I got a phone call from a reporter asking how I felt getting an 'F' in the recent Americans for Prosperity Score Card. Gee, what a surprise.
Steve Lonegan opposes recycling, health care for children, minority owned businesses, new schools, and environmental protection. It would be a story if I got any grade other than an F.
But, to be fair, not all legislators did as poorly as me:
Michael Patrick Carroll - A+
Alison Littell McHose - A+
Gary Chiusano - A+
Jay Webber - A+
Last week I joined my colleague Senator Shirley Turner and introduced the Assembly version of SR36 / AR 55, which urges Congress to repeal the federal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," (DADT) policy against allowing gays and lesbians to serve in our nation's armed forces. I did this because I believe as an American, DADT discourages capable young men and women from otherwise serving their country. And, this is a matter that affects our national security since we are eliminating a group of persons who are otherwise willing to serve and protect us here and abroad. The policy does not make sense. Moreover, the NJ State legislature has from time to time, passed Resolutions of equal worth urging Congress to take action on one national bill or another. In this regard, we have a unique opportunity to express our views on this issue which impacts New Jerseyans serving in all branches of the military, including our New Jersey Army and Air National Guard units.
I understand however, that Progressives genuinely and understandably were hurt by being left at the altar with the defeat of the marriage initiative. This is especially so when promises were made to the community and there was a claimed 24 votes to be had in the Senate (and only 14 materialized). However, the Resolution to repeal DADT, not only gives us another opportunity to 1) support a worthwhile progressive cause; 2) continue a state dialogue on gay and lesbian issues; but also and more importantly, 3) engage that dialogue with members of the legislature who were not with us on the Marriage Equality vote. Although Senator Turner, did not support the marriage bill, she voted for the Domestic Partnership legislation and the Civil Unions bill. Her desire to be apart of the continued dialogue with the progressive community should be encouraged, not shouted down.
This suit bears Reed Gusciora's name as plaintiff, along with Mercer County voter Stephanie Harris, who tried to vote in 2004 on a Sequoia Advantage machine but received no indication that her vote was recorded, and the Coalition for Peace Action & NJ Peace Action. Full opinion is here. Thank you, Assemblyman. - - Promoted by Rosi
I know a lot of individuals were disappointed in yesterday's court decision regarding the electronic voting machines. I share in that disappointment. Since 2004, I have been fighting to get a voter-verified paper trail system in New Jersey. Over 30 states have some type of paper trail when voters cast their ballots. Jersey needs to get on board with this.
Yesterday's decision stopped short of what I would have liked to have seen happen. The court did not say electronic voting machines needed to be phased out in favor of optical scan machines. The court did not mandate electronic machines be retro-fitted with paper recording devices, which would have forced the implementation of the law I sponsored in 2005.
Despite that outcome, there is some good news. The court did agree that there were serious risks associated with these electronic machines and corrective steps were needed. The court also agreed the State needed to do more to ensure the integrity of elections and set specific requirements for this.
The State now has 120 days to re-evaluate our 11,000 voting machines with a new panel of experts to see if the machines are accurate and reliable. There will also be new security procedures to secure equipment and mandated background checks for device vendors.
While these are all common sense approaches to protecting elections, I still contend they do not go far enough. The court was correct in pointing out deficiencies, but then only gave minimal guidance on how to fix it. It's as if a water main broke and the water company came out with a 12 pack of Brawny paper towels to clean up the mess.
My one hope is that this new panel of experts, who have actual knowledge of computers and computer security, will see the flaws in our current system and make the recommendation the court did not; to mandate new machines with paper trails. Otherwise, I'll be ready to continue the fight to make sure everyone's vote is counted and counted right.
Finally, a special thanks to the Coalition for Peace Action and the Rutgers Law Clinic for all their hard work - we wouldn't have come this far without you.
By around 8pm tonight I'm going to need a new signature line here at Blue Jersey - it's been a link to a post I wrote - An Open Letter to the Next Democratic State Chair - with a few suggestions for Party reform to bump up Outreach, Transparency and Platform. I'm not the only one thinking reform.
The marriage equality fight was a moment of growing up, and new muscle, for the progressive forces in NJ. Losing says more about you folks in the Legislature - especially some of you Democrats - than it says about us. The new muscle - don't mistake it - grows around the way the leadership & membership of so many formerly-separate progressive groups stood together.
On Party leadership, I've said it's more about what's done than who's elected. Yeah. I've changed my mind. It's also about process. I wasn't thrilled with a press release from Asm John Wisniewski, saying he nabbed endorsement from all 21 County Chairs. The Chairs don't vote - the 113 State Committee members do (bylaws), and the release - while obviously a show of strength for a Chairmanship long ago worked out in a room somewhere - seemed an unfortunate admission that political orthodoxy, deals, and the Way Things Have Always Been Done are what rules.
