the rix mix

In this very same election, on the very same ballot, we passed here in Jersey, by a huge margin, a constitutional amendment raising the minimum wage & linking it to hikes in the cost of living. You don't get much more "liberal" than that. Democrats retained control of the state senate & assembly. Christie had no "coattails," We also forced Christie, through public pressure, to drop his legal fight against marriage equality.  Two weeks ago we elected a new Democratic senator, who won by 11 points while spending hardly any of the huge campaign chest he's saving for next year. That election ended the political career of the state's only prominent "tea party" type politician. We liberals are doing just fine here, thank you. We want Christie to run for president. The state is much quieter when he's not around.

Locally, a young woman I supported for Board of Ed came in 4th for three available positions. Her insurgent slate, well-financed by the County Democratic Committee, endorsed by the mayor,  grabbed two of those seats. She lost because she was positioned 8th on the ballot, & all the  slick flyers, robocalls & door-to-doors couldn't overcome that.  An incumbent had the #1 spot, he came in second. The #2 position candidate came in first, & the #6 position came in third. There were several candidates listed not actively running - I don't know why they bothered to run. The BoE election is  "nonpartisan" but pits the County Democratic machine - nothing to brag about as a "democratic" organization except they tend to be very liberal - against a BoE machine autocratically run by a single boss with right wing tendencies.  The young woman took the defeat quite hard. But before BoE elections were moved to the general election in November, the BoE fortress was almost impregnable.  But with  the superior campaign resources of the Regular Democrats to counter the slick official mailings of the BoE  paid for out of the school budget, three BoE members have been picked off in two years. This at least will bring some transparency to the Board.  If the BoE were genuine progressive reformers & didn't constantly manipulate stats to make the schools look better than they are or run the system like parochial schools, I would support them.

Labels: education, Elizabeth NJ, New Jersey politics

On Tuesday, when Jerseyans show how "conservative" we are by reelecting Christie, we will also pass - probably by a large margin - a raise in the minimum wage tied to annual cost-of-living hike, the kind of law everyone on the right from Chamber of Commerce to Randians detest. Also, we forced Christie to abandon efforts to block marriage equality because he knew a growing majority of Jerseyans favored it, might decide to vote against him if he kept making ugly noises over it, & it was absurd for him to suggest the matter belonged on the ballot, attracting into the state next year millions of dollars of anti-marriage equality money from groups & persons also opposing Christie's presidential aspirations. Christie is winning because he embraced President Obama after Hurricane Sandy, who carried this state twice easily, & some idiot Repugs blamed the hug in part for Romney's defeat. We're a bunch of contrarians.

 Unless Chrstie's win tomorrow results in Repugs winning the state legislature, media analysts will have to see it as a singular victory for an individual.  People outside Jersey often have difficulty understanding that we aren't an especially ideologically partisan state - the point of going into politics here has always been to steer money (especially Fed money)  in one's own direction, one's own town or district,  with ideology a distant second - but rather one where we cling to our many strange, often baffling traditions & prejudices.

Labels: New Jersey politics

Lesniak holds off political newcomer in Democratic state Senate primary in Union County  

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak — New Jersey’s second longest-serving lawmaker — has emerged victorious in one of the most closely watched primaries in the state. Lesniak tonight defaeted Donna Obe in Union County’s 20th District, securing the Democratic nomination in another re-election bid, the Associates Press projects. Although it was one of the tougher races faced by Lesniak, who is accustomed to skating to re-election, it was not close. Lesniak beat Obe by a nearly 2-1 margin. Having won the primary in this heavily Democratic district, Lesniak is all but assured re-election in November. This is the second time in two years Lesniak survived a primary challenge. In 2011, he fended off Jerome Dunn, who was backed by the Elizabeth Board of Education, a rival political machine.

I was a bit concerned about this election. The Regular Democrats were nearly upset in the low-turnout primary a few years ago. But they won this one easily. Unremarked upon was the third slate of candidates with the label similar to the insurgent slate backed by the autocratic, rightist Elizabeth Board of Education. This is an old trick to draw votes away from opponents. I'll have to ask a more politically-savvy local friend what that was all about.

