Seven flavors of Republicans for the 7th CD

I had the opportunity this week to attend the Hunterdon Chamber of Commerce breakfast forum featuring the REPUBLICAN candidates for the 7th Congressional District. And no, the caps lock on my keyboard did not slip when I typed in “Republicans”.

I capped it because the Hunterdon Chamber of Commerce did not. In the newspaper piece, and in their invitation, the breakfast was touted as featuring the “candidates for the 7th Congressional District”. They failed to include Democratic candidate Linda Stender. Their answer at the event: “Linda Stender spoke to our group two years ago, when she ran against Mike Ferguson.” And “she is not facing an opponent in the June primary.” But, still, folks.

Ms. Stender is a candidate; at least list the event as the REPUBLICAN candidates for the 7th Congressional District. Anyway, so it goes. Back to business.

The Republican candidates in attendance were: Scotch Plains Mayor Marty Marks, Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon), businesswoman Kate Whitman, former Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield, Iraq War veteran Thomas Roughneen, Seton Hall finance professor A.D. Amar, and former Libertarian candidate, Darren Young.

The appearance was listed as a ‘forum’, and not a ‘debate’. In the introductions, each candidate tried to out ‘conservative’ the another---with the exception of Senator Lance and Tom Roughneen, the only candidates of substance up there. But more on that later.

Quick points: Kate Whitman is clearly out of her league in this Congressional race, and is not deserving of all the attention her family name brings to the table.

Upon arrival, she asked of Suzanne Lagay, the Hunterdon County Chamber President, “So, how long have you been a Chamber member?”, trying for the standard small talk. Ms. Lagay introduced herself as the Chamber President, which seemed to surprise Whitman. She clearly did not know who Ms. Lagay was. Bad move for the candidate.

On the dais, she was even worse, as she did nothing more than ‘parrot’ back positions already stated by other candidates. “I have a six point plan on my website,” she said. She was passionless, had no spark. She sounded like her website --- as she listed only four of her six points. Even a story meant to be cute about how as a six year-old she would hand out fliers for her mother by stepping on the toes of event attendees, came off flat and lifeless.

Finance Professor A.D. Amar: Spoke about how he chose to be a Republican upon arriving here from India. He is pro-life, for 'traditional' marriage, thinks we should finish the job we started in Iraq, and would make the Bush tax cuts permanent. A bright, well-spoken man, but not a chance of finishing even in the top three.

Kelly Hatfield: She should be sticking to state issues for now, as she spoke mostly about property taxes, the business climate in New Jersey, and how people are leaving the state due to high taxes. Maybe she should be running for freeholder or state legislature. She did not handle the questions on national issues well enough to be considered a serious candidate for Congress.

Scotch Plains Mayor Marty Marks: This is the guy I hope Linda Stender gets to run against.

He declared himself solidly pro-life, solidly conservative, pro-Iraq war, and asserted affirmatively that the detainees in Gitmo do not deserve ‘equal protection’ under the law. And he said, regarding torture, that "it's all in the way you define" torture. How enlightening.

Marks also declared that it should the generals, not Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid, dictating the way the war is conducted. I don’t know the last time Marks read the Constitution, but the Senate and Congress are allowed to chime in every now and then on our national policy regarding wars. It’s in the rules, Mr. Marks. Anyway, he is so hopelessly out of touch with the moderate independent thinking voters of the 7th CD ---even moderate Republicans---that he contrasts best with progressive Linda Stender. Bring him on.

Darren Young: He was the former Libertarian candidate from 2006, who was an interesting combination of being opposed to the war, and wanting to lower taxes and get the government out of everywhere. Young said he was qualified to be in Congress because he was the only one at the table who had debated Linda Stender in 2006---as the Libertarian candidate. No shot at all, but makes the debate interesting. And on his website, he lists his GPA from college---3.1. He is the only candidate to do that.

And then we get to the only two Republican candidates I think deserve to be running for Congress. Senator Leonard Lance and Iraq War vet Tom Roughneen.

Tom Roughneen, an attorney, is an Iraqi War veteran who proclaimed that he used to be a Democrat, but flipped years ago when he saw “what the Democrats were doing to the country”. He is pro-life, fully and solidly supports the war, and wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. He was the best speaker on the dais for a first time candidate, and we will not see the last of him. He is bright, articulate, and well suited for politics.

Gave the best answer on a number of issues including what to do with the prisoners in Gitmo---says they deserve to be treated as POWs under the Geneva Convention. Good for him; the right, if unpopular answer. This was as opposed to Whitman’s narrow minded response of, “They are terrorists, they deserve to be there,” and Marks’ response of ‘they do not deserve due process or equal protection under US law'. He was sincere, and unj-aded by NJ politics…yet.

Mr. Lance is clearly the classiest amongst the bunch. Years as a well-respected legislator, and in the Senate leadership of his Party up until this year. He is too nice for the rough and tumble world of New Jersey politics, some say. At the forum, Mr. Lance announced that he was saddened by the passage of the Paid Family Medical Leave Act. He then asserted that since New Jersey was the first state on the east coast to pass the law [California already has such a law], we would be at a disadvantage economically in comparison to states like New York and Pennsylvania. Furthermore, he stated that such a law should be done, if at all, on the national level. So, it was hard to tell if Lance opposed the law as so much government interference, or favored it only if it was passed by Congress. Too bad no one got to ask that question of Mr. Lance.

