Quinnipiac: Obama leading in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania

90% of likely voters have made up their minds in the crucial swing states

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He didn’t call them idiots, or nudniks

The Asbury Park Press is still struggling for relevance and their trying to get it by attempting to set Governor Chris Christie’s agenda and schedule.  Their likelihood of success is less than that of Star Ledger Editorial Board Editor Tom Moran’s attempts to get Christie to improve his manners.

Back in May, APP ran an multi-part expose on the Lakewood School System.  So few people read about it, cared about it or took it seriously that when Christie came to Freehold for a Town Hall Meeting the following week, no one brought it up.  That prompted an front page editorial rant that bashed Christie, Congressman Chris Smith and others not directly responsible for the mess in Lakewood for not paying attention to the APP Neptune Nudniks.

Last week the governor visited a private school (publicly funded) in Lakewood that serves the developmentally disabled.  The Nudniks responded with another front page rant and by getting the Lakewood Board of Education President to write an open letter to the governor complaining that he is not paying attention to them on their schedule.

Yesterday, the Nudniks sent a reporter to a Christie press conference in Hackensack about a new solar power farm to ask him about the Lakewood Schools and why he hasn’t visited:

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FDU Poll: 55% of New Jersey voters approve of Christie but don’t know why

In the first poll conducted by their new Executive Director, Dr. Krista Jenkins, FDU’s Public Mind Poll found that 55% of New Jersey’s registered voters approve of Governor Chris Christie.  The electorate is divided over whether they like the governor for his personality or his policies.

36% say they like Christie and his policies, 29% don’t like him personally or his policies. 14% like his personally but don’t like his policies while another 14% like his policies but not his personality.

Christie suffers a gender gap.  61% of men approve of his performances compared to only 49% of women. 54% of men say the state is on the right track, compared to 44% of women.

FDU did not distinguish between registered voters and likely voters.

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Menendez Crying Song Parody Contest Ends Tonight

Just a reminder that if you’ve been meaning to enter the Don’t Cry For Me Bob Menendez song paroday contest, you have until 6am tomorrow morning.

In case you missed it, we started the contest back on July 16 after U.S. Senator Bob Menendez started crying, “twice chocking back sobs” is how Politickernj put it, at a press event in Union City because Joe Kyrillos is the pro-woman candidate in the U.S. Senate race.

We’ve got 8 great entries so far.  If you would like to one, tonight’s the night.  Leave it in the comments of this post.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce Endorses Kyrillos for Senate

Citing State Senator Joe Kyrillos’ 100% rating from the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Rob Engstrom, the U.S. Chamber’s Senior Vice President and National Political Director, today announced the nationwide business advocate’s endorsement of Kyrillos in his contest with incumbent Senator Bob Menendez for one of New Jersey’s seats in the U.S. Senate.

“New Jersey is leading the country’s efforts for fiscal responsibility at the state level, but we need leaders in Washington willing to make tough financial decisions as well,” said Engstrom, “New Jersey voters have a clear choice between the candidates on issues that will create jobs and spur growth. State Senator Joe Kyrillos has consistently prioritized free enterprise, while Senator Menendez has a record of failure on economic issues—having only voted with the business community 38% of the time.”

Engstrom noted that the Chamber automatically endorses any incumbent U.S. Senator, Republican or Democrat, that has a business friendly rating of 70% or more in emphasizing Menendez’s hostility to the private sector. “He votes against business is a knee jerk manner.”

Speaking on a conference call with reporters, Engstrom said that the U.S. Chamber is waging its largest voter education effort in its 100 year history in the 2012 election.  He declined to answer a reporters question about indenpendent expenditures the Chamber might make in the New Jersey U.S. Senate campaign, but noted that the Chamber has already spent millions of dollars on 12 Senate races and 31 House races.  “Stay tuned,” was the most Engstrom was willing to say with Kyrillos on the call, given campaign finance laws that forbid independent expenditures being coordinated with federal campaigns.

“I am humbled and encouraged to have received the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in my campaign against Bob Menendez and his job-killing policies,” said Joe Kyrillos.

“American small businesses and job creators are facing undeniably hard times right now. We are not producing jobs at the rate we should because of the uncertainty of new or higher taxes, and more regulation. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and the policies supported by Bob Menendez are killing their opportunity for growth.

“I have outlined policies in a comprehensive jobs plan that will put people back to work and restore a robust economy. My plan will create economic certainty, and allow business to plan for the future. My opponent has no plan to create jobs, and if his past record is any indication, he will continue to make things worse.”

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Unity or Strange Bedfellows in the Monmouth GOP?

Anna Little, with good reason, has been taking credit for John Bennett’s election as Monmouth GOP Chairman.  If not for Little endorsing her benefactor and encouraging the County Committee members who are also Tea Party activists to vote for Bennett, Christine Hanlon would be Chairwoman.

Little’s reward, whatever it is, will come sometime after she loses to Frank Pallone in November.

The biggest change that Bennett has made since taking over the helm of the Monmouth GOP six weeks ago is to start to make good on his campaign promise to raise the money necessary for county campaigns.   He has informed the Monmouth GOP ticket of Freeholders John Curley and Serena DiMaso, as well as County Clerk Claire French, not to worry about rasing money for the fall campaign.  He has instructed office holders not on the ballot this fall, including the legislative delegation and the sheriff, all of whom have campaigns next year, to suspend their fund raising activities effective August 1 so as not to compete with his efforts for the current campaign.

