The Asbury Park Press endorsed Tom Arnone and Janice Venables for Monouth County Freeholder yesterday. Their reasoning? That Rob Clifton and John D’Amico have been in office too long.
Today the Nudniks endorsed Rush Holt for Congress in CD-12. Holt has been in office longer than Clifton and D’Amico.
Not surprisingly, the APP needs a history lesson. They said that Rob Clifton is the last vestige of the GOP’s “good old boy” network. Clifton’s first candidacy was actually the beginning of the end of the “good old boy” network when he was Amy Handlin’s running mate in 2004.
More than most politicians, Clifton has been a faithful and humble public servant, consistently putting the people before his ambitions. As the longest serving Freeholder, “Robby” has served through a tumultuous political environment over the last six years and avoided ambition driven infighting .
Clifton’s experience and his level headed demeanor will be an important dynamic on the Freeholder Board next year.
Rush Holt, fresh off his visit with the crazed sex poodle , refused to appear with Scott Sipprelle last evening at Temple Shalom in Aberdeen. MMM was busy editing video of the Little-Pallone debate. Politickernj has summaries of Holt’s and Sipprelle’s appearance at the temple.
Holt won’t be able to avoid Scott this evening as they face off in their second debate, 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m, at Young Israel of East Brunswick 193 Dunham’s Corner Road, East Brunswick . The debate is co-sponsored by the Middlesex County Jewish Federation and the Monmouth County Jewish Federation and will be moderated by NJ101.5’s Eric Scott.
I recently read Proofiness: The Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception by New York University Professor Charles Seife. On the jacket cover, Professor Seife writes, ”Bogus mathematical arguments are being used to undermine our system of justice, to implement shortsighted policies that threaten our security, to dismantle our social institutions, and to undermine our voting system.”
Much of Proofiness was slanted against Republicans. And Professor Seife seems to have bona fida liberal credentials and supporters as his work has been praised by The New York Times, The Washington Post and Salon.com.
Thus, I found it shocking that the one sitting US Representative outed for his deception and chicanery was none other than our very own Rush Holt. In hundreds of pages of well-researched narrative, Professor Seife documents how the politician’s policies—such as Voter ID, voter suppression, redistricting and manipulation of census results—subvert elections and cheat the electorate of its right to have its views fairly represented in elections. (Perhaps this isn’t surprising given Holt’s refusal to even issue a statement critical of the New Black Panthers’ intimidation of voters at a polling station in Philadelphia in 2008.)
Further, Professor Seife provides the reader with insight into Holt’s history of using seemingly compelling statistics for his own interests at taxpayer expense. Professor Seife writes:
“In 1992, future New Jersey congressman Rush Holt was the spokesperson for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a high-tech facility devoted to fusion research. Unfortunately, the future of fusion in the United States was getting increasingly grim. As spokesperson, Holt had to try to justify to the public—and to legislators in charge of the budget—why the laboratory should consume tens and hundreds of millions of dollars in the quest for fusion energy.
Holt bolstered his case with several dramatic slides, scatter plots of data…showing that the more energy a society consumes, the longer its citizens live. The message was that taxpayers should pour money into the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory to research future sources of energy. (Fund us if you want your children to live.)
Holt’s graphs showed that there was a tight relationship—a “correlation”—between power consumption and life expectancy; the higher the power consumption, the higher the life expectancy. However, it’s a classic mistake to say that you can increase life expectancy by increasing power consumption. Power plants don’t lead to long life any more than garbage, Internet usage, newspapers, fast food, or edible underwear do. Holt’s presentation, in fact, was a vehicle for a kind of proofiness that I like to call causuisitry.”
Rush Holt has been an embarrassment for central New Jersey for the past twelve years. However, with explosive revelations like these, Rush Holt is on the verge of becoming a national disgrace. If he is re-elected, he might well be indicted for vote tampering before the next session of Congress convenes.
Postscript:I thought the wackadoos supporting Holt were in favor of reducing energy consumption. I suppose drive-by values can’t get in the way of gorging at the taxpayer-funded trough.
A crowd of about 300 showed up at Temple Shalom in Aberdeen for the only scheduled debate between Congressman Frank Pallone and his GOP challenger, Highlands Mayor Anna Little. The crowd was heavily pro-Little.