The real issues for me for Congressional candidates include their stand on the Iraq War, the economy, and national health care. The Republicans all seem to come with the same flavor: All oppose national health care. There was rhetoric about the war, but none had the courage [except Young] to declare their opposition to it. And none made any connection at all between the failed policies of the Bush administration, and the economy.

So, if your favorite flavor is all-conservative-all-the-time, your candidate is Mayor Marty Marks.

If you like your candidates a little bit conservative and a little bit liberal, with a touch of niceness and family history thrown in for good measure, then your candidate is Leonard Lance.

If you like that self-made Republican/Republican by choice candidate, then Prof. Amar is your guy.

However, if you want a bland lifeless flavor who is nothing more than a poor carbon copy of the other candidates but with a prominent Republican NJ family name4 for a little spice, then Kate Whitman's your gal. Or, if you don't want the extra expense of the family name, you can go for Kelly Hatfield.

And if you like your conservatism straight up, on the rocks with no punches pulled, you have Tom Roughneen.

Finally, if the flavor you like is a mixture of a little of everything, but don't like the War, then maybe Darren Young is for you.

On the short end of the stic

I ran in to Hunterdon County Republican Chairman Henry Kuhl the other day, and we started chatting, as we will from time to time, about the 7th Congressional District race. The Republican have not been short of candidates there---there are seven –count’em---seven, at this time. Senator Leonard Lance seems to lead the pack, if there can be a leader in a pack of seven.

However, the Republicans have had a tougher time getting candidates in the race for United States Senate. Folks have been coming and going so quickly in that race. And some, like Andy Unanue, was gone before he came.

So, former Congressman Dick Zimmer was recruited to get in to the race. Zimmer lives in Delaware Township in Hunterdon County.

The last time Zimmer ran, he lost in a squeaker to Rush Holt in 2000. Before that, he lost the Senate race to Robert Torricelli in 1996. So, the last time he won a race --any race—he ran for Congress for the 3rd time against an unknown Democratic candidate, Joe Youssouf whom he beat by more than two to one. That was in 1994.

So, one would think that Zimmer could easily get the all-important-party line in his home county. Not a chance. The Hunterdon Republicans already endorsed Joe Pennacchio, giving him the line. But Kuhl called a meeting and reposed the question.

Last week both Pennacchio and Zimmer went before a special meeting of the Hunterdon County Republican Committee, to re-give the line to Zimmer. Problem was, Zimmer lost 34-30. So, Pennacchio won the line twice.

Chairman Kuhl’s answer: “He did not get his people there.” Certainly one would think that Zimmer knows more people than Pennacchio in Hunterdon. But, apparently, they were all ‘busy’ that night.

Zimmer has a long way to go to November, if he cannot win in his own county. He still must beat Prof. Murray Sabin and Joe "Nationalist Agenda" Pennacchio.

Starbucks they’re not.

Coffee is a work of Art. Mayor Art Ondish, that is.

The Mayor of Mt. Arlington makes sure that his borough administrator and his crack municipal staff has coffee everyday to keep them alert and friendly. The coffee "was just something nice to provide for the employees. A small token of appreciation," Ondish said.

And the Mt. Arlington Borough governing body spends about “$200 a year on free coffee for borough employees.” For this town of just 5,708, that comes out to just about 3.5 cents per person per year.

But maybe not too much for coffee.

However, that still makes no sense [or cents] to Livecchia, a local resident who has OPRA’d Mt. Arlington left and right on many financial issues, both big and small. Apparently to Ms. Livecchia coffee, “…birthday candles and a brownie are not a legitimate expense. “You want coffee, buy your own.”

It’s just good old fashion courtesy to buy a cup o’ java for a customer, friend, or employee, m’thinks. Maybe if the cups are not measured by Starbucks sizes -- Tall, Grande, and Venti---and are always just small, Livecchia would be satisfied. Certainly, the less-than-4 cents per person cost won’t make her property taxes very “Venti”, either.

And maybe Mayor Ondish can try to cut his coffee costs by sharing coffee services with another town in Morris County or merging with nearby Lake Hopatcong, like the governor suggests.

Either way, I would hate to be invited to Ms. Livecchia home and ask for a cup of coffee. Or maybe the Mayor should just give her back her 3.5 cents and call it square. And maybe it's time for Ms. Livecchia to cut back on her caffeine intake ---- at least on Council nights.

Hello, I am a recovering politicaholic….

I served two terms as the Chairman of the Hunterdon County Democratic Party. I served 12 years ----four terms ----as a Councilman in Flemington,Seat of Hunterdon, one of the most Republican

counties in the state. And I am in my ninth year as the Flemington Democratic Municipal Chair. As we have struggled bit by bit over the years, we have finally established a Democratic majority in town.
the County

While Fiorello LaGuardia said that there is no Democratic or Republican way to fill a pothole---there are certain core differences between the parties, even with a task as mundane, as filling a pothole.

Who would be the labor that fills the pothole? Left to the Republicans, they would hire below minimum wage, non-union labor with no health care. Democrats would hire union labor, those who receive a livable wage, and guaranty health care.

