Our friends at InTheLobby are questioning Trenton Democrats political sanity. Daily Muse says the Democrats seem to be poised to blame Governor Christie for NJ’s average 4% property tax increases, yet they are giving Christie very strong ammunition with which to run against them in the coming legislative election by failing to pass the “tool kit,” pension and benefit reform and expanded veto power over the shadow government of the authorities and commissions.
But a lot of what is taking place in Trenton these days confuses us.
We get that Democrats are looking to blame Christie for the 4% rise in property taxes. Higher property taxes are always a good campaign issue, especially in a year when all 120 seats in the Legislature are up for re-election.
What we don’t get is why the Democrats are giving Christie so many talking points to counter that with on the campaign trail. They won’t pass the bulk of the tool kit; they haven’t passed the pension or benefit reforms; and they won’t give Christie the expanded veto power over authorities that he wants.
We know that the unions are opposed to the pension and benefit reforms. And we know that the Assembly is balking at any health benefit reforms, saying that the reforms should be made in collective bargaining. Which, by the way, doesn’t sound like it’s a point that will sell well with the rest of New Jersey’s voters, but we’ll see how firm the Assembly’s resolve is after Senate President Steve Sweeney posts his health benefit bill for a vote.
But that still leaves the question: why don’t Democrats call Christie’s bluff, and pass the rest of the tool kit, the epanded veto power, and the pension and benefit reforms? They’ll still have the 4% increase in property taxes, and they’ll take away one of his campaign speeches. Otherwise, he will barnstorm the state, accusing Democrats of being beholden to the special interests, and choosing them over the taxpayers.
Frankly, as it stands now, it’s almost as if Democrats instead are giving Christie a tool kit of campaign rhetoric he can them against them this fall.
I don’t think the Democrats behavior is confusing at all. They are doing what they always do; protecting the status quo and hoping to find ways to preserve the troughs from which they and their friends are swilling.
There are two things the Democrats are waiting for before they will do anything about Christie’s reform agenda. 1) The new legislative map and 2) certainty that Christie will complete or not complete his term.
The Democrats don’t want Christie’s reforms to happen ever. They want the economy to improve so that the public’s mood improves and cash starts flowing into the Trenton coffers. They want to bide their time waiting for an angry electorate to become complacent again in order that Trenton can resume its spending rampage.
If the Democrats think the new legislative map favors their retaining control of the legislature they won’t give Christie the reforms he is proposing. If the new map is one they think favors Republicans picking up at least one house of the legislature, the Dems are likely to be more cooperative with the governor.
Likewise, so long as there is a Christie for President buzz, the Democrats are motivated to stall on his agenda. Their stalling weakens Christie’s resume of accomplishment if he does run for president. If he runs, they won’t have to deal with him. They don’t know how tough Kim Guadagno is, but they don’t think she is as tough as, or as talented a politician as Christie is.
There is not likely to be any movement on Christie’s reform agenda before the November election, unless we get a new legislative map that is a clear Republican gerrymander. That is not going to happen.
Regardless of the map, Christie will make this election a statewide race. Every district will be a race between Christie and his legislative running mates vs. the Democratic legislative candidates. The governor will spend the summer and fall on the campaign trail throughout New Jersey with the power of incumbency. The election will be a referendum on Christie’s reform agenda.
If Christie pulls off another improbable statewide victory by winning both the Senate and the Assembly, turning blue jersey red, his presidential prospects will soar. The clamour for him to run for president will become a national demand. If he can turn the governor’s office over to Kim Guadagno with a Republican legislature to enact the reform agenda he can declare that he has succeeded in turning Trenton upside down and that he is accepting the call to save our country from another four years of Obama.
Should the Democrats retain control of both houses of the legislature and retain or expand their margin of majority, Christie’s national prospects become more complicated. On one hand a statewide defeat would hurt Christie’s national prospects on the top of the national ticket. On the other hand he might personally conclude that with the legislature safely in the hands of the Democrats for another 10 years that he has turned Trenton as upside down as it is going to get. In that case, the Vice Presidency might not look so bad if the thinks the eventual GOP nominee in 2012 has a chance to beat Obama.
I don’t see anything happening with Christie’s reform agenda until after the November election, nor do I see the Christie for President buzz going away or getting louder before the November election.
