Let's backtrack to 2009. Most political pundits had labeled the Gubernatorial race between Jon Corzine and Chris Chirstie "A referendum on the Obama Administration." It was the first major partisan election since Barack Obama ascended to the presidency. What we saw was a resounding defeat of Democrat Jon Corzine and the rise of conservative super star Chris Christie.
Fast forward to 2010 and what we have is a special election for a state senate seat in the 14th district between Democrat Linda Greenstein and Republican incumbent Tom Goodwin. Chris Christie's first voter test of his tenure.
It is time for the thousands of state workers whose health and pension benefits have been slashed by the out of touch Governor to stand up and say enough is enough. It is time for all of our college students who have seen tremendous cuts to Higher education and tuition assistance to say enough is enough. It is time for women who have seen critical funding for woman's health care services vetoed by the governor say enough is enough. This election is chance for Democrats to rally around another good democrat who needs our help. What better way to send a message to the administration then take back a republican senate seat that has not been in democratic hands for over 20 years.
I will be doing as much as a I can to help Linda Greenstein, and I encourage my fellow democrats to do the same.
So, someone sent me a way too long video that they received which was of the "you eeevil soshulist Demmocrats better watch it cuz we are coming to git ya" variety, and I decided that it was way too easy to come up with a powerful rebuttal.
That being said, I put this little video together to remind everyone just how things were back when Republicans ruled Congress (and the White House). And that this is precisely what they will do if they regain power.
There may be a recount to ascertain for sure whether Trenton mayoral candidate and current Councilman Manny Segura actually bested public works Director Jackson in last week's election. After all the votes were initially tallied, Segura squeaked by Jackson with two additional votes. Jackson's possible call for a recount is more of the 'trust but verify' variety - he isn't claiming any improprieties, he just wants complete certainty he lost fair and square.
In Trenton's nonpartisan system, if no mayoral candidate secures 50%+1 of the vote, there is a run-off between the two highest votegetting candidate. It will be held in early June - I'm not certain of which Tuesday it will be.
"We're talking about, potentially, a recount, just to make sure that the numbers are defensible, and that they are what they are," Jackson said. "If we find out that they are at the end of the day, that that's what the residents of the city did and voted for, I'm going to wish Mr. Segura and Mr. Mack well in their runoff, and stay supportive wherever I can be."
Whoever wins the Mayoral race has challenges to meet that the last Mayor could only see in his worst nightmares. The loss of state budget support for the city suggests a period of austerity that may well leave Trenton dead in the water for a decade or more. What's next? Well, even the city's current minimal efforts to market itself as a history-rich cultural destination (the Battles of Trenton, first public reading of the Declaration, temporary capital of the US, birthplace of America's steel, rubber and pottery industries, not to mention the hometown of two Supreme Court justices (Scalia and Alito, for what they're worth) AND Jon Stewart* (yaay!) are flagging already. See here http://www.trentonian.com/arti...
(*Yes, yes, Stewart grew up in Lawrence but he was born in a Trenton hospital and used to sling beer at City Gardens, and it doesn't get more Trenton than that).
MEANWHILE ... if you really want to experience what Trenton is today and could be tomorrow, on June 19 into June 20, Trenton's ArtWorks presents Art All Night http://www.artworkstrenton.org... a community celebration of creativity. I expect to be there for the midnight glassblowing after having a late dinner at Settimo Cielo http://hiddentrenton.com/?p=8 And Ellarslie, the Trenton City Museum, currently is showing the 28th annual Ellarslie Open judged art competition http://www.ellarslie.org/ through June 20
Jay Lassiter, a familiar face to Blue Jersey readers decided to use up his frequent flyer miles and head to England for their election to get out some British vote. He says it's freezing there and with Election day tomorrow, Jay sends along this video from the campaign trail:Are you paying attention to the election across the pond? Gordon Brown better hope that Jay doesn't have a microphone near, although it appears he's already done enough damage.
The Divison of Elections certified the official voter turnout numbers the other day and we set a record:
Turnout was 46.9% - the lowest on record for a gubernatorial election, down from 48.5% in 2005 and 49.3% in 2001, the only other times less than half of registered voters turned out at the polls.
Looked at another way, though, the turnout of 2,451,704 voters was the most for a governor's race since 1997 and marked a 105,000 voter increase over the election four years ago.