How would the filling of the pothole be paid for? Left to the Republicans, they would have no problem bonding and bonding, rather than raise taxes to pay for the pothole being filled. Or they would administer a short-term one-shot gimmick to fill the pothole. Democrats would pay for the filling of the pothole as a current expense. And when Democrats, faced with such a current expense, sometimes are compelled to raise taxes to do so -----rather than burden future generations with debt for current expenses.

While most issues that confront local borough councils and township committees are ministerial and essentially do not require political decisions, some very important ones matter. How will the town revitalize the economic environment? Is budget process open and transparent? Is the legislative body open and transparent? Does the town use only union labor? These issues can regard the core differences in policy between the two parties.

Whoopie! The Most Famous April Fool is From New Jersey

Jerry Lewis. Bud Abbott & Lou Costello. Ernie Kovacs.
Joe Piscopo. Jon Stewart.

Famous Jersey jokesters all.

But the best, the original, the most famous Jersey Jokester is none other than ----Samuel Sorenson Adams. Huh? Who’s that? ---- you may ask.

He is the inventor of the famous practical jokes of all time. And the founder of the S.S. Adams Company ----right here in Neptune, New Jersey. Their catalogue has an astounding array of practical jokes for all occasions: Fake ants. Blood capsules. Fake fly in an ice cube. Chattering teeth. Fake rubber chocolate candy. All these and more would get big laughs in Trenton these days.

Adams invented the most widely known April Fools jokes: The Exploding Cigarette Box. The Snake Nut Can. Itching Powder. The Stink bomb, The Dribble Glass. The Whoopie Cushion. And even, yes, The Joy Buzzer.

Adams’ first big invention was Sneeze Powder, which he produced from his company the Cachoo Sneeze Powder Company. Making people sneeze uncontrollably was Adams first money maker and it became a national fad. The powder was spread in halls, churches, schools, and even houses of state legislature.

His gag empire eventually included fake vomit, onion-flavored chewing gum, and even fake dog poop.

So, April Fools fans----next time you decide to play that practical joke by making your best friend sneeze uncontrollably, or dribble water on to your spouse, or make your mayor step in fake dog poop, keep in mind the man who started it all: The prince of practical jokes, The madman of weapons of mirth destruction, The sultan of sneeze ----- Samuel Sorenson Adams.

Happy April Fools Day, New Jersey.

Step in some dog poop, and be proud. It all started right here.

Just when you thought Obama-Clinton was the only interesting race…

And you thought that the Obama-Clinton race was the only one grabbing headlines. How does this grab you?

Whiny Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson is really pissed off at Senator Lautenberg. Excuse me, while I cry and whimper. With his number one candidate dropping out of the race, and his new number one candidate acknowledging that he shows up hung-over at his office, Wilson sent via fax an angry letter to Lautenberg. Boo hoo. Wilson, if you can’t stand the heat…

He accused the Lautenberg campaign of tipping off the newspapers that about a lawsuit that led to new Republican Senate candidate Andy Unanue’s being dumped as Chief Operating Officer of Goya Foods.

The Daily Kos:

During a trial on a lawsuit about the firings, a company vice-president testified Unanue came to work drunk at least five times, possibly more. Unanue denied that, but admitted he had come to work hung over and drank a lot at company parties. "Work hard, play hard. That was my motto," Unanue testified.

Good luck with that, Wilson.

And from within the Democratic Party ranks…Former Democratic State Chairman Tom Byrne is giving some strong thought to running for Senate against Lautenberg in a primary.

He is waiting for the results of a poll, and will take the weekend to decide. Hopefully, he is not going out drinking this weekend with Unanue.

Tough Month For New Jersey and New York Guvs

It’s been a tough month for governors in the New York/New Jersey area.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you have noticed that one governor resigned after meeting with a high-priced hooker from New Jersey, and the other governor stayed put after meeting with about 200 mayors.Ours was the one to stay put and give them in person the bad news about state aid: There’s gonna be less of it.

I don’t know what was worse---having to resign in disgrace, or facing down a team of mad municipal mayors.

My hometown of Flemington stands to lose more than $250,000 in state aid, unless we figure out how to merge with the town that surround us. Raritan Township, the big gelatinous cell of a bedroom community, is the one that surrounds the Main Street nucleus that is Flemington.

Well let’s just look at that “merger”.

In 1910, Flemington separated itself from Raritan Township, and became it’s own community. I've read that the issue back then was much the same as it is today: property taxes that were too high. The residents of Flemington did not want to have to pay for the development in Raritan Township.

Ironically, we have still have the same issues today, as Flemington prepares for their centennial celebration. The fastest growing Township in Hunterdon County has placed nearly all its dense residential infrastructure around Flemington, choking the smaller town with traffic, stores and condo communities.

The governor has proposed to cut all aid for towns that have under a population of 5000. Flemington has a population of about 4200, and we are not about to jump over 5000 really soon. Raritan Township logs in at about 22,000 or so, according to the latest population estimates. So, according to the governor’s plan, their aid would not necessarily be cut.

What motivation would Raritan Township have to merge with Flemington? Maybe nonbe--So, it goes.

I am sure that the issue will be hotly debated in the state legislature, and be fought sharply by the fine folks of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities.

Love Client #9

[To the tune of 'Love Potion Number 9]

Love Client #9

He’s trekkin’ down south to the Beltway hub;

To book a hooker from the Emperor’s Club

Their club’s got girls that are really so devine,

Guv Spitzer’s now known as Love Client Number 9.