Middletown, March 21- Mayor Anthony Fiore announced that the township committee will introduce a budget that complies with the 2% property tax cap. He thanked the library board for contributing $500 thousand to the township budget.
Fiore stated on Monday that there would be a budget proposed at the April 4th meeting despite concerns over the extensive paperwork involved in the $500 thousand from the Middletown Library surplus.
Fiore expressed gratitude toward the library board, saying that he was grateful that “reasonable minds came together” in terms of returning 1/2 million dollars of a $1.2 million surplus. Fiore also acknowledged that this type of occurrence is not unique to Middletown. Fiore noted that the township has been under stress in regards to the budget, and the money from the surplus would relieve some of that stress.
“The library still has a good surplus,” he said.
In response to concerns over whether the .5 million would be included in the April 4 budget, Fiore said that papers were already being prepared in order to maintain expediency.
“We will propose a budget on April 4 that will be in full compliance with the 2% property tax cap,” said Fiore.
Committeeman Gerry Scharfenberger urged citizens to support the governor’s toolkits, stating that “they will give us the tools we need to operate more efficiently.”
In response to Scharfenberger, Fiore said the toolkits “make sense for us,” as they “provide mayors like myself the opportunity to do more with our budget.”
Even without the toolkit, Fiore was confident that the budget would move forward.
“We will provide a budget without a toolkit,” he said. “We will move forward, as difficult as it is.”
The Township Committee also addressed concerns regarding the paving project initially included in the library surplus. Because of the returned portion of the surplus, the project would need to be put on hold.
Committeeman Kevin Settembrino, who spoke about parking bundling at a library board meeting, responded, saying the project could continue next year if the board had the money, and “they won’t have to incur interest charges.”
Apart from the library initiative and budget legislation, the meeting also focused on promoting volunteer groups and the Live Where You Work program, which rewards citizens who live and work in Middletown and meet certain income requirements. Committeeman Steve Massell encouraged citizens to advocate the program and inform others whom they thought might qualify.
Fiore commented on the solar initiative, noting that it will be expanded to include both the library and the sewer authority. Fiore said Middletown would not only be the greenest town, but “also the one to generate more bang for buck for our taxpayers.”
Fiore also read a proclamation recognizing March as Developmental Disabilities Month and highlighting the contributions of the Arc of Monmouth.
The Monmouth County GOP selection committee will meet next Saturday the 26th to nominate a candidate for Freeholder. The winning candidate will be Freeholder Lillian Burry’s running mate and will seek to unseat Democratic Freeholder Amy Mallet in the November election. Assuming, of course, that there is no primary challenge.
Like Burry, incumbent Surrogate Rosemarie Peters and the entire Monmouth County legislative delegation are expected to be nominated by acclamation.
The four candidates vying for the Freeholder nomination are Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas, Wall Committeeman George Newberry, Howell Mayor Bob Walsh and Spring Lake Councilman Gary Rich. All four gentlemen have bee touring the county meeting with Republican Clubs and Tea Party Groups. Each candidate and their supporters are working the phones to pick up votes of the municipal chairs and elected officials, past and present, who comprise the selection committee.
Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas, Howell Mayor Bob Walsh, Wall Committeeman George Newberry and Spring Lake Councilman Gary Rich. Photo credit Rhoda Chodosh
Who do you favor as a Monmouth GOP Freeholder Candidate?
Jersey Sting, Ted Sherman’s and Josh Margolin’s behind the scenes expose’ of the corruption scandal that rocked New Jersey in the summer of 2009 is selling briskly. Word is the the publisher ordered a second printing after the first day’s sales.
I haven’t read the book yet. I expect my copy this week.
WCBS Newsradio 880 of running a five part interview by Wayne Corbet of Sherman and Margolin Monday through Friday this week.
The New York Posthas a compelling excerpt dealing with the investigation into the government’s investigation into the underground kindney trade. Read it here.
O’Keefe told MoreMonmouthMusings, “I wish the Tea Party hadn’t told the press that I didn’t want the event videoed,” before saying that he was on another line and promising to call back. He hasn’t called back.
The rambunctious gumshoe didn’t leave Charles Measley and Barbara Gonzalez, the BTPG members who appeared on the APP.com video, much choice. No one knew O’Keefe didn’t wanted the event recorded until he failed to take the podium after an inspirational introduction by BTPG Chairman Bob Gordon and an enthusiastic standing ovation. He was hiding in the mens room and had be coaxed to make his presentation with the press present.