But how will he raise the money?

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Patrick Murray: “New Jersey voters are probably a little more savvy than reporters”

Monmouth University Polling Institute Director Patrick Murray is a “go to guy” for journalists looking for expert opinions and analysis on New Jersey politics.

Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Matt Katz called Murray to ask him why Christie’s approval numbers are so high when many voters used the pejoratives “bully” and “arrogant” when asked to use one word to describe the Governor and when Jersey mainstream media pundits so frequently criticise Christie’s manners.  Katz mentioned The Star Ledger’s Tom Moran, Inquirer opinion writers, and the Courier-Post editorial board.  He could have included most of the Statehouse press corp, save Gannett’s Bob Ingle and the Capitol Quckies crew.

Murray’s answer was Christieesque in its refreshing honesty: “Part of the issue is, voters of New Jersey are probably a little more savvy than reporters.”

Who talks to more reporters and voters in New Jersey than Murray?  His is an expert opinion.

“Ouch,” wrote Katz, who often writes critically of Christie.

Credit Katz for including Murray’s quote in his article.  If you start seeing Ben Dworkin’s name in The Star Ledger more than Murray’s, you’ll know Chrisite was right when he called famously called Moran, the editorial page editor, “the thinnest skinned guy and America.”

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Monmouth County Fair Cancelled

State of Emergency declared in Freehold Borough

The Monmouth County Fair has been closed today, Sunday, due to wind damage caused throughout the fairgrounds at East Freehold Park Showgrounds last evening, according to the county website.

APP and NJ.com are reporting that Freehold Mayor Nolan Higgins has declared a state of emergency in the borough as numerous streets are closed due to fallen trees and 90% of the town is without power.

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Chick-fil-A and Amazon

Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy was preaching to the choir.

On July 16 he gave an interview to K. Allan Blume, the “Biblical Recorder” who writes for the Baptist Press:News with a Christian Perspective wherein he covered a wide range of topics about his company which is managed, he says, on “biblical principles.”

This was my favorite line from the BPN article:

Based on Matthew 5:41, Cathy is on a mission to provide customers with “second-mile” service — exceeding even the highest expectations of a typical fast-food restaurant.

I liked that line because it rang true based upon my one experience at a Chick-fil-A restaurant.   I was so impressed with the Cherry Hill area Chick-fil-A that when arrived home the evening after I had lunch there a couple of months ago that I told my wife about it as one of the highlights of my day.  I never tell my wife about the fast food joint I eat at when I’m on the road.

I’d never heard of Chick-fil-A.  I keep calling it Chickafil. My friend and I just happened upon the place during the lunch break of a meeting.  “What is it, a Philadelphia area Boston Market?” I asked my friend who seemed familiar with the brand.

I was impressed with the place before my friend and I got in the door.  There was a woman sweeping the parking lot that gave us a warm and friendly greeting while we were walking in.   That struck me as an odd use of human resources during the lunch rush.  And how does management get their employees to be so happy when they’re sweeping the parking lot?  I had a vision of an employee of mine rolling her eyes when I asked her to do something she considered beneath her.  This place must be up to something good I thought to myself.  My only other memory of fast food employees outside of a restaurant was of those taking a smoking break.

Everybody in the place seemed happy.  There were cartoons of cows celebrating decorating the place.  No pictures of Jesus or the stations of the cross. The black woman who took our order (the woman cleaning the parking lot was white) was friendly and patient as we perused the menu for the type of chicken we were going to have for lunch.  She didn’t look at me funny when I insisted on paying for my male friend’s lunch.  She said thank you, not God bless you, when I paid and she apologised for the brief wait when delivering our sandwiches which she had offered to deliver to our table.

Half way through lunch, the parking lot lady showed up at our table offering free refills of our drinks.  She would refill them for us.

I felt really welcomed and appreciated at that Chick-fil-A. Serving me and my friend seemed to be more important to the employees than completing the tasks of service.  And it didn’t feel like a technique. It felt genuine.  No one said, “Have a nice day.”

Based on Matthew 5:41, Cathy is on a mission to provide customers with “second-mile” service — exceeding even the highest expectations of a typical fast-food restaurant.

It worked for me that day in Cherry Hill.

But that is not why Chick-fil-A was in the news this week.  Towards the end of his preaching to the choir interview with BPN Cathy said,

Some have opposed the company’s support of the traditional family. “Well, guilty as charged,” said Cathy when asked about the company’s position.

“We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.

“We operate as a family business … our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that,” Cathy emphasized.

“We intend to stay the course,” he said. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”

Cathy had no idea of the shit storm that was about to hit him and his company.

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Mallet slams Burry, “Club Monmouth” over Brookdale scandal

Burry on Mallet:  “She’s a fraud, she a fraud, a fraud, fraud, fraud!”

Former Freeholder Amy Mallett, a Democrat, laid the blame for the Brookdale Community College scandal that lead to former college president Peter Burnham pleading to guilty to theft by deception and official misconduct earlier this week at the feet of the Monmouth GOP’s “cozy” relationship, “Club Monmouth” with the leadership of college.

In an OpEd piece published in The Asbury Park Press, Mallet took aim at Republican Freeholder Lillian Burry and her campaign treasurer, John Cantolupo who was the Brookdale Board of Trustees’ lawyer at the time Burnham’s lavish contract and spending irregularities were uncovered.

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