We at the Monmouth County Republican Blog have expressed concern about gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie defining himself beyond his crack record as a Federal Prosecutor. Our concern is rooted in the fact that all too many candidates backed by the state GOP establishment or "moderate" wing of the party have been, essentially, "Democrats lite", or RINOs. They fail to sufficiently contrast themselves with the Democrat, and inevitably lose.
We were deeply concerned that Christie would follow the same liberal path and founder against the Bozo-coiffed Governor Corzine, should Christie win the primary.
It appears that this is not the case.
We were very impressed with Christie's speech at Lincoln Day, in which he proposed a very aggressive fiscal policy and a frequent use of the line-item veto if necessary. He also pointed out the folly of Corzine's social engineering through the Council On Affordable Housing (COAH), and vowed to "gut" that policy.
Save Jersey has an interesting post on Christie's Pro-Life credentials. This is a sharp departure from previous establishment candidates, from the waffling Jim Courter to the mild Doug Forrester to the unabashedly liberal and rabidly pro-choice Christie Whitman.
This blog has not yet made a choice in the gubernatorial primary. All the candidates are qualified men of character who bring a lot to the table. Should Christie get the nod, and should he stick to a conservative platform, Corzine and the Dems could have serious a problem.
We would like to see more.
A start would be for all the candidates to address the problem of an overreaching judiciary. At the close of the Whitman-DiFrancesco Administration, all seven State Supreme Court Justices had been appointed by a Republican governor. (An unprecedented six by Whitman, one by Tom Kean, Sr.) Still, this court was at least as liberal as if it was all-Democratic, and some critics have even said it was more liberal. Can you say Torricelli-
Lautenberg switcheroo?
So, it has been very refreshing to see Christie take conservative stands. Let's keep it up.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
EYE ON THE PRIZE
If you haven't read Art Gallagher's post, "Eye on the Prize", read it. You might learn something.
Monday, February 16, 2009
DEM CAMPAIGN FINANCE
OK, campers, it's time once again to take a trip down The Rabbit Hole to a land where up is down and down is up and wheeling isn't wheeling. That's right, we're going to take a look at the Monmouth County Democrats' 2008 4th quarter ELEC report! Along the way, be sure to munch on lots of mushrooms. You'll need them to believe that wheeling isn't going on.
$230,111.83. And very little of this money comes from here in Monmouth County. Very little.
Healy for Mayor. (Jersey City) $7,000.00 on October 29, and another $1,000.00 on November 3. A total of $8,000.00.
John Hamill, Jr. Also from Jersey City, he also contributed $1,000.00 on November 3.
Rush Holt for Congress. OK, at least he represents part of Monmouth County. $4,000.00 on October 20.
Upendra Chivukula for Assembly. (Somerset County) $1,000.00 on November 3.
New Jersey Democratic State Committee. $37,000.00 on October 24.
Election Fund of Joseph Cryan. (Union County) $15,000.00 in their trick-or-treat bag on October 31. No wonder they're asking this guy who to appoint to county patronage jobs!
Empower Newark. (Essex County) $10,000.00 on October 29. A PAC connected to Mayor Cory Booker. Christina DeSimone of the Rutgers-Newark Observer writes: "A political action committee called Empower Newark has reported a dramatic increase in funds, from $2,343 last year to $364,000 this year. The committee states that its goal is to support politicians who demonstrate a "genuine commitment to Newark." While the committee has donated to both Teresa Ruiz's and Bilal Beasley's Senate campaigns, Empower Newark has also supported candidates with little connection to Newark. Philadelphia mayoral candidate, Dwight Evans, and New York's lieutenant governor, David Paterson have each received $5,000 from the committee. How is this empowering Newark?" I guess Amy Mallet has a genuine commitment to Newark.
Election Fund of Stephen Schueler. Flippy's erstwhile running mate and current Assistant County Counsel Silent Steve. OK, this one is actually in Monmouth County. $3,611.00 on October 10.