It was only after Measley promised to get the videographer out of the room that O’Keefe emerged from the commode to address the admiring crowd. There were reporters in the room. O’Keefe’s delay required an explanation. The videographer was in the room when O’Keefe started. Measley and Gonzalez handled the situation well. Steve Grossman, the former Hazlet GOP Chairman who is heard off camera arguing with Gonzalez, handled himself just as those of us who know and love him have come to expect.
For someone who has demonstrated that he is quick on his feet, O’Keefe handled this one very poorly. He gave the media, who he is a ferocious critic of, a story to discredit him where there wasn’t one.
O’Keefe knew that reporters and photographers were in the room during his presentation. At one point while showing a video clip of a Star Ledger interview of one of the teachers exposed in his Teacher Gone Wildvideo, O’Keefe asked, “Are there any Star Ledger reporters in the room?” Seeing none, he showed the clip that made the point that the mainstream media is out to protect those he is exposing and to discredit him.
Unfortunately, James gave his detractors in the mainstream media the ammunition to embarrass him this time. There was no upside to banning the videographer. There was plently in the presentation that had already made national news, but nothing that would have made a new national story. Only O’Keefe knows if he altered his presentation because reporters were present. Had he allowed the presentation to be videoed, APP.com might not even have posted the video.
APP reporter Alesha Boyd William’s initial story on O’Keefe’s presentation was excellent. A fair and accurate report on what happened. The story was featured prominently at APP.com on Friday morning and was front page above the fold in the Friday print edition. I’d link you to the story, but it appears to be gone from the APP site, replaced by the far juicer “gotcha” story, that is now national news.
James O’Keefe is doing important work. He is right when he says that the mainstream media no longer does investigative journalism and that their news coverage has devolved to “punditry, stenography and promotion.”
O’Keefe has the potential to become a long term major journalistic figure and make a real difference. However, he needs to step up his game in handling the inevitable blow back from his work. He needs to stop blaming others for his own missteps. Otherwise he’ll be a flash in the pan.
It’s not that Dan doesn’t have some valid points. He does. Government labor loves Kean. So does private sector labor. Big business loves Kean too. A look at Kean’s list of campaign contributors reveals that the 11th district senator is well funded by both labor and business interests dependent on friends in Trenton.
Ideological conservatives consider Kean a RINO. The loudest of the ideologues are morons and have been making some noise about challenging Kean. They’re morons because they would rather support candidates that comply with 100% of their ideology and lose elections then support an imperfect candidate that agrees with them most of the time and wins.
Jacobson argues that the right shouldn’t like Kean because he’s friendly with those who Governor Chris Christie is fighting. Kean could potentially have a bigger problem because he apparently fell out of favor with Christie when he issued a statement critical of the state’s clean up efforts during the December blizzard.
To the casual observer, Kean might look vulnerable to a primary challenge from the right.
He’s not. Not a serious one.
Jacobson doesn’t like Kean because he voted against gay marriage.
The gay community is furious with Kean, not just because of his vote against marriage equality, but more so because of what he said before casting his vote:
Kean might be right that he has the gayest legislative district in the state. Even so, Jacobson knows that the gay vote won’t be enough to defeat Sean Kean in the general election. That’s why Dan wants someone like Anna Little or me to challenge Kean in the primary. Dan knows how to count. He knows that only way to defeat Kean is in a primary. Democrat Dan also knows that if Kean were to be defeated in the primary that his “safe seat” would suddenly be in play. It won’t happen. State Senator is too small a title for Anna Little and I’m not a moron. At least I’m not that much of a moron.
As imperfect as Sean Kean is, if he could be beat in a Republican primary, Steve Corodemus would be a senator. Kean is from Wall Township and he is wildly popular there. Wall Township dominates the 11th district and it will likely dominate what ever district Kean lands in after redistricting.
Kean and Corodemus had an uneasy partnership as Assembly members representing the 11th from 2002, when Kean was appointed to fill the seat vacated by the death of Assemblyman Tom Smith, through 2008 when both men left the Assembly. Corodemus had been in the Assembly for 10 years before Kean, who had never before held elective office, won Smith’s seat. Corodemus was the heir apparent to Senator Joe Palaia. Yet Kean’s ambitions were obvious. In their second race together, 2005, Corodemus and Kean were targeted by the state Democrats and narrowly won reelection against Corzine funded challengers. The winning votes came from Wall Township and Kean was the top vote getter.