The primary forced Lesniak to spend heavily. It's money he won't need in November, as this is a safe Democratic District. The primary challenge also made him do a lot of personal appearances; he was everywhere at events large & small, I hope he keeps that up so no one can again accuse him of not being familiar with his own district. Yeah he has a big house down the shore & a loft in NYC. But he's also a successful, well-connected lawyer in his sixties. Of course he's wealthy. He's also more liberal than he used to be, more outspoken.

The Regular Democratic Organization could use some reform. The entrenched party chairwoman with her cushy work-at-home county job was pressured into resigning by a Star-Ledger expose. They put a 25 year-old Latino man on the Freeholder ballot, which means he leap-frogged the usual route of slogging in the apparatus for a decade.  The Elizabeth Board of Ed is a far more autocratic political machine,  with a boss & his minions, under investigation for a nnmber of misuses of funds. They are also tied to a large fundamentalist church in Elizabeth.

Labels: Elizabeth NJ, New Jersey politics

Applied for, received & sent back a mail ballot. It was a big deal for me. I enjoyed the ritual of voting in person, the right was taken very seriously in my family. It is not a "privilege" as Linden poll workers learned one evening when they misplaced my registration page & I went nuts & said I'd have a Star-Ledger reporter & lawyer there before the place closed. The primary is the key election in Elizabeth & I can't stand the organization masquerading as "reform" Democrats. The County Democrats here do need some reform, but not from candidates backed by the right wing Elizabeth Board of Ed. I didn't feel like going to the Magie Ave. School on a hot June day.

Labels: Elizabeth NJ, New Jersey politics

Sorry to say this, & hope I'm wrong, but Elizabeth Warren strikes me as the kind of candidate who has all the goods except what you need to be a winner, whatever that is. Why is she not trouncing Scott Brown in the polls? Because she's Mrs. Landingham.

OK Bill, I'm being distracted now, time to start bringin' it on home.

Madam secretary, we're proud to say New Jersey has more made guys as a percentage of population than any other state. Trenton makes, America takes pork roll. Home of the Lakewood BlueClaws. Jon Bon Jovi. I just wanted to mention him while I have the mic. The first state with a magazine & hardcover book dedicated solely to being weird. WFMU, it's never too late to make a pledge. Some says it's the devil, some a Big Foot that got lost. I'll have two slices & a cherry coke. This sh*t I bought outside the hotel is some awful smoke, making me paranoid. What? We're doing that tonight?

Wait a minute, my phone battery is dead. You Jersey guys, just line up & take the microphone & say whatever you texted me to say.

WTF, who picked Ohio? F*ck you. f*ck all of you. We're f*ckin Jersey. You don't f*ck with us.

Wait a minute, who is that guy? He staying in a better hotel? Hey you gimme that mic back or I'll twist yer dam head off right here.

Labels: New Jersey politics, THE election

Update:
Elizabeth NJ Mayoral Primary
Oscar Ocasio 2,547 24%
x Chris Bollwage* 8,279 76%
This is even better than I expected.

The Mayor will receive no serious organized opposition in November.
***
At 5 pm my polling place was busier than I've ever seen it, & that includes 2008 primary & general. I don't know if it's good or not for my people. Two cops, I'd call that tight security, eying my black backpack with the white cat hair. I did see some Orthodox voting. I'd guess they're going with Mayor Chris Bollwage, who lives in the neighborhood. Mayoral primary, battle of slick flyers & brochures, daily mailings. No street money on display, no one standing on corners holding placards. No robo calls.

While I'm not great fan of the Union County Democratic Party machine, the bottom line is that their people legislate progressively. In my city the insurgents are from the right & are just as much a political machine, & even more an authoritarian machine with a "boss."

