Shaftan vs. Cardinale
I'm disappointed to have to report on more ugliness in the gubernatorial primary. Mayor Mike Halfacre, a respected conservative voice in our state, posted this comment on the Conservatives with Angst! blog. Mayor Halfacre's comments pertain to a New Jersey Lonegan supporters breakfast at which the GOP candidates were debated and... surprise surprise.... Steve Lonegan emerged victorious:
Mike Halfacre Says:Michael, this was a great event, and your comments about the conservative grass roots are certainly on point. However, I felt that Shaftan’s behavior toward and treatment of Senator Cardinale was juvenile and did the Lonegan Campaign a disservice.
I fail to understand the point of heckling and shouting down someone of Cardinale’s standing, who was graciously giving up his free time to put forth the Christie point of view. This guy (Shaftan) is running a campaign for the Governorship of New Jersey, and behaved like a 6th grader.
I continue to admire and respect Mayor Lonegan, and think there is more in this campaign to bring Republicans together than to divide. (Although clearly Shaftan would rather divide)
In any event, nice job with this event.
Mike Halfacre
Senator Cardinale is a strong and consistent conservative deserving of our respect. Once again, most unfortunately, some of Mayor Lonegan's supporters have done significant damage to their candidate's otherwise laudable conservative message. As Save Jersey blogger John Bell has often observed, the Lonegan campaign seems to be frequently hijacked by surrogates spouting rhetoric more typically found in a high school cafeteria. Mayor Halfacre's rationale for supporting Chris Christie touches on similar themes.
It's troubling to see our party's unity, and Mayor Lonegan's ability to remain a positive conservative force in our state party, jeopardized by gross immaturity and short-sighted pettiness. I hope this idiocy ends in short order. I'm tired of hearing "right wing" and "RINO" thrown around like this is a school yard rumble. The enemy is not within, Save Jerseyans. Our only goal in 2009 must remain defeating Jon Corzine and saving our state from socialism and bankruptcy. It's up to you to determine whether Christie or Lonegan stand the best chance of rallying the taxpayers to accomplish this end. The antics described above aren't very helpful.
Just plain trashy on Shaftan's part.
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This is the news Chris Christie dosen't want anyone to see! spread it around!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9jk7xbRuSk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw4wt5iIb3U
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So reporter Mike "Judas" Halfacre, another shill of the RINO leadership says that Rick Shaftan did Steve Lonegan a disservice in challenging Gerald Cardinale. Might Shaftan been challenging the notion that Chris "Cupcake" Christie has any point of view? Might he have been asking for specific plans and ideas that THE WHOPPER has? Might Rick have been asking Cardinale, "Where's the BEEF"?
Gerald Cardinale, a conservative who has now sold out to the RINO leadership in endorsing "The Whopper" was most likely just repeating the "party line". Once again, NO BEEF, just a bunch of fluff.
If Rich Shaftan is doing such a horrible job, why is everyone talking about him and Steve Lonegan? It seems that Rick is right, the RINOs are scared of Lonegan, and therefore want to create a diversion by attacking him. Instead of having the Cupcake debate Steve Lonegan and show that he actually has a plan and platform, their great plan of action for this primary is to attack Steve Lonegan's campaign manager. Now we know why the Republican party in this state gets it's butt kicked election out of election.
Steve Lonegan, the Cure for the RINO Virus, and just looking for the BEEF!
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But that's the thing, Rich. No one is talking about Lonegan or Shaftan except here on the blogosphere. The average taxpayers out there who don't follow politics religiously aren't hearing about Mayor Lonegan's conservative message. Just look at the latest polls. Scott Rasmussen is a renowned national pollster.
In my humble opinion, antics like shouting down a veteran conservative senator are part of the problem as it damages Mayor Lonegan's credibility. He needs to reign some of these people in.
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First off, who is paying for these polls? Why are the Rasmussen and Quinnipiac numbers so far out of line from each other?
When you get a statement like from Quinnipiac; "Christopher Christie, the Republican challenger in this year's New Jersey Governor's race, leads Democratic incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine 46 - 37 percent, even though 61 percent of voters don't know enough about the former U.S. Attorney to form an opinion of him, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today." 61% of the people don't know enough about Christie, but they still favor him? What kind of poll is this anyway?
Why not demand that Christie debate Lonegan and let people see who he really is? Is that too much to ask of the candidate that the leadership is endorsing? Instead of acting like a little child, Christie should come out and play! If not, he is nothing but a coward who is back dooring himself into the nomination and once again, New Jersey republicans will get the least they can in a candidate.
