The Newark Star-Ledger reports, "There will be a rematch between Democrat Tom Wyka and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen in 2008 in the race for Congress in the 11th District. " Wyka, who took only 27 percent 37 percent* of the vote against the GOP incumbent in 2006, "announced his candidacy yesterday via a video on YouTube that included his motto, 'Take Back Your Government,' and a message that proclaimed him as the candidate of the middle class in a district that includes all of Morris and parts of Essex, Somerset, Sussex and Passaic counties." Frelinghuysen, 61, said he would announce his re-election bid "at the appropriate time."
As a challenger not in the spotlight of a targeted race, all you can hope is that they mention your name. Not only did he get that, but they gave his slogan, his message contrasting his opponent and gave him credit for using the internet/video to make the announcement. Tom hasn't stopped running for this seat and to help the people since he announced his campaign last cycle and we should all thank him for the work he is doing.
I wanted to send a message out to kick-off the campaign. I like YouTube as a medium (...and hope it likes me... eventually). Yes - I know it's a bit rough around the edges, but the message is important.
Here's to taking back your government in '08!
Thanks for checking in - and I appreciate your support!
The latest battle on Capitol Hill over the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), accentuates some notable ideological differences between Bush-style conservatism and real compassionate conservatism. However, I would tend to think that putting childrens' well-being in between an ideological struggle should be off limits for any person that calls themselves compassionate. The President vetoed the bill this week, and the House is unlikely to have a majority sufficient enough to override the veto. While all members of NJ Democratic contingent stand with the bill, the NJ GOP is split. Standing up for uninsured kids were Frank LoBiondo, Chris Smith, and surprisingly, Mike Ferguson, Standing with the President were Scott Garret, Jim Saxton, and our own Rodney Frelinghuysen.
Hastert's announcement - coupled with similar ones Thursday by Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce and Mississippi Rep. Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr. - brought to five the number of House Republicans who are not seeking re-election next year, compared with two on the Democratic side. While nearly 15 months remain until the November 2008 election, the retirement decisions of Hastert, Pryce and Pickering will stoke speculation of a larger "wave" of GOP departures that would seriously hamper the party's quest to make the 16-seat gain that they need to regain the House majority they lost last November.
So facing the prospects of at least 2 more years in the minority and possibly some tough re-election challenges, will any of NJ's Republican Congress Members be swept up in the current of the retirement wave?
Mike Ferguson was first elected to Congress in 2000. Will he leave office with the President that has led him down this path he has traveled rather than face what looks to be another tough challenge from Linda Stenderwith National Support from the DCCC because they have already identified him as a top 10 target? Will he choose to spend more time with his four young children and make more in the private sector as possibly a lobbyist? While he's not a likely voluntary departure, could you blame him?
Jim Saxton was elected to Congress in 1984. He has served for 24 years by the time election day comes around and has not really faced many serious, well funded opponents along the way. The landscape of the 3rd has been changing with Democrats picking up seats in towns across the district and signals have pointed to Senator John Adler mounting a challenge including a radio ad that is currently being run by the DCCC. Will he forgo a serious fight to retain the seat this time around?
Frank LoBiondo came to Congress in the Republican wave of 1994. The landscape is much different 14 years later. Now he is acknowledging that he is a target this time around and he will have to defend his role in the Deepwater Disaster. With rumors of a well known candidate such as Jeff Van Drew or Jim Whelan challenging him for the seat, might he return to the family business running the trucking company?
Chris Smith will have served for 28 years since his election in 1980 with Ronald Reagan.
Scott Garrett has the shortest tenure in Congress for NJ Republicans with 6 years since his election in 2002.
Rodney Frelinghuysen has also served in office since his election in '94 with LoBiondo.
They have been in congress for an average of 15.5 years each. While I would not say it's likely any of these incumbents wouldn't seek re-election, you could ask yourself if any of them might find better reasons to not take up the fight this time around? The bigger question is what are YOU doing in your area to help make their decision irrelevant? The time to plan for these races is now!
As my campaign gets back into gear, we decided to reach out to our online group to gauge interest at this early stage. (if you want to take part, follow this link )
I wanted to share with you an email that came back and my response. The subject line was "Are you mad yet?" ...
When you talk about framing a debate, I think this angle on immigration is the most relevant starting point for discussion - even though in the rhetorical chess match - it paints the libs-blame-America-first image. But you always need to be focused on the bigger picture. I find myself continuously frustrated by the intellectual laziness surrounding this issue (well sure that goes for most issues these days), but it doesn't take a monumental leap to reframe this discussion. I've written this in hopes it might make the Sunday editions. Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks, Tom
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A young daughter of a friend of mine taught me an interesting lesson, long before I was ever a parent: be prepared to answer a lot of questions as soon as they learn to talk. It was actually a fun activity if you had the patience to play the 'Why' game: Why is the sky blue? Why does the cat have whiskers? Why is the grass green? It teaches you very quickly the limits of your own knowledge, because the 'Why' game was played in an almost endless series. While you could make an attempt to explain the atmosphere, or chlorophyll, or cat navigation to a four-year-old, each explanation generated another 'Why' question. Far be it for me to discourage a little one?s curiosity. It's what intellectual discourse is all about. You keep seeking answers until you're satisfied.
