As a politician, we always assumed that Chris Christie had to have some hypocrisy in his blood. After all, he promised not to touch teacher's pensions when he was running for Governor and we know how that promise turned out. He also said that he would use his prosecutorial skills to ferret out corruption in New Jersey, but that seems to be off the table as well.
Now comes word that the Governor is four-square behind a referendum on marriage equality in the state, but dead set against citizens voting on whether they want charter schools in their districts. Bob Braun's article this week highlights Christie's double vision, and an equal dose of doublespeak on the legislature's part, with a sharp razor's edge:
The contradiction - hypocrisy? - was set up nicely the other day when Assembly committees acted on the two issues. The Assembly Judiciary Committee, on a party-line vote, released a gay marriage bill; the Assembly Education Committee, also on a party-line vote, approved a bill allowing local voters to decide whether they want to pay for charter schools in their communities.
In the Judiciary Committee, the Republicans were for referendum and the Democrats were not. In the Education Committee, the opposite was true.
While the panels were meeting, Christie was at a town hall meeting and he repeated his insistence that same-sex marriage go to a referendum. "The fact is, they don't trust the people of New Jersey to decide," he said.
He made the comment at a charter school - and the governor has repeatedly said he would veto any bill allowing referendums on charter schools.
Nicely done, Bob.
But it doesn't stop there. Christie the unalloyed conservative is now trying to recast himself as something of a moderate, figuring, correctly in my view, that the conservative movement will see a massive flame-out this year and recede from the Republican Party leading up to the 2016 election (assuming that Mitt Romney loses in November. Which he will.). This piece by Charles Stile has all the details. By calling for a referendum on marriage equality, Christie doesn't have to veto a bill that would alienate gays. By signing a 10% income tax cut, he can play to the economic conservatives without bankrupting the state. And he can blame the Democratic majority if the plan is shelved.
How is this working out? Not bad according to this poll, but there are problems. Almost half of the respondents think Christie is concerning himself too much with his own political future, so he'll have to run softer and maybe give up the dream of becoming Vice-President under Romney.
And just yesterday, the good guv'nor picked another fight with the New Jersey Education Association over comments NJEA Executive Director Vince Giordano made over the effects of school vouchers on urban public schools. Said Christie:
"As Vince drives out of the palace on State Street in his big luxury car and his $500,000 salary, I'm sure life's really fair for him and if Vince's kids were in a failing school district he could afford to send them to any school in New Jersey that could help them succeed."
Never mind that NJEA headquarters is hardly a palace or what Giordano's salary is. Christie and his family are plenty wealthy, live in a fairly exclusive suburb, and the Governor sends his children to one of the priciest private schools in the state. There's something seriously wrong with calling out someone whose work supports the very teachers that Christie has been vilifying for his entire, um, tenure, in office.
As for the real issue, the evidence shows that both vouchers and charters are not the panacea he claims, but both do take public money out of the school systems that Christie blames for not meeting students' and parents' needs. He's robbing the system, then blaming it for being ineffective.
Pitchers and catchers report in about a week, but the first home run of the season was hit by my favorite senator, Loretta Weinberg. She was interviewed tonight by Mike Schneider on NJTV - here's the link.
Garden State Equality is using a decision in the California court system that came minutes ago as a jumping off point to ramp up activity and create waves to impact the NJ legislature, even as two dates loom which could change everything for gay couples in love in this state. The full Senate will consider NJ's marriage equality bill Feb. 13. The full Assembly follows 3 days later. Both come after companion bills were passed out of both houses' Judiciary committees over the last few days, following 10 hours of often-emotional testimony. Chris Christie, his sights set on his national GOP street cred at least as much as his responsibility to do the right thing in this pro-equality state, has signaled his intention to veto. Unknown if there are enough votes to overturn that veto, and some of those votes may still be in flux.
Less than an hour ago, a 3-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, serving California, ruled that state's Proposition 8, banning marriage equality, is a violation of the United States Constitution. The case is widely seen as destined to be decided in the United States Supreme Court.
In a message sent wide to GSE's NJ supporters, founder Steven Goldstein wrote this:
Blue Jersey frontpager, NJ godmother of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, Senate Majority leader, and a woman who gives Chris Christie the willies, Loretta Weinberg has a birthday today. She's 77.
