A Case For Competitive Congressional Districts

By Art Gallagher

Giving credit where it is do, The Asbury Park Press Editorial Board got one right in their recent editorial lamenting the closure of Fort Monmouth’s commissary.  They give a quick summary of the disaster the closure of Fort Monmouth is and how the entire BRAC decision to close the fort was based on faulting economic and home security data.

Fort Monmouth’s closure and the move of its operations to Aberdeen Maryland was a huge waste of money that compromised national security.  An investigative series by Asbury Park Press reporters Bill Bowman and Keith Brown (which is no longer linkable) documented the waste and fraudulent numbers that BRAC gave Congress to justify the closure.

In their editorial, The Asbury Park Press accurately lays the blame:

The closing of the base was based on faulty economic and security research in the first place, and yet even with the facts on their side, Reps Frank Pallone and Rush Holt, along with Sens. Lautenberg and Menendez could not carry the day.

That is largely due to the fact that the faulty economic and security data was uncovered by Bowman and Brown after Congress had already voted to close the fort.  Pallone, Holt, Lautenberg and Menendez didn’t have the juice to uncover that data before or during the BRAC hearings when it might have made a difference.  Worse, the didn’t have the juice needed with their congressional colleagues to keep the fort in New Jersey.  Maryland’s delegation had the juice.

This latest insulting failure is just one in a decades, maybe centuries, long example of ineffective congressional representation from New Jersey.  Not just Pallone, Holt, Lautenberg and Menendez, but most of the delegation. Every two years during congressional elections challengers complain that New Jersey only gets a fraction of the money we send to Washington sent back, but it never changes.  Has there ever been a House Speaker from New Jersey?  Name on U.S. Senator from New Jersey who could be considered a historic figure.

As Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray indicated during his interview on the LaRossa and Gallagher Radio Show two weeks ago, New Jersey Congressmen have little incentive to represent the interests or philosophies of their constituents.  They vote how ever they want and work on, or don’t work on, whatever they want without regard for the good of their constituents because no matter what they do, their jobs are safe.  Historically, gerrymandering as assured that an incumbent member of congress will be reelected time after time except in the rarest or circumstances.

A competitive congressional district map could go a long way to improving the quality of representation New Jersey gets from the people we send to Washington.  Currently, Congressmen face no consequences for failures like the BRACing of Fort Monmouth.  Despite the rants of congressional challengers every two years about the about of money that New Jersey sends to Washington vs the amount of money that comes back, that situation never changes and our representitives have little incentive to work to change it.

If competitive congressional elections were the norm, rather than a rare exception, New Jersey would get better representation and better results.

New Jersey’s Redistricting Commission has a huge opportunity to create an environment that could lead to an major improvement in the quality of our representation in Washington over the next decade.  If past is prelude, the Democrats and Republicans on the commission will spend the process jockeying for influence with the “13th tie breaking” member.  The commission will predictably produce a winning map for one party which will be a losing map for the other party. 

For New Jersey to have a “winning map” would require at least one party to propose a competitive map based upon population and geography only without regard for the residency of incumbents or the historical voting trends of residents, and for the “13th member,” former Attorney General and Acting Governor for ninety minutes, John Farmer Jr, to do the right thing.

Otherwise, it won’t really matter much which party “wins” the redistricting battle.  New Jersey’s representation in Washington will not likely improve if the people will send there have little incentive to work for it.

By the way, Lautenberg and Pallone are scheduled to make a “surprise announcement” in Belmar tomorrow. 

Pray for rain. 

Maybe Lautenberg is announcing his retirement and endorsing Pallone to replace him.  Not likely, but one can hope.

More likely they will announce some legislation they are sponsoring that will probably never become law or some appropriation they are proposing or maybe even secured that will not have nearly postive impact on New Jersey that the negative impact that the closure of Fort Monmouth will have.

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Pallone’s FEC Report

By Art Gallagher

Frank Pallone at 2010 Highlands Clamfest. This year's Clamfest is August 4-7

Congressman Frank Pallone raised $206,050.06 for his 2012 reelection effort during the quarter that ended on June 30, 2011.  His campaign spent $111,008.79 in the quarter, earned interest of $1080.13 and ended the quarter with $3,223,144.24 in cash, according to the Pallone for Congress FEC Form 3 filed on July 15.

Among the campaign’s expenditures is a $614 per month auto lease, gas and tolls.  Someone apparently had a fender bender with the $614 per month car.  The campaign spent over $900 at Tony’s Auto Body in Long Branch.