Corodemus is not a moron. When Palaia announced he would retire rather than seek another term in 2007, Steve did the math and realized his seniority would not overcome Kean’s popularity in the southern part of the 11th district, especially Wall. Corodemus also announced his retirement from the legislature rather than challenge Kean in a primary or serve in the Assembly “under” Senator Kean.
Jacobson says a Tea Party type should take on Kean. That would be insane to do in a blue state against a “safe” Republican incumbent in a year when Republicans are attempting to win control of the legislature against steep odds. The Tea Party folks I talk to are not insane. They see the lay of the land and would rather work to pick up Republican seats in the Senate and Assembly than to put a “safe” seat at risk. They know that if Kean’s seat becomes vacant that the Democrats will recruit a viable candidate to run for it, even if that means changing nominees after the primary, and dedicate money to try to win the seat.
Anna Little couldn’t defeat Sean Kean in a primary and neither could I. I wouldn’t challenge Kean because I know I couldn’t defeat him. Little won’t do it because State Senator is not a prestigious enough title for her.
The only person who could defeat Sean Kean in a primary is Jacobson himself. If Dan changed parties he might be able to get 3000 of his Independent readers to declare as Republicans on primary day and vote for him. There were only about 2600 primary voters in district 11 in 2009. There’s little reason to expect a larger turnout this year, unless Dan Jacobson dedicates his paper to bringing out new voters to vote for him.
Jacobson is thinking about it. A few hours after he sent me his column he sent me an email asking if Kean is pro-life.
“Something tells me that neither you nor Anna is going to going to run against him, which means it will fall to me to take him on in the GOP primary.”
“If I can determine that he’s not for banning abortion, then the only constituencies he’ll have left are gun nuts and the anti-gay bigots. Then again, those two groups make up the majority of the Republican Party so I guess I can’t win.
Anyway, do you think Sean is pro-life?”
I don’t know if Kean is pro-life. I suggested that Dan call Sean and ask him. “Naaaw, he’s a pussy! Pussy, pussy, pussy!” I love how Dan expresses himself because it allows me to quote him, push the envelope myself, and still come off as a Republican.
“Wait a minute Dan,” I said, “You don’t want to call Sean Kean and that makes him a pussy?”
I don’t think Dan will do it. Maybe he was joking. He’s always joking. Maybe underneath it all he’s a, you know, …..not a moron.
Keyport, March 17 – James O’Keefe, the 26 year old citizen journalist/filmmaker who has exposed taxpayer funded atrocities at ACORN, Planned Parenthood, the NJEA and most recently NPR spoke before approximately 100 members and friends of the Bayshore Tea Party Group this evening at the Ye Cottage Inn in Keyport. Among the guests were State Senator Mike Doherty, R-23, and 13th district Assembly members Amy Handlin and Sam Thompson.
O’Keefe explained that is work is funded by grassroots donations to his Project Veritas, a 501-C3 (pending), whose mission is to investigate and expose corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions in order to achieve a more ethical and transparent society.
O’Keefe said he work is possible and necessary because the mainstream media no longer performs investigative journalism. “Mainstream journalism has devolved into punditry, stenography and promotion,” he said.
O’Keefe summarized his body of work with a video presentation that started with Jon Stewart’s coverage of the ACORN expose’ and concluded with clips of a hilarious video he produced while a student at Rutgers wherein he complained to a Dean that Rutgers serving Lucky Charms in their dining hall was denigrating to Irish Americans.
O’Keefe said that Rutgers banned Lucky Charms from their dining halls as a result of his meeting and later got the joke and started serving the breakfast cereal again.
In between Stewart and Lucky Charms, O’Keefe’s presentation showed his work exposing Planned Parenthood, the NJEA and various media pieces wherein mainstream media outlets ignored his stories and/or attempted to discredit him as he explained to the group the methodology of his stings and the reasoning for the staggered release of his videos.