The percentage turnout is affected by the presidential election registration surge typically seen every four years, which was particularly large in 2008. There were 390,000 more registered voters in 2009 than four years - and it's likely that a goodly number were interested in the race for the White House but less jazzed about the run for Drumthwacket.
A poll released last week showed that New Jerseyans narrowly support gay marriage.
But enthusiasm for the bill has waned since Christie, a social conservative, beat Corzine by 100,000 votes on Nov. 3. The election was widely viewed as a referendum on high property taxes, strangling state debt and continued unemployment...
So what is the message that our Legislators take away from this loss as the logical reaction next step:
...making some lawmakers skittish about taking on a potentially divisive issue like marriage equality.
No wonder our state is in trouble. Talk about taking the wrong message away from the election. Rather than addressing the real reasons for defeat, some believe it's time for retreat on a civil rights issue central to the party's progressive appeal. Instead of offering real solutions to our mounting problems, Democrats in the Legislature leave all of us - gay and straight alike - holding the bag.
Wow. What an election. The Statehouse. The Freeholder Boards. The Borough Halls. Across the State and across the board, Democrats lost big at the ballot box as New Jerseyans voted overwhelmingly for change.
This is particularly true here in Bergen County, where we Democrats are still trying to make sense of it all. Why did it happen? What are the implications? What should we do next?
In public appearances since Election Day, Christie has been blunt, funny, pugnacious, decisive, and, above all, forceful. He has been comfortable joking with teens and mingling with politicians, in control when dealing with the press, and defiant toward opponents and detractors.
[...]
Christie's public persona is a sharp contrast to that of Gov. Corzine, who often has been fumbling in the spotlight and meandering in his speech, leaving the public and lawmakers to parse his words for possible meanings.
We're supposed to elect a governor based on whether or not we think he can do the job and make life better for our state. Not because he has the "blunt, straightforward" personality of the average guy you'd find getting a cup of coffee at Wawa. No disrespect.
Christie "is very straightforward, very direct, very blunt, and very New Jersey" said State Sen. Bill Baroni (R., Mercer), a close ally. "That bluntness and directness is exactly what we need right now."
Baroni added that "there will be no need to read the tea leaves to figure out what Chris Christie thinks."
Tea leaves. That's funny. Because all through the campaign, Christie kept us guessing about what he would do when elected, substituting the always-reliable "cut spending" bromide for an actual plan. So what spending are you gonna cut, dude? Transportation? Education? What?
Following his attendance yesterday at the Blue Mass in Newark, Governor Corzine took a few questions and the last one he got from a reporter was, "why couldn't you excite your base?" Here's how he responded:
Robert DeBlock, chairman of the Committee to Save West Paterson, congratulated the Committee to Keep Woodland Park on its campaign to keep the borough's name, which culminated Tuesday when residents rejected changing the borough's name back to West Paterson by a vote of 2,226 to 2,197 - a 29-vote margin. Those totals include polling numbers as well as mail-in ballots.
"If the numbers hold - and that remains to be seen - in my mind, this debate that has spanned three decades has come to a conclusion," DeBlock said during the meeting's public comment portion.
DeBlock said it was time for borough residents - who were divided over the name change - to unite and support the town name.
The towns name was changed to Woodland Park just last year and faced a challenge almost immediately. But not everyone was willing to accept the results and name:
Nonetheless, borough resident Chris Laskowich said he planned to collect signatures for another petition to challenge the Woodland Park name.
"This isn't going away," he said.
So while they finish counting the provisional ballots and residents decide what they want to do next, for the time being it appears they will be sticking with Woodland Park and now they have to do the work of making the changes, some of which are costly:
Among the more costly items to change over will be police badges, though the total cost isn't clear yet, said Borough Administrator Kevin Galland. The badges were never changed to "Woodland Park" after last year's referendum.
The borough will continue to use envelopes with "West Paterson" in the address until they run out before ordering "Woodland Park" replacements. Name change or not, some borough infrastructure is scheduled for major maintenance, including the water tower emblazoned with "West Paterson," which hasn't been painted in 13 years.
That doesn't even count the local businesses that have to change their advertisements, signage and collateral. Businesses had been waiting for the issue to be settled to make the changes.
Longer terms for our elected officials? That's the concept behind SC-126, which would move Senate elections from every three years to every five years and Assembly elections from every two years to every three years, then two years. Are you confused yet?
