To freeze or not to freeze

Chris Christie told The Associated Press in an interview that he will offer more state aid to all school districts whose teachers agree to forgo a planned pay raise in the 2011 fiscal year. "I don't think it's wrong to say in these difficult times that they step up and make some sacrifice," Christie said. "We're not talking about forgoing raises forever. We're talking about forgoing raises for one year."

How about forgoing tax cuts for millionaires for one year.

Little gets little support

Despite failing to gain the Republican Party line in Middlesex, Union and Monmouth, Highlands Mayor Anna Little said she remains committed to running in the Republican Primary in the 6th Congressional District.

"We're seeing this through to the end," said Little, a TNut activist who lost Union County to Shannon Wright of Plainfield and Middlesex and Monmouth to establishment Republican Diane Gooch of Rumson. "I don't see a way to put the brakes on at this point," she said. "I knew this was the way it would turn out (the conventions), but I am encouraged by the grassroots support I am getting."

She must be smoking grass if she thinks any TNut support she gets will make a difference.

Thanks to Mike Halfacre, Scott Sipprelle doesn't seem so crazy

After suffering a loss before the GOP screening committee in his home county last night to Princeton venture capitalist Scott Sippelle - his fourth and final loss in a bid to win county line backing - Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre today announced that he has ended his run for Congress in the 12th District.

Halfacre said, "I know I will be a better candidate in the future for having gone through this, and I know Scott Sipprelle is a stronger candidate today then the day he got into the race."

That's true. Thanks to Halfacre's negative attacks about donations to Democrats, most voters in the district will perceive that Sipprelle is not a kool-aid drinking TNut like so many Halfacre supporters.

Is 400K a year too little for "small" business?

GOP Assembly Leader Alex DeCroce criticized Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver for saying they would not approve a new budget without reinstating an income tax surcharge on those earning over $400,000 annually.

According to DeCroce, "Reinstating this tax would hurt small business owners who must thrive if we are to restore the economy."

How is anyone making over 400K a year not thriving?

Christie's excuse for skipping class

Chris Christie said students skipping class to protest teacher layoffs were “pawns” of the teachers’ union and should not face disciplinary action. “They’re being used,” Christie said, when asked if students should face consequences. “I don’t blame the kids at all. Those kids are victims. They’re pawns, unfortunately for them."

Christie should know about excuses for skipping classes. He probably told his teachers he was hypoglycemic and needed a snack.

Is Frank Pallone "out of touch" with Republicans?

GOP Assemblywoman Amy Handlin has endorsed GOP congressional candidate Diane Gooch to oppose Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone. Handlin slammed Pallone for his leadership role in passing health care reform legislation.

“We see how out of touch Frank Pallone is with our concerns here in New Jersey. He was a major part of ramming this healthcare bill through and will now have to answer to his constituents who didn't want it,” Handlin said.

He also has to answer to his constituents who did want it and, given Pallone's past re-election numbers, there are probably a lot more of them.

Is Jon Runyan "the dirtiest player in the game"?

GOP congressional candidate Jon Runyan recently told a reporter that being known as one of the dirtiest football players around isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “I always seem to come up on that list, but I always think…when you look at the list, it’s usually some of the top players in the league — the guys that never give up, the guys that keep fighting,” he said. And that intensity may be just what he needs to win a seat in Congress: “To carry a little of that over in the political arena is not going to hurt me at all either.”

So will he run a dirty campaign? “I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes,” he said, adding: “I’m not saying no to it.”

Maybe he should consider pro-wrestling.

Does Mike Halfacre do all-nighters?

GOP congressional candidate Scott Sipprelle zapped his primary opponent, Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre, for publicly denouncing the federal economic stimulus program on the red meat GOP circuit - then privately applying for and accepting money from the program.

“Let me get this straight,” fumed Sipprelle, who bragged of "steadfastly" opposing the stimulus project. “Mike Halfacre stands up in front of a crowd during an evening campaign stop and rails against the stimulus package, but goes home at night and, as mayor, applies for stimulus funds for a project he readily admits is bloated overkill? That’s offensive.”

That's also a lot of work. Halfacre must have been up all night working on the application.