The IRS noticed he was playing tricks

Stashing away bucks just to pay his chicks.

His career was moving up, but now it’s in decline.

‘Cause Spitzer’s now known as Love Client Number 9.

On Wall Street’s corporate beat, he gave them a fright.

He prosecuted crime bosses all day and all night,

By prostitution rings, guess he did things right;

They helped his flag gettin’ raised by dawn’s early light.

He laid his pipe at the Mayflower Hotel.

Never thought that his call girls would tell.

Was the New York Guv and now he will resign;

‘Cause Spitzer’s now known as Love Client Number 9.

Love Client Number 9.

Love Client Number 9.

Love Client Number 9......

No Country for Old Anybody

I was driving from Woodbridge to New Brunswick just yesterday, staying off any highway, and passing through the town of Highland Park where my good friend Meryl Frank is the Mayor. I was on my way to take a required class at the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

As I was passing through Highland Park, I was caught in traffic on Route 27, the road going over the bridge toward New Brunswick. The car in front of me was stopped by a very old woman who appeared to me to be asking for a ride. I could see [but not hear] that the young driver was shaking his head, and giving some excuse to the old woman. The old woman returned to the sidewalk.

Thinking of my own family and my own grandparents, I decided to pull over and see if I could be of any help. I rolled down the window, and the woman approached the car. She said she had been waiting for a bus for quite a while, and needed to get home back to River Road. I told her to get in, and that I would take her there, since I was driving in that direction anyway.

She told me that she had been waiting for the bus for about 30 minutes, there was no bench at the bus stop, and she was too tired to stand any longer. She was from Germany, she shared, and had arrived in America 48 years ago. She spoke in a thick German accent. One thought that ran through my mind was the six degrees of separation---was she related or knew some one from Germany many years ago who had anything at all to do with any of my relatives in Poland who died in the Holocaust? A strange thought, I know. But I had it anyway.

She shared with me that she sometimes took the bus, sometimes had to pay for a cab [expensive, though] and sometimes got her daughter to drive her. I told her that when she reached my age, she could help a younger person like herself, too. She laughed, and said I had a good sense of humor

I dropped her off on River Road, and she kissed my hand and said thank you. I watched her walk slowly up the street to who knows where. I probably will never see that woman again, but I was glad to give her a ride.

I was curious about the local bus schedule in Highland Park, so I went to their website. No information on a bus schedule at all. I called the office of the Borough Clerk, and was told that she had no information on a bus schedule either; that she knew nothing about a local bus schedule in Highland Park at all. So maybe there are no local busses in town, and I got scammed.

Point is, if you see someone that needs help, give it to them. I list here, once again, as we move in to the spring, How to Build Community and How to Build a Global Community.

Makes Cents To Me

Way back in the early Seventies, I was in high school and helped organize a protest of the Viet Nam War with a group called the Students for Peace. The name was fairly straight forward, and the head of the student group was inspired by the kids from the Supreme Court case of Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969), who wore black arm bands to protest the war.

We followed the lead of those Tinker kids by calling a moratorium and inviting students to not attend classes, and join us on the picket line outside the school. It was a fairly powerful method of disrupting the school day en masse. Of course, not everyone who joined us was actually protesting the war.

Most of the students just wanted to have a good reason to cut class. But, our methods certainly empowered our student group, Students for Peace, and made the administration fear us, or so we thought. The student leader of that group is now a wellknown national Weight Watchers organizer and weight loss guru. So, I guess the organizing skills he developed back then went to some good use anyhow.

So, I am always glad to hear that student organizing and protesting are still with us today----no matter what the issue.

Last week several student eighth-graders in Readington Township ---29 to be exact---protested the shortening of their lunch period to just 30 minutes by using pennies to buy their $2 lunches. This created a time issue for the cafeteria staff and more than 32 pounds of pennies to be dealt with. And school superintendent Jorden Schiff did not think that it made much sense/cents: He decided to punish the offenders with a two-day detention.

Some parents put in their two-cents plain and thought that the punishment fit the crime, and some thought it was too harsh. Either way, eventually Schiff decided to rescind the punishment: “The school community has been through a difficult period, and we need to move forward," he wrote in a note to the parents. "We discussed how the incident has been blown out of proportion and how it has affected our children and our school community."

Ahem. I think he just did not like all the publicity.

Now, it is true that time is money---whether you’re 14 in middle school or 40 and at your job. Thirty minutes is just not enough time to get a lunch, pay for it, and eat it. What the kids did makes cents to me.

Give them more time to eat lunch. Seems that a Superintendent making $153,000 a year could figure that out.

Unless he wants to get paid in pennies, too.

Estabrook Supports a Waiting Period…when answering a question.

Generally speaking, it’s not a good thing for a candidate for office to like the Sounds of Silence. Maybe the song, but certainly not while on the stump.

Now some may differ, like Mark Twain who said, "It's better to keep your mouth shut and have your peers think of you as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

But that advice is too late for Anne Esterbrook, Republican candidate for Senate, either way. The issue that shot Estabrook in the foot was, ironically, gun control and the Second Amendment.

Ms. Estabrook was speaking to the Woodbridge Republican Club, a small group in a Democratic bastion of a town. She appeared with UberLibertarian Dr. Murray Sabrin, who was videotaping the event for his website.

The question that shut her up was about her support or lack thereof.for the Second Amendment.