Democracy in Motion. (South Amboy, Middlesex County) So far, I haven't found anything more on this PAC, but they contributed $2,500.00 on October 28.
Election Fund of John Wisniewski. (Middlesex County) $2,500.00 on October 28.
Bunion and Malley for Council. (Matawan) Alrighty, another from Monmouth County. This makes about 2 so far. $1,500.00 on December 21. Merry Christmas.
Election Fund of J. Christian Bollwage. (Union County. Again.) The Mayor of Elizabeth wrote a check for $500.00 on October 24.
Jon S. Corzine. The Bozo-coiffed governor himself contributed $25,000.00 on October 22.
Ready to see the labor bucks? I thought so.
Local Union 400 PAC Fund. (Wall) $12,000.00 on October 24.
District Council of Northern New Jersey Ironworkers. (Union County) $37,000.00 on October 28. Wow. Are the Democrats looking to start some projects using iron?
New Jersey State Laborers PAC, Non-Federal Account. (Middlesex County) $25,000.00 on October 13.
Local Union # 164, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers COPE Fund. (Bergen County) $25,000.00 on October 24.
New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters Non-Partisan PAC. (Middlesex County) $10,000.00 on October 10.
Heavy and General Construction Laborers' Union Local 472 PAC. (Essex County) $8,000.00 on October 10.
PAC, New Jersey State Association of Pipe Trades. (Camden County) $5,000.00 on November 3.
DRIVE Committee. (Washington, DC) The Teamsters' PAC (Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education). $2,500.00 on October 10.
Operating Engineers' Local 825. (Union County) $1,000.00 on October 28.
The Dems are obviously completely unfazed by criticism of their wheeling. It's just what they do. And remember at reorganization where John D'Amico (Flippy) proposed major construction projects. Now you know why.
$230,111.83. And very little of this money comes from here in Monmouth County. Very little.
Healy for Mayor. (Jersey City) $7,000.00 on October 29, and another $1,000.00 on November 3. A total of $8,000.00.
John Hamill, Jr. Also from Jersey City, he also contributed $1,000.00 on November 3.
Rush Holt for Congress. OK, at least he represents part of Monmouth County. $4,000.00 on October 20.
Upendra Chivukula for Assembly. (Somerset County) $1,000.00 on November 3.
New Jersey Democratic State Committee. $37,000.00 on October 24.
Election Fund of Joseph Cryan. (Union County) $15,000.00 in their trick-or-treat bag on October 31. No wonder they're asking this guy who to appoint to county patronage jobs!
Empower Newark. (Essex County) $10,000.00 on October 29. A PAC connected to Mayor Cory Booker. Christina DeSimone of the Rutgers-Newark Observer writes: "A political action committee called Empower Newark has reported a dramatic increase in funds, from $2,343 last year to $364,000 this year. The committee states that its goal is to support politicians who demonstrate a "genuine commitment to Newark." While the committee has donated to both Teresa Ruiz's and Bilal Beasley's Senate campaigns, Empower Newark has also supported candidates with little connection to Newark. Philadelphia mayoral candidate, Dwight Evans, and New York's lieutenant governor, David Paterson have each received $5,000 from the committee. How is this empowering Newark?" I guess Amy Mallet has a genuine commitment to Newark.
Election Fund of Stephen Schueler. Flippy's erstwhile running mate and current Assistant County Counsel Silent Steve. OK, this one is actually in Monmouth County. $3,611.00 on October 10.
Democracy in Motion. (South Amboy, Middlesex County) So far, I haven't found anything more on this PAC, but they contributed $2,500.00 on October 28.
Election Fund of John Wisniewski. (Middlesex County) $2,500.00 on October 28.
Bunion and Malley for Council. (Matawan) Alrighty, another from Monmouth County. This makes about 2 so far. $1,500.00 on December 21. Merry Christmas.
