take their (ridiculous) constitution-bending case to recall him all the way to the Supreme Court. Unlikely, that they'll get there. Unknown, the effect of 2 years of their ignorant, racially-motivated bashing.
Between then and now, a year of redistricting and legislative races. A year of most Democrats focusing more on the state's troubles and its overblown helium balloon of a governor. Menendez will ramp up same time Obama will; in the Garden State, their fortunes loosely tied. It's early yet, but Menendez may have some work to do.
And, if it isn't fresh in your mind, Murray just came off her own re-election nail-biter, victorious only after a 3-day vote count. Menendez helped her get re-elected. We'll see in two years if her efforts for him pay off.
Once more, Mr. Christie has scheduled another Union Bashing session specifically timed to avoid attendance of public workers and teachers. His arrogance and refusal to play fair with all citizens of the state of New Jersey has become almost laughable in its obviousness.
Maybe he only feels confident enough to stare and bellow down retired public workers? It's hard to tell because he has yet to take on a citizen looking down the barrel of his layoffs threat. In fact, his avoidance has been such that fear of perceived failure (and to no small measure personal ambition) prompted him to travel the country and stump for the GOP darlings in OTHER states and not New Jersey.
Could it be that he knows his brand has been worn to a thin veneer in the Garden State and that the stink of his endorsement would be a death knell for GOP'ers seeking state and municipal offices? Or maybe he cares more about being the GOP Darling of the Day rather than the savior of New Jersey's fiscal soul that he thought he was? Could it possibly be that he is just realizing he isn't prepared or able to handle the real skills of governance?
The only things we now know about Chris Christie is that he isn't a negotiator, a competent governor or a fair minded arbiter of issues that might actually work for all the citizens of New Jersey.
It is a fair assumption that Mr. Christie will spend his term as Governor avoiding real public discourse and act the bully and boaster when faced with the slightest of defiance to his ideas. In this we can depend and deplore. Christie will be the belligerent and divisive master of ceremonies at all his own events but he will never be a Governor of substance.
If you have the time and the ability, attend his next Town hall event and raise up your voice for yourself, your state and your future. New Jersey can't afford the silence in response to his screaming any longer.
RSVP the event here.
Who knew? Our "moderate" Governor would become a national Republican star. But more important, his "embrace" of right wing social values has also made him a star to the Tea Partiers.
Let's see.
Take a stand against access to birth control for poor or underinsured women! Cut back on women's access to health care. Refuse to make a simple amendment to our state medicaid plan which could cover so many more folks (up to 133% of poverty) and bring in nine federal dollars for each state dollar we spend. Cut 13,000 legal working immigrants from coverage under our Family care plan. And that's just health care!
He's a "hero" to the right wing (and many others) cause he supposedly cut the budget. How? By cutting more than $1 billion from aid to our schools and municipalities. What will that do to property taxes this year? We've all seen the answer to that in our tax bills.
Blame greedy public employees for the pension problems, and then refuse to pay the state's share of that obligation. Remember, all public employees continue to make their individual contributions while municipalities and county taxpayers pony up their share. It's only the State of New Jersey under our Governor who are not fulfilling their public obligation. Give a tax break to millionaires and take homestead rebates away from everyone else. Give up $400 million needed in our schools rather than find common ground with the NJEA. And that's his budget cutting credentials.
Announce the closing down of ARC, the biggest public works program in the history of our nation, and then talk to our federal representatives. Maybe, things could have reached a better conclusion by talking to folks before the decision was made. Oh that would have not given more cost cutting credentials to our tea party hero in time for his national tour.
I'm an optimist. I am convinced that the residents of our state will sooner or later catch up with the real results of our Governor's almost one year in office. I'm also a realist, and know it won't be easy during this time of economic hardship. I think the rest of the nation will not be far behind as they view the real results of Governor Christie's programs. We need to get this story out.
He's been celebrated as a reformer. However, he's done nothing to encourage his pals at Reform New Jersey Now to divulge their contributors who are not covered by our play-to-pay laws. I've reached out to the administration on a number of different occasions to offer my cooperation and assistance to support "reform legislation" which our Governor would like to put forth. Have yet to receive a reply. Guess he must think that a cooperative and bipartisan effort will not make him popular with his national buddies. Well Governor Christie, in spite of that, I'm still ready to work with you on needed reform! Just reach out and let's find common ground.
We have the full letter that Assemblyman Gary Schaer sent yesterday to NJ Attorney General Paula Dow and US Attorney Paul Fishman, requesting they launch a full investigation into the hiring of former Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Speziale was a key player in Passaic Democratic politics and his sudden exit is raising questions that Speziale was a beneficiary of a politically-motivated deal orchestrated by Passaic GOP Chair Scott Rumana - and with cooperation from Gov. Chris Christie - set up to excise a key Democratic pillar in Passaic and boost the GOP's election chances there in the November election. This follows a Sept. 14 Passaic Freeholder Board resolution urging "appropriate law enforcement agencies" investigate circumstances behind Speziale's appointment.
Speziale was heading into a fall re-election for his fourth 3-year term, and had amassed a $1 million warchest, a very likely re-elect. His exit was abrupt and sent Passaic Democrats into chaos. No doubt that Speziale, who got a high-paying new job, landed soft. The question for Schaer and others is what, if anything, did GOP players including the Governor do to engineer that exit, and whether it was engineered for political opportunism. In his letter, Schaer cites a Sept. 15 article in The Record quoting Rumana saying he helped arrange Speziale's Port Authority job, with the Christie administration.
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