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.
One of the biggest things that last year's Governor race turned on was the massive arrests of (mainly) Democratic politicians - plus a couple of Republicans - for taking bribes from criminal turned informant Solomon Dwek. And one of the things that didn't really get that much exposure at the time was Dwek's connection to Chris Christie and the State Republican Party.
Here we are one year later, and the State Republican Party is still holding onto the corrupt donations from a criminal.
And interestingly, one of Dwek's contributions during the 2000 presidential campaign went right through Chris Christie. And as I said last year:
Follow me through this timeline of "coincidences":
2000: Dwek donates $500 to Bush through Christie's organization.
2006: Dwek gets busted for bad checks worth tens of millions
He then becomes an informant who bribes Democratic politicians - who knows if this was going on from before mid 2006 or if it had to do with Christie's getting on and then off "the list" of US Attorneys to be fired - recall that Christie and Rove also spoke around this time about a potential run for Governor
Dwek busts are announced in the middle of Christie's campaign for Governor, when they can do the most to build his reputation. And the timing raises objections from most in the US Attorney's office, except Michele Brown, whose relationship with Christie raises many questions including obvious conflict of interest, in her professional conduct and his.
There's a lot of smoke here. Too many coincidences and artful timing in the way Christie found Dwek, molded Dwek, and used Dwek to entrap politicians in a way that seems too carefully orchestrated to build a political reputation for a man who looks like he was using the United States Attorney's Office to build himself a political reputation, which is a thing the United States Dept. of Justice forbids expressly, because of potential miscarriage of justice.
Now, both the Democrats and Republicans pledged to donate their contributions from Dwek to various charities, and here we are over a year later with much of Dwek's corrupt $51,000 is still in the State Republican Party's coffers. As the Asbury Park Press noted the other day, the Democratic State Committee, Republican State Senator Jennifer Beck and Democratic Senator Menendez all donated their entire amount of donations to various charities.
I guess the State Republican Party (and Governor Christie) is just a-ok with corrupt criminal money as long as it is for their benefit and as long as they can use it for their political gain.
Gov Christie Todd Christie has proposed what he calls 'privatization' of NJ government, but when such terms are used a lot of people misunderstand them.
Government exists for a reason. When society has needs that cannot be served by individuals for themselves, we band together and share the burden. Educating our children and defending our territories from foreign aggression are just two such requirements that are better done by government then could be accomplished individually.
Some years ago, a very persuasive liar convinced Americans that 'government is the problem' rather than a powerful force for doing good. A generation of anti-government politics has brought society deep in debt, with a wide gap between rich and poor and lacking in many of the things government should have been doing for us all.
Still, even in the wake of the global economic crash and BP's destruction of the Gulf of Mexico, we have politicians talking about doing less.
Deregulation is nothing more than permitting lawlessness. Such laxity resulted in Wall Street's robbery of middle-class America.
Anarchy is what you get when there is not enough government. Survival of the fittest means exploitation of the weak --- often better described as injustice.
Freedom and prosperity depend upon a reasonable, functioning government. Alexander Hamilton laid out a plan for economic progress that worked for America for more than 200 years -- and since the introduction of Reaganomics we have been falling behind.
It's time to recognize that taxes are not too high, but too unfair because the richest are not paying their fair share. It's time to recognize that thievery must be stopped and only government has the power to protect common people from such exploitation by massive corporations.
America's founders were distrustful of an over-powering government but they were not idiots. They scrapped a weaker system and adopted the Constitution in 1789 precisely for this reason.
Those who advocate less government today are not patriots. They are complicit in the crimes against the vast majority of Americans.
It's time to take responsibility and stop being deluded by anti-government slogans.
What do you think the next step is, Blue Jersey? - promoted by Rosi Efthim
OK. So we had a rally in Trenton with record turnout. It makes us feel good. And it will be ignored by Christie and his Tea Bagger friends.
There's recall. That's a bad idea - not only because it will be unsuccessful, but will invigorate the Tea Baggers and cause Christie to dig in his heels even further. The most promising approach is to keep the pressure on the Legislature - both Republicans and Democrats. A well-crafted campaign to override Christie's veto of the millionaire's tax could take the wind out of his sails.