The first annual Bayshore Tea Party Group St Patrick’s Day Celebration raised funds for the organization’s education and grassroots activism efforts. The event was sponsored by Senator Joe Kyrillos, 11th district legislators Senator Sean Kean and Assembly members Dave Rible and Mary Pat Angelini, Doherty, Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue, Fastrack Oil and Lube, Diane Gooch’s Strong New Jersey, Todd Christie, Ken and Ann Kievit, Anna Little and Sean Spinello.
Governor Stresses Community Input and Gives Overview of Ongoing Process of Selecting a New Superintendent
Trenton, NJ – In a visit to Ann Street School this morning, Governor Chris Christie engaged in a conversation with students and members of Newark’s education community, reaffirmed his commitment to bringing fundamental reform to Newark Public Schools and underscored the importance of community involvement in reform efforts and the process of selecting a new superintendent.
“It has been 15 years since the State of New Jersey took over public schools in Newark with the hope of transforming the district and ending its failure of so many of our children. But a decade and a half later, with the exception of a few bright spots of progress, we have yet to achieve our goals of providing a quality education to every child. The work of changing Newark’s education system did not begin the day I came into office, but I believe we have brought this issue into sharper focus in this Administration with our education reform efforts and partnership with the City and community at large,” said Governor Christie. “As we endeavor to change the status quo, cooperation at every level – the State, the City’s leadership, Education Task Force, School Advisory Board and the whole community – will be critical to replicate the bright spots and successful models in this school district, and improve the public schools across this city. In partnership, I believe we will finally accomplish meaningful change and reform for the children of this city, and in areas across the state where opportunity is not being delivered.”
The Christie Administration has taken numerous, proactive steps to ensure that every opportunity for reform and progress is seized and that progress continues in Newark, even while the selection of a new superintendent is underway. Rochelle Hendricks, who recently served as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Education, has assumed responsibility for the Newark Public Schools during this transition period. Hendricks is a dedicated, accomplished education professional with the knowledge and background necessary to achieve progress during this interim period. She is working closely with interim-superintendent Deborah Terrell to ensure that the district’s most pressing challenges are met with solutions as soon as possible. Both are working closely with the educational and community leadership in Newark to deal with the serious challenges facing the district today, most specifically the budget gap and the shortage of quality schools.
Governor Christie also outlined the process being undertaken by the State, in cooperation with the Newark community, in the selection of a new superintendent for Newark Public Schools:
The next Superintendent of the Newark Public School system will send a strong signal to the community that Governor Christie and the Administration are serious about real reform and real results. As a result, the process for choosing the next superintendent is built on transparency, community involvement and real input from educators. The selection process, already underway, for finding a qualified, dedicated superintendent has been set out to be broad, thorough and staged to allow for plenty of community input along the way.
·The first stage began in January when Acting Commissioner Cerf solicited names of top candidates in conversations with national reform leaders and local community leaders.
·The second stage was to seek sound input and guidance from members of the community on critical education reform issues, ongoing and emergent challenges that will face the incoming superintendent, and the qualifications demanded of the next superintendent. This began the process of engaging a wide swath of people who live and work in the Newark community:
oThe School Advisory Board, headed by Shavar Jeffries, is the body elected by the people of Newark to represent them in the schools and a critical source of advice and counsel;
oMayor Cory Booker, who is providing valuable leadership as an advisor in the process, offering input and guidance into the reform challenges facing Newark schools, and lending his perspective in the superintendent search process;
oThe Education Task Force, a group of Newark community leaders who provide guidance around education policy and consist of leaders from Newark Public Schools, higher education, parents, the non-profit community, and the charter school community;
oVarious educational leaders, including principals, parent representatives and teachers; and
oLocal representatives, including members of the city council and the legislature.
Each one of these groups represents a different part of the City of Newark and its education and civic community. As such, through each stage of the process, they have provided and will continue to provide counsel on the needs of the Newark Public School System and the qualifications necessary for the next superintendent.
·The final stage of this process, which is now beginning and will continue over the coming weeks, will allow for each of these groups to meet face to face with prospective candidates.
oFinding the next superintendent of the Newark Public Schools can and must integrate a high level of community involvement and investment in the process. Bringing real change to education in the public schools begins and ends with the community; the community’s input will inform the recommendations ultimately made to Governor Christie for this vitally important decision.
At that point, after sufficient time has been spent on soliciting community input and feedback, listening and considering all of the insights and recommendations of the aforementioned groups, Governor Christie will meet with each of the final candidates prior to the Education Commissioner’s final selection being made in May, ensuring that the new superintendent is in place by the end of the school year.
