Kryillos announces 7 point jobs plan, picks up NFIB endorsement

After spending the last two months touring New Jersey businesses listening to what job creators need to jump start the U.S. economy, State Senator Joe Kyrillos, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate announced a 7 point jobs plan, America Works, at a press conference in Trenton yesterday.   Representatives of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) were on hand to endorse Kyrillos’s plan and his candidacy against incumbent U.S. Senator Bob Menendez.

“Americans are struggling through the weakest economic recovery since the Great Depression,” said Kyrillos. “Families that played by the rules and worked hard are not looking for a handout or another government program, but for the opportunity to use their talent, industry, and smarts to build their own future. After listening to the difficulties these job creators face first-hand, I was able to create a jobs plan that directly addresses their needs.

“We need jobs and my plan creates them by restoring fiscal responsibility, reforming the tax code, reducing unnecessary and burdensome red tape, and restoring our nation’s place as the home of innovation. It will also establish programs to build a competitive workforce and put forth solutions to our nation’s energy crisis. The prosperity of our country is in jeopardy. We cannot afford to stay the course Bob Menendez has charted for our future. The opportunity for profound economic growth is before us, and we must seize it.”

Menendez scored the endorsement of Communications Workers of America (CWA), the largest government workers union in New Jersey, on Wednesday.

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Monmouth Poll: In New Jersey, Obama leads Romney 50%-42%, Menendez leads Kyrillos 44%-35%

Likely New Jersey voters favor President Barack Obama over GOP nominee Mitt Romney by 8% and U.S. Senator Bob Menendez over State Senator Joe Kyrillos by 9%, according to a Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press poll released this morning.

Regarding the Senate race, Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray said, “There is certainly more room for a GOP upset in the Senate race than the presidential one here in New Jersey, but it’s a contest that few voters are taking an interest in.”

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Menendez Song Parody Contest Gets Its Own Page

So far there are seven eight entries into the Bob Menendez is a cry baby song parody contest!

Don’t Cry for me Bob Menendez to the tune of Don’t Cry for me Argentina,  Bob Menendez “Crying” to the tune of Don McLean’s Crying, Let’s Give Bob Something to Cry About to Bonnie Raitt’s Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About, Somewhere off in New Jersey to the tune of Somewhere over the rainbow, Tears of a Clown, Bobby’s Turn to Cry, and Spinning Wheel.

The contest now warrants its own page on MMM.  The link to the page in just under and to the right of the MMM logo.  

Submit your entries in the comments of any post and Art will put them on that page.

MMM’s song parody contest, with the theme of Bob Menendez crying because Joe Kyrillos is the women’s candidate in the New Jersey U.S. Senate race, continues until July 31.  The winning entry (entries?) will be made into a professional quality video which will be launched in September.

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Don’t cry for me Bob Menendez

Song Parody Contest!

In honor of Senator Bob Menendez crying, “twice choking back sobs” today as Poltickernj put it, because Joe Kyrillos is distinguishing himself as the pro-women candidate in New Jersey’s U.S Senate race, MMM is announcing a song parody contest with the theme being “Joe Kyrillos is the pro-woman candidate in the New Jersey U.S. Senate race.”

The contest is open to all readers of MoreMonmouthMusings.  Submissions will be accepted until midnight on July 31st, or whatever time Art Gallagher wakes up on August 1.  There is no limit on the number a submissions any one person or team of people can submit.   Submissions can be made in the comments of this post or by sending a message to Art Gallagher on facebook.  Submissions can be made in your real name or with a pseudonym.  By submitting a parody you give up any copyright or right to profit monetarily from the parody.

The winning song will be made into a professional quality video produced by our friend and professional videographer Joe Schilp.  MMM readers will be stars of the video. The video will be launched on YouTube the week after Labor Day

To get things started, MMM publisher Art Gallagher reached deep into the MMM archives to find Lightshines, a prolific parody writer for MMM and other sites in the late 2000’s. Art asked Lightshines to write a parody entitled “Don’t cry for me Bob Menendez” to the tune of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Don’t cry for me Argentina.”  This is Lightshines’ first entry in the contest:

After witnessing the sad spectacle of Bob Menendez breakdown when addressing a Union County Day Care Center (he didn’t get his nap?) we channeled Eva Peron who, feeling Senator Bob was a little too corrupt even for her, had this to say:

Don’t cry for me, Bob Menendez
The truth is we never liked you
All through your Hudson days
your dirty politics
You kept no promise
Now keep your distance

And as for fortune, and as for fame
That didn’t do much for us
Cause it seemed to the world that was all you desired

You’re an illusion
You are not the solution you promised to be
The answer was here all the time
Defeat you and all of your grime

Don’t cry for me, Bob Menendez
The truth is we never liked you
All through your Hudson days
your dirty politics
You kept no promise
Now keep your distance

Pick any song you like to write your parody.  You can use “Don’t cry for me..” or any other song.