Her first assertion was that she supported Federal legislation currently on the books that requires that gun shop owners to be told if a prospective gun purchaser is one who has been a mental health risk.

Sounds reasonable, even for a Republican.

Next, she said she supports a ‘waiting period’. Unfortunately, we’re not sure if she meant a ‘waiting period’ for the purchase of a handgun, or a ‘waiting period’ when answering a question.

In the middle of her answer, she fell silent, shuffled through her papers, hummed and hawed and waited a full ‘Final Jeopardy 30 seconds’ to say that she supports a “Criminal background check”. Good for you, Anne.

If she does that in each and every debate with Senator Frank Lautenberg for each and every question, the debate could take a while.

Senator Leonard Lance wins hometown support in Hunterdon

No surprise there: Five of the other candidates are from Somerset. His biggest target [before Linda Stender] is his good pal’s daughter, Kate Whitman. Both are claiming to be the ‘fiscal conservative’ in the race. I am sure Whitman will be chanting “I know you are, but what am I” real soon.

In his speech to his

Hunterdon homies on Monday night, Senator Lance waxed on eloquently as he quoted one of the last two best Republicans, President Lincoln, as he stated, “America is still the world’s last best hope on earth." How true, Mr. Lance, how true. As long as there is no Republican in the White House come January 20, 2009 at 12:01pm, America still is.

Whitman The Younger was boastful about raising the most money thus far. She declared, “…loyalty will not be enough to hold on to this seat.” She urged the Hunterdon Republicans assembled to “abandon the tradition” and support her instead of Lance.

Kind of ironic, ain’t it? I mean, a Whitman asking Hunterdon’s stalwart supporters of Lance to “abandon …tradition”. Go figure.

Lance claimed to have a two digit lead over Linda Stender, while Whitman the Younger has only a single digit lead. Perhaps that was a poll taken of only the current 7th CD candidates on the Republican side. Right now there are 8 candidates; that number should thin out by June.

Dark horse: Tom Roughneen, the Iraqi veteran.

By the way, the second last great Republican: Teddy Roosevelt.

Hillary Clinton Goes For Corporate Sponsorship In Debate.

There has been lots of finger-pointing from each presidential candidate ---Senator Obama and Senator Clinton ---regarding fund-raising issues. Obama has accused Clinton of taking too much money from lobbyists and corporate interests. And Clinton has accused Obama on fudging numbers on how many actual donors he has.

But the Thursday night CNN debate revealed something troubling about Senator Clinton’s campaign fund-raising. The new issue in this race is "product placement".

Apparently, this might be a new way for a candidate to get their hands on corporate cash, but is it with the campaign finance rules? It is not a donation, per se----the corporate entity is getting some value out of the exchange, but is it kosher?

For those of you unfamiliar with ‘product placement’...

“Product placement advertisements are promotional ads placed by marketers using real commercial products and services in media, where the presence of a particular brand is the result of an economic exchange...Product placement occurs with the inclusion of a brand's logo in shot, or a favorable mention or appearance of a product in shot. This is done without disclosure, and under the premise that it is a natural part of the work. Most major movie releases today contain product placements."

When a TV sitcom family sits down for breakfast, and has a box of Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger’s face prominently displayed, that means that Kellogg’s gets a good plug.

Or, for example, in the movie, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, the stranded alien gets hooked on Reeses Pieces, which increased sales of the candy’s sale by eighty percent. Sometimes it’s done rather inconspicuously as when a bag of Wise potato chips or empty diet-Coke can is placed on the table in the lunch room at the hospital on “E.R.”

Well, on the CNN debate between Obama and Clinton, it seems that Clinton may have engaged in some product placement dollars coming her way. This, from a well-known maker of copiers with the following exchange regarding her charge of plagiarism lodged against her opponent.

Obama: “…we’re starting to get in to the silly season of politics…”

Clinton: “…It’s not change you can believe in, it’s change you can Xerox.”

And the crowd may have contained more fans of the other photocopier companies---like Canon or Ricoh ---because they certainly booed Hillary.

What’s next for product placement in the presidential race? Nike Shoes sponsoring candidates walking in a New York City parade? Gerber’s sponsoring the kissing of babies? An underwear company sponsoring the popular campaign theme of ‘change’?

And it won’t end there—what if Hillary becomes president ---will Swanson's Dinners sponsor state dinners? Will Continental Airlines sponsor flights of Air Force One? Or maybe movie promos for the movie Air Force One on Air Force One?

It’s a slippery corporate slope, folks. Also, as a lawyer, Hillary should know not to use the trademarked term "Xerox" in such a generic manner.

We Miss Rush Holt

If you’re like me in Central Jersey, and you used to have Congressman Rush Holt representing your interests in D.C., you miss him.

Once again, Rep. Holt proved his mettle by standing up to the president on the issue of illegal wire-tapping of American citizens. It’s good to have someone who is able to teach Bush Jr. about the constitution.

Holt, courageously said:

"There has been a fundamental shift under the Protect America Act in the relationship between the people of this country and their government. It is whether or not the government regards the ordinary American with suspicion first…Think about it. The reason this country and our liberty have survived so well is because the government understands they are subservient to the people."

The Protect America Act just recently passed the Senate by a 68-29 margin. In the past, Obama and Clinton both voted against the Act.