Ever since the pussy voted against same sex marriage, we’ve had it with the always amiable – and consistently cowardly – Republican State Senator.
So we want Sean to do a little work for his reelection this year. Instead of cruising to victory in a district that hasn’t elected a Democrat in 22 years.
(And after the last Democrat they elected – some 28 year old clown with too little life experience to know what the hell he was doing – you can understand why voters have gone Republican since 1989. That last Democrat, of course, was me.)
When it comes to politics, this Publisher loves stirring up trouble. Got a long history of it as both a journalist and an elected official. Keeps people from getting too complacent. More importantly, it keeps me from getting bored.
So here’s a fun fact about Sean Kean that surprises every Republican we tell:
In his past elections, the Republican Senator has repeatedly been endorsed by the most powerful government employee unions in the state. Specifically, the NJEA and the CWA (the union representing state workers). Yup, the same unions in bitter battles against Republican Governors in places like Wisconsin, Ohio and – well, what do you know! – New Jersey.
Sean Kean sold out the Republican principles of limited government for those endorsements. And Republicans we’ve told don’t like it one bit. Kean has also been backed by the state AFL-CIO. They too are in alliance with the NJEA and the CWA in their battles against Republican Governor Chris Christie.
Don’t kid yourself. Those union endorsements come at a price for a Republican like Sean Kean. That price is his independence. Obviously, the Democratic Party lost theirs a long time ago with these groups. Everyone knows that.
But to see a Republican like Sean Kean do it is enough to…well, it’s enough to trigger a challenge in the Republican primary this June! Especially in these times.
After all, the recent events in Wisconsin have solidified the battle lines over the size of government and the power of government employees unions. Meanwhile, New Jersey’s Republican Governor is one of the leaders in the battle. And local Republicans overwhelmingly support Chris Christie in the fight.
Republican primary voters in Sean Kean’s district will not be happy with his choice of political allies – these unions are the most determined adversaries of their beloved Republican Governor! And that should make Sean Kean a big fat target for a Tea Party insurgent challenger in this June’s GOP primary.
Of course, Sean Kean made these alliances in past elections. Basically, when nobody was looking. And nobody cared. The game was always to lock up as much support as possible from wherever it came, principles be damned. It was all about winning elections. Nothing more.
That’s what voters are rebelling against today. Sean Kean is a typical politician – wonderfully amiable, a terrifically nice guy…and one who’s genetically incapable of ever rocking the boat. There’s your answer as to why nothing changes. We keep electing such friendly people from both parties. Sure, as far as the drek in Trenton goes, Sean Kean actually stacks up quite well. I’ll readily admit that. Then again, that’s additional evidence of why nothing gets done. He’s the standard.
Of course, I’m just stirring up controversy here. I love seeing Republicans fight each other. That’s why I want someone to run against Sean Kean in this year’s GOP primary. As a Democrat, I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with being backed by the NJEA or the CWA (the state workers union).
And all this demonizing of unionized government workers by Republicans nationwide is a bit much. It’s not like we’re talking about Al Qaeda here. These are our teachers, state workers and fellow citizens. The many government workers I’ve dealt with have been as serious about their job as those I’ve encountered in the private sector. Many even more so.
I really mean that. Sure, political hacks appointed to jobs because of their connections may be a different story. But my encounters with regular public employees from behind the scenes, when I’ve known the real story of what’s going on, have been almost uniformly positive. I’ve been an aide to elected officials, an elected official myself and I’ve represented local government entities as a lawyer. I also served as a municipal public defender. And I was a real reporter years ago and a fake one today. So I’ve had over 25 years of exposure to government workers. I’m positive on them.
The problem, however, is that the power of government employee unions today is way out of balance. We all know that. They’re too strong and have built too many advantages into the system with their power. Union leadership will never concede that. They can’t. They’d be out of a job as a union leader. So no one will speak the truth to their members.
The result has been unions who’ve thrown their political weight around, and everyone else resents it. Meanwhile, these unions are insulated and mostly talking to themselves about political issues. That only makes it worse. And politicians like Sean Kean have always given them what they want. That makes it doubly difficult to change the system.
