John Novak, like Rodney Dangerfield, gets no respect

As GOP hopefuls in the third congressional district move out of the way to make room for "Squire" Jon Runyan, one former Barnegat Township Committeeman, John Novak, refuses to hoist the white flag. He told PolitickerNJ.com, “As of this moment I am contemplating my position, sitting with my supporters and my family, and I will consider my options. Certainly within that process has to be a realistic evaluation of whether or not I have the resources and the financial ability to sustain a viable campaign either in the primary or in the general. It’s painful to compare what I have to offer to the constituents of the 3rd Congressional District as to what I may lack in resources and material.”

It must have been painful for his former constituents in Barnegat to endure his service on the Township Committee since they gave him the boot after only one term.

Lonegan compares health care reform to Hungarian Revolt

U.S. Rep Scott Garrett told a group of Steve Lonegan-organized conference callers that the Obama administration intends to ramrod government-run healthcare, and exhorted activists to join him for a protest in Washington, D.C.

In a question and answer conference session managed by Lonegan, one caller, self-identified as a doctor-immigrant from Hungary, said Obama is trying to take over the country. "Remember those tanks rolling into Hungary," said Lonegan.

The only tanks Lonegan is familiar with are the drunk ones.

Waiting for Obama

U.S. Rep Scott Garrett told a group of Steve Lonegan-organized conference callers that the Obama administration intends to ramrod government-run healthcare, and exhorted activists to join him for a protest Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Garrett said he tried to engage President Barack Obama on the healthcare issue last year. "In September, I personally handed to the president a booklet of ideas and he told me, ' We want to work with you too,' and a half dozen months later, I'm still waiting for that phone call," he said.

I'll bet he waited even longer for a prom date.

Another teabagger challenges Len Lance; wants to go to Washington and clean drains

Businessman Bruce Baker told PolitickerNJ.com he is launching his own primary campaign against GOP incumbent Leonard Lance. "I can tell you this with certainty - if I get down there to Washington, D.C., the establishment is going to rue the day I show up," he said. "Washington is a cesspool. It needs a can of Draino."

That's probably what he's drinking.

Lonegan beats Christie with a Baroni

Former GOP gubernatorial candidate and poster boy for Mens Hair Research, Steve Lonegan, chastised his former conqueror Gov. Chris Christie following the governor's decision to appoint state Sen. Bill Baroni deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

“The Deputy Executive Director is supposed to stand up for taxpayers and against union special interests who are constantly demanding contracts that pay exorbitant prevailing wage rates," Lonegan fumed in a statement. "Yet Governor Christie wants to reward Bill Baroni, who has one of the most liberal anti-taxpayer and pro-big labor voting records of any Republican in Trenton, to this post. This appointment is a slap in the face to New Jersey taxpayers and I strongly urge the governor to rescind this appointment."

An even bigger slap in the face to New Jersey taxpayers is the two million dollars Lonegan took in public matching funds so he could make a fool of himself while losing in a landslide to Christie in the primary.

Mike Doherty channels John C. Calhoun

Republicans State Senator Michael Doherty and Assemblywoman Alison McHose introduced legislation that would give individuals the right to obtain the health benefits coverage of their choosing.

“Our citizens are rightly concerned that Washington D.C. bureaucrats will force a government health care program upon them,” Doherty stated. “This amendment, if ratified by the voters of this state, will nullify any law that mandates health coverage within New Jersey’s borders.”

They must be channeling the ghost of John C. Calhoun.

"Maverick" Murray Sabrin disses Presidents Day

Former Libertarian candidate for Governor and political gadfly Murray Sabrin has started a new website which promotes his belief in limited government as well as his own career. He poses an interesting question as to why we celebrate Presidents Day in February. According to the political sage formerly known as Maverick Murray, "Virtually all of them supported legal plunder, undermined free enterprise and increased the federal government’s power over the American people."

Wow. I wonder if Ramapo STATE University finance professor Murray Sabrin considers his State of New Jersey paycheck "legal plunder".

Teabagger activist challenges Lance in GOP primary

David Larsen, teabagger activist and owner of a windows and doors business, declared his candidacy for US Congress against incumbent Leonard Lance in the GOP primary.

"The greatest problem we face," Larsen said in his announcement speech, "a problem that threatens the future of our representative government is that we have developed a political class of career politicians. The result is a cookie cutter version of political bureaucrats, no matter what party they are in."

"In Massachusetts, with the election of Scott Brown, we recently observed the people triumphing over the political class," he added.

So who elected Obama and all those Democrats in 49 other states, wombats?

A cold day in hell beats global warming

GOP congressional candidate Dale Glading wants U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews to reconsider his support of “Cap and Trade” tax legislation that passed the House last summer.

“It’s about time Congress stops working against Americans and starts working for them,” Glading said. “When I defeat Rob Andrews in November, South Jersey will finally have a representative dedicated to protecting their wallets from out-of-control Washington politicians.”

And who's going to protect their wallets from out-of-control Wall Street predators and private health insurers? If this clown defeats Rob Andrews in November there won't be any global warming because it will be a cold day in hell.

Former pro wrestler lays huge smackdown on NJ GOP

Michael Illions, a conservative blogger, tea party activist, and former professional wrestler who for 14 years wrestled under the moniker “A.J. Sparxx,” has quit the Republican Party to help lead the state’s tiny Conservative Party.