Anna’s Army will caravan through the northern parts of the 6th district today with100’s of cars and trucks decorated with Anna Little for Congress paraphernalia will parade through the streets in Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties. The caravan meets at the Keyport IHOP at 11:30 this morning and will end at the American Legion in Piscataway, 840 Washington Ave, for a rally with Governor Chris Christie from 5:00 till 6:30.
If you can’t make the caravan, don’t miss the rally with the Governor. Christie has repeatedly said, “there’s nobody I want to see defeated more than Frank Pallone.”
At 7PM, Little and Pallone will face off in their only scheduled debate. This event, moderated by the League of Women Voters, will be held at Temple Shalom, 5 Arymont Lane, Aberdeen. The doors open at 6:30.
An article published in the New York Times on Thursday, October 14th shows conclusively that Frank Pallone, Steve Rothman, Bob Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, are political villains! The four pushed to approve a device known as Menaflex after extensive FDA research found the knee implant to be defective. The FDA was adamantly against releasing the device to the public, but political pressure from Pallone, Rothman, Menendez and Lautenberg superseded their decision because the manufacturer of Menaflex, ReGen Biologics were shtuping these democrats with political donations. This is corruption at its best! These politicians have proven that they care nothing for people. More important are the “special interest” groups who give these charlatans money. What happens to all the innocent, unknowing people who trusted their doctors and have had this device implanted in their bodies? This should enrage every American! Why are politicians allowed to have a say in the medical profession? Why is there no protection against this? Perhaps Pallone thinks since he wrote Pallonecare this makes him a doctor. There should be laws protecting us from these egotistical maniacs. Isn’t it enough that Americans face threats of terrorism? Must we also worry about our legislators trying to kill us, by pushing for unsafe medical procedures because campaign contributions hold greater importance than Americans do?
Please America think about this when you go to the polls on November 2nd.
By now, we have all seen the video of Junior grabbing the microphone away from Rhoda, linked here.
We have all heard Junior lecture us at Town Hall meetings. I say “lecture” because Junior doesn’t hold Town Halls to listen to you, his constituents, he holds them to tell us why he knows better. Remember, he believes he is smarter than we are, and therefore, doesn’t care what we think.
The following hand written notes from Rush that have been forwarded to me illustrate the basic arrogance of Rush Holt. The first one says:
“I hope you now see that the bill would make healthcare more affordable for your business and employees. I know that at the town meeting (you)(sic) did not want to believe me.”
I should tell you that the hand-written portion was at the end of a three page form letter where Junior simply repeats all of the talking points that were trotted out to support the healthcare bill, and which we now know to be falsehoods. But Rush Holt is so sure he is right, that, like a four year old, he is incapable of reason. You are not smart enough to understand.
Look at the second note:
“You may think this is a form letter, as you say my climate bill letter to you, but this is my reply to you- although I must say, it is difficult for me to figure out what you are really thinking amid your angry, insulting ravings”
Unfortunately, it was exactly the same letter that the first note was written on. So it was a form letter. See, Rush doesn’t believe his opponents are smart enough to compare notes.
But look at the tone and language of the note, calling his constituent, who was voicing his opinion, angry, insulting and raving. I will tell you what is insulting, Junior, and that’s your tone and language toward your constituents.
But even more fascinating is what some amateur handwriting analysis tells us about the notes. I am paraphrasing a report on his handwriting here:
Because Rush has sharp needle pointed ‘m’ and ‘n’ humps, he has a very sharp mind. He instantly sizes up situations, making instant decisions…he may be seen as highly intelligent. Rush is often irritated by slow talkers or slow thinkers.
His handwriting tells us that Rush is moderately outgoing, and that his emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. (Like a typical liberal). His handwriting tells us that he will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes he will be happy, the next day he might be sad. Or insulting, like in the notes.
The handwriting is that of someone who will demand respect and will expect others to treat him with honor and dignity. Rush believes in his ideas and will expect other people to also respect them. He has a lot of pride.
Rush can be defiant. He sometimes has the attitude that if someone doesn’t like it the way he is doing it, then they can just “go to hell!” (This is actually a direct quote from the handwriting analysis report, and is borne out by the tone and language of the notes themselves.)
Rush is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect his ego when he feels hurt. He pokes people harder than he gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be harsh, bitter, and caustic.
Rush has a tendency to put things off, Rush procrastinates. He sometimes pretends to be busy, so he will not have to do whatever he is putting off. He is often late to appointments or deadlines.
Anyone who has been to an event with Junior knows he is often late.
