With about 4 weeks left until the June Primary, Tom Wyka has rolled up the endorsement of Both the Morris and Essex Dems, as well as winning the party line at the Somerset County convention.
nj.com on the Morris Democratic Convention"
Wyka won an easy victory at a Democratic convention held Wednesday night at the Knoll East in Parsippany, getting 111 votes to 35 for Ellen Greenberg of Mendham Township and 3 for Harry Hager of Chester Township.
http://www.nj.com/morristown/n...
Yesterday the front page of the New Jersey Herald in Sussex County carried the story of the outcome of Sunday's Sussex County Democratic Convention.
The purpose of the convention was to choose the Democratic candidates that Sussex County Democrats would endorse in the 11th and 5th Congressional Districts -- the two districts currently held by Rodney Frelinghuysen and Scott Garrett. The candidates in the 11th District were Harry Hagar, Ellen Greenburg, and Tom Wyka. The candidates in the 5th District were myself and Rabbi Dennis Shulman.
Unlike the convention held in Bergen County by the BCDO, this one was open to all registered Democrats in Sussex County and was advertised in the local newspapers. Unlike the convention held in Bergen County by the BCDO, the Sussex County Credentials Committee checked the ID's of every Democrat who came to register and participate in the convention. Unlike the convention held in Bergen County by the BCDO, the candidates were nominated and given the opportunity to speak to the delegates and answer questions before the voting.
Unlike the convention held in Bergen County by the BCDO, I did not have to appear before the Credentials Committee two days before the convention, not to answer questions about my qualifications but to defend myself about why I had dared to run in 2006, and what about my loyalty to Joe Ferriero -- am I going to vote for him in 2008 to continue to be Chairman, and how dare I tell the BCDO that even if I don't win their convention I will continue to run and let the voters decide the issue on June 3?
And finally, unlike the convention held in Bergen County by the BCDO, not one of the persons on the Sussex County Democratic Committee owed their position to the Sussex County Chairwoman, Megan Ward. Unlike what happened in Bergen County, when I asked people for their support, no one said to me, "What is Megan doing? Is she supporting you?" To this day, I don't know who if anyone Megan favored in this contest. To my knowledge, she did not try to exert any influence over anyone's vote. That is a tribute to her.
When the votes from a packed room of active committee members and rank-and-file registered Democrats were tallied, as the Herald reported, the women won it. The winners of the convention were Ellen Greenburg in the 11th District, and myself in the 5th District. An overwhelming 77% of 5th District voters affirmed my candidacy with their votes. After the vote, none of the committee members told Rabbi Shulman or Tom Wyka that they'd better step down and not run in June.
It was refreshing and fun to finally participate in a democratic process with a fair fight.
Tom Wyka has received the Morris County joint DFA/PDA chapter's 2008 endorsement for US Congress in New Jersey's 11th District.
We evaluated all three Democratic candidates on nine separate criteria, and ranked each using a points system (5=highest, 1=lowest). The criteria were: Platform (progressiveness), Grassroots & Party Building, Commitment to Campaigning, Electability, Fundraising Ability, Public Speaking Ability, Knowledge of Issues, Volunteer Base, and Age/Vitality Factor.
Tom Wyka scored the highest score of the three candidates, and we are pleased to support him with our endorsement. Ellen Greenberg & Harry Hager came in a distant 2nd & 3rd, respectively.
It's the last day of the calendar quarter, which means at midnight tonight campaigns will be closing their books and preparing reports for the FEC and ELEC. It's a chance to showcase the early strength of and support for their campaigns.
So, show some love. Here are links to some great Democratic candidates running for office in 2008. Contribute what you can.
I'm organizing this little party, well..... fundraising dinner, for my friend Tom Wyka, you may have heard of him, hes running for Congress in NJ-11.
The fiscal quarter ends in March, and we're hoping to finish the quarter with a bang with a Dinner at Cryans Pub in South Orange to benefit Toms campaign for Congress.
Wyka for Congress at Cryan's
Date: Friday March 28, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Type: Party (Public)
Tom Wyka is running for Congress in NJ-11, against Rodney Frelinghuysen. Promoted from diaries by Rosi Efthim
... is a spouse who knows how to put a wing-nut in their place.
Reading the Daily Record Sunday morning, my wife Betty caught this gem on the opinion page....
Imagine it's 2017 and you fall off your bike
It's 2017, the first year of the Obama administration in Washington and in New Jersey we're in the second term for Gov. Carla Katz in Trenton.
As I was riding along the Donald Cresitello Bikeway near Burnham Park Lake, I was mulling over the state of existence. All of a sudden, I hit a rock and fell off my bicycle. I went down with a thud and landed on my wrist. It began to throb and turned a hideous shade of purple.
