The Only Issue This Year
By Stuart J. Moskovitz
This election, like every Congressional election, will have nominees running around their districts and, in the case of Senatorial candidates, the state, spewing banalities and canards about what “they” have as a philosophy, what direction “they” will push for their country, what “they” will support and reject. As it has been for many years, it will all be nonsense.
There is only one issue in this year’s Congressional campaigns. There is only one issue in this year’s Senatorial campaign. Anything else is a myth. The only issue is whether in the next two years Congress will be run by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi or by two people with very, very different ideas.
Frank Pallone and Rush Holt wouldn’t vote against Nancy Pelosi if their lives depended on it – perhaps because they fully believe their political lives are totally dependent on the good will of Nancy Pelosi. In the entire time each has represented us, they have shown not a hint of a backbone, moral, ethical, intellectual, or otherwise. These two do not represent their districts in New Jersey. They never have. They never will. They represent their party, and only their party. More precisely, they represent the will of Nancy Pelosi. What their constituents should be demanding is that their representatives represent New Jersey, not Pacific Heights, California. Can anyone honestly say they are just tickled pink with having this country run by Nancy Pelosi? She is as intellectually stiff and dead as her surgically created face. No one who exclaims that we need to pass the most significant domestic legislation in fifty years in order to see what it says as opposed to actually reading the darn think before deciding whether it is worth supporting, is worthy of leading this nation. But a vote for Pallone or Holt is a vote for Pelosi. There is no getting around that.
As for Menendez, aside from his well-documented corruption pushed aside by the fourth estate that used to protect America, he is every bit as important for the continuation of Harry Reid’s dominance in the Senate as Al Franken. If one were suddenly to awake from a long sleep, they might be inclined to laugh heartily at the great satirical impression by Al Franken of a clueless, directionless U.S. Senator – until being informed it is not an act. Harry Reid himself has done nothing in four years to turn this economy around. He has spent every day blaming the Republicans. The fact is, the Republican House has sent Mr. Reid 65 bills, each of which would aid this economy in some way, providing jobs, providing fiscal sanity, providing the means of stabilizing an economy that currently threatens the viability of the dollar as the international standard. He has buried every one. He has never passed a budget during Obama’s tenure. His Senate even unanimously rejected the only budget ever submitted by Barack Obama – without ever producing an alternative.
The nation simply cannot wait until 2014 to take the Senate out of the control of Harry Reid. New Jersey cannot wait until Lautenberg runs again (no, seriously, he’s still there) to have a Senator representing New Jersey, not Nevada.
There is only one issue in this campaign. The voters of New Jersey need to plow through the posturing and supercilious nonsense and recognize that their choice is not about the candidates they see on the ballot. Their choice is to have the power in the hands of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, or to elect candidates who will represent New Jersey, not Pacific Heights, California or Nevada.
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What a bunch of vitriolic crap…not working for his constituents?? You must have had your head up your butt for years…here’s just a few of the more recent things that Congressman Pallone has done for the Shore area…
Pallone Announces $39.7 Million Broadband Grant to Improve First Responder Capabilities in New Jersey
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Long Branch Health Center Will Use Grant to Build New Dental Facility
Monmouth Family Health Center is recipient of $3.5 million grant
The Long Branch Legislative Office of Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06) welcomes a new staff member. Sergeant John Irwin has joined the office as part of the Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program and will be assisting with Veterans case work.
WASHINGTON D.C.— Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today called for passage of his bill The Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011 at the Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally in Washington D.C. Thousands of recreational and commercial fishermen from across the country attended the rally in support of Pallone’s bill.
The Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act makes major reforms to current law to create flexibility in the timeline of rebuilding fisheries. It provides the Secretary of Commerce authority to lift the requirement of an annual catch limit if a stock is healthy, overfishing is not occurring and there is not enough information to support a lower catch limit.
He has done so much for the people of the shore area…even to getting the Army Corps to get our beaches replenished.
Congressmen introduce legislation every day. Only a small fraction actually become law. Yet they flaunt these introductions as if they actually had meaning for their constituents. As for the grants, every congressman can point to grants for his community. It comes with the territory. Those “pork barrel” projects have been criticized on both sides of the aisle for decades and yet just about every congressman engages in them just so their supporters at home and wave them around as if they’re a special accomplishment. Far more important that a few grants is the entire health and welfare of the nation. Pallone has been useless in that regard.
