New Jersey Election

~ Laura

Anybody keeping an eye on the Jersey Senate race?  We’ve got a down n’dirty race going on here.  There’s the Democrat, Bob Menendez, who’s mixed up in the games that go on in Jersey’s rust belt cities.  The Republican, Tom Kean Jr., is hair gelled, bland, and a W. yes man.  The debate was a screaming match, and we walked away from the TV feeling the need for a good shower. Steve’s voting for Kean, only because Menendez is too corrupt for a vote.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do.   

Published by Laura

15 thoughts on “New Jersey Election”

  1. If you think Menendez is corrupt, check out Kean’s history..
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kean
    and
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kean_Jr.
    It’s ugly.
    As far as I can tell, Menendez’s “corruption” has led to increased funding for social services and health care for the poor. He’s certainly not clean, but Kean has done far more damage than Menendez.
    Kean appears to want to vote to make Bush’s 2001 tax cuts permanent, opposes universal health care, supports tort reform and medical malpractice caps. Pure Republican evil.

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  2. Well, the “Kean” in this election is Thomas Kean Jr–not sure why his father’s activities are relevant. The only thing I see in wikipedia is that he accepted campaign donations from a employees of a business after voting for an omnibus tax bill (everything and the kitchen sink) that kept tax treatment for that business the same.

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  3. I can’t understand why anyone would vote for a Republican right now and risk the Republicans keeping control of the House and/or Senate. I do believe in assessing each candidate individually, but I think this year, of all years, it is time to send a message.

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  4. The first thing Kean will do is vote for Mitch McConnell (Mr $1=1 vote himself) as Majority Leader. Then he will go on to amass a voting record that’s no less than 90% in lock-step with George W. Bush’s plans. That means no change whatsoever in Iraq, that means bluster and possibly war with Iran, that means continued incompetence in dealing with a nuclear-armed North Korea, that means continuing to keep Afghanistan on the back burner as the government we installed weakens and the Taliban rise again, that means accepting torture as a policy of the United States of America, that means indefinite detention for people designated by the executive as enemy combatants with no recourse to courts to challenge that designation, that means widespread eavesdropping on citizens without warrants, that means billions squandered in corruption in Iraq reconstruction, that means more commissioners who think Plan B contraceptives should be unavailable without a prescription, that means higher deficits you’re leaving to your children, that means actively working to make our country less equal, that means actively stigmatizing gay people and denying them full citizenship, that means actively working to keep poor and black people from voting, and that’s just what occurs to me in the first five minutes of thinking.
    If your husband is ok with accepting all of the above because he’s uncomfortable with, as you write, “the games that go on in Jersey’s rust belt cities,” I quite frankly don’t know what to say.
    Actually, I take that back, I do know what to say: There’s no guarantee that if the Democrats take part of Congress that they will be able to force changes in the administration’s Iraq and Afghanistan policies. But if the Republicans remain in charge, there is a guarantee that nothing will change.
    The son of my neighbor from back home is in his mid-40s, couple of kids. He got called up to fly to Baghdad because he’s Air Force Reserve, even though he fulfilled his commitment long, long ago. One of his brothers was killed years back in a car wreck; his mom says, “I’ve already lost one, if I lost another…” and can’t finish her sentence. Vote Democratic for Brian’s sake, so we don’t have family men in their mid-40s putting their lives at risk for George W. Bush’s vanity.
    My step-brother is serving in Afghanistan. He’s career Army, so he knows. But there aren’t enough resources devoted to that theater, and haven’t been since 2002 when Bush started pulling units to get ready for Iraq. And the Taliban’s getting stronger in the south. Vote Democratic for David’s sake, so we can get our eye back on the ball.
    And once we’ve got our country straightened out a bit again? Then we can worry about rust-belt shenanigans and replace Menendez with someone cleaner. New Jersey’s bound to have an upstanding citizen or two who aren’t bound and determined to be water carriers for George W. Bush.

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  5. Yes, what Wendy & Doug said, only with more sputtering and spitting.
    When I read this mornings newspaper, I realized that I am honestly scared that our government is taking us down the road to nuclear war. Kean in the senate is one senator in support of the status quo, and worse, on the road to an even more ugly future. I simply can’t understand a vote for him that isn’t meant to be a vote in support of the policies of his party and government.
    bj

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  6. Kean worked for my office director, fifteen years ago – young guy. All of us civil servants thought he was very pleasant, had some real interest in the subject (environment). So, I’d vote for him if I were in Jersey.