Ironic, though, that the “law and order” Republicans have no problem giving “retroactive immunity” to those telecommunications companies who broke the law and allowed phone conversations of law-abiding Americans to be listened to. Go figure.

The Protect America Act [recently passing the Senate] allows the government to monitor “foreign-to-American” phone calls without obtaining a warrant. So, all those customer service phone calls to gas companies and electric companies that are outsourced to call centers in India---can all be listened in to by the NSA.

Good going, Rush. Keep up the great work. You and the New Jersey Giants rule.

Central New Jersey Report Cards

Do you remember the days before report cards were available online or via email ---when you might dread bringing home a bad report card for your parents’ to sign? Well, the Department of Education’s report cards were due last week. And if you’re Central New Jersey, you might have that same queasy feeling you did years ago if you had bard grades.

According to the Department of Education, the poorer districts in Central New Jesey like New Brunswick and Plainfiend produced the lowest test scores. The wealthier districts like Metuchen and East Brunswick produced higher test scores.

Details in the report included stats and numbers about student demographics, drop-out rates, the kind of qualifications that teachers and administrators have, and college plans for those graduating.

There have been some improvements, but overall the gap between rich and poor districts in Central Jersey continues to grow in the area of test scores.

The libertarian conservatives will tell us that the money spent on the Abbott districts is not helping. Well, the answer certainly is not giving the districts less money.

Can’t tell the players without a score card.

In the 7th Congressional District, all the Democrats are supporting Assemblywoman Linda Stender. No confusion there. And, I wish to state that I endorse her candidacy, too. She has my enthusiastic endorsement.

But, the endorsements on the Republican side----maybe that’s a message a bit tougher to decipher. There seems to be little rhyme or reason.

Some are pretty straight forward, after that it gets mucky. Former governor Christie Todd Whitman, whose family [The Todds] are long time friends with the Lances, is supporting ---let’s see---her own daughter, Kate Whitman.

This is in spite of the fact that her daughter has tried to create some distance from her mom by declaring that she is “more conservative” than her mom.

Gov. Mom helped her “more conservative daughter” get the thumbs up from Somerset County Clerk Brett Radi and Freeholder Rick Fontana. Whitman the Younger tried to follow in the footsteps of Whitman the Elder’s footsteps last year and become a Somerset County Freeholder, but fell short and lost in a primary.

On the Lance side, thus far is State Senator Kip Bateman and Assemblymember Denise Coyle and Pete Biondi are supporting Senator Lance. Senator Ton Kean is supporting Lance, too ----over the candidates that come from his neck of the woods [Kelly Hatfield and Mayor Martin Marks].

Now, fellow Trenton Republican legislators Jon Bramnick and Eric Munoz are not supporting Lance, but giving the thumbs up to Hatfield ----they think she is the real McCoy. But maybe that will lead to a feud.

None of the other Republican congressional hopefuls -- Bridgewater Councilman Michael Hsing, Warren Mayor Vic Sordillo, former Hillsborough Councilman Chris Venis and Thomas M. Roughneen, a Watchung attorney and Iraq War veteran ----seem to have the gravitas to line up ‘top shelf’ name endorsements as of yet.

The Republican County conventions should prove interesting. Maybe I will attend one to observe their process, and report back.

Merging New Jersey Towns

In his book “New Jersey’s Municipal Madness”, Alan Karcher looks at how and why the boundaries of New Jersey’s 566 municipalities were drawn. Sometimes there were economic considerations. Some times political. Sometimes personal agendas

Railroad lines, need for new alcohol licenses, new roads, new school districts sometimes compelled one town to split off from a larger township.

So, we are left with 566 local governments, with much duplication of services. Home rule is and can be very expensive.

So, there is a solution: Merge communities.

And the communities do already try to engage in “shared services”. Some nearby each other have tried to merge. Some quite far apart have shared responsibilities and resources---Regional Contribution Agreements with regard to COAH requirements, for example.

So, maybe some of the towns far apart may attempt mergers. And merging would require new names for the entities.

For example, if Wayne in Passaic County and Newton in Sussex County merged, the town could be called Wayne-Newton. The residents will certainly chant "Danke Shoen" for that plan!

If Nutley merged with Roxbury and Asbury Park, the new municipality could be called Nuts & Berries. Or if Alexandria Township in Hunterdon came together with Great Meadows Township in Warren County, the new town might be called Alexander the Great.

Or merge Great Gorge in Sussex, with any of the many Washington Townships in New Jersey, and with Bridgewater you’d get the town of Gorge Washington Bridge.

Or perhaps Atlantic City with Ocean City, and you get Atlantic-Ocean.

If East Amwell, West New York, North Plainfield, and South Bound Brook could get together, their residents would live in East-West-North-South, NJ. Whew! That’s quite a trip!

The merger of Hillsdale, Mt. Airy, and Clinton might rankle their resident Republicans just a tad ---they could merge in to Hil-Airy-Clinton. That might help her campaign even more!

Hamburg in Sussex County, could merge with Egg Harbor City and Little Egg Harbor Township to form the great breakfast community of Ham & Eggs. Yum!

If they care to, Cherry Hill in Camden County can get together with Pittstown in Hunterdon, to form Cherry-Pitts. Not the most attractive name, but it might save them some money.

If Alpha Township in Warren, and Bates Mill in Camden can come together, they could call the new town Alpha-Bates. Good spellers could move there.

