Barbara’s Babble: Straight from the Horse’s Mouth!

By Susan Christopher, First Amendment Advocate!

Check out Bayshore Teaparty’s website. Barbara Gonzalez has her own stardom opinion section called, “Barbara’s Babble.” The title is a perfect fit! She is still steaming over the comments made on More Monmouth Musings regarding an article titled, Bayshore Teaparty Goes Rogue! What can be determined after reading several of her posts is that she is truly thin skinned! Now she wants to control all teaparties to stay off any blogs; “that practice the ART of deceit, scandal and slander.” This is absolutely the most ludicrous claim of the century! What is this woman talking about? Are we not Americans? Are we not permitted to have opinions, or to disagree with issues involving Americans? I don’t get it. Does the Bayshore Teaparty advocate taking away freedom of speech? Aren’t we Conservatives, Teaparty or Republicans fighting for the same cause?

Seems Gonzalez has a serious problem! Where is the Barbara Gonzalez who first founded this great group with so much talent and tenacity? There seems to be a big change in this faction and not for the better. Perhaps it is time for someone else to step up to the plate for this group and do some damage control before they go by way of the dinosaurs…extinction!

• Tweet

Monmouth Tea Party Gathering Signatures For Third Party U.S. Senate Candidate

Marilynn English

Monmouth Tea Party Coalition President Frank Cotton announced via email tonight that he has collected 42 petition signatures for the U. S. Senate candidacy of potential Constitution Party candidate Marilynn English.  Cotton asked that 50 people of his group step up t0 collect 30 signatures each.

English, of Verona in Essex County, is a licensed mortage banker.  She was formerly employed by JP Morgan as an Assistant Vice President in the Mergers and Acquisitions.

English told MMM that she was approached by leaders of the Constitution Party to run for U.S. Senate two weeks ago.  To her knowledge she has 100 signatures. 800 valid signatures are required for an third party candidate to get onto the general election ballot.  Petitions are due with the Secretary of State on Tuesday, June 5 at 4PM.

She ran for Essex County Executive in 2010 as an Independent Democrat and for Essex County Freeholder at Large in 2011, also as an Independent Democrat.

English is a member of the Verona Rent Control Board and a former member of Verona’s Budget Review Committee.

• Tweet

Tea Parties Considering A Third Party U.S. Senate Candidate

Distressed that their endorsement of Ron Paul for the GOP presidential nomination was not the effective “political statement to the GOP elite”  that they had hoped for, two Monmouth County Tea Party groups are in discussions to support a third party candidate entering the U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Bob Menendez and presumptive GOP nominee Joe Kyrillos, according to a source familiar with meeting between the Bayshore Tea Party Group and the Monmouth County Tea Party Coalition on Tuesday evening.

The Tea Party groups, who have endorsed Badar Qarmout in the GOP primary against Kyrillios, would have to collect 800 valid petition signatures and file the petition with the New Jersey Secretary of State before 4PM on Tuesday, June 5 in order to get their candidate on the general election ballot.

A woman from the Two Rivers area of Monmouth County is said to be the desired candidate of the Tea Party Groups.

• Tweet

Senator Joe Kyrillos’ Response to Senator Bob Menendez’s Campaign Kick-off

“The voters of New Jersey know the truth behind Sen. Menendez’s record…” 

Middletown, May 21…Senator Joe Kyrillos released the following statement today regarding Senator Bob Menendez’s campaign kickoff in Union City. Mr. Menendez is seeking another term in the United States Senate.

“The voters of New Jersey know the truth about Sen. Menendez’s record,” said Senator Kyrillos. “Since Mr. Menendez has been in office, our national debt has almost doubled and our national deficit has nearly quadrupled. Our unemployment rate continues to hover above 8 percent—that’s 20 million unemployed or underemployed people across the country. New Jerseyans see what Senator Menendez is doing is not working- and we need a change. I have worked with Governor Christie to turn around a state that was on the brink of bankruptcy. We’ve balanced our budgets, created jobs, and strengthened the economy without raising taxes. We need reforms like that in Washington, not more of the same from Senator Bob Menendez.”