 Exasperated liberals often express their puzzlement & frustration that Gov. Walker could be reelected in Wisconsin while it's likely President Obama will carry the state in November; or that Scott Brown could beat Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts as Obama wins the state easily. It's difficult to unseat an incumbent unless the sitting legislator is a total screwup., or there's a general 180 degree reaction, toward Democrats in 2006 & Repugs in 2010. Many people ate inclined to vote against change. It isn't an ideological thing. They know what they got, they may not be enthusiastic about it but the incumbent is the devil they know. There's no way to slice it without becoming cynical. The voters are stupid, or swayed by campaign ads (Walker outspent Barrett like 10 to 1), the destruction of Wisconsin public unions over the past year. This is what we're up against.

Labels: Elizabeth NJ, New Jersey politics

I had an obese counselor for several years, a social worker. She was smart, experienced, a wit,  & helpful. Since I tend to stutter making cold phone calls, sometimes I'd ask her to make them & set up appointments for me, which she did willingly & quickly.  Despite her extreme weight she managed to dress very well indeed. I have no idea where she bought her clothes.  Her female clients consulted her for advice on dressing for interviews, applying modest but effective  makeup, hair styling. I look at Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who seems to get larger by the day & presents a huge target for sloppy fat guy jokes, & wonder, Can't he do anything to improve his appearance? I suppose there there isn't much that can done about fat guy baggy pants. But can't he get his suit jackets to hang better?

Labels: New Jersey politics

Listening to conservative talk show host John Batchelor last night. His guest suggested Romney would name Jersey gov Chris Christie as VP candidate,  putting Jersey into play for Repugs.

I see lots of problems with that. First, Jersey has not been polled for a Romney/Christie ticket, so it's not known what effect his candidacy would have in a state that is  otherwise safe for  President Obama.*  I think the idea is that Jersey could be pulled into the Repug column without large campaign ad buys in the expensive New York City media market.  Christie isn't "popular" in Jersey in the sense of being admired, doing a great job (he's doing o.k. in the approval ratings, but Obama stays a few points ahead).   He's "popular" in the sense of being a national political celebrity, a rarity in Jersey politics. He entertains. But there are other problems:

Christie is not much of a Tea Party / Christian Right guy. He endorsed Romney early & enthusiastically. He's urbane, he likes cities. As Governor, he needs Federal  dollars & programs,  lots of them. I haven't heard him complain about too much money  flowing here from Washington DC.  Of conservative "moral values" he prefers not discussing them in detail.  He vetoed the Democratic-passed marriage equality law without rancor or preachiness, no sermon about the War on Christians.  He said he would do it & he did.  But he worked with Garden State Equality, the major Jersey LGBT rights organization, on writing & passing strong anti-bullying legislation.  He's a Catholic but has nothing positive to say about Rick Santorum, & has no special relationship that I can detect with Jersey's Catholic Bishops.

If this sounds like I like him, Christie is one of the few prominent Repugs I wish was Democratic, with no change in his bulldog personality. I don't care about his weight, but he ought to have his suits tailored better, especially his baggy pants. Is he up to the rigors of a two-month, non-stop national presidential campaign?

It would help Christie to be the  running mate on a losing ticket.  He has his eyes on 2016. He believes he'll be re-elected Gov next year & in an excellent position to hit the campaign trail in 2015.  Romney's advisers may conclude Christie isn't quite the VP candidate they need.  Yeah, Christie is a big-talking guy who "takes it to the unions" blah blah. But he's more interested in working on behalf of the corporations, one percenters, the polluters,  the usual fat cat Repug beneficiaries, the quiet deals, not for placard-waving geeks from Oklahoma.  Sometimes he gets into trouble not just for what he says, but for who he says it to: veterans, senior citizens, teachers, who ask him questions at his town meetings & get rudely shouted at from the podium. I cannot see Christie taking up the Repugs' outrageous  anti-women meme so Romney can get off those issues, which have hurt him deeply with women voters. Christie needs their votes to be re-elected next year.

* There was a poll in Feb. Without Christie as his running mate, Obama leads Romney 49 percent to 39 percent. With Christie, Obama’s margin over Romney narrows to 49 percent to 43 percent.