The legislation is sponsored by Senator Scutari. There are no co-sponsors and there is no Assembly version of the bill, yet it will be up for discussion in Scutari's Senate State Government committee on Monday. Scutari made his main arguments for the bill:
"I really think that if it's passed it will be good for everyone," said Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, the bill sponsor. "It will take more money out of contests ... it will give elected officials more time to tackle issues."
I don't see how it takes money out of contests. Officials will still raise money for their next election, regardless of when the vote is held. It seems to me you just change when the money comes in. I could however see the argument for saving money by holding less elections. The problem is, we'll still have county, local and school elections being held. Here's what would have to happen to make the change:
Changing the term structure would take a constitutional amendment, which would ultimately need voter approval. The measure will be considered in the Senate State Government Committee Monday, which is chaired by Scutari. If passed, it would need the approval of three-fifths of the Legislature before it would go to the voters. If approved, the change would take effect for legislators elected in the 2011 general election.
I don't know if now is the best time for this proposal and don't know that the bill will get any traction. It would also change the order of offices that are on the ballot together. The Assembly and Senate would be up together ever five years. The Governor, Senate and Assembly would be on the ballot together once every twenty years under the new plan. I put a chart below the fold.
If you're going to undertake an effort like this, why not make the body a full time legislature increasing salaries and banning outside employment? Otherwise, I don't see how you're not just reshuffling when the contributions come in and changing who's on the ballot together.
Not many folks realized that Kevin Clancy is alleged forger and former Councilwoman Elaine Rabbitt's live-in.
Kelly muses on how large a net was cast in the hunt for the forgers who hoped to rig the NJ State Senate District 37 special election in 2005 in favor of Ken Zisa, who is now on the Bergen County Board of Elections, and against Loretta Weinberg, who won after all the real votes were counted.
At the time, Kevin Clancy was Municipal Chair of the Bergenfield Democrats and staunch Ferriero-crat. He was also on the Board of Elections too. What you'd call IRONY if you realize Clancy knew enough about the fact that these were forgeries to TELL Tim Driscoll not to show up at the election because he was no longer on the CC. If Clancy simply received these forgeries FROM Driscoll, why the need to tell Driscoll what he already should know??
Thank you, Mr. Kelly. There IS more to this story than footnotes. If we don't find out the rest of this story soon, more embarassment for the BCDO and Democrats in Bergen County may be on the way during the NEXT election.
She watched me put my cookies on the conveyor belt. She smiled and said "I want to go where you're heading tonite. You're having a party!" I said I was hoping to celebrate tonite and I held up my fingers which were crossed. She then said ruefully that she wished she could celebrate.. she just wanted a job - any job. An accountant, she told me she had been laid off in July and had had no luck finding steady work since then. I told her a friend had just told me today he was laid off two weeks ago, and my brother, a lawyer was facing the closing of his office too.
The pain of knowing exactly how she felt hit me right then. Oh yes, I had definitely been there. On election night, I envisioned celebrating the win of Obama, but there are so many folks like the accountant I just met, for whom a celebration would be quite premature. If you have ever fallen through the cracks, it is a feeling you always have in the back of your mind, that your current comfort is so ephemeral, so fragile, so temporary, that it could take flight at any moment and leave you despairing, terrified, and ashamed all at the very same moment. All because of some decision made by someone somewhere - without a face, without a name in some conference room somewhere. A decision that changes your life's direction in a moment, in a few words so devastating, so difficult to process after hearing them, that folks with "secure" jobs lose sleep, afraid they will hear them any moment, that "Your position has been eliminated", "Your services are no longer needed", "Your plant is closing", "You're fired", "You're laid off" The result is the same. Shock, abject fear, a feeling the floor was just pulled from under you like a party trick where the table cloth is yanked. But this time, things don't stay standing. It seems like everything crashes to the floor.
It took me years of having a good income to shake that feeling that I was still poor, and still needed to be ashamed for the financial situation I am in due to years of medical bills and one career change made years ago. Remembering the good agencies I had dealt with and the bad ones, I recommended a few to her. I wished her well and really meant it. It is hard to be out of work. On my drive home, I realized that this is what this election is really all about. Folks just like her, and my friend, and my brother. And me, years ago.
Our American society so values work that we put it before everything, and see our own value in what we do for a living. Being stripped of that, forces a total re-evaluation of one's self-worth.