Former Governor Jon Corzine’s campaign contributions have not entirely dried up.  Corzine gave Pallone $2500 in the quarter.

One of Pallone’s contributors raised my eyebrows.  Jacob “Josh” Elkes, a stalwart Monmouth GOP supporter and Acting Chairman of Brookdale Community College gave Pallone $250 in June. 

Eileen Kean, former President of the Neptune Township Republican Club and sister of State Senator Sean Kean, gave Pallone $250.   As a lobbyist, campaign contributions are part of the cost of doing business for Kean.

(Blogger’s note:  This is the 1000th post on MMM since the site was relaunched at this domain in September of last year.  Thank you readers, advertisers, contributors and commenters.)

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District Office Of Congressman Frank Pallone On Facebook

A new facebook page from Frank Pallone’s district office showed up on facebook today.

There is no information posted yet and your favorite blogger was the first one to “Like” the page.

Won’t you join me in “Liking” Frank Pallone’s District Office Page?

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Gooch would challenge Pallone or Holt

Strong New Jersey Chairwoman Diane Gooch told NJ.com’s Auditor that she’d be an enthusiastic candidate for congress against either Frank Pallone or Rush Holt:

A scandal — and an opportunity

Diane Gooch may be looking to transform U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner’s shame into her political gain.

Gooch, who wanted to take on U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) last year but lost the GOP primary to tea party favorite Anna Little, last week launched a “nationwide internet campaign” with the website WeinerMustResign.com. It is paid for by a nonprofit political organization that Gooch set up last summer.

In addition to the website, Gooch has been interviewed on a dozen radio shows and denounced Weiner (D-N.Y.), who is under fire for sending lewd photos of himself to women over the internet. She also plans to air radio ads on WABC, which features a stable of conservative talk show hosts.

So why does a wealthy Rumson Republican care so much about a Manhattan
congressman’s sex scandal?

“I care because he’s a congressman, and I think all congressmen should have integrity and common sense,” said Gooch, publisher of the Two River Times in Red Bank.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the effort builds Gooch’s name ID in case she wants to run again for a House seat. Visitors to the political committee’s website are hit immediately with a picture of Gooch, and a 451-word bio of her is just one click away. The committee, Strong New Jersey, raised $239,000 in 2010 — $99,000 from Gooch and $140,000 from her husband, Mickey.

Gooch said she hasn’t decided whether she’ll run because New Jersey’s congressional districts have yet to be redrawn.

“If they hand me a great district and I think I can beat (Democratic U.S. Reps.) Frank Pallone or (Rush) Holt, you better believe I’ll be there,” she told The Auditor.

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Could Pallone Be A Redistricting Target?

By Art Gallagher

The Star Ledger’s Auditor  is raising the question. 

The members of the Redistricting Commission must be appointed by June 15.   The Auditor says he/she was told that Democratic State Chairman John Wisniewski plans to void the appointment of Belmar resident Maggie Moran to the commission.  Moran, former Governor Corzine’s deputy chief of staff and campaign manager, was appointed to the commission by former Chairman Joe Cryan, at Pallone’s urging, as one of Cryan’s last acts before turning the chairmanship over to Wisniewski.

Moran, who is the wife of Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, is supposed to be Pallone’s eyes and ears on the commission.   Her removal would be a blow to Pallone, according to The Auditor, this year in particular as New Jersey is losing a congressional district.  One incumbent congressman will lose his job regardless of the electoral outcome.  The Auditor implies that Democratic boss George Norcross and Republican Governor Chris Christie would like that incumbent to be Pallone.

How would that work?

Pallone’s 6th district borders the 4th, 7th, 12th and 13th districts.  He resides in Long Branch which is in the south east coastal part of the district.

While it is entirely possible in New Jersey that a gerrymandered district that includes Long Branch of Monmouth County could be combined with Clinton Township in Hunterdon County, home of 7th district Republican Congressman Leonard Lance or West New York, Hudson County, home of 13th district Democratic Congressman Albio Sires, neither scenario is likely.

Combining Pallone’s 6th with Rush Holt’s 12th would make sense based on geography as the 12th shares the largest border with the 6th.  Even though neither Pallone or Holt is particularly well liked by Democratic leaders in New Jersey or Washington, it is unlikely that the Democrats would surrender a district without a fight. 

Which would leave a match up between New Jersey’s two most senior congressmen, Pallone who has been in Congress since 1988 and 4th district Congressman Republican Chris Smith who has served since 1981.  While it would be unusual that seniority be discarded as an incumbent protection consideration during a redistricting battle, an argument could be made along the lines of “continuity of representation.”  Pallone first went to Congress as the representative of the 3rd district after the death of Congressman James Howard.  Much of the pre-1992 3rd district is now part of the 4th.