Labels: New Jersey politics, THE election

Discrimination against same-sex marriages cannot be tolerated in our society as a matter of law

By Robert Menendez

Since my vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act 15 years ago, like tens of millions of Americans, I have reflected deeply and frequently about this issue. During this time, I have engaged in discussions about the issue of marriage equality with friends, family members, colleagues and of course, the people I serve in New Jersey. I have heard and listened to many different views.

But for me, this comes down to an issue of fundamental fairness. For me, this comes down to the principles I learned as the child of immigrants and that I cherish as an American: that we believe in equality for all people under the law.

So today, I am announcing my support for the Respect for Marriage Act, which repeals DOMA and ensures that all lawfully married couples — including same-sex couples — receive the benefits of marriage under federal law. 
***
No American should have to wait outside a hospital room while a loved one suffers inside. No American should lose inheritance simply because the federal government does not recognize the couple’s marriage. No child should feel that his or her parents are somehow less equal under the law than a best friend’s parents. 

This kind of discrimination cannot be tolerated in our society as a matter of law, and it should not be tolerated. Two people who want to be committed to each other should be able to enter into marriage, and they should receive the benefits that flow from that commitment.

What took him so long? His daughter & son agree Wicked, the long-running gay allegory musical, is his favorite Broadway show.

Senator Robert "Bob" Menendez is a fairly good senator;  New Jersey doesn't have a tradition of electing great &/or colorful senators. Our governors tend to be characters. The guy Chris Christie beat, Jon Corzine, was the first outright boring elected governor we've had since I was a kid.  Menendez is a polished, urban politician, & if he comes across as sort of a stiff, I have seen a You Tube video of him dancing the salsa with an attractive young woman at a campaign event. There are over 1,500,000 Latinos in Jersey (well, we ain't California), most of them legal,  giving him an almost untouchable base in any race against  the country club candidates  Repugs tend to run for the office.

On the whole Menendez is one of the more liberal members of the senate, so far as he's given an opportunity to be safely liberal. Over the years as a congressmen & senator he's tended to duck some issues by  not co-sponsoring progressive  legislation (so he isn't  on-the-record  if the bills never come to a vote) or casting a "safe" vote, as he's done with anti-flag-burning laws & DOMA. He's vocally against giving Cuba any slack, although his parents fled fascist Batista, not commie Castro.  Of course, he accepts plenty of moola from the finance, insurance and real estate industries.  A reform Democrat  he ain't. Voters  don't pay  much attention to the fine print legislation that benefits big business. He's up for reelection in 2012 & it won't do to attach himself to Barack Obama's coattails. New Jersey is more   Clinton territory. Barack can draw &  impress a crowd here, but Jersey Democrats go nuts when Bill or Hillary show up for an event. They are money-in-the-bank at fundraisers.

So what changed Menendez on DOMA? No doubt he's sincere. The urban Latino & African-American Democratic base in Jersey is at best generally indifferent to gay rights. But the suburban middle class part of the party, as well the much-coveted independent, educated suburban women, are  long past debating gay rights. Jersey's most prominent gay rights organization, Garden State Equality, can channel a lot of support, monetary & practical, into local races. The GSE chairperson, Steven Goldstein, is very outspoken about who he likes & doesn't like & knows how to get media attention. If you're a Democrat, you gain nothing by getting on Steven's sh*t list. No conservatives will change their votes to you, but many Democrats will decide not to give you money & will skip over your name on Election Day.

Republicans can't win statewide in Jersey running on conservative social values. Not even pro-life, anti-marriage equality Chris Christie did it. He put those positions on his campaign resume & then ignored them except when speaking to Repug audiences, making his successful campaign for governor about the only issue that uniformly gets suburban voters riled up: property taxes. Those suburban independent women actually like Gov. Baggy Pants. 

It won't be easy to beat Menendez. Being "liberal" isn't the kiss-of-defeat in Jersey. You can call Menendez a boss, an insider, a deal-broker, a professional politician, & he's all of those. But he comes across as a serious, studious, wonky person; he's all of those too. I'm glad he came around on marriage equality.  His daughter, Alicia, makes talking head appearances as a political commentator on cable networks. I think she had much to do with  changing her dad's mind.