We also need to revector the message from supporting teachers and kids to a more general audience. There's a large unenlightened constituency out there who simply look at school costs as a burden on their overstreteched income. We need to show them the severity of the other harm Christie's policies are causing. And we need the teachers' union to realize that by matching Christie's intransigence, they are only hurting themselves.
Christie basks in publicity, so it is counterproductive to attack him personally. The right thing to do is to mount a PR campaign to alert the voters on the short-term and long-term harm he is bringing to New Jersey, and concurrently suggest realistic progressive alternatives. And we gotta find a credible loyal opposition focal point.
Just like magic if you read many of the headlines, Governor Christie "just found money" to enable scrapping his plan to make seniors pay more for prescription drugs. I have a few deep thoughts regarding this latest development.
I can't help but wonder what the reaction would have been if Corzine was the Governor doing this. See a Democrat who changes from their original proposal is a Pandering Flip Flopper. But as we've seen with the coverage of this one, a Republican who does this is a Course Changer.
Oh and about that found money, it's actually savings from the dreaded healthcare plan that was recently passed. Senator Lautenberg reminded people about that:
"Today we see how President Obama's health care reform law is already working to deliver tangible benefits for New Jersey's seniors," stated Lautenberg. "Thanks to the health care reform law, New Jersey's seniors will be shielded from the budget ax that threatened to make their prescription drugs more expensive and less accessible. The new health care reform law will soon bring even more benefits to millions of New Jerseyans."
You know, the new awful healthcare law that the right wing wants Christie to join a lawsuit to repeal? The one that Christie hasn't said he won't join yet, but is willing to take the benefits of? Yeah, that one. Maybe someone in the media could ask him why he isn't ruling out joining suit to overturn the healthcare law at the same time he's taking the benefits of the law to score political points.
Politics I say? What else do you call "finding the money" right before you speak to a group of seniors and a day before you meet with the AARP. But Jay Webber will accuse of the Democrats of playing politics. Move along, no politics to see here.
Using the free service Wordle, I've made "word clouds" of the Democratic legislators' and Republican legislators' press release statements on the New Jersey millionaires tax and Chris Christie's veto. Words that appear very large are used frequently and you can see at a glance the different approaches taken by the two parties: Republicans emphasize businesses and the economy and blame Democrats, while Democrats emphasize senior citizens and the disabled and blame Chris Christie. You may need to click on the pictures to be able to read them:
Last week the Republican Party blocked the authorization of the America COMPETES Act even though it was passed in 2007 as a bipartisan effort under President Bush. At that time they used porn(!) as their excuse to reverse their support of science and engineering research and development (R&D.)
This week they didn't both with that fig leaf and voted no. Every New Jersey Republican voted no even though every single one of them who was in Congress in 2007 supported the bill then. (John Adler joined the Democrats this time, for which I commend him. This Party of No effort would not work without Democratic support.Update: Actually, for procedural reasons Republicans could do it without a majority.)
Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12), a scientist and educator, today urged Congressional Republicans to drop their opposition to the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act, which would strengthen U.S. scientific and economic leadership through investments in research and development, innovation, and education. In 2005, Holt served on an Innovation Taskforce, convened by Nancy Pelosi, which helped write the original America COMPETES Act. For the second time in a week, Congressional Republicans blocked passage of the legislation. A detailed summary of the bill can be found here.
"If half of economic growth in the last half century is attributable to technological developments and innovations, then we can't afford to presume that U.S. leadership in innovation is a given. If we intend to lead the global economy, we must tend to our innovation infrastructure," Holt said. "Blocking this legislation impedes the research vital to long term economic growth."...
"We have the tools and resources to lead the world in science and technology, but we cannot remain complacent as other nations race to the top. We need to know what is working and what needs improvement. We need to understand how we can reallocate our resources to improve efficiency and productivity. And we need to be able to measure whether our actions are having a positive effect," Holt said. "Our competitors already have comprehensive, coordinated national strategies for improving their economic competitiveness through innovation. We should too."
Click through if you'd like a description of the various efforts funded under the bill.
