Christie a lunch lady?

The Service Employees International Union today endorsed Gov. Jon Corzine’s re-election bid. They also announced, “Governor Corzine will “Walk A Day” in the shoes of a school cafeteria worker during the beginning of this school year. Spending a day with an SEIU member on the job will help Governor Corzine experience firsthand what it’s like to work and raise a family in New Jersey today.”

It's a good thing they didn't endorse Chris Christie. If he spent a day in the school cafeteria there'd be nothing left for the kids.

Did Christie steal twinkies from his school cafeteria?

The Asbury Park Press has an editorial expressing concern over Christie's past transgressions, in particular his driving a car with no insurance or registration. According to the editorial:

His campaign spokeswoman, Maria Comella, did not help matters by making light of
the traffic stop: "Before the Corzine campaign wastes any more of the governor's
Wall Street millions on opposition research, we're going to let them know Kim
(Guadagno, Christie's running mate) received a ticket in 2007 for driving while
on a cell phone and Chris got detention in the 9th grade for too much talking in
class."

It's obvious Christie's spokewoman never had her car towed for being unregistered and uninsured.

"Road Warrior" Christie

PolitickerNJ.com reports Chris Christie was issued traffic tickets in 2005 for speeding, driving an unregistered vehicle and driving without insurance but was allowed to drive the vehicle home:


Chris Christie tells state troopers he's not to be messed with.

Sarah Palin in male drag

Former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is heading to Cape May County on Tuesday to stump for Republican Assembly candidates Michael Donohue and John McCann. The candidates struck a socially conservative tone in announcing Santorum’s visit.

“For sixteen years, Rick Santorum was a champion of the conservative cause in the Congress,” said Donohue in a statement. “Whether the issue was defending traditional marriage, or fighting for tax cuts for middle class families, or working to protect America against the threat of radical Islamic terrorism, Rick Santorum was always on the front lines. We’re thrilled that he’s able to join us next week to help us reach out to more voters in South Jersey.”

As long as he's in the neighborhood Santorum can take off his Sarah Palin in male drag costume, put on a white hood and sheet, and go campaigning for Republican Assembly candidate Lee Lucas.

A district here, a district there

A general election candidate in the 12th Congressional district last year Alan Bateman, a former deputy mayor of Holmdel, notified voters this week that he intends to pursue a 4th Congressional District 2010 primary challenge of U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton), whom Bateman believes has strayed from core GOP principles.

With his Holmdel house up for sale in the 12th Congressional District, Bateman said earlier this summer that he was contemplating a challenge to Smith from the platform of his new residence in the 4th District, but as late as last week said he has not reached a final decision regarding his 2010 plans. "I am running for U.S. Congress against current incumbent Chris Smith," writes Bateman in a request for financial support from GOP voters. "Chris Smith has been in Washington for 30 long years - that's right - 30 years! He is a Washington insider who is out of touch with the people," adds Bateman.

Maybe Smith has been in Washington for 30 years but at least his constituents know where he is.

Will Christie rehire all those unemployed state workers?

State Senator Joe Kyrillos, the senior Republican Member of the Senate Economic Growth Committee issued the following comments regarding reports that New Jersey's unemployment rate rose to 9.3% in July, the highest level in more than a quarter of a century:

Jon Corzine's record on job creation is abysmal. New Jersey's economy was in
decline long before the national recession took hold. Our unemployment rate
remains higher than that of any neighboring state's. More disturbing is the fact
that New Jersey's rate actually rose while the national rate was falling. Sadly,
today's numbers don't tell the whole story.

The whole story is the reason for higher unemployment was that the decline in public sector jobs was greater than the increase in private sector jobs. I guess now when Republicans takeover the state they'll rehire all those laid-off state workers.

Christie's pound(s) of flesh

Chris Christie said that he did not disclose the loan he made to another US Attorney on his staff because he did not think of it as an income-producing asset. He said, "I will just tell you that for me and Mary Pat, we made a decision to help some friends who were in a tough financial straight because Mike had lost his job."

Like charging them interest on the loan.

Getting caught was the mistake

Responding to reports that he failed to disclose a loan to high ranking U.S. Attorney staffer and personal friend Michele Brown on his taxes and other required financial disclosure forms, Chris Christie admitted he made a mistake. "When I make a mistake, when I misspeak, when I do something wrong I am going to admit it to you and to the people of the state," he said. "I’m not perfect, and I’m not going to be. I’m going to make mistakes and when I make mistakes I’m going to own up to them."

After he gets caught.

"Any gender, or anything"

9th Assembly district Republicans selected Long Beach Township Commissioner Dianne Gove to succeed recently resigned Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt. She said she hopes her fellow Republicans will recognize her gender is one of many qualities she brings to the table. "You don't go in looking to vote for a woman, you need to vote for the best candidate, but at the same time, I think a woman brings a whole different perspective, as with any gender, or anything. You can't always have the same people in," she said.

I don't know what she meant by "any gender, or anything" but I don't think she'll ever make it to the Supreme Court.

Attitude or location?

Republican State Senator Kevin O'Toole says he ready for New Jersey to get tough with professional sports teams that don't show their state pride, and slammed the Nets for their decision to remove "NJ" from their team uniforms while on the road.

"New Jersey's professional sports teams, the Nets, Jets and Giants, have no problem feeding at the taxpayer funded trough, yet seem to forget who their benefactors are when they order the teams' uniforms," O'Toole said. "These teams make hundreds of millions of dollars a year," he added. "They should not receive a single concession from the state until they get an attitude readjustment."

O'Toole better be careful that the Nets, Jets and Giants don't readjust more than just their attitude. Like readjusting which state they continue to play their games in.

Can the ship desert the rats?

Fueled by a new letter to the editor written by Lee Lucas, Gloucester County Republican Committee Chairman Bill Fey reiterated his call for the 3rd District Assembly candidate to exit the race. Lucas earlier this summer confirmed published reports that he used the "N" word. “Once again Mr. Lucas has decided to make insensitive remarks in a letter to the editor. As I’ve said before Lucas does not represent the rank-and-file of our Party and he needs to go,” GCREC Chairman Bill Fey said. “This time I am asking that Mr. Lucas keep his word and leave the Party.”

Considering how Republican leaders exploited white racism to oppose Sonia Sotomayor, maybe it's time for sensible Republicans to follow Arlen Spector's lead and leave the Party of Lee Lucas.

So what does a "federal corruption prosecutor" really do?

Chris Christie was in Paramus to lay out a plan aimed at reducing government corruption. Reporters raised the question of how Christie will be able to push his bills through what is expected to remain a Democratic legislature without them suffering a crippling compromise. He answered, “When the people of New Jersey elect me and Kim in November, they will be sending a very clear message. When you’re sending two former federal corruption prosecutors to run the state government, I don’t think there should be any question about what the people of the state want, and they will refuse to act at their political peril.”

I never heard of "corruption prosecutors" but it makes me wonder who was prosecuting the terrorists, bank robbers, tax dodgers and drug dealers.

Kidneys and free markets

A coalition of conservative groups in New Jersey calling themselves, appropriately enough, the "New Jersey Conservative Coalition", are blaming the recent corruption arrests on, what else, big government. According to a recent press release, "There is only one solution for the problem of government corruption, and this is to maintain a limited government based on the principles of individual responsibility, fiscal accountability, a system of values, and devotion to the Constitution and rule of law."

I guess they mean the kind of free market, limited government that gave us Rabbis selling replacement kidneys for $160,000 and Wall Street bankers making billions off of subprime mortgages.