It was the Stock Market crash of 29 that forced a lot of wealthy folks to realize - there but for the grace of God, go I. It was only when it happened to them that it was a "crisis". Some who had measured their worth in dollars only realized then that we were all in this together. The New Deal needed the Crash. Perhaps our change of direction needed this Wall Street meltdown. We needed to completely redefine who we were because money is a temporary condition. And everybody found that out in 1929 in a hurry. Unfortunately, my brother is realizing that now as well. What persists? What is the measure of a person? Character. Integrity. It has nothing to do with what job you may be in the right place at the right time for. It has nothing to do with being born into a wealthy family, or a poor one. Circumstances change. Skills and timing vary. But character and integrity persist and overcome nearly every obstacle.
At this moment in time, we need to help our friends and family who are having a difficult time. Help them see their worth and value comes from inside of them, not from the temporary circumstances of their health or wealth. Invite them over for dinner, just call them up and talk, stop by for a visit. You just need to let them know that when they are doubting their worth, and their life's direction that you can remind them of who they are and what they mean to you. It is the most important thing you can do for them at this difficult time. All they need to help themselves overcome obstacles in life is inside them, it is up to us to remind them and help them through it.
As I drove home with more sobering thoughts than I left with, I was grateful to that woman who had reminded me of just why this election was so important. I was ready to gloat over our side winning, just an hour before, but the weight of the implications of Election Day really gave me pause.
Later that evening, after the Local celebration of our volunteer firefighters winning their ballot question for an increase in their service awards, and the win of the Tenafly Dems, I was sitting home with my boyfriend when Obama had the very nice decency to get THIS election over by 11 pm Eastern time.
It was over faster than a BCDO special election - (well, almost)
When I saw Jesse Jackson with tears in his eyes, I just lost all control over my own tears. I looked over at my boyfriend - who was crying too. We cried for quite a while. I remember meeting Jesse Jackson on the steps of the Hackensack Courthouse at a rally with Bill Clinton. I remembered my very first political rally at Rutgers when we tried to get Rutgers to divest their funds from businesses in Apartheid South Africa. Jesse Jackson was the very first major political figure I had been so moved by. He spoke passionately and the feeling in the crowd was electric as we marched toward the Rutgers President's office where Jackson met with President Bloustein. To Bloustein, our demonstration was nothing like the 60's ones he had lived through, and he was not persuaded to see our point, but shortly after, NJ divested itself from those investments. And now we know that apartheid was defeated.
Each step builds on the progress of the step before, and I felt a debt of gratitude to Jesse Jackson and all the others who had fought so valiantly to see this day. Of all the images Election day, the sight of Jesse Jackson was the one that so moved me, that when I saw it next day, the tears instantly welled up again.
And like I was reminded earlier on election nite, and again with the news today that we have lost over a million jobs in 2008, an Obama win is just the start of the healing, it will take a while to help each other out of this mess. Let's get started..
Of course, we will be on top of things tomorrow as the polls close and the results start to (happily) roll in.
I will hopefully be live blogging at the Shulman for Congress victory party (wireless access permitting), and we will have updates from other Blue Jersey front pagers who will be "on the inside" at the Adler and Stender camps as well.
The thread will go up around 8PM to coincide with the closing of the polls, and hopefully we will have good news to report throughout the night.
Hope to see you here tomorrow night celebrating with us!!!
Participants will have the opportunity to cast their votes for the presidential race, along with the U.S. Senate and House contests in New Jersey. Students will vote for congressional candidates in the district according to their school's location.
Here's more about the National Student/Parent Mock Election. Depending on the school, students will either use paper ballots or vote online and they will also get to give their opinion on the economy, our energy policy, healthcare costs/policies and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan:
The New Jersey Press Foundation, which is coordinating the event in the Garden State, says more than 725 schools around New Jersey have enrolled an estimated 333,000 students. Voting will be conducted between Oct. 20 and Oct. 30, and the students can choose to vote in all or some of the categories.
Here's more about why they are running the program
Mock election officials say the event is "an excellent way to encourage young people to become interested in voting" and help them become more involved in state and national issues and candidates. It also provides parents and children with the opportunity to discuss their beliefs and concerns about matters that affect them.
I think this is a great way to get students engaged and paying attention to what is going on around them. Speaking of voting, if you or someone you know are eligible to vote and haven't registered yet, this is your last weekend. The deadline to register to vote is this Tuesday, October 14. Click here to get a registration form for you, your friends or your family.
