Legislation opposing the escalation in Iraq just passed in the Assembly by 43-0 with 0 abstentions.
Not one Republican had the guts to take a stand on this critical issue.
Speaking in favor of AR-246:
Reed Gusciora (D-15), Craig Stanley (D-28), Patrick Diegnan (D-18), William Payne (D-29), Jim Whelan (D-2), Herb Conaway (D-7), Jeff VanDrew (D-1), Linda Stender (D-22)
The Coalition of the Cowardly (not voting):
| Baroni (R)
Bateman (R)
Beck (R)
Biondi (R)
Blee (R)
Bramnick (R)
Carroll (R) | Chatzidakis (R)
Conners (D)
Connors (R)
Corodemus (R)
Dancer (R)
DeCroce (R)
Doherty (R) | Greenstein (D)
Gregg (R)
Handlin (R)
Holzapfel (R)
Karrow (R)
Kean (R)
Malone (R) | McHose (R)
Merkt (R)
Munoz (R)
O'Toole (R)
Pennachio (R)
Rooney (R)
Rumpf (R) | Russo (R)
Thompson (R)
Vandervalk (R)
Voss (D)
Wolfe (R) |
* David Mayer had health issues and was not in Trenton for the vote. Assemblymen Bodine, Caraballo & Steele were not in Trenton as well.
Statement from AR-246's sponsor, Reed Gusciora: Assemblyman Reed Gusciora today blasted his Republican colleagues for their utter failure to go on record - even with a formal abstention - on legislation he sponsored opposing President Bush's policy of a "troop surge" in Iraq.
"Our nation's involvement in Iraq is the most important moral issue of our time and New Jersey's Republicans suddenly have gone AWOL," said Gusciora (D-Mercer). "It is incomprehensible that not one member of the Assembly Minority could be bothered to have an opinion on the President's foreign policy. The GOP's inability to speak up in any fashion is just about as troubling as the President's inability to listen to the American people on this issue."
Gusciora added his disappointment that several Republican members turned their backs and carried on conversations while their Democratic colleagues spoke on the Assembly floor. [...]
"The Assembly Republicans had never been shy about letting the world know their opinion on anything, until now," said Gusciora. "The people of New Jersey have spoken loud and clear that they disapprove of the way the President has conducted this military effort and want our fighting men and women back on American soil. It's shameful that the Republicans failed to hear any of it." Bonnie Watson Coleman also issued a statement:"It's alarming that Republicans chose to sit on their hands rather than stand with the overwhelming numbers of New Jerseyans opposing the President's planned troop surge," said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer). "Our service men and women are showing courage every day by putting their lives on the line while Republicans can't even muster the courage to say where they stand on Iraq."
Watson Coleman said that we have little but chilling statistics to show for our four-year war in Iraq. She pointed to the current commitment of 132,000 troops and the $5.6 billion cost of a 21,500 troop escalation, that military experts agree will do little to end the civil war in Iraq. According to the majority leader, with 83 New Jersey service men and women killed, hundreds more injured and 159 to be affected by escalation, it was reprehensible to see no Republican legislators rise in support of the legislation (AR-246).
"Republicans should stop defending Bush in Washington through their silence here in New Jersey," said Watson Coleman.
|
Update 3 (A big one, so I'm posting it up top): There WILL be two Democratic challengers to Frank LoBiondo in NJ-2. Fairfield Township councilwoman 