Runyan tackles Adler on health care reform

GOP congressional candidate Jon Runyan disputes the notion that Rep. John Adler's opposition to the Senate the health care reform package means there's little daylight between them. In an interview with political reporters, Runyan outlined what he said were stark contrasts between himself and the Cherry Hill Democrat.

"He's saying he's worried that there are no cost controls. I'm more worried that it's a government takeover of another program. What the government has its hands in doesn't work," Runyan said.

Does Runyan mean we already have a health care "program"? And if government doesn't work, how does he get his mail?

Justin Murphy gets Teabagger nod in 3rd district

Conservative Justin Murphy has won the endorsement of the Burlington County Tea Party over presumptive GOP nominee Jon Runyan for the 3rd Congressional District seat. William Haney, head of the Tea Party, said Monday he was determined to deliver a competitive primary to registered Republicans this June.

"Jon Runyan has the backing of all three county Republican organizations, and he is a big, impressive fellow whose physical stature gives him an immediate presence in a room," Haney said. "I think he is a good man. But he is not as well informed on specific issues such as health care, states rights or the nullification of illegal immigration."

States rights and nullification? Maybe these clowns should have endorsed John C. Calhoun.

Teabaggers on steroids?

There's some muttering among organization Republicans that if Frank Pallone and the Congress pass healthcare reform, the Tea Party movement will lose its national platform and fizzle.

"No way," says Pallone's opponent, GOP congressional candidate and teabagger favorite Anna Little. "They'll be further energized, because it will have to be repealed. It's a bad law."

I guess this means if HCR passes the wingnuts will change their beverage of choice from tea to Red Bull.

Jon Runyan shows he cares

Branding U.S. Rep. John Adler a career politician, retired Eagles football star Jon Runyan launched his campaign for Congress in the 3rd District in his hometown by positioning himself as the embodiment of midwestern values and as an outsider to the political system.

"How are qualified politicians running this country now?" he asked the crowd.. "Whoever said you need to be a lifetime politician to be a congressman? I'm qualified because I care."

He cared so much that he spent several months with the San Diego Chargers to play for a Superbowl ring rather than spend time in his district talking to voters and educating himself about the issues.

Multi-millionaire socialite challenges Frank Pallone

Running against U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, multi-millionaire Republican Diane Gooch kicked off her campaign in front of a crowd of 200 people.

"I am not for government healthcare," Gooch told PolitickerNJ.com in a telephone interview. "I'm not for more spending. I'm worried about taxes."

Maybe she's worried about taxes, but everybody else is worried about losing their job, their home, and their health insurance.

Mike Doherty to laid-off public employess; "What, me worry?"

Unhappy with the way suburban school districts would be impacted by Chris Christie's proposed budget, GOP state Sen. Michael Doherty nevertheless called Christie's address today a success.

"It's a proud day to be a Republican after 20 years of mismanagement of the finances of New Jersey," said Doherty, who is regarded as one of the most conservative members of the legislature. He doesn't worry about the government job loss consequences from a combination of state-imposed caps and freezes in municipal and school aid.

"Government is one of the most inefficient ways to use resources, so the fewer resources in government hands, the more productive those resources will be," he said.

Yeah, right. Like investing in subprime mortgage loans, credit default swaps and junk bonds.

Do Conservatives eat their young?

Republican Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll thinks that the political consultant Rick Shaftan’s dissatisfaction with Chris Christie’s conservative credentials is unwarranted. “Rick is always unhappy. And I don’t mean to be insulting to him, but we conservatives are never happy unless we’re eating our own young. If we have a guy we agree with 98% of the time, we’ll find that 2% and that’s what we’ll harp on,” said Carroll, who is considered one of New Jersey’s most conservative legislators and beat Christie in a 1995 GOP primary for State Assembly.

Conservatives may eat their young, but Chris Christie eats everything else.

Christie nominee "a danger to children"

This is not an accusation from Democrats. It comes from sex-obsessed wingnuts on a reactionary website who claim Christie's nominee for Child Services is affiliated with groups promoting juvenile sexuality. According to one "expert" these groups "advocate for the sexual rights of minors, and oppose all forces that would restrict or interfere with the entitlement of children and adolescents to develop in a sexually healthy manner."

I hate to imagine what these anal-retentive moralitarians consider unhealthy sexual development.