Election Fund of J. Christian Bollwage. (Union County. Again.) The Mayor of Elizabeth wrote a check for $500.00 on October 24.
Jon S. Corzine. The Bozo-coiffed governor himself contributed $25,000.00 on October 22.
Ready to see the labor bucks? I thought so.
Local Union 400 PAC Fund. (Wall) $12,000.00 on October 24.
District Council of Northern New Jersey Ironworkers. (Union County) $37,000.00 on October 28. Wow. Are the Democrats looking to start some projects using iron?
New Jersey State Laborers PAC, Non-Federal Account. (Middlesex County) $25,000.00 on October 13.
Local Union # 164, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers COPE Fund. (Bergen County) $25,000.00 on October 24.
New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters Non-Partisan PAC. (Middlesex County) $10,000.00 on October 10.
Heavy and General Construction Laborers' Union Local 472 PAC. (Essex County) $8,000.00 on October 10.
PAC, New Jersey State Association of Pipe Trades. (Camden County) $5,000.00 on November 3.
DRIVE Committee. (Washington, DC) The Teamsters' PAC (Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education). $2,500.00 on October 10.
Operating Engineers' Local 825. (Union County) $1,000.00 on October 28.
The Dems are obviously completely unfazed by criticism of their wheeling. It's just what they do. And remember at reorganization where John D'Amico (Flippy) proposed major construction projects. Now you know why.
LINCOLN DAY '09
Last night's Lincoln Day Dinner (my favorite event!) was a huge success. With nearly 500 in attendance, it exceeded those of the past few years. We were also honored with the presence of President Abe Lincoln, as well as past Holmdel municipal chair Addy Lubkert, a relative of the 16th President.
Atlantic Highlands Mayor Fred Rast welcomed the gathering, and County Chairman Joe Oxley capably emceed the event, and former chairs Adam Puharic (who left early), Fred Niemann and Fred Kniesler were present. Joe reminded potential freeholder candidates of the February 27th deadline for declarations.
Several GOP bloggers were in attendance.
Freeholders Lillian Burry and Rob Clifton attended, along with all three Constitutional Officers: Sheriff Kim Guadagno, County Clerk Claire French and Surrogate Rosemarie Peters.
Former freeholders in attendance included Highlands Mayor Anna Little, who picked up the open bar tab, Bill Barham, Frank Self and Ed Stominski. Former freeholder candidate John Curley worked the room with thank-you cards, and may be gearing up for another run. Former freeholder candidate Jeff Cantor was not in attendance, as he now goes to Carter Day dinners or Jeff Davis Day or Tax Day whatever the hell day the Democrats go to. There had been rumors of an appearance by Freeholder Director Barbara McMorrow, but it appears that they were only rumors.
Curmudgeonly County Counsel Malcolm Carton was there, as was his cousin, veteran Middletown Chairman Peter Carton. Howell Mayor Bob Walsh and his predecessor, Joe DiBella, were both there.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening were the speeches of the two gubernatorial candidates, Chris Christie and Steve Lonegan.
Christie was introduced by Senator Joe Kyrillos, and spoke of the dire situation our state finds itself in and the solutions he proposed. Most Republicans want to see more substance from Christie, and he appeared to be offering just that last night.
Lonegan, who is known for substance, was introduced by Hank Butehorn. In a departure from previous speeches, Lonegan spoke of his personal life, the loss of his father at a young age and the resulting trials the family went through, then his own battles in which he overcame the loss of his eyesight to become successful in business. He believes that it is this can-do spirit which is just what New Jersey needs to get out of the mess it is in.
Both candidates circulated nominating petitions and got signatures.
All in all, a great evening, and a great kickoff for 2009!
Atlantic Highlands Mayor Fred Rast welcomed the gathering, and County Chairman Joe Oxley capably emceed the event, and former chairs Adam Puharic (who left early), Fred Niemann and Fred Kniesler were present. Joe reminded potential freeholder candidates of the February 27th deadline for declarations.
