And So It Goes: Lobbyists Feed Politicans at DNC

A Bloody Mary in the morning, champagne flutes in the afternoon and paté at night. Funded by special interests, enjoyed by politicians and hidden from public view. At hotel lobbies and dive bars and shiny museums far from the floor of the Democratic National Convention in South Philadelphia, democracy is getting fat – and wasted -… Read the rest of this entry »

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How the battle for north Jersey casinos is being hampered by 2017 gubernatorial race

TRENTON — New Jersey’s top legislators agree on at least this much: Opening casinos in the northern part of the state is crucial. It’s needed, they say, for the Garden State’s gaming industry to survive against ever-increasing competition from gambling halls in neighboring states. And it would provide money to revitalize and reimagine financially ailing Atlantic… Read the rest of this entry »

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Phil Murphy — A Bloomberg, Not a Corzine

By Alan J. Steinberg

Alan J. Steinberg

Initially, I thought Phil Murphy, as a candidate for the New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2017 would be the second coming of John Corzine – a well-meaning yet out-of-touch gubernatorial candidate who would be unable to communicate effectively with middle class and working class New Jerseyans.

Murphy had been appointed by former Acting Governor Dick Codey in 2005 to chair an advisory commission regarding the state pension shortfall.  The commission’s implicit recommendation was a $12.1 billion tax hike – political suicide in New Jersey.  To me, this was the forerunner of the Jon Corzine asset monetization/toll hike proposal which doomed him in his reelection campaign against Chris Christie in 2009.

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Gopal Pushes Hornik for Governor, Bashes Monmouth Republicans

Vin Gopal and Jon Hornik, photo via facebook

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is publicly calling for Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik to run for governor in 2017.

In a Letter to the Editor published on APP.com,  Gopal sings Hornik’s praises as a “socially conscious and fiscally ressponsible” Democrat who was elected in three time in a town that voted for Chris Christie for Governor and Steve Lonegan for U.S. Senate over Cory Booker in 2013. Gopal said that should Hornik run for governor, he would have Vin’s unwavering support.

I wonder how Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Senate President Steve Sweeney and former Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy, all presumed Democratic candidates for governor who have contributed generously to Gopal’s Monmouth County Democratic campaigns, feel about this.

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Former Asbury Park Mayor Considering Gubernatorial Run

Ed Johnson photo via facebook

Former Asbury Park Mayor Ed Johnson is “seriously thinking about” running for governor in 2017, according to a report on PolitickerNJ.

“I know a little about raising cities from the dead, and I know about staring down Hurricane Sandy,” said Johnson, who runs his own private consulting firm. “There are no greater troubled waters than our state right now. Whether it’s Democratic or Republican it just keeps going.Everything I’ve done, people said ‘you can’t do that,’ and we did it. People now say the state is too far gone, too broken, it can’t be fixed. I think it can be. I’m not saying I’ve made a final decision. It would be a wildcat, barn-burner election, no question, but the people must regain control of this state.”

Johnson stared down Hurricane Sandy by hosting New Jersey Democratic leaders at a pre-election rally on October 28, 2012.    Senator Bob Menendez, Cory Booker, then mayor of Newark, former Governor Dick Codey, Congressman Frank Pallone and state Senator Barbara Buono joined Johnson and Monmouth Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal in a rally for Menendez and President Obama while the rest of New Jersey was preparing for the worst and  praying to be spared by the troubled waters of Sandy.

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Lesniak planning a gubernatorial run, won’t seek re-election to Senate

TRENTON — Longtime Democratic state Sen. Raymond Lesniak said Thursday he’s planning to run for governor in 2017. Lesniak (D-Union) said he plans to focus “on the issues I championed in my legislative career,” and will not seek reelection to the state Senate. He’s served in the Legislature for 37 years. “I’m not running for reelection.… Read the rest of this entry »

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Sweeney wants federal loan program to rescue public worker pensions

Senate President Steve Sweeney. file photo by Art Gallagher

TRENTON — State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said Wednesday the answer to New Jersey’s rising public employee pension debt lies in creating a trillion dollar federal loan program that will help states avoid insolvency, spare millions of government workers from economic devastation and take the pressure off state budgets. The government aid program — which Sweeney… Read the rest of this entry »

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Analysis: Partisan and Labor Politics Drive Battle Over Health-Benefits Reform

As Gov. Chris Christie’s Pension and Health Benefits Study Commission wrestles with the issue of how much public employees should pay toward their health insurance, New Jersey’s public-employee unions are focused not only on how much they will pay, but also on making sure they win back the right to collective bargaining on healthcare issues. It… Read the rest of this entry »

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Opinion: Christie and Sweeney Have More in Common Than Ambition

photo via Gov Christie’s website

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Christie’s pension plan puts NJ Democrats in a bind as budget deadline looms

Christie’s pension plan puts NJ Democrats in a bind as budget deadline looms (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — No one wants to be the politician who guts spending, raises taxes or reneges on a promise. But thanks to Gov. Chris Christie and a sluggish economic recovery in New Jersey, those are the choices facing Democratic leaders in the state Legislature…

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