MMM is assembling a panel of judges who will select the final four parodies. 

MMM readers will select the winner in early August.

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Menendez Out Raises Kyrillos in Second Quarter Money Race

U. S. Senator Bob Menendez raised nearly $400 thousand more than his challenger, State Senator Joe Kyrillos did during the quarter that ended June 30th.   Menendez raised roughly $1.7 million to Kyrillos’ $1.3 million.  During the first quarter, Kyrillos out raised Menendez by $100 thousand.

Menendez has $10 million in cash to Kyrillos’ $2 million.

“I am grateful for the support of so many people for my campaign, which is about so much more than re-electing one person as Senator. It’s about the middle class of New Jersey and what matters most to all of us,” said Senator Menendez. “These resources are invaluable to me as I prepare for a long hard fight in the Senate race. Contributions from regular people who hold a tremendous stake in this election serve as a bulwark against the very real possibility of my opponent turning to corporations and billionaires to fund his campaign.”

The Kyrillos campaign said that the $3.1 million they have raised to date puts them in the top tier of U.S. Senate candidates, both incumbents and challengers, throughout the country.

“Bob Menendez has raised millions of dollars from special interests,” said Kyrillos Campaign Manager Chapin Fay. “Oil companies, banks and Wall Street are all kicking in big bucks. And like Jon Corzine did in 2009, Menendez will have more money in this race. But no amount of money can explain away Bob Menendez’s failed record on jobs and the economy. We are right on pace for Joe Kyrillos to have the resources necessary to get out his job growth message.”

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Republicans could be in for a long summer

In Chris Christie:The Inside Story of His Rise to Power, authors Bob Ingle and Michael Symons describe U.S. Attorney Christie’s reluctance to use Solomon Dwek as informant during the Operation Bid Rig investigation in 2006.  “Do I really want to get in bed with this guy?” Christie is described as asking his deputies who were pushing for approval to make Dwek an informant. 

Ironically given how Democrats and defendants have argued that the July 2009 arrests based on Dwek’s sting were politically motivated to help Christie, the Deputy U.S. Attorneys advocating the sting argued to Christie that he would have been acting politically if he did not approve Dwek’s cooperation.

If this Star Ledger article by Matt Friedman is an indication of charades to come this summer, the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee will make Joe Oxley’s confirmation hearing for his Superior Court Judgeship nomination a payback for the unceremonious end to former House Speaker, Senator and Commissioner of Community Affairs Joe Doria’s career when he his home was raided during the July 2009 federal operation. 

Doria has been cleared of any wrongdoing.  He has a letter from the U.S. Attorney, just like John Bennett does, but his career in public service is over.   Maybe Doria can become Chairman of the Hudson County Democrats some day.

U.S. Senate nominee Joe Kryillos is in the Democrats sites as well.  Dwek is the ammunition.

Democratic State Chairman John Wisniewski Tuesday issued a list of questions for Kyrillos, including how often he met with Dwek, what was discussed, who else was in attendance and whether he was ever contacted by law enforcement about it. “If you deny this and suggest Dwek is lying, does that raise the possibility with you that Dwek’s testimony that convicted others should be questioned?” Wisniewski wrote.

Kyrillos campaign spokesman Chapin Fay did not directly respond to Wisniewski, instead repeating that Kyrillos did nothing to help Dwek.

During the trial of Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez it was revealed that among the diobalical schemes Dwek deployed in the 14 years leading to his 2006 arrest was a life insurance scam.  Dwek paid the life insurance premiums of people close to death who could not afford to keep their policies.  Upon the death of the insured, Dwek would give the deceased’s family 10% of the policy proceeds and pocket the rest.

Dwek’s father tried to get Soloman a pardon from President George W. Bush.  Maybe President Obama will pardon Dwek if he helps knock Chris Christie down a notch and helps keep Bob Menendez in the Senate.

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Kyrillos campaign’s statement on Dwek

“Senator Kyrillos has built a sterling reputation throughout his career, and this is a shameless oppo dump from the Menendez political machine. The fact of the matter is that Senator Kyrillos never did anything to help this man at any time.  And furthermore, the second it was clear that this man was a con man, Senator Kyrillos, unlike others, immediately gave his campaign contribution to charity and documented that with the Election Law Enforcement Commission.”

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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