Several GOP bloggers were in attendance.
Freeholders Lillian Burry and Rob Clifton attended, along with all three Constitutional Officers: Sheriff Kim Guadagno, County Clerk Claire French and Surrogate Rosemarie Peters.
Former freeholders in attendance included Highlands Mayor Anna Little, who picked up the open bar tab, Bill Barham, Frank Self and Ed Stominski. Former freeholder candidate John Curley worked the room with thank-you cards, and may be gearing up for another run. Former freeholder candidate Jeff Cantor was not in attendance, as he now goes to Carter Day dinners or Jeff Davis Day or Tax Day whatever the hell day the Democrats go to. There had been rumors of an appearance by Freeholder Director Barbara McMorrow, but it appears that they were only rumors.
Curmudgeonly County Counsel Malcolm Carton was there, as was his cousin, veteran Middletown Chairman Peter Carton. Howell Mayor Bob Walsh and his predecessor, Joe DiBella, were both there.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening were the speeches of the two gubernatorial candidates, Chris Christie and Steve Lonegan.
Christie was introduced by Senator Joe Kyrillos, and spoke of the dire situation our state finds itself in and the solutions he proposed. Most Republicans want to see more substance from Christie, and he appeared to be offering just that last night.
Lonegan, who is known for substance, was introduced by Hank Butehorn. In a departure from previous speeches, Lonegan spoke of his personal life, the loss of his father at a young age and the resulting trials the family went through, then his own battles in which he overcame the loss of his eyesight to become successful in business. He believes that it is this can-do spirit which is just what New Jersey needs to get out of the mess it is in.
Both candidates circulated nominating petitions and got signatures.
All in all, a great evening, and a great kickoff for 2009!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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Saturday, February 14, 2009
WEEKEND RANDOMNESS
A top Monmouth County news item this past week was the flipping of former freeholder candidate Jeff Cantor, who put his knees in the breeze, cowboyed up and rode a donkey into the sunset world of the Democratic Party. We're not yet sure whether that move now makes him a former county commissioner candidate.
I had intended to write a post on this subject, but Tom DeSeno at the Jersey Shore Blog wrote about everything I would have, so I held off. I posted a comment on Art Gallagher's More Monmouth Musings where I offered some opinions on the subject. (Read Art's posts here and here.) In the end though, it seems that the flip is just the result of a local split in the Marlboro GOP.
Which is why I was intrigued by some comments on Art's blog, particularly "There are problems with many local GOP organizations. That is why many rank and file are giving up."
Our local situation in many towns is a bit soft. There is a disturbing amount of infighting in many towns and it favors the Democrats. Places like Marlboro, Howell, Manalapan, Holmdel and Wall are too big to concede to the other side. Gone are the days when we could win with the votes of Middletown and Wall, and neglect the rest of the county.
Some are blaming Chairman Joe Oxley, but this is a problem that has been festering for many years, at least as far back as Bill Dowd's chairmanship. During that time, the Democrats were building local organizations and getting stronger (often with wheeled bucks), while our priority was reelecting Harry.
This problem did not develop under Oxley's watch, but it has been thrown into his lap. Joe needs to grab this bull by the horns before it sinks our great party once and for all. And you local people: Joe cannot solve this problem alone. It's time to put egos aside, because that's where these local splits begin, pull together, and work for the common good.
I had intended to write a post on this subject, but Tom DeSeno at the Jersey Shore Blog wrote about everything I would have, so I held off. I posted a comment on Art Gallagher's More Monmouth Musings where I offered some opinions on the subject. (Read Art's posts here and here.) In the end though, it seems that the flip is just the result of a local split in the Marlboro GOP.
Which is why I was intrigued by some comments on Art's blog, particularly "There are problems with many local GOP organizations. That is why many rank and file are giving up."
Our local situation in many towns is a bit soft. There is a disturbing amount of infighting in many towns and it favors the Democrats. Places like Marlboro, Howell, Manalapan, Holmdel and Wall are too big to concede to the other side. Gone are the days when we could win with the votes of Middletown and Wall, and neglect the rest of the county.