(You can argue that all Broadway musicals except La Cage Aux Folles are gay allegories, & the spirit of La Cage is like  Charley's Aunt & Some Like it Hot in its cross-dressing mistaken identity plot.)

Labels: blogging against theocracy, in the news, justice, New Jersey politics

Herman Cain appears to be contemplating an end to his presidential campaign. Democrats aren't the ones mainly fueling Cain's sexual harassment  & extra-marital affair problems; that's genuine news,  it's all on the record. Anyway, it's hard to believe America would take an immediate second chance on an unfamiliar African-American, much less  a former  czar of crappy pizza,  with no elected political experience whatsoever who couldn't get 10% of the Black vote if he walked through Newark NJ quoting Dr. King & handing out hundred-dollar bills.   Romney is the potentially electable Republican. I don't understand why so many Republicans would prefer to lose than nominate Romney.  Republicans are so much more effective than Democrats at enforcing ideological conformity. Once they got Romney into office, with control of the House & probably Senate, they'd  pretty much tell him what he couldn't do. & one of the things he couldn't do is bargain with Democrats.  They'd write the legislation, pass it, & Mitt would have to sign it.

"Values" conservatives  use "morally reprehensible"  "liberals" (like non-liberal Bill Clinton) to defend & excuse morally reprehensible conservatives  like Herman & Newt.  The failure of liberals to maintain the lofty standards of conservatives is sufficient rationale for conservatives to compromise their own.  For these conservatives, "liberal" is synonymous with "morally reprehensible." So are "homosexual," "Muslim," "atheist,"  "food stamp recipient," "Unitarian Universalist," "Hollywood celebrity," "single working mother,"  the list goes on....
***
There's a new  two minute video floating around of Jersey's  Gov. Christie in which he asks  President Obama (rhetorically, I think), "What the hell are we paying you for?"  But based entirely on what he says in the video, it's difficult to tell if he's a pissed off  Republican  or a pissed off Democrat. Christie has a media  crew that chooses sound bites.

Labels: New Jersey politics, THE election

Our governor, Chris Christie, is officially not running for president. He certainly enjoyed being talked up for a candidacy. Most pundits didn't think he'd run. Neither did I. He was polling in the middle of the pack. A lot of bigshot Repug donors wanted him to run, but there was no groundswell of support in the Repug base,  he wasn't undermining any of the other candidates. He was up against deadlines for getting on the primary ballots in the early states. He had no operations set up in Iowa or New Hampshire. He was completely sure he would have won had he decided to run.  Empty chutzpah,

Also, the odds still favor Obama's reelection just because he's the incumbent. Even a modest uptick in the economy next summer will make it very difficult to defeat him. Christie's gamble is a wise one. He can pile up favors campaigning for Repug candidates, make himself better known across the country,  & if Obama is reelected come out of 2012 well-positioned for 2016. I don't see any Democrat who can beat him in Jersey in 2013, unless he screws up big time.

Christie ought to consider losing some weight. He doesn't have to be trim. But he should get down to where his suits don't look like he's wearing them straight off the Big Man racks from a Joseph A. Bank  buy one get two absolutely free sale.

Labels: New Jersey politics

Our governor continues to bask in the national spotlight merely by seeming to waffle on a campaign for president. He won't run unless he's absolutely confident he can win it all, the nomination &   defeating  Obama. That requires unity & money & a "fire in the belly." He has belly enough for a big fire. Right now I don't think he's convinced he can generate all of the three. But he sure does like the celebrity.

It won't do to call him childish names, as the kneejerks at Kos are: "Dough Boy" & "Christie Creme." It didn't work in Jersey & it won't work anywhere except, maybe, Eugene, Oregon or some other jogger's organic food paradise. It's dangerous to assume Christie's podium belligerence wouldn't  stand up well to Obama's famous cool. Jerseyans have been underestimating  Chris Christie since he was George W.'s pick for Jersey District Attorney. Whatever shenanigans he's accused of  committing while District Attorney are the sort of things that bore voters within 30 seconds.'