As you can guess, the author, who leans a bit the to right, launches into a screed ("fable") about his horrid experience with Universal Healthcare's bureaucracy in this future world.
My wife Betty, immediately started to think about some of our personal friends and wrote this response....
After reading Jim Larkin's "fable" on Sunday, I felt compelled to tell a story of my own. This story takes place in present day New Jersey and the main characters are three families.
I just wanted to give you all an early heads up. The fiscal quarter ends in March, and we're hoping to finish the quarter with a bang with a Dinner at Cryans Pub in South Orange to benefit Toms campaign for Congress.
The March 28th Dinner has just been posted on Tom's calendar, we are just now contacting speakers, so stay tuned for imformation regarding the event's line up.
For those who don't get over to Morris County that much and find this Essex County venue easier to get to, heres your chance to impact Wyka for Congress's first quarter fundraising drive.
Wyka for Congress at Cryan's
Date: Friday March 28, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Type: Party (Public)
Back in the late winter of 2006 I met Tom Wyka at a meeting of the NJ Democratic Caucus, the unassuming democratic challenger to Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ11). During the course of 2006 I got to know Tom quite well, working in his campaign as his Essex County Field director.
Tom Wyka, early 2006.
I've found many things that are impressive about this "never run for office before" lunch pail IT Project Manager from Parsippany NJ. Tom got laid off during the '06 campaign season, unfazed, Tom found another job while never missing a beat in his campaign.
So what was it in Tom Wyka's makeup that caused him to contest the safest Congressional Republican seat in New Jersey?
Earlier this month, Democracy for America launched its Grassroots All-Star 2008 Contest, a chance for DFA members to play a direct role in choosing a candidate nationally for endorsement. Over 80 Congressional candidates applied, including four from New Jersey. And one of our own candidates - Tom Wyka in NJ-11 - is currently in the Top Ten.
The DFA Grassroots All-Star isn't your typical endorsement.
The winner earns the financial support of our 675,000 nationwide membership, hundreds of volunteer hours by local members on the ground, and the media buzz generated by our national spotlight.
In 2006, the DFA Grassroots All-Star was California's Jerry McNerney, who went on to beat a 14-year incumbent Republican in a district no one thought he could win. That's people power, and it sure would be nice to snag some with a Grassroots All-Star endorsement for NJ.
In addition to Tom Wyka in NJ-11, you can vote for Linda Stender in NJ-7, Camille Abate in NJ-5 or Dennis Shulman in NJ-5. You get to pick 3.
Micheal Patrick Carroll, ever the champion of the taxpayer - especially the ones that have such astronomical wealth they find a way to pay less of a proportion in taxes than the average Joe or Josephine, ran to their defense while attempting to scare the average Joe/Josephine about the big bad Democrats ....
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.
I've decided that I'm going to take Xpatriated Texan up on his challenge. I was highly impressed with Tom Wyka as a candidate last election and I was happy to hear that he's willing to go through the effort to build on his previous efforts. New Jersey needs more quality candidates, and more candidates who aren't "one-shot wonders".
Yeah, I know the party-line that this district is unwinnable. I think President Bush's horrendous policies have put every district in the country within our reach. This is especially true when you have a tool like Rodney Frelinghuysen who has been a key "Bush nut-swinger" on pretty much every issue out there.
Make the jump. Or I'll tell Rodney you're talking to the Chinese...
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?" ...
The subject of publicly-funded campaigns - a.k.a. "Clean Elections" - is one that is dear to many progressive hearts. But, how well do you really understand this year's New Jersey Clean Election Pilot Program 2.0?
Loyal Blue Jersey readers already know that there are three legislative districts eligible to participate in the Program - the 14th, 24th and 37th Districts. And, our readers ought to know how these districts were chosen (the 24th because of its strong Republican leaning, the 37th because of its strong Democratic leaning, and the 14th because it is a "split" district).
But, do you know how much public funding qualifying candidates are eligible to receive? What obligations come with accepting public funds? And, how exactly candidates go about qualifying for the money?
For example, did you know that candidates have until September 28th to file their Declaration of Intent to seek certification. If you did, you would know that misleading stories like this one can be ignored.
And, could you explain to New Jersey's tax-weary non-political-junkies why publicly funded campaigns are good for democracy? You might need to.
You can slog through all the gritty details about the Clean Elections Program on ELEC's website, or better yet, TUNE IN EVERY SATURDAY MORNING at 10:30 a.m. to Blue Jersey Radio, when we'll be joined by 2006 (and future?) 11th District Congressional Candidate Tom Wyka talking about the Clean Elections Program, and taking your questions.
We'll also be previewing next week's primary races, and as always, dishing the latest Trenton news, buzz and gossip. Join us live this week and every Saturday at 10:30 a.m., or listen to the podcast anytime.
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
============================
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.
.gif)
