Daily Kos Elections on NJ Congressional Redistricting

by: Rosi Efthim

Mon Dec 26, 2011 at 10:14:31 AM EST

David Jarman (scroll for editor bio) is one of the editors of DK Elections. He's got a post on the outcome of NJ congressional redistricting that I missed just before Christmas, but popped up in my Google Alerts this morning. Thought you'd enjoy the view of NJ redistricting from outside NJ. From Daily Kos Elections:

New Jersey redistricting: Commission tiebreaker opts for the Republican map.

Christie fail: New Jerseyans could care less about "activist judge" charge

by: the_promised_land

Mon Nov 14, 2011 at 04:03:00 PM EST

Judge Linda Feinberg struck down the part of pen/ben applying to judges. And Christie pounced.

He held a rally with fifty Republican legislators and candidates at Trenton's War Memorial. Christie threw down the gauntlet.

"Which side are Democratic lawmakers and candidates on? New Jerseyans deserve to know whether they stand with public employees and taxpayers or the privileged 432 (judges)."

Derek Roseman, one of the state's key Democratic strategists, responded:

"As if on cue, New Jersey's Republicans have called their biennial pre-election confab to pledge their unwavering support for an issue that doesn't register with the people they are seeking to represent," Roseman said. "Perhaps our opponents' time would be better spent walking their districts and actually talking to voters, as opposed to driving to Trenton for photo-ops with their party leaders. If they did, they'd know, like Democrats do, that voters care about their property taxes, their jobs, and the fact that the Republicans who are spending today fawning all over each other care more about giving millionaires special treatment than they do funding schools, ensuring women's access to health care, or even providing real property tax relief to middle-class families and seniors."

What happened next - below the fold.

Which one is it, Governor?

by: the_promised_land

Wed Nov 09, 2011 at 01:28:40 PM EST

"The new map still is more competitive than what previously existed."

- Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak in April after new map produced.

"I do believe we're going to make history [in the legislative elections]."

- Christie, October 31.

"The map did what I thought it would do."

- Christie, today.

Just sayin'...

NJ's Most Diverse Legislature Ever (But…)

by: the_promised_land

Wed Nov 09, 2011 at 10:01:53 AM EST

With the results from yesterday's legislative elections in, how will the new Legislature compare on reflecting New Jersey's population?

Next year's Legislature will be the most racially and ethnically diverse in New Jersey history. As a result of several key areas flagged during redistricting being met - such as Latino representation in the 36th in the person of Marlene Caride and Nellie Pou moving to the Senate in the 35th to replace John Girgenti (which in turn led to that district having two new African-American assembly members, Shavonda Sumter and Benjie Wimberly), 29 of the state's 120 legislative seats will be held by people of color starting January, a record. Latinos picked up two seats (including a Senate seat) to reach an all-time high of 10 seats, and African-Americans reversed a minor decline in seat numbers over the past several cycles to reach 17 seats, which ties the prior all-time high. Asian-Americans held steady at 2 seats. These numbers still, however, represent significantly lower shares of Latinos and Asian-Americans than the population as a whole.

More below the fold...

Cryan to take over as Speaker?

by: defendcom

Tue Oct 25, 2011 at 07:23:55 AM EDT

Why Primaries Matter.

by: Jeff Gardner

Tue Jun 07, 2011 at 10:41:04 AM EDT

Even after statewide redistricting this year, it remains a fact that the vast majority of legislative districts in the state are a virtual shoo-in for one party or the other in November. That means in the vast majority of legislative districts in the state, the only real election that will take place this year for representation in Trenton is happening today.

That's why it's not just registered Democrats and Republicans who should care about today's primary. Every voter should care - because your Senator and your Assemblymembers are mostly being chosen today, not in November. And, for Democrats in Democratic districts, that means the winners are the people who will be expected to take the fight to Gov. Chris Christie for the next two years.

In most places, there is no contested primary. But, in those few places where there actually are contested primaries, you need to vote, and you need to choose wisely. Who will better represent you for the next 2 years? Who will stand up to Chris Christie? And, who will stand up for Democrats and progressive principles?

If you know that, then you know who deserves to represent you in Trenton. So, go vote! :)

A look at New Jersey's 2011 Legislative elections (part I)

by: Stephen Yellin

Fri Jun 03, 2011 at 07:44:06 AM EDT

In this diary, I will cover the first group of competitive races in the upcoming legislative elections, and analyze the rest later this week. It is also posted at DailyKos.com (under "Mr. Liberal" as well). As we know, the Senate stands at 24 Democrats and 16 Republicans, and the Assembly 47 Democrats to 33 Republicans. In short, the GOP needs 4 Senate and 8 Assembly seats to take control.

You can read my analysis of the first group below.  