I would be delighted with a floor fight tonight as the State Committee chooses Party leadership. But given how undemocratic this vote seems like it will be - with candidates stepping back in favor of their seniors, and politico dealmaking long before the vote - I don't think I'll see one (I'll probably get a lot of nasty looks tonight though, c'est la vie).
Dana Redd brought shame on her Party during marriage equality consideration, not only - as Asm Reed Gusciora points out - because she snubbed Julian Bond when he came to testify, but also because she made a point of avoiding the New Jersey citizens and Democratic Party rank-and-file who wanted to talk to her about it. I hope she gets last-minute competition tonight.
The vote tonight - 7pm at Forsgate Country Club - belongs to NJSDC State Committee, not the Chairs, not the dealmakers, not outgoing party structure. I think Asm Gusciora is right in calling on them to consider Redd's recent choices, and I hope tonight's vote is anything but boring.
Below is an alphabetical list of NJ pols who voted YES on medical marijuana. If you know -- or are rep'd by -- anyone on this list, take note. Hopefully you'll get a chance to thank them one day.
From the Senate (Republicans in bold):
Senate:
Baroni,
Bateman,
Beach,
Buono,
Ciesla,
Cunningham,
Gill,
Girgenti,
Gordon,
Kean,
Lesniak,
Pennacchio,
Ruiz,
Sacco,
Sarlo,
Scutari,
Singer,
Smith,
Stack,
Sweeney,
Turner,
Van Drew,
Vitale,
Weinberg, and
Whelan
When the NJ Senate and Assembly overwhelmingly passed a medical marijuana bill yesterday it put the Garden State in line to be the 14th state in the union to decriminalize cannabis for sick people.
Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll has the QOTD in this one for sure.
I've posted so many videos on this site and elsewhere I can't hardly remember them all, but this issue is possibly the most satisfying day I've has as an activist since the Obama/Alder double victory.
So take a minute to meet the heros of this battle.
Slam-dunk, Assemblywoman Huttle. Advocating for marriage equality is very often advocating for kids. Thanks for posting. - - promoted by Rosi
I would like to echo the sentiments of my colleague and co-prime sponsor on the Marriage Equality Bill in the Assembly, Reed Gusciora. He has been a leader in this debate and has presented rationale and cogent arguments for passage of A2978. I would also like to bring out another point that is sometimes overlooked in the marriage equality debate - the children.
One of the beneficiaries of this bill are the children of those loving couples who are unable to marry. The stigma attached to a child whose parents are "civil-unioned" is certain and yet the effects on that child are far-reaching and unknown.
When a loving couple is prevented from legitimizing their long-term relationship as a true marriage because the law does not allow it, this clearly says something about how society feels about this relationship. It lowers its value; it lowers the degree of respect it is given by the greater community in which it exists; and it lowers the value and respect of the children whom are the products of these unions. This is plainly wrong and it is why we must correct this terrible ignorance in the law now by enacting marriage equality.
Much has been said in opposition to the marriage equality bill in the name of family values. It is the standard response of the anti-equality side of this debate to say they want to protect the American family. I want to protect the family too. These families, the children of same-sex couples and their loving, caring, devoted parents, deserve this protection as much as any other family, perhaps more so. And if you would like to see a real, visible demonstration of family values, you need only look toward Marsha and Louise, who have become such familiar faces in this debate. They are the living epitome of the family values that we should protect and cherish.
There are so many reasons to vote for this bill and this is only one of them. I would hope that each legislator will be able to find his or her own truth about the benefits of marriage equality and vote yes to A2978.
I've got a better idea. Assemblyman Reed Gusciora. He's progressive and he brings diversity to the ticket, both geographically and as a minority candidate (Reed's an out gay man).
I don't give this much of a chance, but I think Reed's worth a look.
Promoted by Jason Springer: It'd be good if we could turn this negative into a positive. Jay's goal is ambitious, but if you have an extra cell phone around the house, please consider helping.
Ok so by now you all know the Scrooge tale of a burglar who ransacked the office of Reed Gusciora and Bonnie Watson and stole dozens of gently used mobile phones destined for US Troops in Iraq.
When I asked Assemblyman Gusciora what can the blogger community do to help his advice was simple: "make lemonade."
Sadly, according to Gusciora, this phone drive "was a staff project and they tried to do something good for holidays." And now the generous staff is in no position to make said lemonade as they are orphaned from their office which is now a crime scene!!