I hope the Republicans think a bit about the PA-12 special election results, which shows that even in areas where President Obama and Speaker Pelosi have never been popular, hardly anyone think Republicans are fit to lead the country. Trying to bring down America for short-term political gain isn't likely to change that consensus.
The other night on Blue Jersey Radio, Jason floated an idea: that Trenton Republicans would use Elena Kagan's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court to argue for speedy consideration of Gov. Chris Christie's nomination to the New Jersey Supreme Court. To recap, Christie became the first governor to stop a sitting justice from receiving tenure, opting to pick a big campaign donor instead. Democrats in the legislature were so outraged, they've decided not even to hold hearings on the nomination.
Now, Jason said the GOP argument would be that if a Democrat in Washington can pick whomever he wants for the court, why can't Christie? Cue this morning's Republican press release: "US Republicans Pledge to Give President Obama's Supreme Court Nomination a Fair Hearing... While New Jersey Democratic Legislators Plan to Block Governor Christie's Supreme Court Nominee." It juxtaposes cherry-picked quotes from Mitch McConnell and Steve Sweeney, John Boehner and Joe Cryan... you get the picture.
The Jersey GOP's argument is irrelevant for so many reasons, it barely deserves addressing. Democrats in Trenton have worked across the aisle with their new Republican governor this year in a way that Republicans in Washington wouldn't even consider with their new Democratic president last year, let alone this one.
But a single reason stands above all others, and deserves to be stated. What this controversy comes down to is Gov. Christie revoking a precedent carried out by the likes of Governors Brendan Byrne, Tom Kean, Christine Whitman and more. The Democrats are actually playing the part of the conservatives by trying to preserve the bipartisan traditions that have kept the Supreme Court from rampant politicization.
If New Jersey Republicans truly want to do something for bipartisanship in our government, the best thing they can do is to join the Democrats and block Gov. Christie on his partisan powergrab. That would be the way to ensure a modicum of cooperation between the two parties can continue long into the future.
For days, the Republicans joined by Senator Ben Nelson have blocked a motion to even begin debate on Wall Street reform. At a press conference yesterday, Senator Menendez talked about the need to move forward in order to protect consumers:And here is Senator Lautenberg's statement from the floor today chastising the GOP and touting the need for reform:Democrats had threatened to keep the Senate in session all night and continue bringing up the vote until it passed. Late today, the Republicans relented agreeing by unanimous consent to begin debate on financial reform legislation. The Republicans could have spent the last few days proposing amendments to fix problems they see in the proposals. But as has become the norm, instead of practical governing, which is sorely needed now, we got more political posturing.
Although they're upset with his "aye" vote on cap and trade, U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-Bridgeton) says he welcomes primary opposition, and is encouraged by the organizing efforts of the Tea Party movement.
"I think it's great," says the 16-year veteran of the U.S. House. "A lot of people are energized, and when people are energized, we're all better off."
"If the cap and trade vote came up again, I wouldn't support it," adds LoBiondo, who would like to see the country develop a coherent energy policy - without the tax penalties included in the bill he originally supported.
He couldn't have put it any more plainly unless he was wearing a "white flag" on his lapel. I am disappointed but again not surprised.
I believe this nation is on a disastrous march. And now Democrats are losing votes because of the policies of extremists in your party.
According to LoBiondo's previously expressed views, our energy policy was on a disastrous course but now he has flipped his vote because of extremists in the Republican party. Sad to blame someone else for it. After all, cap and trade is a Republican idea:
I'm just old enough to remember when policies like cap-and-trade were quintessentially conservative. As an econ undergrad in the 1980s, cap-and-trade was the leading light in a suite of then radical, new, market-based regulatory ideas propounded by right-of-center economists. These new market-based approaches, they argued, would achieve superior amelioration of environmental problems without the heavy-handed inefficiencies of the "command-and-control" limits embraced by liberals in the 1970s. During my undergrad years, and the the years after, there was a decent debate about the policy and economic merits of the competing approaches to regulation. I imagine someone with Lexis Nexis could even find historical documents (Galaxy Quest!) of elected Republicans advocating cap-and-trade approaches as a conservative alternative to old-fashioned, unfair "liberalism."