Steve Lonegan, willing to debate the The Whopper, any where, any place and any time to find out "Where the Beef" is.
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Are you that idiotic that you don't know polls? They are far out of line based on who and how many people they are polling. I could explain the whole process of polling but you would be better off going back to college and learning the polling process in a basic political science course.
People not knowing someone means that they have IDd that candidate as favorable without knowing his positions - that generally means that he is a popular candidate. What the people are saying is that they KNOW that a GOP candidate is better than Corzine and that Christie is far more recognizable than Lonegan.
So go back to your leader Shaftan and work on positively IDing your candidate and running a positive, smart campaign instead of this mud-slinging, name-calling abortion of a campaign.
Also: just so you know, your signature doesn't actually help your campaign in anyway. It symbolizes the immaturity of Steve Lonegan and Rick Shaftan.
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No, I am not idiotic, but I do know that most morons do not know that a poll can be "tailored" to get the results that the person or persons who contract for that poll want. Instead of trying to convince people that the "Cupcake" is popular with a bunch of idiots, why not convince the general population that he actually has a platform?
Sonny, I went to school when we had to do math without a calculator or computer. I know exactly how polls can be manipulated to give the results that the customer wants. Maybe you should demand more from wherever you went to school. Obviously, the education was inferior.
As far as my signature, that is my name. I don't hide behind stupid nicknames like "Stray". Of course, if I was a moron, I would do the same thing you do, hide my true identity so I would not prove to the world I was an idiot.
Steve Lonegan, The Cure for the RINO Virus, and not a shill like the "The Whopper".
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Cardinale tried to convince Christie Whitman was pro-life and a conservative as well. I can't think of the last conservative candidate Cardinale actually supported in a New Jersey race.
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Matt, to correct the record, this was not a "New Jersey Lonegan supporters breakfast." In no way was it advertised as such.
There was no "debate" over the candidates amongst the group in attendance. Each speaker addressed us and took questions.
You said, "some of Mayor Lonegan's supporters have done significant damage to their candidate's otherwise laudable conservative message."
Who are the "some?" Mr. Shaftan is one person. Who else do you speak of that you decided to pluralize the statement?
Lastly, you said...
"surprise surprise.... Steve Lonegan emerged victorious"
...Interesting how there is no similar derision on this blog regarding Chris Christie's "victories" in virtually all of the county conventions.
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Mike-
Let's avoid the spin on this one.
It may not have been advertised as such, but that breakfast was organized and produced by a blogger who doesn't even acknowledge Mr. Christie's Republican credentials. It's not surprising, therefore, that Mayor Lonegan overwhelmingly carried a small room comprised almost entirely of very pro-Lonegan partisans. I'm not at all suggesting it's improper for Lonegan supporters to gather. But it is what it is- to deny it is disingenuous.
Mr. Lonegan was invited to each of the county conventions and thousands of committee members, who make up the backbone of our state party's grassroots apparatus, endorsed Mr. Christie's candidacy. They think he's the better candidate. I'm sorry, but I'm just not a conspiracy theorist.
In the final analysis, I just don't see how the fact that Mr. Christie did so well somehow implies that it wasn't legitimate. Do you have pictures of people being strong armed? Chris Christie buying people off?
If not, I really do think we need to stop with the accusations and stick to the issues. It's beneath us as a party.
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This is getting to be ridiculous. Lonegan wins a straw poll of 60 people and that's news?
Christie wins Bergen Convention where hundreds and hundreds of party faithful - in Lonegan's home county -voted and that's the Establishment shrilling for Christie? This is getting old.
Each candidate is good enough to support in the general. Lonegan's campaign is starting to look a lot like Murray Sabrin's.
Most of us thought Steve was above that. Guess not.
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I don't recall anyone asking the same question when it was announced Christie won a Camden County straw poll - with only 77% - that consisted of about 50 people who were almost all tied to the the county chairman or the current system. ... That was somehow news?
It looks like the straw poll Lonegan won was different though because it was by the voters who are tired of the current system and not beholden to government or government contracts.
Lonegan's campaign is far from Murray Sabrin's was because Lonegan has a message that is resonating with the voters and has a great network of supporters who I see everywhere.
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Except - you know, the polls say the exact opposite. And the 'man on the street' probably doesn't know who Steve Lonegan is.
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