I think this incident is a great opportunity for the Blogosphere to step up. And with tools like blogs and other social networking sites, replacing the 40 or so phones should be pretty easy. In theory, anyway.
Wanna help? Got a cell phone to give to a soldier abroad? You can pitch in by going to to www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
Got another idea how to help? Leave it in the comments. Got a friend who can help with this drive? Pass this on or post it on your Facebook profile.
Let's aim high: 100 99 phones by Christmas EVE!!!!
...than the poor senatorial primary challenger of Frank Lautenberg that he has been to date?
As we have seen from this lame primary campaign, there really is not much to talk about except Andrews' role in the lead-up to the war in Iraq and Lautenberg being unwilling to debate. The fact of the matter is that there is very little, if anything, for anybody, much less a conservative Democrat like Andrews, to nitpick about in Lautenberg's voting record.
That said, even a conservative Democrat like Rob Andrews could come up with an alternative issues platform with which to emloy in a primary run against Jon Corzine.
Frank Lautenberg and Rob Andrews campaigned today in Princeton at the annual spring Communiversity celebration. Lautenberg arrived first, a little before 1:00, and spent over an hour walking from table to table talking to community members and students. The senator was accompanied by, among others, Congressman Rush Holt and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora.
Andrews, who spent the first part of the afternoon at a town hall in Edison, arrived at around 4:00 and fielded questions from some local Democrats at the PCDO table. He left shortly after giving an interview to Max Pizarro. I asked Congressman Andrews if he thought the presidential candidates should focus their attacks on John McCain rather than on each other. He said yes, but added that the media often encourages the two candidates and their surrogates to attack each other.
"We need the waiver enabling California's proposed greenhouse gas emission standards for new motor vehicles, which are vital to the health and well being of New Jersey residents," state Attorney General Anne Milgram said.
EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson yesterday denied a request from California to implement stricter greenhouse gas emission standards than the federal government mandates. California had received more than 40 such waivers in the past. Apparently this was done as a favor to the auto industry in exchange for their muted opposition to the energy bill. This was the first time such a waiver request was denied. Over a dozen states, including New Jersey, have adopted the California standard, so in effect we were also denied the ability to adopt stricter standards.
The EPA knows the decision is bullshit. An internal powerpoint presentation had a slide addressing what would happen if they denied the waiver and were taken to court. It admitted: "EPA likely to lose suit".
Earlier today Assemblyman Reed Gusciora - the sponsor of the 2004 law that tied the state's emission standards to California's - wrote to Attorney General Anne Milgram to urge the state to join California "in any imminent litigation seeking to reverse the EPA's decision." California has announced the state will sue the EPA.
"It's a horrendous decision," said Corzine, who pushed New Jersey to adopt tougher standards on greenhouse gas emissions. "The fact that the EPA has used sort of crazy reasoning to get to their solution is just a horrible decision. Some of us are considering pursuing legal action on this score."
New York Governor Spitzer called the EPA's decision "incomprehensible," while Vermont, Maryland and Washington state have already announced they will take legal action.
Every once in a while it's good to be reminded that even in Blue Jersey, bigots still have a right to make a public mockery of themselves. Proving bigotry knows no racial boundaries, the latest example is 15th district Republican Assembly candidate Sylvester Bobby Bryant. He ran this ad in the Trenton Times (A7) on Saturday:
What a crackpot. An "admitted homosexual"? That's kind of revealing language. It's suggesting he knows that people are in fact gay, but that they should remain in the closet so as to not burst his bubble of denial.
Usually people get nasty and fiercely negative in campaigns when there's a really close race. This guy doesn't have a prayer, yet he's blowing his meager campaign funds on truly hateful ads. I don't understand some people's need to so forcefully prove their anti-gay creds to the world, and I'm kind of glad I don't.
Three out of four Blue Jersey Radio listeners say that nothing goes better with mid-morning bloody marys than tuning into Blue Jersey BlogTalkRadio every Saturday at 10:30am.
Tomorrow will be an especially gifted-n-talented episode featuring Trenton's best dish, your phone calls and New Jersey's biggest Al Gore fan, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora.
If you're not too hungover from the Nobel prize after after party, then please join us live, Saturday 10:30am. And remember, your phonecalls are the wind beneath our wings. So use it or lose it: (646) 652-2773
Now, if you ever happen to miss a show (horror of horrors!) there's always the ol' BlogTalkRadio page and listen to one of our archived segments, like last week's show.
Better yet - make it easy on yourself, and just Subscribe here and download shows automatically to your iPod:
But remember - only LIVE callers get to hear themselves talk.