Fast forward to 2009, and I confess I still find myself amazed that the conservative policy won the argument... Ironically, while their proposals were winning in the marketplace of ideas, the Republican party has abandoned the field of competition and retreated into an extremism that would probably shock even the 1964 edition of Barry Goldwater. Where you might have seen someone like Jack Kemp endorsing cap-and-trade as a sexy new idea 25 years ago, now the very same policy approach is crazy communism to today's Republicans. The policy hasn't changed, but the Republican party sure has. What was once a center-right party looking for innovative new ideas (like cap-and-trade), it is now a right-of-everyone-but-the-lunatics rump, mistrustful of any and all public policy and clinging only to the irrational scraps that feed their hysterical, anti-scientific state of denial. Kind of sad, really.
As LoBiondo has been in Congress since 1994, he really needs to look in the mirror and ask how he let this happen.
While Republicans try to say there is no downside to the tactics they utilized in the healthcare debate, Senator Menendez and the Democrats believe that when people see the talk doesn't measure up, there will be consequences:
"When this bill goes into effect, and none of the things Republicans warned about begin to happen - none of the death panels, none of the government takeover, none of the socialism - Republicans will have no credibility," Mr. Menendez said.
They may not have any credibility, but that doesn't seem like it will stop them from jumping up and down like their hair is on fire trying to repeal the bill. Even if they could actually pass legislation to repeal healthcare, wouldn't the President just veto it? And what kind of message and strategy is running on bringing back pre-existing conditions?
Et tu, Rob Portman? Ye of sensibility and rectitude? Ye of maturity and political resolve? Despite inquires from the Cincinnati Enquirer and Plain Dealer, Portman's campaign won't directly answer the question of whether the candidate believes that President Obama is a citizen. (Obama is.) So now, we're up to five Republican Senate candidates -- major ones, not including J.D. Hayworth in Arizona for the moment -- who have flirted with Birtherism.
Several of these candidates have later corrected their initial hesitation, but it is precisely that initial hesitation that contains so much information about what Republican candidates fear right now. No doubt that Portman and Marco Rubio know that Birtherism is bullshit. The gap between their private beliefs and how they articulate them publicly is fairly wide. I'm not a fan of stories that begin with X "refuses to denounce" Y -- I usually skip them. I make an exception here because the accusation is so reckless, so tied to race and culture, and so stupid that those who try to Wink at the Birthers are adding potency to a poison that everyone is forced to gulp.
Poison. You don't normally see our mainstream media using terms like this. It is dangerous poison.
In discussions with Wall Street executives, Republicans are striving to make the case that they are banks' best hope of preventing President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats from cracking down on Wall Street.
GOP strategists hope to benefit from the reaction to the White House's populist rhetoric and proposals, which range from sharp critiques of bonuses to a tax on big Wall Street banks, caps on executive pay and curbs on business practices deemed too risky.
It includes discussion of an approach to Democratic contributor James Dimon, the chairman and chief executive of J.P. Morgan, who donated to Democrats in the past. The Huffington Post got reaction from Senator Frank Lautenberg:
"Criticism of a group or organization has to be weighed in terms of the total context," he said. "When you see someone like Dimon, who's a pretty outstanding business leader, I can't imagine that he's going to want to be isolated from the Democratic presence. That doesn't bother me."
But isn't arguing that you deserve Wall Street support politically perilous? "I think that's harmful to their interests, but I'm not their doctor," said Lautenberg.
HuffPost clarified that the question was about Democrats fighting for Wall Street support. Isn't that the wrong message? "I don't think so. I think that unless there's some really egregious behavior, I think that they should support us and I think that we should be willing to accept their help," he said.
Not much to say here. Wall Street owns both parties and the elite like it that way. I'm reduced to hoping the big bonuses help close New Jersey's budget gap. I do wonder, though, what would constitute "egregious behavior" towards Wall Street.
One thing I enjoy reading and writing about is how government and candidates for office are using technology. A story in the NY Times says that Republicans in the House are kicking some serious Democrat donkey butt:
It may have been sort of a counterintuitive thought at one time, but it's become pretty well-established that Republicans on Capitol Hill have embraced Twitter more than Democrats.
