The Democratic Map Will Be Approved Today

By Art Gallagher

Multiple news outlets are reporting that Professor Alan Rosenthal, the 11th member of the Apportionment Commission will cast his vote for the Democratic map when the commission has its final meeting in Trenton at noon today.

Assemblyman Jay Webber, the Republican co-chair of the commission told Poltickernj that his team was disappointed and believed they submitted a better map.  Webber said the new map will be an improvement from the current map.

Democratic co-chair Assemblyman John Wisiewski, also the Democratic State Chairman, told Politickernj that his side won by submitting a map the more closely complied with the standards Rosenthallaid out when he joined the commission a month ago.  The Democratic map minimizes incumbency disruption and has a smaller population deviation among districts than the Republican map does.

Both sides expect that the Democrats will retain control of the legislature with the new map, but by smaller margins than their current representation.

MMM will report on the impact the new map will have on Monmouth County districts this afternoon after the map is released.

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Bayshore Tea Party Group Releases Revised Legislative District Map

Middletown, NJ – The Bayshore Tea Party Group issued a revised version of “The People’s Map” to the Apportionment Commission. The changes are as follows:

· Moves Egg Harbor Township, Weymouth and Estell Manor from District 2 to District 1;
· Moves Atlantic City, Brigantine and Absecon from District 1 to District 2;
· Makes cosmetic corrections to several inadvertently miscolored municipalities that do not affect the population outcomes of any other District.
In response to inquiries received following the release of “The People’s Map”, the Bayshore Tea Party Group Redistricting Committee would like to clarify some questions the public may have with the creation of our map:

 
“The People’s Map” was created entirely by hand and without the assistance of any computer program, such as the program in use by the Apportionment Commission and political parties;
“The People’s Map” was drawn using public census data obtained via the internet, pencils and a calculator;
No funding or other outside support from any person or organization was provided for the creation of “The People’s Map”. The aforementioned pencils, paper and calculators were provided by the Bayshore Tea Party Group, which is funded entirely through the generous donations of our members and the public.

The Bayshore Tea Party Group would like to acknowledge and thank Monmouth University’s Patrick Murray for the notes he provided upon his review of our map.

BTPG would also like to publicly acknowledge Jim Meyer of Gateway Press in Atlantic Highlands, NJ for his hard work in preparing “The People’s Map.”
Please visit our website at www.bayshoreteaparty.org for information on how you can become involved with the effort to restore American Exceptionalism and fix our broken government.

The Bayshore Tea Party Group Headquarters is located at 275 Rt. 35N in Fairview, NJ. Please contact [email protected] or call 732-804-3733 for more information.

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What Are The Trenton Democrats Up To?

By Art Gallagher

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.

Daily Muse says:

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.

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