I think this analysis pretty much sums up Rush Holt: harsh, bitter, defiant, prideful, demanding of respect, irritated if he thinks he is smarter than you.
Not exactly the kind of guy you want in Congress, is it?
Not surprisingly, The Neptune Nudniks let Pallone spin the stroy
By Art Gallagher
The Asbury Park Press has finally reported Congressman Frank Pallone’s interference with the Food and Drug Administration on behalf of a campaign donor.
After receiving campaign contributions from ReGen Biologics, a Hackensack based medical device manufacturer, and its executives in 2008, Pallone, Congressman Steven Rothman and Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menedez , the four legislators pressured the FDA into approving ReGen’s Menaflex knee patch. Menaflex had previously been rejected twice. This week the FDA reversed the decision and announced it was rescinding the approval.
Pallone told the Asbury Park Press that what he did was routine, what he would do for any constituent.
ReGen is in Hackensack which is not in the 6th congressional district. ReGen CEO Gerald Bisbee, who along with his wife Linda contributed $32,000 of the over $50,000 contributed to the legislators and the Democratic party, lives in Connecticut. John Dichiara, the company’s government affairs director, wrote checks for $20,800. He lives in New York.
Pallone told the APP that he has three staffers who help residents who are having trouble with government red tape.
Patrick Donohue hasn’t given any money to Pallone either. Maybe that is why Frank won’t release H. Con Res. 198, a resolution recognizing Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury as the leading cause of death and disability in the United States for children and young adults from birth until 25 years of age and endorsing the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan, from the committee he chairs.
Pallone told the APP that the FDA has mismanaged the project from the beginning. He said that the product is approved in Europe and that, “This is a product that could have helped people. It could have saved people a lot of pain.”
That’s not what Pallone was saying in May of 2009. He, Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak signed a 16 page letter to the FDA raising questions about the ReGen Menaflex approval and asking them to review it. That hardly seems routine. I guess the APP fact checkers missed that.
During his Red Bank town hall meeting in August of 2009, Pallone said “Nancy Pelosi and Henry Waxman are the two finest people I know in Washington.”
Let’s summarize what we know of Pallone’s involvement with ReGen and the FDA so far.
1) In 2008 Pallone received campaign contributions from ReGen executives and then he joined his NJ colleagues Rothman, Lautenberg and Menedez in applying pressue to the FDA to approve the ReGen product.
2) In 2009, Pallone reversed course. He joined Waxman, “one of the finest people he knows in Washington” in raising questions about the ReGen product’s approval and asking the FDA to review it. He did so in a 16 page letter with a signature larger than John Hancock’s.
3) In 2010, while in the midst of the tightest election he has ever faced in his career, Pallone flips again. He tells the Asbury Park Press that what he did was routine, like what he would do for anybody. He said the FDA mismanaged the process from the beginning and that the product could help a lot of people.
The Kansas City Star thinks it’s newsworthy that New Jersey Congressmen Frank Pallone and Steve Rothman, along with Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez were found to have exerted pressure on the FDA to approve a knee patch that had insufficient scientific backing to be approved for patient care, prompting the FDA to rescind its approval of the project.
Someone(s) from Gannett visited MMM 16 times today. They read my story about the lack of coverage and the Little campaign’spress releases about it. At least we know that someone at Gannett knows about it. Maybe they’ll cover it tomorrow.
They’ve been busy writing about the fact that someone started a website to draft Governor Christie to run for President, even though Christie repeatedly says he’s not running. What’s newsworthy about that? Anyone can start a website. I even did it!
They’ve also been busy writing about a few people (28 out of 40,000) who complained about getting Gerry Scharfenberger’s reverse 9-11 call too late in the evening.
I can understand how the fact that a 22 year incumbent congressman who is up for reelection was found to have inappropriately influenced the federal agency that is charge with guarding our food, and assuring the safety of our medicine and medical devices, in exchange for campaign cash, might slipped by them. Now that we know that they know, I’m sure they’ll cover it. Don’t you think?
The Gannett papers wouldn’t let their bias influence what news to report, would they? Especially after writing a scathing editorial earlier this year about Rupert Murdoch donating $1 million to conservative causes. The wrote so eloquently about how hard legitimate journalists work to be unbiased.
I’m sure they just haven’t gotten to Pallone’s graft and putting the health of thousands of Americans at risk yet. Now that they know about it, I’m sure they’ll cover it. Don’t you think?