But just how much congressional Republicans are out-Tweeting the Democrats may be a bit of a surprise. According to a new study from the public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard, House Republicans have pecked away on Twitter more than five times more frequently than their Democratic counterparts - sending out 29,162 tweets all told through Jan. 3, compared to 5,503 for Democrats.
In New Jersey, @Rep_Albio_Sires and @FrankPallone are our lone members on twitter in the House. @SenatorMenendez uses twitter from our Senate delegation, but the GOP clearly has more members utilizing the medium to communicate:
The study also found that about two-thirds of Congress' 132 active Tweeters are Republicans.
But what type of communicating they are doing offers the caveat to these numbers:
Many congressional Twitter users don't follow others or reTweet items, Mr. Senak said in an interview. "It can be more like one-way communication, which is not really what Twitter was designed for," he said. Mr. Senak, who writes a blog about the F.D.A., said curiosity about how lawmakers were discussing health care was a major reason he started the Twitter study.
If they're not utilizing the medium to create a dialogue, they're not getting the complete potential. See Cory Booker for an example of how you can harness the power of social media. But on top of that, it's troubling that our leaders aren't embracing new opportunities to interact with their consituents. I know it's hard to convey public policy in 140 characters, but if you use more words no one listens, are you better off passing up the opportunity at a captive audience? If you are on twitter, even though your member of Congress may not be, you can find and follow us @BlueJersey
The RNC is sending robocalls from Rudy Giuliani and John McCain into the homes of NJ Voters. Here's the Rudy call:
Hi this is Rudy Giuliani. I'm calling because I care about what's going on in New Jersey. The Trenton Democrats broke their promises and raised billions of dollars in taxes. Business, jobs and families have been driven out of the state. Special interests dominate Trenton and corruption continues to fester at taxpayers expense. Business as usual can't be allowed any longer. We need your vote to get New Jersey back on the right track. On Tuesday, November 3, let's replace the Trenton tax machine for the real change NJ needs. Vote Republican
This is John McCain calling with an urgent message. Trenton Democrats broke their promises and raised millions of dollars in taxes. As a result, businesses, jobs and families have been driven away. These corrupt special interests will continue to dominate unless you take action. This is an extremely close election and your vote will make a difference. On Tuesday November 3, vote Republican for the real change NJ needs.
And the RNC isn't alone, Rosi got a robo-call from Cory Booker the other day. Let us know in the comments if you've gotten any robo-calls.
The final numbers on registered voters eligible to cast ballots in Tuesday's election show 1,766,669 New Jerseyans list themselves as Democrats and 1,061,899 signed up as Republicans. Another 2,393,679 consider themselves as unaffiliated and 2,633 are registered under other parties.
Nearly half of the registered voters are unaffiliated. The total number of registered voters at 5.22 million this year is down from 5.33 million last year for the Presidential election. Many of those people that are registered have either requested to vote early or already cast their ballot:
100,770 of those registered have already voted by mail, state Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells said as she announced the figures Friday at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. She said county clerks had issued 179,142 Vote by Mail ballots as of Thursday.
Here is what the Division of Elections had to say about people still wanting to use a vote-by-mail ballot:
"There is still time to apply for and vote using a vote-by-mail ballot, however, you must complete the application and return the voted ballot in person because the deadline for mailed applications has passed," said Robert Giles, director of the Division of Elections. "Registered voters may apply for a vote-by-mail ballot in person with a county clerk until 3 p.m. on Monday, November 2. To be accepted, all vote-by-mail ballots must be returned to your county Board of Election by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3 (Election Day)."
The key will be who turns out comes Tuesday. We're in the heart of the Get Out the Vote operations for these campaigns, what are you doing to help make sure everyone casts their ballot.
Today's withdrawal by Dede Scozzafava in the NY23 special election to Congress is an important milestone. In her statement, she says "It is increasingly clear that pressure is mounting on many of my supporters to shift their support." It's a polite way of noting that the far-right conservatives -- mostly outside the district -- have successfully purged her for perceived disloyalty to conservatism.