In Union County, "Democrats for Change" = Democrats for Christie

by: Stephen Yellin

Sat May 28, 2011 at 07:42:13 AM EDT

By Stephen Yellin - I am proud to be on the ballot for the June 7th primary on Column A. I am also a candidate for Township Council in Berkeley Heights.

This isn't a 'me-first' rally - this is a 'community-first' rally...a worker's rights rally!
           - Joe Cryan, March 3 2011 (standing with union workers in Trenton)

He's going to do a wonderful, fabulous job as our next Governor.
         - Tony Monteiro, November 4 2009 (at Chris Christie's victory party)

On June 7th, Democrats in the 20th Legislative District (Elizabeth, Hillside, Roselle and Union) have a clear choice to make. They have a choice between the regular Democratic ticket, whose Democratic Party credentials aren't in question, and a renegade group called "Democrats for Change".

Just who are these "Democrats for Change", and what do they stand for? Examining the facts paints a troubling picture of this group, and its candidates for the State Legislature in the 20th District. This ticket has managed to combine the 2 worst problems confronting New Jersey today: a corrupt, unaccountable political machine and the enabling of Chris Christie's destructive, divisive policies across our state.

How I cast my vote today (a fun story)

by: Stephen Yellin

Wed Apr 27, 2011 at 01:33:20 PM EDT

Since I'm going to be taking a final exam later today at my graduate school, I was unable to make it back to Berkeley Heights to vote in today's School Board election. Accordingly, I sent it my Vote-by-Mail request form to the Union County Clerk's office, asking for a ballot to be sent to my house.

Unfortunately the mail was slow in arriving at the Clerk's office, and although I submitted my request in advance I did not receive a ballot in the mail. That's where my story gets interesting...

Union County GOP: Minorities Too Stupid To Vote For Us

by: Stephen Yellin

Sun Dec 12, 2010 at 08:25:26 PM EST

Hi all,

As you may know, I was a candidate for Township Council in Berkeley Heights this year. As a Democrat running in a Republican-leaning town in a Republican "wave" year, it's not surprising that I lost. Union County, however, saw a surprisingly strong victory for the Democratic Party's County-wide ticket, with Sheriff Ralph Froehlich and Clerk Joanne Rajoppi each garnering 60% of the vote; our Freeholder candidates weren't far behind.  

I can imagine that the Union County Republican Party's Election Night gathering wasn't that joyful - neither was mine. When I conceded, however, I certainly did not attack the voters of Berkeley Heights by saying (for example): "You hit them [the Republicans] with a cattle prod, and they'll go under; there's no brain power involved." It would be incredibly offensive, and would do a tremendous disservice to my supporters, some of whom were registered Republicans.  

Will this be a "lesson learned" for Bergen Democrats?

by: Adam L

Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 12:20:04 PM EDT

And as it goes, "all politics is local" - I think this is even more true on a, well, local level.  None of these Democrats voted for health reform, they didn't have any hand in what was going on nationally and while there was more "Republican voter enthusiasm", that is a mere excuse for the real reason for what happened in Bergen County last night.

This was not a repudiation of Obama or Menendez or Lautenberg or even anything close to an affirmation of support for Christie.  This was about what the Bergen County Democratic Organization did when it was in control and a resounding rejection of those policies.  

But it goes even deeper than that.

Final thoughts on Berkeley Heights 2010

by: Stephen Yellin

Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 08:24:54 AM EDT

Hi all,

So I lost. As many good Democrats did nationally (and a few bad ones, I might add), and in different parts of New Jersey. In the end, I finished with 1, 208 votes, or about 27% of the vote in a 3-way race. I finished 4th out of 6, beating the two Independents. My running mate, Linda Weber did much better, drawing 1,762 votes and missing a Council seat by less than 400 votes. In a different year (2006 or 2008), she would have won.  

A check that's got stuff written on it

by: Alefa_Zegota

Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 05:44:22 AM EDT

This was a referendum on Christie's short months in office, and it didn't break his way. And that's damn gratifying.

It's especially gratifying to contrast it with the national media's hollow assertions last year about What Christie's Election Meant for America. Even with the country's honeymoon with our governor and our state's Tea Party invasion (why couldn't it be the British Invasion instead?), New Jersey has shown that its requirements in a leader and individual needs are hardly monolithic.
continue below the fold

The Rip Van Winkle Effect on What The Election Means

by: Alefa_Zegota

Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 05:42:18 AM EDT

I feel like it's cheating, but there's something nice about having that extra time (ie now, in the middle of the night) to process what just happened.

more below the fold

We lose when we forget

by: Thurman Hart

Tue Nov 02, 2010 at 01:59:36 PM EDT

Earlier this year, my brother provided me with a bit of wisdom that seemed to come out of nowhere and apply everywhere. I was cussing the bad drivers on Route 17 and he said, "I don't think the problem is that there are bad drivers. The problem is that we have forgotten how to be good people. Then we get behind the wheel and use technology to be bad people to even more people than before."

