I'll start by saying that anyone who uses the sentence that "MSNBC is the only counterpart to FOX and the right wing noise machine" has their head completely up their ass. Two hours per day (Olbermann and Maddow) do not make up for the countless hours of "fair and balanced programming" that Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough or much of the daytime programming comprises - certainly, this is a mixed bag at best and nothing near the ridiculously and blatantly skewed programming on FOX - or even worse, the "supposedly neutral" but SO NOT neutral CNN.
But I digress....
A couple of weeks back, Chris Matthews had two Congressmen on Hardball to discuss health care reform and how the issue could be moved forward in a bipartisan manner. The Republican Congressman appearing was New Jersey's own Scott Garrett. At the end of the segment, Chris heaped effusive praise on Garrett, calling him his type of Northeastern Republican, which I guess means the most radically rightwing kind. He even invoked the word "moderate" to describe Garrett (at which mention Garrett visibly cringed).
To grasp the abject stupidity of Matthews' misplaced admiration, you have to understand who Scott Garrett is and what he stands for. As we have documented here time and time again, Garrett is arguably THE most radical right-wing member of Congress. His illustrious legislative record includes, among many other things:
Voting against aid for victims of Katrina,
Voting against extending unemployment benefits for American families,
Voting against extending the Voting Rights Act,
Voting against providing health care to poor children,
Voting against anti-price gouging legislation holding big oil accountable,
Voting against taxing bonuses for Wall Street execs (he actually argued that they "deserved" them),
Voting for every bloated Bush budget, and
Voting for every dime spent in Iraq.
Oh, and by the way Chris - He's also catering to the birthers - if not necessarily an outward one himself, having said at a public meeting that he wanted to see Obama's birth certificate. Garrett further distinguished himself following the earthquake in Haiti. His message on his Congressional web site said the he was praying for those constituents of his affected by the quake. No mention of the thousands of Haitians who were dead or injured. Garrett also opposed abortion even in the case of rape or incest - allowing a rapist to choose the mother of his child or a molesting father to force his daughter to bear his own grandchild. And he referred dismissively to the push to eliminate DADT as a "side issue" not worthy of his consideration. That's Chris Matthews' kind of Republican.
As Jason notes below, Garrett also recently appeared on MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show with guest host Ed Schultz. Once again he performed his one man show designed to portray himself as the sincere moderate that truly wants to work across party lines for the good of the American people. I can't blame Ed because he was filling in at the last moment. But I can blame the show's staff for not doing even a modicum of homework on their guest. Like Matthews, Schultz - someone who should know better - bought the well rehearsed charade hook, line and sinker.
By giving Garrett this kind of forum without challenging him on his record, MSNBC has aided and abetted an insidious political fraud. It is incumbent upon MSNBC to make sure this journalistic incontinence doesn't happen again. First, try to actually do some research on your guests. You know, like Rachel Maddow does so well. Second, next time you extend an invitation for Congressman Garrett to appear on one of your infotainment shows, ask him why he voted time and time again to deprive Americans of their most basic civil rights. Then ask him how we can buy into his fairy tale of working toward a bipartisan utopia when he questions the very legitimacy of our President to serve in office based on debunked crackpot theories.
Maybe then MSNBC can begin to regain some semblance of journalistic integrity.
ELEC released their summary of 2009 lobbying efforts today, which showed that total lobbyist spending was up about 1.3% last year to $56,390,613. In the same time period, the report showed a 56% drop in the in benefits lobbyists gave to state legislators Here are some other numbers of interest:
The average number of lobbyists fell 4%
The number of clients fell 5.2% marking a second year of declines.
We saw a 56% decrease in total spending on benefits to state officials. This follows on a 29% decline last year and 30% decline the year before.
Communications for lobbying firms saw 53% increase, while all other categories saw a decrease.
You can view ELEC's full annual report summaries here. Many of the benefits to state officials were meals. The increase in communications spending was driven by television advertisements during the gubernatorial campaign from NJ Progress and the Mid-Atlantic Leadership Fund.