Some towns might merge with some, and then reform with others. For example, Applegarth in Middlesex County, could merge with both West Orange and East Orange, and Bound Brook----and form the dual communities of Apples & Oranges, AND Garth-Brooks. Unless that would be out of ‘bounds’.

For those New Jersey resident who like to be everywhere at the same time----Middletown Township in Monmouth could merge with Lower Township and Upper Township [both in Cape May County] to form Upper-Middle-Lower Township.

For a town with a real European flavor, Frenchtown could merge with Englishtown, and form...well, you know.

If you like the the Beatles, Paulsboro in Gloucester, could merge with Ringoes in Hunterdon, Great Gorge, and Johnstown from Pennsylvania to form John-Paul-Gorge & Ringo. But that would require going across a state line.

And if Ho-Ho-Kus and Hoboken merged----it would make Santa's job that much easier, when he visits the new town of Ho-Ho-Ho.

I am sure there are other possibilities.

Central Jersey, by the numbers.

As I watched the national returns late yesterday, I could not help ask the question, “So, nu? How is this good for the 7th Congressional District and Linda Stender?

First of all, let’s look at my home town of Flemington. Republicans out number Democrats right now by about 2.7-1.


However, here is the vote break down from the primary for the major candidates:

McCain 185
Romney 82
Huckabee 47

Total Republican votes: 314

Clinton 185
Obama 158

Total Democratic votes: 345

So, the major Democratic candidates got more votes than the major Republican candidates. In a town where Republican registration is higher, that is significant. People want change. The Rush Limbaughs, Sean Hannitys, Anne Coulters, Mark Levins are falling all over themselves to be the biggest McCain basher. And that may have had an effect locally on Republican turnout.

Now, to the 7th.

There are four counties [or parts thereof] in the 7th Congressional District: Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, Somerset County, and Union County. Of those counties, Barack Obama won Hunterdon, Somerset, and Union. Mrs. Clinton won in the very traditional Democratic county of Middlesex.

What does this mean for Linda Stender?

By the numbers, Democratic voters came out to vote more than their Republican counterparts. Those are the voters who came out in large numbers to support BOTH Clinton and Obama. Largely, those voters are those who are opposed to the war, and wish for a strong change in leadership. Linda Stender stands solidly for those same values. While all the announced Republican candidates simply do not.

As I have asserted before, all the Republican 7th congressional candidates would vote with the rest of the Republican Party in Congress to sustain the war in Iraq and to oppose providing affordable healthcare for the working families of the 7th.

Senator Obama: The Six Pointed Star

Senator Obama: The Six Pointed Star

The New Jersey Primary is a mere 72 hours away. And the percentage points that now separate Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama is a single digit Six. Count'em---6.

The wide road that separated them was 32% in December, and then slipped down to 17% sometime at the tail end of January. Ground Hog Day is today, and now it’s down to a miniscule Six Points, “according toa private poll commissioned by one of the state’s most powerful Democratic leaders, George Norcross. The poll, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner on January 30-31, was distributed to some Norcross allies earlier this morning and obtained by PolitickerNJ.com.” Hmmm.

I hear tell that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, we will have eight more months of campaigning after Tsunami Tuesday.

Presidential contenders are dropping like flies.

This week, Rudy 911uliani dropped out, and endorsed Senator John “100 years in Iraq” McCain. John “Two Americas” Edwards is gone, too---but has yet to endorse. Also gone is Rep. Dennis “I’m having a primary this year in my district in Ohio” Kucinich. Apparently, no one may want his endorsement.

Still in the race is Alan Keyes, the last Republican candidate Senator Obama defeated. Only problem for Keyes is, that no one knows he’s running for president.

Republicans Out Number Democrats 6-1

In the Great Race for Congress in the 7th, right now the Republicans lead by a ratio of at least 6-1.

They have somewhere between six and eight candidates: To start with there’s Kelly Hatfield, Leonard Lance, Martin Marks, Victor Sordillo, Chris Venis and Kate Whitman. And the Democrats just have one, Assw. Linda Stender.

And just when you thought there more than enough candidates in the race for the 7th Congressional District race, there come two more with very interesting backgrounds.

New on the Republican block, there is Tom Roughneen. He is an Iraq War veteran, and I thank him for his service. He experience also includes being an Army defense lawyer and a former assistant prosecutor with Union and Essex counties. He will actually be running from town to town in the district to help his name recognition. Clad in his www.rockthecongress.com sweatshirt, he may soon be seen running through your town. Be careful driving if you see him on the road at night.

If you go to his website, there is a streaming video where he has some typical sophomoric quips about Senators Obama and Clinton. From his experience in Iraq, he brings a unique perspective to the ongoing Iraqi War debate. If any Republican should be able to make the tough argument of why we should still be in Iraq, he should. However, at from his speech at his announcement, he brings nothing new to the debate.

Next throwing his hat in to the ring, is Bridgewater Township Councilman Michael Hsing. Hsing is a personal friend from our days in the Leadership New Jersey Class of 1998. He is a two term Councilman in Bridgewater. He has served as President to the Bridgewater Town Council, and as the President of the Somerset County Governing Officials Association.

So, now there are eight. Should be an interesting primary, to say the least.

Entrenched politicians from long standing Republican families. Neo-con Republicans.