What is true for drivers in northern New Jersey is also true for political parties. The problem - the reason we stand on the brink of losing our ability to govern - is not that we are reaching for bad policies. It's that we've forgotten how to be good people. Then we govern as if anyone who doesn't agree with us does not belong in the room with us, much less at the table.

Too many Democrats decided that the only thing wrong with the way Bush/Cheney governed was that they moved policy in the wrong direction. No sooner had Democrats taken the reins of power than they tried to duplicate Bush's governing style - claiming a mandate in the absence of consensus. Convinced of their rightness - or righteousness - they never reached out to the people on the other side.

Update on my campaign: 48 hours to victory!

by: Stephen Yellin

Sun Oct 31, 2010 at 10:37:27 AM EDT

Hi all,

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...

Heading into the Home Stretch

by: Stephen Yellin

Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 01:44:34 PM EDT

Hi all,

With just 11 days left until November 2nd, I've been working hard to win in Berkeley Heights, where I'm running for Township Council. My website is http://www.bhdems.com , so take a look if you want to learn more about me after reading this.  

How many jobs could corporate ad spending pay for?

by: Adam L

Tue Oct 19, 2010 at 12:45:00 PM EDT

Instead of spending millions and millions on Republican political attack ads, why aren't these corporations using the money to hire more workers?

And we know that Koch Industries' owners are regular and heavy donors to the RGA and Republican Party candidates/chapters.  But they also laid off 150 people in their Wichita headquarters last year as well as another 115 in North Carolina just last month.

Here in New Jersey, the Chamber of Commerce is running ads against House incumbents in at least one District - on top of a number of other House and Senate races.  While this is based on donations whose source does not have to generally be disclosed, Chamber of Commerce "dues" can be well over $100,000, and used at the discretion of the Chamber (which has reportedly run around 8,000 ads this cycle alone - just on behalf of Republican Senate Candidates.

News Corp, as we also know, donated $1 million to the RGA and another $1 million to the Chamber of Commerce just this past year (not to mention the major investment in the Fox News as the propaganda and misinformation machine that it is.  On the flip side, maybe if it focused less on buying elections and more on its businesses, it wouldn't have sold Beliefnet and caused "a great number" of layoffs.  Or the layoffs at IGN Entertainment.  Or 100 or so last year at Fox Interactive Media.

I could go on and on and on.  But the point is clear - the Republican Party and its candidates like to claim that they care about job creation and the "free market" helping the economy.  But the truth is, they take in record profits and funnel them to the executives, generate huge losses and still funnel huge bonuses to their executives or - in this case - cut jobs instead of adding or saving them while wasting hundreds of millions of dollars which could be spent on their core business or helping the economy as opposed to buying elections.

Lessons I'm learning as a Candidate

by: Stephen Yellin

Fri Oct 01, 2010 at 10:36:19 PM EDT

Hi all,

A little over a month has passed since I last updated the blogosphere on how my campaign for Township Council (in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey) is progressing. You can read the previous updates here and here.

With a month and a day remaining before Election Day, I wanted to provide an update on the race, and offer some thoughts on what it's like to be a candidate.

My Campaign Website
Why I'm running for Township Council | NJ.com
Credentials for running for Berkeley Heights Council | NJ.com
Article from Woman's Day website

Let's go to the polls and….play PacMan?

by: Adam L

Tue Aug 24, 2010 at 01:30:00 AM EDT

But I digress.

Courtesy of BoingBoing, the same Sequoia machines that were once easily hacked and shown to be hackable but still used in New Jersey were hacked to play Pac-Man as opposed to stealing votes (since that was already done in a prior demonstration).

While this is somewhat amusing on one level, there is a deeper issue here that I have been writing about for years, and one that Rep. Rush Holt has been all over - that of voting machine integrity.  In fact, it was a little more than a week ago that our own Reps. Holt, Pallone, Rothman and 15 other Reps. urged Attorney General Eric Holder to take action IN ADVANCE OF THIS NOVEMBER'S ELECTIONS to make sure that votes are counted as cast.

This includes a basic paper trail and a manner in which the votes can be audited and verified, among other basic things.  But the reality of this all is that in many many states, voters are still facing the same issues with respect to potentially stealing elections.  Just because there was a big win in 2008 doesn't mean that the same vote theft and shenanigans that went on in 2000, 2002 and 2004 are gone.  In fact, many other countries still use the same paper in a locked box as their means of voting - and they have the winner declared pretty damn quickly as well.

But I guess when the companies that make and run the voting machines for the overwhelming majority of the votes are major contributors to one of the political parties, that is integrity enough.  We should just trust them, right?  It's only one of the most basic rights and it's not like elections have consequences, right?