"The recent increase in communications expenses reflects the changing nature of the lobbying business. It has become more multi-dimensional since the State's original lobbying law was enacted in 1964. This is partly as a result of the growth in government,'' Brindle said.
They also mentioned the increase in grassroots efforts to help mobilize the public for or against issues. It's been said many times that sunlight is the best disinfectant and the decrease in spending on state officials would indicate they are beginning to get the message. But the report continues to sohw that private groups and organizations often have the ability to raise and spend more than individuals getting them more access and attention. This trend will be necessary to watch given the recent Citizens United decision to see whether it or subsequent rulings eventually have an impact on state lobbying efforts.
Poor Scott Garrett. He was complaining the other day on the Dylan Ratigan show with Ed Shultz show that the President isn't reaching out to him and that Republicans have ideas that are being ignored. I guess he's not paying attention to the ideas that have been incorporated into the Presidents proposal. The White House even put out a list of the ideas they have included. That didn't matter for Garrett as he said Obama hasn't been genuine and has just talked down their ideas. Then they moved onto talking about abortion, because what else will we talk about when it comes to healthcare. Garrett pointed to Conservative Democrats and Congressman Stupak as stumbling blocks for Speaker Pelosi:
Our government should start getting rid of the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSAEA) albatross.
Someone said, "Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome." For years the NJSAEA has expanded its investments into the Meadowlands complex, Monmouth Park Racetrack, and the AC and Wildwoods Convention Centers. The result: NJSAEA currently holds $830 million in debt, faces a deficit this year of $38 million, and is requesting from the state $30 million to meet its shortfall. NJSAEA is now pleading for slots machines at its racetracks and hopes for gambling at Xanadu.
During Senate hearings the NJS&EA President Dennis Robinson said that its "debt load reflects poor choices by past governors and lawmakers." Actually our current governor recently appointed his former colleague Ralph Marra as Senior Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs with a 25% salary increase to $190,000. Marra has been criticized on several counts for improperly having used the federal prosecutor's office to further Christie's campaign.
Indeed past governors and lawmakers have treated the authority as their toy box. Political interference has including a bloated staff of political appointees, free tickets and catered meals to favored politicians, poorly negotiated contracts with football, basketball, and hockey franchises, bad decisions regarding Xanadu, and insistence on perpetuating the money-losing race track business.
Sports economists "have shown time and time again that the rosy estimates of economic benefits put forward by sports boosters are at odds with actual economic data." We like our professional sports and we want to keep them, but other states have their own teams and have not pandered as much to team owners nor allowed their government to so mismanage the business.
As with companies that have a failed business model, the government should begin to find other operators, sell off its assets, close down facilities where necessary, and disengage from the sports, exposition and entertainment business. Other non-governmental operators could run these facilities and be more successful. If some were to lose money it would not be a drain on our state's treasury. There are other far more pressing needs in NJ. It's time to stop. "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."
Chris Christie's War on the Middle Class (and the environment)
Christie's fare hikes and clean energy cuts are the subject of scathing criticism in two NewJerseyNewsroom opinion pieces.
DRPA
Governor Christie also vetoed a DRPA contract with a firm connected with George Norcross's brother.
School budgets
School officials are getting annoyed at the governor, who says he won't tell them how much he is going to cut state aid until less than a week before they must produce their budget. Back in January, the legislature gave Christie permission to give his budget address later than the normal date.
A pollster for a republican candidate seeking his party's nomination to run against Rush Holt in November says Rush Holt is beatable, but even his primary opponent is mocking the poll.
Each week, Blue Jersey Radio streams LIVE with New Jersey's latest political buzz, interviews with newsmakers, and your stimulating calls.
This Week: While Jeff is once again away, Adam and Jason will play. It's time for another excellent adventure and we will cover all the latest issues in what was another busy week of NJ politics and government. The Governor is getting ready to produce his budget proposal as people continue to try and come to grips with his previous proposals for unemployment, mass transit, education, the environment and more. On the federal level, they're still fighting about healthcare. And there is plenty more out there that we can talk about.