"It's good to be home where I truly belong,” Illions said in a written statement. "This was a move I thought about making for quite a while now. As the National Republican Party and the NJ GOP specifically, move further to the left, further away from what I believe in and further away from adhering to the Constitution, it became difficult to tell the difference between the Republican and Democrat parties at times."

As of Election Day 2009, the New Jersey Conservative Party had 130 registered voters, while the state Republican Party has 1.06 million. Considering how much support he got as a Republican he should definitely feel at home with the Conservatives.

Here's a surprise; business group supports Christie

The state director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) said that Chris Christie is off to a “fast and impressive start” after announcing a plan to deal with the state’s $2 billion budget deficit earlier today. “New Jersey’s struggling small business community has been waiting a long time for Trenton to get its fiscal house in order, and today’s announcement is welcome news,” said Laurie Ehlbeck. “Employers already being squeezed by the economic slowdown and one of the highest tax burdens in the nation can no longer afford to be the piggy bank for the wish list of every constituency and special interest group in the state.”

“One-time gimmicks and fiscal shell games designed to temporarily patch our problems have brought us to the brink of an $11 billion hole,” Ehlback said.

I guess she doesn't count the one-time gimmicks and fiscal shell games her Wall Street pals played with which brought the country to the brink of a $2 trillion dollar hole.

Jon Runyan "blocking and tackling" his way to Congress

According to a post on the Rothenberg Political Report there is a clear link between former football players, like NJ-3rd district congressional candidate Jon Runyan, running for office and the Republican Party, from former Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts to 2006 PA gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann.

“They understand the importance of executing the blocking and tackling of political campaigns,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Communications Director Ken Spain, “Hard work and discipline are hallmark Republican values that also happen to make for good professional football players.”

So I guess we are to assume then that Republicans believe blocking and tackling is the same as legislating and governing.

I'll bet Len Lance needs extra deodorant and sleeping pills

Tewksbury businessman David Larson told PolitickerNJ.com he plans to launch a conservative Republican 7th Congressional District run against U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance in the GOP primary. Larson, 52, is a Brooklyn native who moved to Hunterdon County about 15 years ago and raises American quarter horses to supplement his windows and doors business.

"My opponent's family career is government and politics - and my career is windows and doors," said the fledgling candidate and political neophyte who has never before held elected office.

If he gets elected at least he can fix broken windows and doors in the Capitol building.

Just another way to lose

Republican Dave Corsi, a self employed real-estate investor and property manager, announced his candidacy to challenge incumbent Democratic Congressman Rush Holt in November. "The reason I'm running is I and many others like me have had enough. We're tired of politicians saying one thing and getting to Washington and doing something else," said Corsi.

Corsi also said he is taking a grass-roots approach to fundraising. Corsi said he will rely on a fundraising approach of soliciting donations from average citizens who share his concerns about government. "Their (his opponents) objectives is how much money they'll raise," Corsi said. "I'm more interested in getting the vote out than raising money. We'll show them there is a better way to campaign."

And if he doesn't raise enough money to persuade people to vote for him he'll simply show there is another way to lose.

Tea drinkers try to "bag" Menendez

Wingnut activists affiliated with the national Tea Party movement are hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. The group, called the Committee to Recall Senator Robert Menendez, is going to court after its petition to recall the senator was denied by former Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells last month. The Tea Partiers, part of a Sussex County group supporting limited government and opposed to Menendez’s stance on healthcare reform, are contesting the decision in a state appeals court.

Dan Silberstein, a lawyer for the group, said the legal battle is over which constitution — the U.S. or state — should apply to residents who want to recall their senators. "We essentially have a New Jersey constitution that says we can do it," said Silberstein.

Essentially? What's that? Sounds like another way of saying that it really doesn't say what these idiots want it to say.

Lonegan brings up steroids

In a statement released yesterday Steve Lonegan, the state director of Americans for Prosperity, called State Senator Ray Lesniak’s bill to reform the Council on Affordable Housing “a hybrid super bureaucracy that combines the State Planning Commission, the Economic Development Authority, the Home Mortgage Finance Association and the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs into a super bureaucracy that puts COAH on steroids”.

I wonder what the rat's rear end Lonegan wears on the top of his head would look like on steroids.

Liar, Liar!! Pants on fire!!

Former State Assemblyman Rick Merkt, who ran against Chris Christie in the primary for Governor, told Star-Ledger columnist Paul Mulshine he doesn’t feel resentful that Christie stole his idea to cut funding for and eliminate the Council On Affordable Housing. What bothers the ex-assemblyman is that February’s here and Christie shows no signs of carrying it out.

"He didn’t make many promises," said Merkt. "This is a promise he can keep and honestly I don’t know why he wouldn’t keep it. This is just one front in the necessary confrontation with the court needed to re-establish democracy in New Jersey. I think it’s kind of sad that just two weeks into his governorship, Chris is shown to be a liar."

I guess Merkt and Christie won't be exchanging Valentines this year.

Will Diane Gooch move right or left of the line?

State Republicans are taking a serious look at Monmouth County GOP Vice Chair Diane Gooch to run against U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, in part because of the depth of her pockets.

One small obstacle for Gooch: she lives in Rumson, which is in the 12th Congressional District – not Pallone’s 6th Congressional District. Members of Congress are required only to live in the state that they represent, not the district. “I think Frank Pallone lives in Washington, so I’m much closer than he is,” said Gooch. “Literally, I’m on the line, so whether I cross the line or not, it’s right there. I think people care more about how you’re going to vote for them as opposed to if you live 50 feet left or right.”

If she moves right it probably won't matter which district she lives in; she still loses.