We have a government that can't fix the economy,  regulate banks,  end our wars, improve education, bring manufacturing jobs back to America, get immigration  under control, or make any sort of far-sighted policy, But the government endlessly nags Americans about our weight & what we eat. The cheerleader of the naggers: The svelte First Lady serving  her White House garden veggies at state dinners. Millions of Americans would  identify with a fat guy running for president.  & they wouldn't all be Republicans. Christie is comfortable in cities &  unlike most of the current Repug candidates (Herman Cain excepted) he doesn't fidget nervously  around African-Americans. If you walked him down a state fair midway, he would quite naturally arrive at the corn dog stand without a reminder from a campaign aide. Tacos, knishes, Swedish meatballs, ribs,  red beans & rice, Jambalaya, Ho fun noodles, spinach - pigeon pea dal, corned beef & cabbage, cannolis, he could shovel it all in with appreciative, guiltless gusto. Taste by taste, vote by vote.

Labels: New Jersey politics, THE election

In reversal, federal appeals panel decides Carl Lewis will not be on ballot for N.J. Senate

TRENTON — A federal appeals panel this morning reversed its decision from just one week ago and ruled former Olympic track and field star Carl Lewis will not be on the ballot for state Senate after all.
***
"This isn't about residency. It's about keeping intact their privilege and their entitlement. They never wanted this to be a race," he [campaign manaager Chris Walker] said.

"And it makes you wonder why. When Carl Lewis, who was inducted to the New Jersey Hall of Fame, who was welcomed in by Gov. Christie himself and has represented this country over 20 years, and now, when he wants to step into a different arena to raise the level of consciousness amongst people, you say no?"

Speaking of privilege & entitlement, I read the residency requirements & if they are constitutionally valid Carl doesn't  meet them.  He hasn't resided here four years. In 2009 he voted in California. I was surprised that any court sided with him. But he's Carl Lewis!  There must be more to being a state senator than I'd thought, considering all the money spent to keep Carl on or off the ballot.  It's not a celebrity office. Most people don't know which district they're in & who represents them. I can't recall the names of my assembly reps, although I can picture one of them, an overweight Hispanic woman.  My state senator, Ray Lesniak, resides part of the time a few blocks from here. The rest of the time he's at his NYC Soho loft, his million dollar bayside house at the shore, or Paris, France.  He's a lifelong bachelor.

You don't have to reside in Jersey or be among the living  to get into the Jersey Hall of Fame.  Is it a qualification for office?  Calling Bud Abbott (b. Asbury Park) & Lou Costello (b. Paterson).

What level of arrogance  permits a candidate's spokeperson to say Carl is here to "raise the level of consciousness among people"? If I want my consciousness raised I'll learn to meditate or take up pot smoking again.

Labels: in the news, New Jersey politics

Elizabeth Board of Ed. president arrested on state charges of lying to obtain free federally subsidized lunches for her kids

ELIZABETH — The president of the Elizabeth Board of Education was arrested at her home early this morning on state charges of lying to obtain free federally subsidized lunches for her two children.

Also charged was the ex-wife of a school principal whose daughter was also received reduced-cost meals, along with the husband of another supervisor whose daughter had received free lunch under the program that helps feed the children of needy families.

Charged were Marie L. Munn, 46 who heads the Elizabeth school district; Angela Lucio, 35, the ex-wife of school principal Carlos Lucio; and Peter W. Abitanto, 42, the husband of Marlene Abitanto, the district’s supervisor of custodians, according to a spokesman for the Attorney General’s office. He said all three were charged with third degree theft by deception and third degree tampering with public records or information.

So pathetic. If what Munn claims is true - she wasn't aware her kids received subsidized lunches - there's some reckoning on the way for the Munn children, who either tossed  the lunches mom packed them or pocketed the money she gave them for lunch & not telling her. That's unlikely. This is just one of those perks politically-connected people thoughtlessly accept when they complacently believe they're invisible or protected from scrutiny. It's also the kind of chump change benefit real power disdains in order to play bigger games with important money. Munn is a gavel-whacker, as provincial as an Atlantic City convention in February or a $100-per-seat charity  dinner-dance at a  local restaurant, formal dress optional but there's a red carpet on the sidewalk.  The Star-Ledger knows where the real power is in Elizabeth's Board of Ed, & those men won't hesitate long before throwing Munn under the school bus. Any competent criminal defense lawyer can defend against & maybe even beat these charges, but it won't be cheap; it'll cost Munn far more than the $2,682 of grilled cheese, seasoned peas, & Jell-0 she's alleged to have stolen.