Drop your comments, questions and concerns down below, then tune in and join the conversation!
Christie said he was "wrong" in previously claiming that he would not be "bound by" the contract struck between unions and former Gov. Jon Corzine last June. The agreement called for 10 unpaid furlough days while deferring a wage increase in exchange for a no-layoff pledge through December 2010. It means two 3.5 percent wage increases are scheduled to take effect in the upcoming budget year, one in July and one in January.
No doubt Christie will try to drive a very hard bargain on the next contract, but Corzine did a good job in re-opening an existing contract, where he had traded pay increases for state workers having to pay for health care. When Corzine then wanted to take away the pay increases, he saved the state money while properly negotiating with the unions. Josh Zeitz puts it more unkindly:
"Chris Christie should be thanking Jon Corzine for saving him money," Zeitz said. "It's not Jon Corzine's fault that he doesn't understand the job ... He should try negotiating."
Another question is whether Christie knew he was wrong all along? I bet he did, his budget stories never held up to scrutiny, but after all, it worked. For unkindness and hilarity, let me go this time to conservative Rick Shaftan:
#RINO #Fraud @GOVCHRISTIE WON'T LAYOFF ONE STATE WORKER
If you violate your public office and are charged with a crime, the NJ Supreme Court issued a ruling yesterday affirming ELEC's decision that you can't use campaign funds to pay for a defense. That led to this quote from Justice Barry Albin:
"Despite blaring headlines that announce the most recent prosecution and conviction of a public official, we have yet to reach the point when it can be said that defending against a federal or state criminal indictment alleging corrupt practices is an 'ordinary' expense of holding public office,"
Good. You shouldn't be able to use money you raise from people to represent them for defending yourself after doing wrong by them.
James E. Harris, President of the New Jersey Conference of the NAACP, today filed a formal ethics complaint with the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards, asking for a formal investigation of whether Senators Raymond Lesniak and Christopher Bateman have violated the Legislative Code of Ethics in simultaneously representing over 40 municipalities on affordable housing, planning, and zoning issues and pushing legislation that would substantially change those municipalities' affordable housing obligations.
NJ NAACP Housing Committee Chairman Mike McNeil said: "Sens. Lesniak and Bateman have violated the public trust in intermeshing their private legal work and their service to the public as legislators. We are today asking the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards to determine the extent of the violation of public trust and to require Sens. Lesniak and Bateman to recuse themselves from further debate on the bill."
I really can't say whether or not Lesniak or Bateman have crossed the line here, but I will say that the outdated conceit that being a state legislator is only part-time work is what leads directly to conflicts of interest and even outright corruption, whether it is holding multiple elected positions or doing business with the town through a law firm. We'd be a lot better off making the members of the Assembly and Senate full time, even if it ends some romantic notions.
News this week that for purposes of the national head count, the United States Census will allow same sex couples to self-identify as married reminds me of one of the Think Equal ads that Blue Jersey produced 4 years ago. This was shortly after the NJ Supreme Court's decision in Lewis v. Harris, allowing the legislature to pass civil union legislation, which they did December 2006.
Civil unions were confusing, complicated and somehow not the same. Take filling out forms, which this 2006 Think Equal took on:
The Census forms - they hit the mail next week - don't recognize civil unions as such. Instead the documents offer a choice between 2 boxes: "husband" or "wife", or "unmarried partners". Your call. That new policy took effect in 2009 when the Commerce Department released a legal opinion that argued the federal government could tabulate and release same-sex marriage data under the Defense of Marriage Act. Ironic that something decent could emerge because of DOMA, eh?
In the 2000 count, officials re-coded same-sex husband or wife answers to "unmarried partners," since no state in the country recognized same-sex marriage at the time. Now, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and those hell-raisers in cow country Iowa allow gays to legally married. And Washington, D.C. where the first gay couple ties the knot today.
Dennis makes the case why same-sex couples should check the "married" box. And here's to a day when we get rid of the "other" box once and for all.