LW's taking the day off from her usual Monday morning post, so instead this sweet video she made with her very sensible grandchildren, Shayna and Jonah. Here for "my adopted son Steven Goldstein" and Garden State Equality she talks with them about the day, hopefully soon, when people can marry "who they love and feel comfortable with" and the gay people in their lives who want to get married.
Birthday girl, with the beloved Shayna & Jonah:
(Disclosure: I have the honor of serving on GSE's board)
Following almost seven hours of testimony on Thursday, the members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee went on record with their votes to move the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption bill to the full chamber. As in the Senate committee, the vote was along party lines, with some Democrats expressing reservations but ultimately voting for equality while other Democrats were solidly in favor.
The two Republicans on the committee had interesting views and their remarks are worth listening to. It still surprises me how a libertarian like Michael Patrick Carroll can be for discrimination and government intervention in a civil rights issue. His argument comes right out of the Santorum playbook - since there is no societal benefit to equal rights, it's fine to vote against them.
Freshman GOP Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi appeared torn and indecisive. Her rambling remarks argued both sides of the issue but she ultimately voted for discrimination. I don't know if she can be flipped, but it would certainly be worthwhile if she could hear from pro-equality constituents. In the arc of the history of the New Jersey Assembly, she'll go down as having cast her first vote in favor of discrimination. I wonder if she wants this to be the legacy of her political career.
The video is 29 minutes long. If you want to jump ahead, here are the starting times for each speaker:
Gordon Johnson (D) 00:00
Reed Gusciora (D) 02:03
Ralph Caputo (D) 05:58
Annette Quijano (D) 07:40
Holly Schepisi (R) 13:20
Michael Patrick Carroll (R) 21:35
Peter Barnes (D) 22:33
Voting 28:01
Blue Jersey Writer Testifies at Assembly Judiciary Committee Hearing on Marriage Equality
At this past week's hearing, three Blue Jersey writers testified in favor of the bill to promote marriage equality in the state. One of these writers, Loretta Weinberg, also happens to be the Senate Majority Leader and a prime sponsor of the bill. Here is her opening testimony.
If you watch only one Blue Jersey video on the marriage equality debate, this is the one to watch. This video presents the testimony of three generations of the Galluccio Family. Adolph, the grandfather, has four children. Three of them are straight and one is gay. Adolph's son Michael and Michael's husband Jon have been in a long term relationship and are one of the first set of gay parents in New Jersey permitted to adopt children. Two of their children, Madison and Adam testified along with their parents. The video ends with a powerful statement by Adolph.
Even if you feel you don't have the time to view a 12 minute video, you must view Madison's testimony at 5:35. Look how proud Jon is of his daughter. After seeing this, if you're not a supporter of equal rights, then you just don't have a heart.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora is one of the sponsors of A1, the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption bill. Here is his testimony from yesterday's hearing at the Assembly Judiciary Committee. His remarks completely negate the arguments of the opponents of marriage equality.
The first person giving testimony at yesterday's Assembly Judiciary Committee hearings on marriage equality was Speaker Sheila Oliver. If the results of the last civil rights referendum in New Jersey were allowed to stand, she would not today have the right to vote, let alone run the lower house of the legislature.
I spent two days in two weeks (and preparing for more) at the statehouse listening to testimony on marriage equality. While I have yet to give a testimony myself (as a straight ally, I don't have as good a story as the LGBT community does), I did give a written testimony on why it is important to me that this bill is passed (unfortunately I probably live in the worst district in the state when it comes to marriage equality).
In the two days of testimony, all of the opposition's arguments against marriage equality had to do with religion. And in a country with freedom of religion, there are many various religions (and lack thereof) practiced in the United States, let alone a diverse state such as New Jersey (which is not exactly in the Bible Belt). Quoting the Bible has absolutely no meaning to a non-Christian.
Now by posting this challenge on Blue Jersey, I know that I am not exactly preaching to NOM's choir, but I will post to any lurking marriage equality opponents. Pretend that the legislature is 100% atheist. Any arguments you make mentioning God, the Creator, scripture, etc are irrelevant. Give ONE compelling reason why a non-believer should oppose marriage equality.
Only Blue Jersey has gavel-to-gavel video coverage of yesterday's marriage equality hearings at the Assembly Judiciary Committee. I'll be editing and uploading the more relevant material over the next few days. Some will be frontpaged, some will appear on the sidebar, so be sure to check there, too.