Although the topic of immigration has never come up with any of my young kids I would already be prepared with a very good answer, mainly because in the course of trying to get to the real root of this very difficult issue -- I've already played the 'Why' Game with myself to a thorough degree. Unfortunately these days the debate has not progressed beyond a few superficial feel-good political half measures to really understand what needs to be done.
St. Gregory's Episcopal Church here in Parsippany holds a "Films for Thought" series about once a month. At the Church last November, my wife and I finally got a chance to see "An Inconvenient Truth", after a long, busy campaign season. It was funny how most of the folks I associated with throughout the campaign, including my campaign manager, had seen the movie, and being a candidate - there was no time to even absorb a good book or even an article, let alone a good movie. In fact, Al Gore was sort of a bookend to my campaign in a sense as my first attempt to reach a group of potential supporters was to stand outside the Drew University field house with a few loyal helpers and pass out fliers about my campaign. That night at Drew - I only caught a few minutes of the tail end of his lecture - so it was great to finally see all the content so many months later.
"Films for Thought" includes a discussion by a panel of subject matter experts after the film (in that particular case only one could make it - Rich Hoffman, a local environmental scientist). When the discussion got around to possible political action/activism, Rich prefaced his comment - "Well - you're not going to see much change in the government unless we get publicly financed campaigns". My wife and I have to look at each other and chuckled loudly since it was a central theme of my campaign.
Why is it that most progressives I talk to see this as the lynch-pin of solving so much of what's wrong with government?
(Tom ran a great campaign and this is his way of kicking off his next campaign. Bluejersey is proud to have him announce his '08 campaign here. - promoted by DBK)
Just so there's no questions (as people seem to be asking)...
"Sometimes, the only realists are the dreamers. Robert Kennedy once said, 'The future will not belong to those who are content with the present.' I think the future also will not belong to those who are cynical or those who stand on the sidelines. The future will belong to those who have passion and are willing to work hard to make our country better. The future will belong to those, in Eleanor Roosevelt's words, 'who believe in the beauty of their dreams.'"
~ Sen. Paul Wellstone, The Conscience of a Liberal
Yesterday at 10AM I was warm and cozy, sleeping in my bed on a cold October morning at Drew University (Madison, New Jersey). I was dreaming peacefully about a Democratic landslide in November, with Democrats picking up 35 House seats and 7 in the Senate, and Bush being forced to resign, and Al Gore was somehow Vice-President again, so...
Then my phone rang. It was Chip, the Morris County Democratic Campaign Coordinator. I had forgotten to set my alarm for earlier. Oops.
"Hey Stephen, do you want to go to some rallies today?"
"(Yawn)Sure, what time?"
"I'll pick you up in a few hours."
So began my day at the rallies.
The silence is deafening as New Jersey's Congressional delegation awaits instructions from Washington on what to say or do next over the escalating page scandal. It should come as no surprise.
With Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's announcement that he's sorry, but he won't resign, despite mounting evidence that he was complicit in a partisan coverup of Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate advances toward teenage Congressional pages, the sad truth about NJ's "Shameful Six" has finally been laid bare: they are incapable of holding their own accountable for mistakes - no matter how grave.
Not upon learning their leaders ignored warnings in the summer of 2001.
Not when their administration utterly bungled its response to Katrina.
Not after a failed Iraq policy that is three years and almost three thousand American deaths (and so many more lives ruined) in the making.
And, not now.
They are the worst kind of apologists - all 6 voters for impeachment of President Clinton, mind you - without the courage to stand up against their own disgraced Republican leadership, or own up to their disgraced policies.
just got back from Parsippany, New Jersey, a somewhat Republican town in the rolling hills of Morris County, New Jersey. The occasion was a fundraiser on behalf of one of the Democratic candidates for Freeholder (essentially a County Commissioner) and a good friend of mine, Dana Wefer (http://www.danawefer...). Dana is a 24-year old Democrat with spunk, courage and unflagging energy who has been challenging the GOP-dominated county government for over a year. In 2005 she ran well against an entrenched incumbent; in 2006 she's running with two exceptional Democrats to capture three Freeholder seats (the first time since 1973 that it would be the case). Also in attendence were Tom Wyka (http://www.tomwyka.c...), our NJ-11 Congressional candidate, NJ Democratic Chairman Joe Cryan and many others. P
A full roundup of what took place, who said what, and some good news from the Garden State about the future of progressive politics is in the extended body. Enjoy!
To my fellow Jewish Kossacks out there, a belated Shana Tovah. I hope all of you have a sweet and successful 5767 - and that it starts off with a Democratic landslide in November!
As I've said before, I'm now enclosed in the rolling hills of Morris County, New Jersey, where I'm attending Drew University. Morris County is usually a Republican bastion, but times are changing. In recent years the Democrats have been slowly, but steadily improving their county-wide performance, as well as winning local races across the county. One of those looking to turn Morris County blue is Tom Wyka (http://www.tomwyka.c...), a Parsippany IT Project Manager and Democratic activist. I spent last Sunday with him and his family, driving across Morris County and connecting with the grassroots.
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