This must be a very unwelcome development for Frank LoBiondo. To be sure, he's "pro-life" and part of the Gingrich's Revolutionary Class of 1994, so he has right-wing credentials she doesn't. But his occasional moderate votes are increasingly unwelcome to conservatives both inside and outside of Congress. His vote in favor of the energy bill earned him attacks nationwide by outraged conservatives. There's many who would love to get rid of him.
Now, LoBiondo, unlike Scozzafava, has lots of money and the advantage of incumbency. It's now possible to imagine a successful challenge to him, but it's extremely unlikely. But today we see one more step down a road along which moderate Republicanism is extinguished.
I really appreciate getting press releases from Republican Assemblymen John Amodeo and Vince Polistina, but what's up with this one?
AMODEO AND POLISTINA: IT WILL TAKE NEW JERSEY A LONG TIME TO FIND ITS "LOST DECADE"
RUTGERS REPORT SAYS IT WILL TAKE EIGHT YEARS TO REGAIN THE JOBS LOST DURING CURRENT RECESSION
I too resent the fact that the entire Obama administration will be devoted to repairing the Bush "43" economic disaster, but if they had any shame at all, Republicans wouldn't bring up the lost decade.
There's been talk about a new PPP Poll and the (I think) 9 point Christie lead, but what hasn't been discussed is the strange question thrown into the poll:
only 79 percent of voters ready to rule out the possibility that their president is the Anti-Christ. Eight percent say he is, while 13 percent are not sure.
[snip]
Twelve percent of McCain voters think Obama is the Anti-Christ. Twenty-one percent are not sure.
Fourteen percent of Republicans think Obama is the Anti-Christ. Fifteen percent are not sure.
Eighteen percent of "conservative" voters think Obama is the Anti-Christ. Seventeen percent are not sure.
Now, if I were asked that question a few years ago about Bush, I probably would have answered "yes" or "hell yes" just as a goof. But with the level of vitriol and the Bible Thumpers (who don't actually follow what is written in the Bible) and teabaggers and wingnuts and outright racists coming out from all corners of Right Wingnutistan, you never know just how many of them answered this question seriously.
That being said, I was able to uncover (due to super duper sleuthing) some other views of NJ republicans that will make your head spin (and not because it is Obama the anti-Christ making your head spin):
57% of NJ republicans believe that the "Democratic Party" secretly took the letter "N" out of the name and was really the "Demoncratic Party"
42% believe that "ACORN" stands for "American Criminals (for) Obama Rule Now";
67% don't actually know what the word "socialism" means (ok, so this one may be real);
36% think that "Marxism" is based on using comedic eyeglasses and moustaches to lull the electorate into subservience;
29% think Corzine got his wealth by personally stealing billions from NJ taxpayers and pocketing it all; and
19% support Christie Whitman in her run for Governor this year;
Oh yeah, one more for you. 72.96% of all statistics are made up.....
The Chairman of the Republican Party - the Grand Ol' Party - is reported to have said that Chris Christie is not running as a member of the party.
Richard LaRossa in PNJ reported that he has multi-sourced a comment by a frustrated Jay Webber (the bold is from the original):
According to multiple sources familiar with the meeting, an exasperated Webber blurted out: "This doesn't help Chris Christie because Chris Christie isn't out there running as the Republican candidate."
Jay Webber is the hand-picked Republican state chair of Chris Christie, and also is someone who ran against an incumbent Republican to get his Assembly seat. And he says that Christie is not running as the Republican candidate.
Now, from a strategic perspective that's probably the right move. Republicans are a significant minority in the state, and haven't won in a long time. The positions of the Republican platform are unpopular in the state, so running an honest campaign and telling the voters of New Jersey what he actually intends to do would be a loser.
Christie cannot -- and Webber admits this -- win a campaign by telling the truth about what he wants to do as Governor. He has to stick to platitudes like "end corruption" and "cut taxes" without telling anything about his real plans.
Which is why he won't tell us his real plans. It's why he won't say what parts of the budget he will cut, how many employees he plans to lay off, what departments he intends to gut, what policies he wants to pursue.
All he will do is stand there and say, "I put people in jail! Cut taxes!"
Because telling the truth, for Christie, is a loser.