I felt like a witness to history, and someday I'll be able to tell my grandson that Grampa was there when New Jersey worked to end yet another chapter in institutional discrimination.
Below are post-hearing comments from Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, and Garden State Equality's Steven Goldstein.
Gusciora is a gentleman. His comments about freshman Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi are generous and conciliatory. I would have been less kind. Schepisi's first vote in her political career was one to perpetuate discrimination. I'll post Schepisi's remarks later, but suffice it to say that although she appeared torn in her decision, she based it partly on the fact that the e-mails she received were 50-3 in favor of marriage discrimination. She touted the all-to-familiar themes of "separate but equal" arrangements for marriage and the old "some of my best friends are gay" line.
Weinberg and Goldstein were in maximum kvell mode after the vote - deservedly so. Unlike the recent Senate hearings, at yesterday's session everyone who desired to testify was given that opportunity.
Videos are below the fold.
Technical note: One legislator I spoke with had trouble viewing prior videos on his iPad, probably because iPads do not support Flash. I've uploaded these videos in QuickTime format. The files are larger and take more time to upload. If anyone has problems with videos, please send direct email to deciminyan@gmail.com
Statement from Hetty Rosenstein, New Jersey State Director of the Communications Workers of America:
Our progressive union has long been on the leading edge of civil rights fights. We marched alongside Martin Luther King in the fight for voting rights. We stood up for the Equal Rights Amendment. We were on the front lines for disability rights. We have negotiated domestic partnership and civil union rights in our contracts.
Marriage Equality is a Civil Rights issue, just as the right to organize and have a union is a civil rights issue.
For too long, New Jersey has denied one of the most basic rights -- the right to marry the person you love -- to hundreds of thousands of its citizens. To maintain the status quo, or allow the basic rights of a minority to be put at risk in a referendum, would mean continuing this fundamental injustice indefinitely.
While our members come from many diverse backgrounds, we are united in our belief that all loving and committed New Jersey residents should be free to marry the person they love.
We call on Trenton to enact marriage equality as quickly as possible. We can't wait.
UPDATE 7:25: Full Assembly will take A-1 up Feb. 16.
UPDATE 5:10pm: After nearly 7 hours of testimony, the Assembly Judiciary Committee voted 5-2 to send A-1 to the full Assembly for consideration. The vote: YES: Johnson, Gusciora, Caputo, Quijano, Barnes. NO: Carroll, Schepisi. Straight party-line vote.
Garden State Equality's Steven Goldstein in a rare moment of calm
If this post looks familiar, it should: 9 days ago, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard hours of testimony, then passed S-1 to the full Senate by a vote of 8-4.
Today, Assembly Judiciary Committee hears testimony on A-1. At the Senate panel session, though there were far more people who showed up and were prepared to testify for equality, about an equal number of pro's and con's were chosen to address the committee. This morning, Garden State Equality showed up at the crack of dawn to greet supporters, many of whom arrived wearing EQUALITY The American Dream tee-shirts. Gov. Christie's response to the rise in the legislature of this issue was the ill-advised and ignorant statement about the civil rights movement which got him a week of the kind of national coverage people usually don't want.
Crowd waits at Assembly Judiciary, many in EQUALITY t-shirts
Listen LIVE here. Please note: You'll need Windows Media Player, which takes a few moments to download. There's a link for it on the Statehouse media page. Hearings often start late, so keep refreshing the page until it's up.
We'll keep this an Open Thread. So if you're listening or in the audience, please let us know what you're hearing and thinking.
Thursday morning, the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee will hear testimony and then vote on A-1, the marriage equality bill, first up in the legislation line-up for the Assembly in the 215th NJ Legislature.
Eight days ago, Senate Judicary heard hours of testimony, then voted 8-4 to send the bill (companion to the Assembly bill) to the full Senate. Far more people showed up to testify on the pro-side, including a long list whose names were read at the end. Testimony on the pro-side was uplifting, accepting, community- and family-minded. Testimony on the anti-side repeatedly invoked Anne Heche as some kind of emblematic figure for a misguided impression of gay life. And there was talk of marriage equality leading to people marrying their dogs. All the infuriating, bigoted stuff you always hear trotted out when some folks get a microphone.