Even with his $4 million war chest, it is hard to imagine Pallone beating Smith in a combined district that includes southeast Monmouth and portions of Republican Ocean and Burlington counties.  Smith would dominate in his Mercer home turf.

Pallone vs. Smith would be a great race.  It probably won’t happen.  I’ll explain why at the end of this piece.  But first let’s have some fun speculating about the fallout of such a district.

If Long Branch and Pallone are moved south into a district combined with portions of Smith’s (of Hamilton in Mercer County) 4th district,  it would make sense that the Northern Monmouth portions of the present 6th district would be folded into the Rush Holt’s 12th district.  

That would create an interesting race for the GOP nomination in the 12th.  Diane Gooch, Mike Halfacre, Anna Little, and Scott Sipprelle could all be contenders for that nomination.

Little beat Gooch for the 6th district nomination primary by 83 votes before losing to Pallone by 11% in the 2010 general election.  She declared that a loss of only 11% was a victory and launched her 2012 race against Pallone in the weirdest election night concession speech ever.   Since election night 2010 Little has alienated herself from both her local Tea Party and establishment GOP supporters.  She’s chomping at the bit for a rematch with both Gooch and Pallone, but she’s referred to as a “coo coo bird” by former supporters.  A Pallone-Smith match up would wreck havoc on her delusions.   Only Little, her family and Larry Cirignano, her escort/handler/manager/driver/tenant, believe Anna Little will ever be nominated for congress again.

Halfacre, the Mayor of Fair Haven, has been kicking himself for bowing out of the race for the 12th district nomination since Tea Party candidate David Corsi beat Sipprelle in Monmouth County in the 2010 primary.  Sipprelle won the nomination by virtue of his margin of victory in Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon before losing to Holt by 7% in the general. 

Halfacre was the Tea Party favorite during his contentious race against Sipprelle for the party lines in 2010. Sipprelle won all the county party lines and Halfacre correctly concluded that a primary against Sipprelle without at least the Monmouth or Middlesex lines was not winnable.  Corsi’s Monmouth victory naturally lead to “what ifs?”  Little’s narrow victory over Gooch created additional “what ifs?”

But the self funding Sipprelle did not spend any money to defeat Corsi.   Gooch took victory over Little for granted in the primary.   Given how contentious the Sipprelle-Halfacre county conventions/screenings were, it is likely that a primary between to two would have been bloody and expensive.  Halfacre couldn’t have matched Sipprelle’s money.

Halfacre would have a heavy lift to regain his Tea Party support.  If either Gooch or Sipprelle seek the nomination, he would have a heavier lift to raise the money necessary to compete.  After Little’s victory in the 2010 primary, it will be a long time before any candidate or county party organization takes a Tea Party challenge for granted.  Halfacre’s best hope for a nomination against Holt is for both Gooch and Sipprelle to conclude that 2012, a presidential year with Obama leading the ticket, is not the year to take on Holt.   

Both Gooch and Sipprelle are staying in front of the party faithful.  Gooch with Strong New Jersey and Sipprelle with the Lincoln Club of New Jersey, organizations each has founded since losing their respective races.  Gooch has been open about wanting to run for congress again, depending on how the districts are drawn.  Sipprelle has been coy about a future candidacy.

A Gooch-Sipprelle primary defies imagination.  Given the money both could spend on such a race, a deal would likely be brokered by the state and county party chairmen before it would occur.  But if ego got the better of either of them, it would be quite a race.   A more sensible sceanario would be for one of the millionaires to take on U.S . Senator Robert Menendez while the other takes on Holt.  

So while redistricting Pallone and Smith into the same district could make the Republican nomination contest in the Holt’s district more interesting, a Pallone-Smith battle is unlikely even should a district be drawn that way.  Should such a district be drawn look for Pallone to retire from the House and use his hefty war chest as a down payment for a statewide race for Governor in 2013.

Pallone’s $4 million war chest would clear the field of Democratic candidates for Governor, unless Chris Christie isn’t a candidate or has anemic poll numbers, neither of which is likely.  Christie would love to defeat Pallone, which he would but it would probably be a close race.  Pallone would then run for U.S. Senate in 2014, assuming Frank Lautenberg finally retires.

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Pallone Wants A Progressive Senate Slot

Photo credit: Politickernj.com

With Congressional redistricting and the certain loss of one House seat on the minds of most New Jersey Congressmen, Frank Pallone is looking ahead to a 2014 run for U.S. Senate.