I'm sure the speculation around Elizabeth & Union County is that Munn, Abitanto, & Lucio aren't the intended quarry, but rather three  birds the attorney general's office wants to start  singing.

Labels: education, Elizabeth NJ, in the news, New Jersey politics

Labels: New Jersey politics, postcard

N.J. state Senator asks Gov. Christie to veto $420K 'Jersey Shore' production tax credit

TRENTON —A Democratic state Senator and a national coalition of Italian Americans are calling upon Gov. Chris Christie to block a tax credit awarded Wednesday to the production company of the hit MTV television show “Jersey Shore.”

“It is disparaging to Italian Americans. He should veto it, ” said state Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Middlesex), a frequent critic of the show who supports the film tax credit but said the state should not reward a television show that paints the state in negative light.

I went to high school in Jersey with dozens of people like the cast of Jersey Shore, & to be fair only some of them were of Italian descent. Maybe other Jerseyans have different experiences, like the state depicted in the slick magazine New Jersey Monthly. My guess is that Jersey Shore has brought far more than $420,000 into our economy during its four season run, with a fifth recently wrapped. Tax credits are given for that purpose, & if the recipient delivers, we have no gripe. No doubt Mr. Good Italian-American, State Senator Joe Vitale complained long & loud about The Sopranos, too. The Sopranos,  one of the best TV shows in television history, received no tax credits. I suppose Boardwalk Empire, being "historical," isn't bad for the state's image, although the basics of the show are true enough. We Jerseyans are intrigued by  our old corrupt political bosses, like Nucky Johnson.

It's ridiculous how touchy some people are about the state's image, as if one could control it. So let's hide the dying & bankrupt city of Camden, our honky tonk boardwalks, our obese governor, our current corrupt political machines, the fact that we suffer massive flooding in both cities & suburbia after heavy rainfalls, the presence of a dozen ethnic varieties of organized crime, & we'll henceforth be known only for restored Victorian mansions, upscale restaurants, Bruce Springsteen, The Pine Barrens, some pretty lighthouses, the new & sure-to-be fabulous Atlantic City Casino District designation that pretends it isn't attached to the rest of Atlantic City, Jersey Fresh produce, & a handful of remaining picturesque dairy farms.

Labels: culture, New Jersey, New Jersey politics

The Star-Ledger's resident screwball, Paul Mulshine,  discusses how Jersey's Tea Party is even screwier than him:

It’s starting to look like the tea party’s in the bag

On the phone, RoseAnn Salanitri sounds like a nice lady. But then you go her website called “Conservative News and Views.”

There you will find prominently displayed a novel she has written titled The False Prophet. The false prophet in question is the pope. He’s plotting to obtain the DNA of Christ from the Shroud of Turin so he can clone the Antichrist.

Some of them are running against conservative legislators from the right! Others have pretty much sold out to the "moderate" (Christie/Trenton) wing. Then there's Rose Ann, ex-Catholic who doesn't care if she angers & alienates Roman Catholic Mulshine. Wouldn't surprise me if Paul was a paid-up member of Opus Dei. But I don't know any Catholics who take that  antichrist shit from protestants. Or, for that matter, any who believe the universe is 10,000 years-old.

(Most non-Catholics  think of the Pope only  as the elected head of the Roman Catholic Church. To ascribe sinister, metaphysical meaning & motives to his office would be acknowledging some perverse version of what he represents to Catholics. One  point of being a protestant is that we don't have  to believe any of that in any form. )

Labels: New Jersey politics, religion

House passes bill that would divert money from electrical upgrades on N.J. Northeast Corridor Line

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed an amended energy and water bill Friday that would divert $1 billion from high-speed rail projects — including electrical upgrades on the busy Northeast Corridor Line in New Jersey — to pay for flood relief along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

The amendment to divert the rail money in New Jersey and elsewhere was proposed last month by a seemingly unlikely source — a New Jersey congressman.