And Ryan has had exactly 2 bill become law in 13 years in office….The two bills he wrote that have become law modified excise taxes on arrows and named a post office.
Great for the country…huh.
Was a community organizer with NO experience close to what is needed to be President and the result reflects that.
You brought up Ryan. This was about our Congressional race.
Every word out of the Obama administration is a lie include the and and….
The mere fact that they say that Ryan’s budget detroyes medicare proves them liars.
Read the damn budget for yourself or continue to be their tool and take their lies as fact. Is it that you want to be a TOOL.
well, that’s a little deceptive. As chairman of the House Budget Committee, he’s actually introduced at least a half a dozen bills of grave import that were passed by the House. They are among the 65 bills Reid won’t let the Senate debate. You essentially made my argument for me. By the way, Holt and Pallone both voted with their party (as they have done overwhelmingly in their careers) to vote against a payroll tax cut, (so much for protecting the middle class) and to vote against the Keystone pipeline that would have provided thousands (if not tens of thousands) of jobs, lowered the price of fuel (which would have provided even more jobs) and reduced the cost of almost everything shipped to New Jersey (by providing a huge blow to OPEC). Frankly, I’d rather they named a post office.
the above comment refers to Pallone, of course.
Keystone was an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen. It was going through ecologically sensitive lands, and by the way, its not dead yet. They just need to find a new route to have it approved. They voted against the tax cut because it wasn’t targeted to the middle class, but you know that. It was targeted to the wealthy. Of course those bills were approved by the republican run house…gimme a break with that. Fact is, he hasn’t really done anything except tow the republican line in 13 years. He’s continuously voted against gay rights, he’s continuously voted against a woman’s right to choose even to the detriment of her life and has continuously voted with the NRA for a 100% rating. He’s as extreme as they come. The ONLY solution is to get the house back to democratic hands to stop the destruction of America by right wing radicals.
All of these Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid references are a bunch of crap. Bottom line is that if you think Pallone, Holt and Menendez are doing a good job and share your views (or even if one or more does not share all of your views, you believe they are much more qualified to represent you than their opponent) than vote for them. If not, vote for their challengers.
Joe Biden’s personality, Cory Booker’s “honesty” or attempt to set himself apart from the pack comments, Paul Ryan’s hair, Chris Christie’s girth, Mitt’s perplexity with what to do with his dog, make for easy laughs and much to easy stalking points.
I can’t find any coherent list of 65 bills that the Democrats won’t allow to be debated without finding another list of 65 bills that the Democrats say the Republicans won’t allow to be debated.
That is the outcome of viewing the democratic process as winner take all or a do or die battle for the soul of the country. Remember one of those basic articles we all profess to support and believe in, separation of church and state.
I have a question for the conservative, free market among us- How are we to begin to understand the steadfastness, honesty and impartial beliefs and actions of Congressman Ryan in light of his own personal history.
Mr. Ryan’s family had and has a successful business. From the early 1900’s through sometime around 1970 the majority of work done by that business was as contractors building the Federally funded interstate highway system.
Mr. Ryan’s went to the local publically funded high school.
He later chose a publicly supported college and paid for his share of the expense with jobs and survivor benefits from Social Security due him by virtue of the death of his father.
Once out of college Mr. Ryan with a short stint working in the family business, began a career in public service. First as a staff member for several Republican office holders than began his own electoral climb to his present position.
None of the above makes Mr. Ryan a particularly bad man in fact his life story to date mirrors the promise that has held sway in our country and reflects the bottom line of beliefs that are shared by many in the conservative electorate.
The problem is that now that Mr. Ryan has enjoyed the benefits and leg up to be found for those who live in this great country, he now wants to change the deal for all those coming after him.
Balancing a budget and choosing the best places to cut or increase is a daily occupation for private business people. When you make those decisions in private industry your options are limited by your responsibility to the business not by your social responsibility to any individuals or their families.
In public service the options should be the opposite and your choices shaped by doing the best for the most.
Basing your entire public persona on being the one person who has studied the numbers and sees his options as cutting from the majority to concentrate on the better off minority does not say, patriot, best man for the job of shaping the policies and philosophy of a government for the people and by the people. It also makes me wonder if he really has forgotten where he comes from no matter how long he has stayed there.