This year there is an incredible influx of new voters, so much so that it is overwhelming election offices throughout the state. Some offices are working seven days a week, including holidays and weekends. Twelve hour workdays are a standard most week days. It's really overwhelming the system.
In addition to all these new voters -- those from the February primary and the current massive influx -- there are expectations of significant turnout this year. We're talking 70, 80 percent or more of registered voters.
That's 80 percent of all registered voters, including the thousands of thousands of new ones coming in every day. More than in any recent election, and maybe in any election.
But as you can see from the overtime and new hires in our county election offices, our infrastructure is not built for this kind of election. They simply don't have the staff or computers or systems to handle the massive number of new voters.
Which leads to the question of whether they can handle election day. If 80 percent turn out, 80 percent of the new unprecedented numbers, do we have enough machines and poll workers to handle it? If we can't handle the input of voter data, can we handle it when they come to the polls?
There will not only be more people, but probably confusion because of the number of first time voters. Just by nature there will have been data entry errors that could cause a massive number of provisional ballots. Errors and provisional ballots require more (and better) poll workers to step away from the tables, slowing down lines.
And slow lines mean some people will walk away, needing to get to work after lunch or to pick up a kid at school. And that means people will not vote.
Large turnout also requires more machines on which to vote. Most counties have a few extra machines, but not many. They can't deploy them because surplus machines might be needed in the event of breakdowns. This could mean that there are not enough voting machines -- regardless of your position on their quality and verifiability -- to handle a blow-out election.
The only way we can combat this is to vote by absentee ballot, as many of us as possible. If you don't go to the polls, that's one less person in line to slow things down. If you get 10 neighbors to vote absentee, that's an even larger improvement to the process.
New Jersey now has no-fault early voting, where just concerns over the quality of our machines is enough to get an absentee ballot. Hell, you don't even need a reason.
But ensuring that every vote gets counted, that people are not frustrated into walking away from their vote, is vitally important.
So do your county, state and country a favor. Vote absentee.
I plan on going. Please stop by whenever you can find a few spare hours. EVERY volunteer, no matter how little time they can spare, matters. So, please don't stay home - there is too much at stake......
Yesterday Judge Heidi W. Currier ruled in favor of ward residents seeking a petition on the November 4th ballot that would designate a new zoning system for ward residents. This is a great victory for democracy against an in-cahoots New Brunswick City Council and mayor.
OK, folks. Based on Juan's diary and the fact that Rothman has now officially endorsed Joe Ferriero for Chairman of the BCDO, I have to put out an open call to ANY honest Congress members out there - or any one else NOT afraid of Joe Ferriero who still believes in the Democratic process who wants to sit in on our election to make sure it is carried out in an honest way.
Unfortunately, Rothman is more worried about his own re-election than about the future of the Democratic party and about a fair and open process. I am so disappointed I can't even express it. He has become an apologist for his crony - a dictator - who refuses to let County Committee members do anything to represent the people.
Why have you sunk so low, sir? I used to respect you. I used to, but like my respect for Jon Corzine and Dick Codey - it has dropped due to your lip service to ethics reform. My mom always told me - be careful who your friends are. Maybe your mom never told you that.
We are having our "election" at 5 tomorrow. Gee, will Joe let us have the candidates speak BEFORE the vote or AFTER, like usual? Will he herd us like cattle into different pens depending on our towns and loyalty? Will it be a secret vote?
Get there as soon as you can - before he can call a voice vote. Bring your cameras, folks, and videocameras and extra memory cards and batteries, we're gonna need it! Looks like we're REALLY on our own this time.
Well, I just witnessed the first glossy ads I can remember for Joe Ferriero's re-election campaign. Guess he is worried. Like a Michael Wildes office wall, they are plastered with photos of him with all sorts of "very important people".
The glowing endorsements are from:
Bob Menendez
Jon Corzine
Dick Codey
Steve Rothman
Dennis McNerney
Paul Sarlo
Missing from the endorsements are any Dems in Bergen County who aren't beholden to Joe for THEIR re-election.
He's worried all right. He's spent a lot of $$$ advertising for his re-election. TWO different ads. One of which takes credit for ANYWHERE dems won in Bergen even if they won DESPITE him. Like in Tenafly.