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  7. Menendez’a corruption pales in comparison to the consequences on continued Republican control. Vote Democratic Party, even if you have to hold your nose in NJ to do it (insert bland joke about the “Garden State” here…)

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  8. I’ve never seen a debate so completely devoid of any policy issues. Menendez kept shouting, “Bush ass-kisser” and Kean shouted back, “Dirty Dirty Dirty.” It was lovely. I really don’t want to vote for Senator Dirty, but I’ll do it. Gag.

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  9. There’s also the option that Kean is exaggerating for effect. Wouldn’t be the first time for a Republican.
    Further, turning people off of government in general is in line with the larger Republican project of convincing people of the futility of public action. (I’m speaking as if northeastern good-government Republicans have gone the way of the dodo, which may be the case soon.) Making all politicians, and all politics, seem dirty, is one path to this goal. People have to have faith that public action is worth doing, otherwise they’ll leave the three-hour planning meetings to the developers and their hired consultants.

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  10. And, Doug, your answer to the dodo-ization of ‘northeastern good-government Republicans’ is to vote against one? My own congressman – Moran – is a drunkard, a bully, and corrupt – he took a mortgage from the credit card people months before he voted their line on the bankruptcy ‘reform’, has been seen in his cups a number of times, got into a physical confrontation with an 8-year-old couple of years ago. So I vote against him, year after year – in the Dem primary, and then for whoever the Reeps run against him in the general. The only vote I can make is on the ballot in front of me. This kind of thing is why it is hard to sell me on the idea that the Dems are the party of virtue, in contrast to the Reeps.

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  11. Funny random info, related only to dave s’ comment.
    I spend a decent bit of internet time on a bulletin board for actuaries. After some particularly noteworthy stupidity by Rep Moran, we decided by consensus to spell “moron” as “moran” in future discussions.

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  12. dave s, I’m still legally a resident of the District of Columbia (presently in Germany) so I have no representation in Congress. (Our Delegate can only vote in cases where the outcome would not hinge on her vote. Neat, huh?) I’d be happy to have the opportunity to vote for or against Senators and US Representatives.
    Given that the supposedly moderate Republicans have done approximately zippo over the last six (and in all honesty at least the last 12) years to actually moderate their party, it’s time for them to go.
    Conservative southern Democrats had outsized power because they actually put it to use on a regular basis. Moderate northeastern Republicans could have done the same. With the exception of Jeffords in 2000, they have not. Instead, they have been loyal soldiers who have occasionally been given a pass when their votes would not make a difference.
    I’m not claiming perfect virtue for a Democratically-controlled Congress. I am saying that there will be no checks and balances as long as the Republicans hold both houses, and the only possible way to have a chance of putting limits on the Bush administration is to punch that D button. It may not be enough, but nothing else is going to come close.
    Also, it’s not necessary for the Democrats to be virtuous for them to check the executive if they gain either house. In fact, it may be better if they are hungry for power, because gains for the Congress will come at the expense of the executive, and the Bush White House is sorely in need of some checking and balancing.

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  13. You guys probably can figure this one out before I can. Just looking at Kean Jr.’s political contributions- it looks like IDT/Internet is investing heavily ($65,000 plus). I’m thinking this has to do with the NetNeutrality issue? Maybe, maybe not. Then, looking at the individual contributions, from the top 8 categories, I’m wondering how many New Jersey homemaker’s it took to raise:
    1.N/A/HOMEMAKER $179,075.00137
    2. RETIRED/RETIRED $139,450.00171
    3.HOMEMAKER $109,100.0077
    4.(left blank) $74,310.00157
    5.HOMEMAKER/HOMEMAKER $70,000.0047
    6.N/A/RETIRED $65,400.0067
    7.IDT/EXECUTIVE $61,800.0036
    8.RETIRED $43,150.0059
    if you look at those “homemakers”, “retired”, they are all IDT Executives and wives funneling bucks to Kean (you can find these figures everywhere, including newsmeat.com:
    Morris Lichtenstein, Chief Operating Officer of IDT since 1/06:
    3/24/06 $2,100 to Kean for primary
    3/24/06 $2,100 to Kean for general
    and his wife:
    Devora Lichtenstein
    3/24/06 $2,100 to Kean for primary
    3/24/06 $2,100. to Kean for general
    Repeat for Jonas Howard (Chairman of the Board of IDT)and his wife, Debbie, for another 4,200. And James A. Courter (president) and wife, Carmen.
    That’s as far as I went.

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