"The flooding in the Midwest has been devastating," U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.) told McClatchy News Service earlier in the week. "We must be serious about controlling the deficit."

Oh please, let's not even entertain the thought that Rodney is doing this out of the goodness of his heart, or out of concern for the deficit. You don't refuse Federal money when there's no costly mandates attached. Not even to send it to stricken Republican states that already get back far more of their Federal tax dollar than Jersey does. Rodney made some kind of deal. The Repug leadership - which doesn't care about most states on the Amtrak Northeast Corridor - needed some  rep from one of those states  to say, "Hey, I have an idea how to fund your flood relief!" Otherwise it would just look like a snatch 'n'  run. We don't know what Rodney got for doing it; maybe a favor-to-be-named later. But we can look at his political situation.

Rodney's campaign chest is in debt, & although he likely won't have to fight for his job against a Democratic incumbent when Jersey redistricts minus one congressional seat, his district may be redrawn  with a narrower Repug majority, so he won't be looking at an automatic 60%+ reelection margin, another easy skate to the finish line;  he may have to put up a fight & spend some big money in a very expensive media market. For that he needs serious help from the National Republican Congressional Committee & its access to big donors.

Labels: New Jersey politics

Snow. A well-formed nor-eastern spins counterclockwise  like a hurricane. The center is  off the coast of Jersey now. If I'm reading the radar snow bands correctly, there's more snow - a lot more snow - falling about ten miles west of here, & it's been happening for some time. In storms like this, local snow amounts can vary six plus  inches over matter of a few miles.  It's blizzard conditions or close to them on my street, but they come & go with wind gusts.  There's some traffic, & I hear kids outside up the block. Well over a foot. Wouldn't be surprised if  there's two feet by the time it stops.

...UNION COUNTY...
   ELIZABETH             26.5  1205 AM 12/27  TRAINED SPOTTER
   FANWOOD               26.0   100 AM 12/27  PUBLIC
   ROSELLE PARK          21.0  1230 AM 12/27  PUBLIC
   ROSELLE               19.4  1226 AM 12/27  TRAINED SPOTTER

Labels: Elizabeth NJ, New Jersey politics, photograph, weather

CNN Exit poll: Highest Priority for Next Congress
Democrat
Republican
Other/No Answer


Cutting Taxes (19%)
D 26%
R 72%
O 2%

Reducing Deficit (39%)
D 33%
R 64%
O 3%


Spending to Create Jobs (37%)
D 68%
R 30%
O 2%

One might ask: How did Repugs get 30% of the voters who actually favored government job creation after they voted? It seems nutty to me to vote for a Repug/Tea Party candidate if you're pissed off that Obama didn't spend enough, & the candidate you voted for  may even oppose funding crucial,  justifiable earmark projects in your state or district.

I haven't seen figures for total R & D votes cast on Tuesday, but when the dust settles I suspect America will be about as evenly divided as we've been in all the even year elections since 2000.  The Repugs have neither the power nor the national mandate to repeal everything  Dems passed,  repudiating even George W. Bush as too liberal, as many have.  They're supposed to help fix the economy.

Look at it this way:  Sen. Jim DeMint,  a right wing & Tea Party hero, campaigning in South Carolina, can get away with suggesting that unmarried female teachers who engage in sex  should not be permitted in classrooms.  South Carolina, a place whose  attractions & culture  outside of, maybe, Charleston, escape me, loves the guy, or at least the white folks do.  & this Senator presumes to speak even for conservatives who could care less about such private behavior,  or understand the futility of caring.  He'd be laughed out of Jersey , & we're not quite as "blue" here as generally thought.  DeMint has an "agenda" that isn't really America in 2010, if we look at the whole map.  But he believes he does. That doesn't concern only me, or Democrats, but also John Boehner & establishment Republican bigshots who, until this year, figured they were conservative enough.

Labels: New Jersey politics, THE election