"Fresh faces" get stale

Sixth Congressional District Republican candidate Diane Gooch has nearly $250,000 in her campaign warchest, according to the Federal Election Commission. Gooch spokeswoman Toni Angelini said over 300 people from the 6th District have contributed over $110,000 to the GOP establishment candidate.

"I am pleased to see how well Diane is being embraced by the people of the district," state Sen. Joe Kyrillos said in a statement. "Her FEC filing proves that she is the best candidate to become the new fresh face in Congress."

Does he think we are electing a fresh face or what comes between the ears?

He's so far "left" there's nothing left

GOP congressional candidate Rich Luzzi, running against Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen in the June 8 primary, spoke at a candidates’ night recently. Luzzi said of Frelinghuysen, who was not present, “He is not a conservative, he is too far to the left.”

And if this Bozo veered any more to the right he would make Genghis Khan seem like Mother Theresa.

Tapping into tea party insanity

New Jersey tea party activists are enthusiastic about their chances to repeat Rand Paul's tea party victory in Kentucky over the establishment GOP candidate. Tea party activist Jeffrey Weingarten is among those who think Highlands Mayor Anna Little will upset millionaire newspaper publisher Diane Gooch in the 6th congressional district. Gooch has the Republican organization behind her. But Little, the underdog, has built up a base of tea party supporters.

"She has tapped into the tea party energy," Weingarten said. "You can say she’s a tea party darling."

That's like winning the award for "Geek of the Year" at a freak show convention.

"Water-boarding" is not for Congressmen

Republican Congressional candidate John Aslanian today called on Michael Agosta, his leading opponent in the June 8th Republican Primary, to “seriously reconsider his candidacy” in light of remarks he made calling for incumbent liberal Democratic Congressman Steve Rothman to be “waterboarded.” Aslanian stated:

I have made a personal financial commitment to this effort because Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi must be stopped and to do that, Rothman must be defeated. It’s clear that Michael Agosta isn’t the man to do it and I’m calling on both BCRO Chairman Bob Yudin and County Executive candidate Kathleen Donovan to withdraw their support from his candidacy. This election is just too important to lose. Kathleen Donovan will have to wear Mr. Agosta’s water-boarding remark for the next five months if she does not ask him to step out of the race.

I think Kathleen Donovan will have to lose some weight if she's going to wear that water-boarding remark.

Runyan not raedy for prime time, or any time.

Chris Russell, a spokesman for GOP congressional candidate Jon Runyan, argued that the former professional football player's refusal to debate his primary opponent does not mean he is ignoring him.

"We have had a joint appearance with Justin Murphy ... and had head-to-head editorial board with him," Russell said.

That editorial board appearance was with the Philadelphia Inquirer, which ended up endorsing Justin Murphy. No wonder Runyan wets his pants at the thought of debating Murphy before actual voters.

Where's the lemonade and cookies?

Chris Christie shrugged off a record-breaking Statehouse protest, saying it had "absolutely no effect on me."

He would have felt different if they had free refreshments.

This is what a rumble at a tea party looks like

Two Tea Party challengers to U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance are scrapping over who should drop out of the race and back the other as the solid hard right alternative to the moderate Lance. One of three GOP Primary longshots, businessman David Larsen started the fracas when he asked Lons Hosford of and Bruce Baker to bail on their own hopes of upsetting the incumbent and support him as their best chance of defeating the freshman legislator from the 7th District. Larsen argued that he has more money than the other two challengers, and requested their support for the remaining weeks of the campaign.

Baker promptly fired off a reply, "I hope that you will follow your expressed sentiments that our primary goal is to defeat the incumbent, drop out and throw your support behind me," the candidate wrote to Larsen. "If all that counts in a campaign is money then Bill Gates would be a shoo-in to become President."

Food Fight!!

One disaster every 40 years is pretty good

Congressional candidates Jon Runyan and Justin Murphy said that they support oil drilling off the New Jersey coast. The Third District Republican candidates said that the April 20 spill was a tragedy but that offshore drilling would help the country end its dependence on foreign oil.

"If we have one accident in 40 years, I think that's a pretty good track record," Murphy said.

If he was in Russia he'd probably say the same thing about Chernobyl.

Steve Lonegan brings his circus act to West Deptford

A group of close to 40 people met the chartered Americans For Prosperity "Take Back New Jersey'' rally bus headed for state Senate President Stephen Sweeney's West Deptford office. The rally was in protest of Sweeney's decision to stave off holding confirmation hearings for Christie's Supreme Court nominee Anne Patterson, who would replace Justice John Wallace.


"I am totally disgusted that they are putting their political agenda above the state constitution,'' said one rally participant. "I'm doing everything I can to change the direction of America by supporting conservative candidates and platforms in order to return the country to its constitutional principals.''

Fascinating that so many constitutional scholars have nothing better to do than go on a bus ride with Steve Lonegan and get a free lunch, compliments of AFP.

Anna Little likes tar balls with her fish

With less than a month to go before the June 8th Republican Primary for the right to go up against U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, TNut favorite Anna Little dug in on her support for offshore drilling. "That spill is not the fault of an American company," the Highlands mayor said of the Gulf of Mexico cataclysm. "What that event illustrates is the need for American drilling, as we will be much more careful. We have a history of being more careful."