Pallone distributed slot buckets paid for by Pallone for Senate to delegates of the NJ Democratic convention in Atlantic City last week, according to Politickernj.

Pallone passed on a chance to run for Senate in 2002 when a scandal plagued Robert Torricelli dropped out of his campaign for reelection.  Frank Lautenberg came out of retirement and won Torricelli’s seat after the State Supreme Court ruled he could run even though the statutory deadline for replacing candidates on the ballot had passed.

Pallone raised and spent over $1 million in the hopes of going to the Senate in 2005 as Jon Corzine’s replacement.  Corzine resigned from the Senate during his only term to become governor.  Corzine selected Robert Menendez over Pallone as his replacement in the Senate.

Now Pallone is betting that Lautenberg, who is 87 years old, will not seek another term.

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ObamaCare Will Bankrupt The Country

By Henry Vaccaro, Sr

I recently saw a article written by Congressman Frank Pallone that demanded my response.  Headlines “GOP reforms would break covenant ”

In that story Pallone berated the budget plan prepared by Congressman Ryan as he felt that it dealt too harshly with Medicare reforms.  The first thing he does is to resort to fear mongering and scare tactics  aimed at seniors and then the blame game.

The headline should have said ” Obamacare will Bankrupt the Country.” 

Last year Pallone and his gang, for the first time in our history failed to pass a Budget even though they controlled all three branches of the government.  Instead they kicked the problem  to the next guy.  How courageous of him. Congressman what may I ask is your solution to our staggering 14 Trillion dollar debt.  Where is your plan or is it more convenient to just second guess the guy who actually has a plan.  If we follow your history it’s to give sweet heart deals to the unions,  Give phony cost numbers to the GAO so as to give Obamacare a high score.  Give waivers to over 1000 unions and businesses  to opt out of your Healthcare scam once they find the real cost. 

Congressman the country is broke, how are you going to fix it.  Don’t worry folks, Pallone knows how to work the system.   Ask him how his wife got a cozy job with the EPA paying over $144,000,00 and a pension just after Obama’s election.  They say “To the victor belongs the Spoil’s ” well these spoils  are rotten.   The job even has a fancy title Deputy Associate Administrator of Intergovernmental Relations of the EPA.  This is the same out of control agency that has stopped oil drilling , closed down clean coal operations  and is killing our manufacturing base with overzealous regulations.

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Anna Little For Senate?

By Art Gallagher

Anna Little told NJ.com’s The Auditor that she is thinking of challenging U.S. Senator Robert Menendez rather than Congressman Frank Pallone in 2012:

Tea party darling Anna Little has made no secret that she wants to challenge U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) again in 2012. But Little told The Auditor she is thinking about setting her sights even higher by going after Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez next year.

“There are a lot of people pushing me to do it,” said Little, who upset a millionaire Republican in last year’s 6th District congressional primary, but lost the general election to Pallone. “It’s has been suggested I consider a statewide Senate race. I have not ruled that out, but right now I’m just focused on Pallone,” she said.

” A lot of people” include Independence Hall Tea Party President Teri Adams of Cheltenham Pennsylvania, according to The Auditor and and RoseAnn Salanitri of the Sussex County Tea Party, according to Terry Hurlbut at Examiner.com.

It is telling that there are no 6th district Tea Party activists quoted by either The Auditor or Hurlbut.   Those who know Little best in the Tea Party movement don’t consider her a darling.  Disappointment, distraction and destructive is how Little is considered by many local Tea Party leaders and activists now.   What is left of “Anna’s Army” is little more than a platoon.

It doesn’t matter what office Little seeks in 2012.  The only way she gets nominated next year for any office higher than Councilwoman in Highlands is if no one else wants the nomination.   The Monmouth and Union County GOP leadership are not happy with her.  The local Tea Parties say she will have no leg up over any other candidate in 2012 as they will consider all candidates before granting the Tea Party seal of approval.

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Pallone Silent On Planned Parenthood Controversy

By Art Gallagher

What’s up with Frank Pallone’s silence on the Planned Parenthood controversy?  I realize Perth Amboy is not part of the 6th congressional district, but after all, Phoney Palloney was given PP of Central Jersey’s Leadership Award last October.

Pallone gave a twit about Groundhog  Day this morning.  Not a word today or yesterday about Planned Parenthood.

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Peek-a-boo Francis…I see you!

By Russ Cote

So Francis favors transparency. Well that’s terrific. The first step down that long hallway toward redemption for Mr. Pallone you ask?

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