Some are blaming Chairman Joe Oxley, but this is a problem that has been festering for many years, at least as far back as Bill Dowd's chairmanship. During that time, the Democrats were building local organizations and getting stronger (often with wheeled bucks), while our priority was reelecting Harry.
This problem did not develop under Oxley's watch, but it has been thrown into his lap. Joe needs to grab this bull by the horns before it sinks our great party once and for all. And you local people: Joe cannot solve this problem alone. It's time to put egos aside, because that's where these local splits begin, pull together, and work for the common good.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
FLIPPY FLIPS AGAIN
He's doing it again. County Commissioner (neé Freeholder) John "Flippy" D'Amico has flip-flopped again.
Read the editorial in today's Asbury Park Press. It points out that the Freeholders have appointed 22 attorneys and firms to represent the county in legal matters, above and beyond the two in-house lawyers the county hired last year; the 22 does not include curmudgeonly County Counsel Malcolm Carton, who oversees the county's legal department. The 22 does include Silent Steve Schueler, Flippy's defeated running-mate. So, Silent Steve is a county counsel, Rebecca Aaronson runs an MVC office on property owned by County Democratic Figurehead Boss Vic Scudiery, maybe Very Silent Glenn Mason will run the new county Inspector General Department; all we need now is Greg Gibadlo, who is looking for tips.
Flippy, a longtime supporter of Carton, had proposed the idea of salaried, in-house attorneys as a cost-saving measure. That's fine, but why keep the same amount of outside lawyers? The Press refers to 22 lawyers, it's actually 24 including the in-house attorneys, 25 including Carton. So there's no real savings here. That's Flippy.
This is the same Flippy who keeps pushing the establishment of a new county department, that of Inspector General, at a time when the county is seriously contemplating the layoff of existing staff. So the savings generated by layoffs would potentially be used to pay for a new patronage position and staff, rather than be returned to the taxpayers. That idea was also editorially panned by the Press. And they actually endorsed the guy. Art Gallagher wrote about it last month. It's all about serving their out-of-county handlers.
Flippy is a crass, old-time politician who will take any stand to promote his party above all. He is a dangerous man. A very dangerous man. That's why it's imperative that we take back the majority on the Board of Chosen Freeholders this year.
Read the editorial in today's Asbury Park Press. It points out that the Freeholders have appointed 22 attorneys and firms to represent the county in legal matters, above and beyond the two in-house lawyers the county hired last year; the 22 does not include curmudgeonly County Counsel Malcolm Carton, who oversees the county's legal department. The 22 does include Silent Steve Schueler, Flippy's defeated running-mate. So, Silent Steve is a county counsel, Rebecca Aaronson runs an MVC office on property owned by County Democratic Figurehead Boss Vic Scudiery, maybe Very Silent Glenn Mason will run the new county Inspector General Department; all we need now is Greg Gibadlo, who is looking for tips.
Flippy, a longtime supporter of Carton, had proposed the idea of salaried, in-house attorneys as a cost-saving measure. That's fine, but why keep the same amount of outside lawyers? The Press refers to 22 lawyers, it's actually 24 including the in-house attorneys, 25 including Carton. So there's no real savings here. That's Flippy.
This is the same Flippy who keeps pushing the establishment of a new county department, that of Inspector General, at a time when the county is seriously contemplating the layoff of existing staff. So the savings generated by layoffs would potentially be used to pay for a new patronage position and staff, rather than be returned to the taxpayers. That idea was also editorially panned by the Press. And they actually endorsed the guy. Art Gallagher wrote about it last month. It's all about serving their out-of-county handlers.
Flippy is a crass, old-time politician who will take any stand to promote his party above all. He is a dangerous man. A very dangerous man. That's why it's imperative that we take back the majority on the Board of Chosen Freeholders this year.
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