So who owned the Exxon Valdez, Switzerland?

Justin Murphy kicks off to Jon Runyan

Republican 3rd District candidate for Congress Justin Murphy has challenged his primary election opponent Jon Runyan to a series of debates prior to the June 8th primary election. Murphy said, "Runyan needs to clear up some apparent contradictions involving his views on abortion policy, his farmland assessment tax break, his endorsements of liberal Democrats, his policy on taxation and immigration reform, his very late arrival as a declared Republican and many other issues on which his views are simply not known."


Murphy wants to debate Runyan's farmland assessment? What are they going to debate, how much donkey crap does it take to qualify?

No food fight for Len Lance; it's a "tea party" instead

U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance faces three Republican primary challengers in his re-election bid for a 7th District congressional seat. Bruce E. Baker, Alonzo "Lon'' Hosford and David Larsen are waging anti-incumbent, Tea Party-inspired campaigns questioning Lance's conservative credentials.  "If we keep electing the status quo, we already know the result. It can't be politics as usual. We need to turn things around. We need to bring new blood in. In this atmosphere in 2010, it's the right time,'' said Larsen, who has asked Baker and Hosford to join forces behind him.


I'd rather elect the status quo than bring new blood in that's infected with teabaggeritis.

Jon Runyan opened his closet and it smells

3rd district Republican congressional hopeful Jon Runyan opened his closet and let the skeletons tumble out — revealing late property tax payments, two lawsuits and a tax lien. He said, "I take ownership of every mistake I’ve ever made."

Does that include all the donkey crap in his backyard that qualifies him for a farmland tax assessment?

Here's one way to win elections; disfranchise the opposition

Former Libertarian Party candidate for Governor and two-time GOP US Senate candidate Murray Sabrin had some interesting ideas and suggestions for Chris Christie to consider.

"And to really give taxpayers an edge against local union monopolies, teachers, police and paid firefighters would not be able to vote on school budgets. They would not be able to vote for mayors and council members as well.  And if local officials decide to place municipal budgets on the ballot as well, local government workers should not be able to vote in these elections as well. In addition, individuals and families who receive most of their income from government assistance would also not be able to vote on spending budgets and municipal elections."

I think Murray wants to run for office himself and figures the only way he can win is by disfranchising voters likely to vote against him.

"Rose Garden" strategy?

Third district Republican congressional candidate Jon Runyan, a newcomer to politics, has declined to debate his opponent, Justin Murphy, who ran in a GOP primary for this seat two years ago and came in a close third.  "This kind of Rose Garden strategy tends to be the purview of powerful, entrenched incumbents," said Montclair State University political scientist Brigid Harrison. "It tends not to be the purview of people who have not run for public office before."

Rose Garden strategy? It should be called a "manure pile" strategy that Runyan uses to keep his farmland assessment.

Tea parties and manure

The rhetoric is on the rise in the 3rd Congressional District primary contest between Republicans Jon Runyan and Justin Murphy. The two campaigns clashed this week when Murphy and the Burlington County Tea Party accused Runyan of ducking several proposed debates. “Runyan has been offered … four or five opportunities to debate Murphy and prove that he is the better candidate, and he keeps saying he is busy. That’s a load of chicken manure,” said Bill Haney, founder of the county organization.


Better than the donkey manure Runyan has on his estate to keep his farmland assessment.

Chris Christie calls for "final solution"

Chris Christie gave a speech in Washington recently promoting school choice as an alternative to public schools. “Because the Educational Opportunity Scholarship Act is not the final solution to that problem, it is the first step in the solution to that problem," he said.


So what's the "final solution", exterminate the teachers?

Can Christie fly with his pants on?

Chris Christie has indicated he is willing to consider a restructuring plan for NJ's public universities, though he is not ready to endorse one. He recently said, "there are certainly things we need to examine regarding the higher education system in New Jersey" but he wants to give the issue further thought."We’ve got a lot of other work to do," he added. "I’m certainly not going to fly by the seat of my pants on that one."


I doubt his pants could even get off the ground.

Steve Lonegan issues marching orders to Chris Christie

Steve Lonegan is back in the news publicly urging Chris Christie not to re-appoint NJ Supreme Court Justice John Wallace to another term. "I hope Chris Christie has the courage and political savvy to stand up to this Supreme Court," said Lonegan. "Judge Wallace is the epitome of a go along to get along judge," he added. "If these guys took off their robes, they'd be chasing ambulances, they're a disgrace."


If Steve Lonegan ever took off his wig the ambulances would be chasing him.

Christie gets a seven-footer

Tea Party members delivered a 7-foot long, 1,200-signature petition urging Chris Christie to join more than 20 other states in filing a lawsuit against the Obama administration's health care legislation.  Jeffrey Weingarten, who leads the group NJ Tea Party, and a handful of other Tea Party members were ushered into the Statehouse for a closed-door meeting with Jeanne Ashmore, Christie's director of constituent relations.

Weingarten said the petition sends a message to the governor, "We voted for you because we expect you to represent us. This is an opportunity for him to do the people's will."

Now if they brought a 7-foot long party sub from "Jersey Mikes" I'm sure the Governor would have greeted them personally.