• Tweet

NY Times: Kyrillos has “a plausable path to upset” Mendenez

The New York Times FiveThirtyEight blog has shifted its rating of the New Jersey U.S. Senate race between likely GOP nominee, State Senator Joe Kyrillos and incumbent Senator Bob Menendez from Safe Democrat to Likely Democrat.

In New Jersey, Robert Menendez, a Democrat, has middling approval ratings and is below 50 percent in the polls against the most likely Republican nominee, State Senator Joseph Kyrillos. Mr. Kyrillos would need to catch some breaks to win the race — his fund-raising has lagged Mr. Menendez’s so far, and he might need Mr. Romney to be more competitive in New Jersey than Republican presidential candidates have been in recent years. Still, there is a plausible path to an upset, and so we now classify the race as Likely Democrat rather than Safe Democrat.

• Tweet

Menendez Continues to Poll in Very Dangerous, Corzine-like Territory

It is clear Menendez doesn’t care about holding ‘individuals’ accountable. See no evil. Hear no evil. Time and again, he has proved unwilling to put his oversight role on the Senate Banking Committee above his self-serving double standard. The people of New Jersey can no longer afford to play second fiddle to Menendez’s political allies.

• Tweet

Menendez’s Self-Serving Double Standard

Menendez calls for ‘system controls’ when JP Morgan makes a risky bet with its own money, but looks the other way when individuals and families lose their savings with MF Global

Middletown, May 15…When individuals and their families lost their savings with MF Global, Bob Menendez protected his ally Jon Corzine by steering the Senate Banking Committee’s investigation away from the CEO’s role in the collapse. Yet, when asked about JP Morgan’s loss resulting from a risky bet, Menendez called for ‘system controls.’  Menendez’s self-serving double standard of protecting his political allies- like Jon Corzine and the rest of the executive team- while calling for everyone else to play by the rules has got to stop.

“The collapse of MF Global and the risky bet placed by JP Morgan clearly demonstrate that regulators need to take a closer look at Wall Street practices and institute reforms to protect investors and the economy as a whole,” said Joe Kyrillos, who has been calling for Menendez to recuse himself from the banking committee’s investigation citing conflict of interest.

“People who took advantage of the lack of controls on Wall Street need to be held accountable. Menendez has again proved that he is not willing to put his personal ties aside to serve as an unbiased congressional investigator. The people of New Jersey deserve someone who is looking out for their best interests- not the best interests of past political cronies.”

Two Piscataway physicians, Drs. John and Alieta Eck, who provide charity medical care to the needy, had an investment account with MF Global that was completely wiped out as a result of the collapse. The Doctors Eck lost $200,000 and rightly demand answers from a thorough Senate investigation.

“The fact that Menendez failed to even mention the CEO Jon Corzine by name demonstrates that he is putting his personal relationship with the CEO ahead of the customers of MF global and the people of New Jersey. This requires a fair and comprehensive investigation, not a political whitewash,” said Dr. John Eck.

In an interview on MSNBC yesterday discussing the JP Morgan loss, Menendez said, “What I care about is not an individual, I care about a system. Having system controls to ensure that no matter who is at the head of a company, this can’t happen.”

It is clear Menendez doesn’t care about holding ‘individuals’ accountable. See no evil. Hear no evil. Time and again, he has proved unwilling to put his oversight role on the Senate Banking Committee above his self-serving double standard. The people of New Jersey can no longer afford to play second fiddle to Menendez’s political allies.

• Tweet

Garden State Equality Claims They’re Close To Marriage Equality Overide

Could Gay Marriage Be An Issue In The U.S. Senate Race?

In an email to his membership this afternoon, Garden State Equality President Steven Goldstein claimed that the New Jersey State Legislature is close to overriding Governor Chris Christie’s veto of the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemptions Act:

This has already been the most productive year in our organization’s history.  We passed marriage equality through both houses of the legislature, and quickly followed that up with the passage and signing into law of a new school bullying bill.  In recent weeks, we’ve been laying the groundwork to achieve marriage equality through an override of Governor Christie’s veto.  Since the legislature voted to pass marriage equality in February, we’ve won over another couple of legislators to our side.   If you signed up to form an Override Club of your friends and neighbors in your legislative district to help us strategize and organize for marriage equality locally, we’ll be calling you soon.