@”Balancing a budget and choosing the best places to cut or increase is a daily occupation for private business people. When you make those decisions in private industry your options are limited by your responsibility to the business not by your social responsibility to any individuals or their families.”:
And that is precisely why we are in such dire straits today. Neither Obama nor Biden nor much else in the Democratic leadership qualifies in the least respect for what you just wrote. Or does that not apply to Democrats?
Sancho- my political beliefs and leanings do not extend just to parties or individuals. They focus on what is the role of government in our lives. So in answer to your question the dichotomy I pointed out between making a decision when running a business and making decisions when running a government applies to all parties.
What also applies to all parties and players is a requirement to stay flexible, open and non partisan when it comes to the public good.
You know who those people are the parents and relatives of the 99% of citizens who join up and fight when the 1% need them.
If you are going to quote me please don’t edit down the comments when you wish to replay them for me. With the amount of words and information flooding us today it may work on some of us some of the time, or the other some of us all the time. But editing my own words to quote back to me and thinking gotcha, come on.
Sancho- I have some more words for you to consider. It will be hard to quote them back to the author- unfortunately Republicans like him also will be impossible to find today.
Some of the words from Dwight Eisenhower after he led more than one, actual action.
“Should any political party seek to abolish social security, unemployment insurance labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group of course that believes you can do these things….their number is negligible and they are stupid.”
Dwight Eisenhower, 1954
It is a program that does not deal in pie-in-the-sky promises to all, nor in bribes to a few, nor in threats to any. It is a program inspired by zeal for the common good, dedicated to the welfare of every American family–whatever its means of livelihood may be, or its social position, or its ancestral strain, or its religious affiliation.
Dwight Eisenhower, comments on the programs included in his State of the Union address 1954.
in 1954 there weren’t 110 million people—1/3 of the country–recieving Federal benefits so that is no longer a valid argument
The actual numbers–which have no political agenda, and both the CBO and the SS Trustees all acknowledge that the “entitlement” programs will ALL be exhausted within the next 10 years. Ryan and Romney have plans to prevent it—what is yours or the Demoncrats plan????
Rasing retirement age, means-testing, and eliminating the SS contribution “holiday” are several–what’s yours???
Providing a choice for those under 55 for medicare, restoring the $700 Billion Milhous stole, and again means testing are plans to extend Medicare—what’s yours????
Platitudes don’t solve algebra problems and if we don’t take steps now arithmetic wins.
The Soviet Constitution provided a lifetime of benefits, just like the Greeks and ltalians—how’s that working out for them??
lgnoring problems doesn’t solve them.
Cutting them out to solve the problem doesn’t help or solve anything.
In the past the powers that were took money contributed for entitlements and used them for general purpose funding. About a third of the total US debt is held by the American people for money that was supposed to go towards paying for social compact programs.
I mentioned the close to 10 billion annually reported as a real number by all sources in the political spectrum that are available to be taken from subsidies and allocations not needed in just two areas.
In the budget summary done by the Congressional Research group it shows the effect on government revenue and debt level caused by the Bush tax cuts between 2002 and 2007. It also delineates the effect of the Economic Recession that has been directly associated with the unbridled excess of the free market financial industry.
The means to shore up our social compact and set a more fiscally realistic plan for the future is and are available.
The full version of the Erskine Bowles video has references to vast numbers of dollars that can be re-assigned and our commitment to remaining the undisputed best form of government yet to exist does not need to be discarded due to the approaching storm.
I do not pretend to know each step along the way. I do know enough to be certain that the steps exist and they have been laid out, many by the bi partisan Budget Group that the video star Erskine Bowles was head of.
What I nor anyone else can do is discuss any topic with someone who ignores any reference to any point that does not agree with their closed off beliefs.
I came to this site looking for a discussion with members of the common sense conspiracy what I have encountered is a conspiracy of big thick heads with closed minds. I again salute Bob English for the length of time and amount of energy he has extended to try and foster an adult and factual debate on the substance of the issues we all face.
I will end this dead end exchange by asking one last question-
Brian are you above the age of consent? It might be too personal a question but I get the distinct impression from your posts that you have not reached that point in life yet.
Goodnight sweet prince, Milhous, Dude, Cleveland, Fat Albert, Stuuy, Baby Jane, Gilligan, Marianne and the professor too.