Yesterday Governor Corzine signed a bill that would make the complete voting records of all our Legislators available online. You may think this measure -- sponsored by Sen. Loretta Weinberg -- is overdue and it is. But still, it's been very satisfying to see this become law. The bill had unanimous support in the Statehouse and the Governor was keen to sign on the dotted line (along with a slew of good government legislation.)
If you've ever tried to track a bill online you know that the current archiving system is positively Byzantine. For the average citizen who doesn't frequent the legislature's website, it's damn near impossible to find anything. Likewise even for internet-savvy politics geeks like us, it's a tough chore to check the status (or history) of a bill.
It's not any easier for the politicians and their staff which might explain the universal appeal of this legislation. I remember one day at the statehouse when I popped into Reed Gusciora's office to ask him about a bill he had sponsored a few sessions prior.
In a scene reminiscent of the Keystone Cops, it took over twenty minutes for Asm. Gusciora, his chief of staff and myself to track down what I was looking for. All with a high-speed connection, no less.
"Previously, voting records were available through the Legislature's website, but many residents found the searches to be limited and time-consuming. This law will make it easier for New Jerseyans to find the information they need," Senator Weinberg said. "This new law puts New Jersey one step closer to attaining total transparency in government."
Hopefully this new online archive will be available soon. I sent a late night note to the Senate Democrats to get an ETA and as soon as I get word, I'll update. (If anyone out there in Blue Jersey land cares to enlighten me in the meantime, the floor is yours)
If Reed Gusciora has his way, Vice President Al Gore will be represented by a statewide slate of delegate/alternate candidates on New Jersey's February 5, 2008 Presidential primary election ballot whether he is actively running or not, because there is no reason that NJ's voters shouldn't have the opportunity to vote for Al Gore just because he has his priorities in order and has determined that saving the world from an environmental apocalypse is more important than running for President.
Draft Gore NJ has been launched to recruit supporters of Al Gore to run as Uncommitted delegate/alternate candidates in each of New Jersey's 20 delegate districts, who are committed to voting for Al Gore at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Back in 2005 -- when Asm. Gusciora's "voter paper trail" bill became law -- the long view was for every vote in every precinct in every election to produce a paper record.
Today's primary election marks an important step in the law going "primetime" and statewide in time for the 2008 presidental primary elections next February. Today's primary in Warren County will provide a test case.
Gusciora:
Warren County residents tomorrow have a chance to blaze a paper trail for all New Jersey citizens who are now casting ballots with electronic voting machines. Voter-verified ballots are the only efficient means of ensuring precision, integrity and security in this age of computer-software-aided election machines.
Having a paper record just makes sense. I figure it's the same courtesy you might expect at an ATM machine?
-Speaker Roberts' bill (A200) to reconfigure the Ethics Committee (to eight public members) moved through the Assembly State Government committee. The current lineup is an unwieldy one that includes eight current legislators which may or may not be a huge conflict of interest. I'm guessing it is.
-The same committee also advanced a bill by Reed Gusciora, leader of the Progressive Caucus, that would require random audits of election results in selected election districts. In this new era of electronic voting, anything we can do do ensure voter confidence is a good thing.
Also today...
-The Senate Judiciary Committee made a few nominations. Edward De Fazio was named to be the new Hudson County prosecutor. De Fazio was also on the Death Penalty Study Commission back when. He testified that he originally supported executions, but changed his view after sitting on the commission. He ended up voting to ban the death penalty.
-Also, Stephen Hyland was nominated to serve on the Civil Union Review Commission. For the next three years, the commission will meet every six months to determine how civil unions are (or aren't working.) News of this civil unions commission was new to me.
This weekend former House Speaker and potential Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich called Spanish "the language of living in a ghetto." Assemblyman Reed Gusciora responded:
"In essence" said Gusciora, "Gingrich talks the language of stupid."
Closer to home, Gusciora also pointed to recent remarks by a Freehold Borough Councilman that segments of the Latino population were "promiscuous" and expected society to "subsidize their mistakes."
"It is alarming that elected officials or persons in power wish to resort to demagoguery instead of leading a dialogue on how to better assimilate legal immigrants into the American fabric," he continued.
Gusciora charged that collectively, such comments are racially insensitive and inappropriate. The Assemblyman also pointed out that historically, various ethic cultures were singled out for attack, which has escalated to episodes of violence in our country.
"The Latino community, on the whole, is comprised of law-abiding, tax-paying, hard-working citizens. Public figures such as Gingrich should engage the public in constructive debate and not rants about hate."