Friends, we are closer to seeing marriage equality become law in New Jersey than we ever thought would be possible under a Governor opposed to marriage equality.  I swear to God, if someone would have told me a couple of years ago – when we all assumed we’d have to wait until another Governor to win – that we could be this unbelievably close this soon, frankly I’d have told them they were crazy.  Our momentum is stunning.  Our dream is in our grasp.  And we have you to thank.  You never stopped believing.  Together, we have never let up.

“It’s not happening,” said a GSE sympathiser who asked not to be identified, “Steve must be trying to gin up his troops or raise money.  An override is less likely now than it was in February.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Victim of MF Global Fraud Joins Senator Kyrillos in Asking Menendez to Recuse Himself from MF Global Investigation

Family practitioners John and Alieta Eck lost $200,000 in non-investment MF Global account

Middletown, April 4… Today, Piscataway family practitioners, Drs. John and Alieta Eck, joined Senator Kyrillos in asking U.S. Senator Bob Menendez to recuse himself from the Senate Banking Committee’s investigation into the collapse of MF Global. The Doctors Eck had $200,000 in a non-investment account that was completely wiped out as a result of the company’s collapse. They have not received any repayment of their money from MF Global.

“My wife and I were devastated when money that we though was safe was taken from us with no explanation. We were counting on this money for our retirement, and now we many never see it again. We stand firmly with Senator Kyrillos in asking Bob Menendez to step aside from the MF Global investigation proceedings. The fact that Menendez failed to even mention the CEO Jon Corzine by name demonstrates that he is putting his personal relationship with Corzine ahead of the investors of MF global and the people of New Jersey. This requires a fair and comprehensive investigation, not a political whitewash.”

Yesterday, Senator Kyrillos, called on Menendez to recuse himself from the Senate Banking Committee investigation, citing a conflict of interest.

“Recent press accounts and Menendez’s own actions during investigatory hearings are making it seem as if he is trying to protect the man who appointed him to the Senate. As a Senate committee with direct oversight of the MF Global regulators, it is Menendez’s duty to put his personal ties aside, and get to the bottom of this. That is why he needs to recuse himself from further proceedings immediately.”

Last week during the hearing, Senator Menendez made it a point to steer the Committee’s investigation away from Corzine’s role in MF Global collapse: See no evil. Hear no evil.

Previously, the Star Ledger’s Auditor shed light on the Menendez duck: “Menendez [is] not keen to question Jon Corzine on MF Global scandal on Senate Banking committee.”

The column continued, saying Menendez doesn’t want to be “questioning the man who handed him his current job.”

WATCH VIDEO: Menendez makes it a point to steer the Committee’s investigation away from Corzine’s role in MF Global collapse: See no evil. Hear no evil.

• Tweet

Bayshore Tea Party Group Announces Endorsements

The Bayshore Tea Party Group announced the following endorsements this afternoon:

GOP CD-6 primary:  Anna Little

GOP CD-7 primary: David Larsen

GOP U.S. Senate primary: Bader Qarmout

The announcement stated simply, “We are proud to announce our support of the above candidates and look forward to working with them in their efforts to represent us.”

Little, the former mayor of Highlands, a former Monmouth County Freeholder and the 2010 GOP nominee in CD-6, is facing off with Asbury Park businessman and triCityNews columnist Ernesto Cullari for the nomination to take on Congressman Frank Pallone in the sixth district which is comprised of coastal northern Monmouth County and much of Middlesex County.  Little received the Republican part endorsement from the Middlesex GOP.  Cullari received the Monmouth GOP endorsement.

Larsen is taking a second primary run at incumbent GOP Congressman Leonard Lance in the 7th district which includes all of Hunterdon County, parts of Morris, Somerset, Warren and Union Counties and Millburn Township in Essex County.  Lance received the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on May 2.

Qarmout is running against State Senator Joe Kyrillos for the nomination to unseat U.S. Senator Bob Menendez.

• Tweet