But not one amongst them who has had the courage to declare that he/she would vote to bring the troops home Iraq, -----leaving us all still behind the eight ball.

Rudy: He's gone. You feel stupid.

Jerry Seinfeld on magicians: "What is the point of the magician? He comes on, he fools you, you feel stupid, show's over ... It's like, 'Here's a quarter. Now it's gone. You're a jerk."

Same thing with Rudy 911liani’s run for President. What was the point of his run for president? He comes on stage, squawking over and over about 911. He fools you, he ignored Iowa, New Hampshire, he tanks in Florida, and now the show’s over. And it is like, “I’m America’s Mayor, and I’m gonna be the president. 911! 911!” Now he’s gone. If you supported him you’re a….well, you get the idea.

And here in central Jersey, back in the late spring, I had the opportunity of running in to the Chairman of the Hunterdon County Republican Committee, Henry Kuhl. Now, Henry must be a smart fellow, with more than just a scintilla of political smarts, since he has been the chairman in Hunterdon for more years than I can remember.

When I inquired of his choice on his side of the ailse, Henry told me “the next president and vice president of the United States will be Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson”.

[He did not spell Rudy Giuliani for President with "911", by the way.]

“Hmm”, I said. “Do you really think that Giuliani will be able to survive the southern conservative Republicans? Will they really vote for someone who is pro-choice, pro-gay rights, twice divorced, and an Italian Catholic New Yorker?”

Without hesitation, he declared an emphatic “Yes, because they want a winner.”

So, the Southern conservative Republican right-wing Christian fundamentalists will be willing to compromise their core values to support a “winner”. Good trick, I thought.

As it turns out, those folks won’t even get a chance to have their core values tested.

And in NJ, the Repubs must all feel stupid, being fooled that way Rudy ran his campaign and dropped out.

On the Democratic side, Rudy’s magic tricks did not fool anyone. So it goes.

The President’s Final Days

Last night, I was at the Courier News watching the President's final State of the Union Address. I was part of their panel watching the president, along with several other Central Jersey residents. Amongst them were one or two supporters of the Iraq War, still spewing the tired rhetoric of “we have to fight them there, so we don’t have to fight them here” and how it does not matter whether there were weapons of mass destruction of not, and “my nephew volunteered to be over there”, and we have to stay there for him.

Well, America has lots of nephews, nieces, sons, daughters, uncles and aunts in Iraq. And America overwhelming wants them home.

Random thoughts on the State of the Union:

By the way, the Secretary of the Interior was not at the State of the Union. He's was home watching the whole thing on TV, "carrying the football" in case of a national emergency. Nothing happened, by the way. We’re all OK.

All members of the Cabinet appeared to wearing the same ties. Maybe they get a bulk discount, when they buy at the White House gift shop. Cheney: Red tie. Bush: Blue tie. Guess they figured that all out inn advance. President gets first pick of colors. Bush began to speak at 9:11pm. Wander if that was choreographed?

He did have a funny line about the IRS taking checks and money orders. He smirked. The Democrats did not laugh, though.

He promised a balanced budget: "Families must balance budgets, so do governments." Of course, this is from a man who has OK'd spending 2 billion a month on a war that has put the nation in deep debt. How ironic. Big smirk on Cheney's face at this point.

Rhetoric from a lame duck with low approval ratings. He leaves a legacy of failure, lack of accomplishments, and Republicans running from him around the country. And he still cannot say “nuclear” correctly.

This was certainly one of the most shallow, cliché-filled State of the Union messages I have ever heard. Well, this was certainly not the same Bush who said [using the Cowboy attitude] "Bring'em On". He looks tied, beleaguered, and worn. He should have been impeached. Our bad.

He is almost no longer the President. Just a few more months to 1.20.09.

It was fun watching with other folks from central Jersey. Almost like the way democracy should be.

Two Sides To Every Issue...many candidates, too

Last night, while the Republican congressional for the 7th hopefuls were in the very Democratic county of Union, the Democratic candidate for Congress, Linda Stender was in the very Republican county of Hunterdon. And she was on her game.

Assemblywoman Linda Stender wowed’em at the monthly meeting of the Tewksbury Township Democratic Club ---where about 50 people came out to hear her speak. Stender was in good humor, looking great after a full day’s activities that started with Assembly committee meetings in Trenton. Ms. Stender fielded questions on the Iraq War, the economy, local truck traffic, the school funding formula, state debt, and immigration. She was firm, focused and friendly. Unlike her campaign in 2006, which got off to a much later start, she is ready to roll already.

On the Republican side, the five out of the six 7th congressional hopefuls jockeyed for position at a meeting last night in Clark, Union County. Senator Leonard Lance, former NJ First Daughter Kate Whitman, Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks, former Summit Council President Kelly and former Deputy Mayor of Hillsborough Chris Venis all tried their level headed best to become the conservative’s conservative. Whitman declared that she is more conservative then her mom. Mark’s declared that he is solidly pro-life. Hatfield was the real McCoy when she said that she did not like the government interfering in people’s personal lives.

The Republicans all seemed to agree on the war, and backed their party’s wrong-headed commitment to an endless war plan, with no exit strategy.

On a quick note: with a name like Venis, I bet the former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor is glad his opponent isn’t Ferguson. Certainly not after the way the current Congressman’s campaign played around with the name Stender in the 2006 campaign.