A politician like Sean Kean can’t be trusted as an honest broker when it comes time to reform the state government. He can never be trusted to say no to the unions in those cases when that legitimately needs to be done. To Republicans, Sean Kean has cut his deal with the devil. He’s a rarity in the GOP – Kean is like a union-backed Democrat who’ll give in too much.
Here’s the funny part. I’ll bet Sean Kean will abandon his union allies if he thinks that’s the best way to keep his seat. Just watch what happens if a Republican primary challenger steps forward who can beat him. That will be fun to watch – and write about – when Kean inevitably back-pedals away from his union backers. Can’t wait to see their reaction too.
OK, so who can take on Sean Kean?
Got to be a Tea Party type. The obvious choice is Anna Little. She scored a stunning upset last year in the Republican primary over the establishment-backed Diane Gooch to run against Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone.
After losing to Pallone, this former Mayor of Highlands and former Monmouth County Freeholder announced she was running against him again. Recently, Little has talked about running for U.S. Senate, after Tea Party groups in other parts of the state suggested it.
That’s all nonsense. Little would lose again against the powerful Pallone. And forget the U.S. Senate. She doesn’t have the resources or recognition for that.
But Little could beat Sean Kean in this year’s primary for state Senate. Especially with his union baggage among Republican primary voters. And Little could then become the Tea Party’s darling in Trenton. Not a bad role to play as a Republican in the age of Governor Chris Christie. After a few years in that role, Little could then make a credible run for statewide office. (Oh man, are we creating another Frankenstein here – just so we have controversy to write about?)
Another choice to run against Sean Kean is powerful Republican blogger Art Gallagher out of Highlands. He was a key factor in Anna Little’s success last year, using his blog to relentlessly promote her candidacy and coordinate activity among Tea Party volunteers. However, there is a rift between Gallagher and Little these days.
We’re not sure what that rift means. But if Gallagher has significant support among the local Tea Party movement, then he can take a shot against Sean Kean. Gallagher is well-known among rank and file Republicans by his MoreMonmouthMusings blog. Even better, he’s been on the front page of the triCityNews. That’s much more powerful.
In the end, we don’t care who takes on Sean Kean. We just want some Republican to do it. And give the Senator a run for his NJEA and CWA money. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist that clever line!)
Of course, Sean Kean is always welcome to give his side of the story in the triCityNews. Hell, he can even take this column. I’m always happy to do less work. Sean won’t do it though. Too much of a pussy.
Pussy! Pussy! Pussy!
Although he’s a helluva nice guy. Aren’t they all?
So if anyone credible wants to take on Sean Kean let us know. This Democratic newspaper is always happy to provide a platform for Republicans to attack each other. Our front page awaits you!
After all, we’re the triCityNews. We’re here to help.
Editors note: MMM is thrilled that Dan Jacobson has finally consented to having his work published on the Internet. We never understood why Dan doesn’t like the Internet, after all, Al Gore invented it! We’re honored that the publisher of the only profitable newspaper in the universe chose MMM to stir things up.
In addition to publishing the tri-CityNews, Jacobson is a former Assemblyman from the 11th legislative district.
If you frequent the New Jersey focused news sites (which you obviously do), you for sure have noticed the advertisements lately that have been smearing The Market Competition and Consumer Choice Act. This bill alters State regulation of competitive services provided by telecommunications and cable television companies. As the law stands today, our state regulations are older than the phone below. Remember those?
Recently the Star-Ledger had a story about a study released by two left-leaning think tanks New Jersey Policy Perspective and Demos. This study is a last-ditch effort by left wing groups to stop S. 2664 and calls the bill radical. The study was written by failed New York politician and Working Families Party (ACORN’s political arm in New York) attorney Richard Brodsky. It is the companion bill to A.3766, which passed 66-7. 66-7 doesn’t sound to radical for us New Jerseyeans, but then again we aren’t from New York. It is worth pointing out that this is all part of a campaign seemingly led by two special interest groups – New Jersey Citizen Action and AARP, according to the Daily Record.
Now we have two issues with this study. The first one is substantive. Deregulation is often a good idea, and certainly, there are too many regulations in New Jersey already. That’s part of why we elected Chris Christie. And if AARP and other liberal think tanks can bring in out-of-state failed politicians to write studies about it, let us look at a study from professors at Ball State University who pointed out that deregulation was a success in Indiana.
