The Save Jersey Blog

Christie Whitman Involved in Iowa Presidential Politics?

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:18:00 GMT

| March 9, 2010

An amusing story from CNN:

An anonymous recorded telephone message began hitting some Iowa households Monday afternoon attacking former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a potential presidential candidate, ahead of his Tuesday evening appearance before the influential Iowa Christian Alliance, two Hawkeye State Republicans told CNN.

In the 40-second call, an unidentified female voice blasts Santorum as "a pro-life fraud" because of his past support for former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and Republican-turned Democratic Pennsylvania Arlen Specter, both of whom support abortion rights. Whitman, the call claims, was "the abortion promoting governor of New Jersey." Specter is labeled a "radical abortionist."

See, Save Jerseyans? We're not the only ones still paying for Christie Whitman's failures as governor. She's dragging down a Pennsylvanian, too.... an entire decade later!

Chris Christie is Winning the War (So Far)

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

| March 9, 2010

Let the NJEA loyalists and New Jersey Transit bureaucrats scream until they're hoarse, Save Jerseyans. I don't really care and Chris Christie's supporters shouldn't, either. They didn't vote for him in November 2009, and nothing he can say or do over the next four years can assuage their knee-jerk hostility to Republicans in the run up to November 2013.

As budget day looms, a noisy minority will raise their voices, concoct tall tales, and pit citizen against citizen, all in a vain attempt to block Chris Christie's reform-oriented budget cuts. Rest assured that their petulant whining will fall on deaf ears. A recent Fairleigh Dickinson poll revealed that an astonishingly high 78% of the public are in agreement with the Governor that state employees should contribute financially toward their own health care benefits (currently, public school teachers and other public employees contribute nothing towards their health coverage). Furthermore, 69% of the public backed capping payouts for unused vacation days and 77% agreed that capping public employee salaries at $200,000 is a grand idea.

Chris Christie has built a mandate and he's not afraid to use it!

The big man deserves all of the credit for using it correctly, Save Jerseyans. He's mustered a broad alliance behind his reform package virtually overnight by acting decisively -- and speaking articulately -- on the challenges facing our state.

Timing is everything, and Chris was extremely prudent to not wait to fight for dramatic changes in Trenton. The public appetite for limited government reforms is positively ravenous right now. Rather than try to pass his agenda through the Legislature in a piecemeal fashion, the Governor is front loading his initiatives in order to force the Democrat-dominated State House into action. Sure, some of the speed we're witnessing is budgetary necessity, but it would be a mistake to completely ignore the political calculations occurring behind the scenes. State Democrats can't possibly fight everything on the Governor's to-do list or risk appearing like overly-ideological obstructionists to angry voters; subsequently, the administration has successfully driven a wedge between the liberal Democrats who want to vocally resist the Governor's plans and the moderate Democrats who are arguing for compromise in the near term despite the temptation to strike back in a partisan fashion.

The Christie strategy also has the added benefit of getting unpleasant budget decisions out of the way early in the Governor's first term. By the time 2013 arrives, any fallout from the tough choices in 2010 will have signficantly dissipated. Did I mention that timing is everything?

So let this Governor's detractors do their worst, Save Jerseyans. It's backfiring big time. We're winning the war. Chris is holding his own and will stay on the offensive. Our job is to continuously help Governor Christie reeducate residents regarding the urgent need for a total restructuring of state government. Argue the pension facts (click here) confidently with the teacher in your family. Share the Governor's stoic words (click here) with a skeptical neighbor. Explain the connection between (click here) tax hikes and lost jobs to a coworker. Make every conversation an instructional opportunity! Your tax bill may rise or fall because of it!

I also want you to know that we're inching closer every day to truly Saving Jersey, folks. We've come much too far to engage this budget brawl with anything less than the full intensity, passion and dedication with which we fought to depose Jon Corzine last year. The 2009 Election was always only the first step in turning this state around. Step two begins Tuesday, March 16th. Let's win the war for our state's future together!

Finally!

samtyler.savejersey@gmail.com (Sam Tyler) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:58:00 GMT

Sam Tyler | March 9, 2010

A new poll is out from Adam Geller who is polling for Mike Halfacre. PolitickerNJ has some choice bits that are pretty interesting:

"A recent poll shows that 39% of twelfth district voters believe Holt deserves to be re-elected, while 41% believe it is time for a new person. When Geller polled the district in 2004, Holt’s re-elect was at 51% and just 23% wanted a new congressman."

"In a head to head ballot test between Holt and “a Republican who, as Mayor, cut spending and lowered property taxes three years in a row,” Holt trailed by five percentage points, 46%-41%. Against “a Republican who made millions on Wall Street, and who contributed some of his money to Democrats like Chuck Schumer and five House Democrats as recently as June of 2009,” Holt has a huge lead: 55%-20%. "

Take note though:

National Research Inc. polled 300 likely voters between February 24-25 and has a margin of error of +/- 5.66%

PolitickerNJ: GOP Pollster says Holt's re-elect number has dropped 10 points in 6 years

Greenstein Helps Goodwin Produce First Negative Ad

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

| March 9, 2010

You gotta love it when Democrats help Republicans write their attack ads!

In case you've been living under a rock over the past few weeks, Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) will likely challenge Councilman Tom Goodwin (R-Hamilton) for Bill Baroni's old State Senate seat in a November special election. Goodwin, a conservative government cost-cutter and former small business owner, is expected to fill Baroni's seat at an upcoming LD-14 GOP convention. We've got Tom's back and you really should too, Save Jerseyans. He's unquestionably the only candidate capable of keeping this seat in Republican hands.

Conventional wisdom dictates that Christie's budget cuts will make this union stronghold a tough fight for Republicans in 2010 and 2011. But don't despair just yet, folks. Greenstein clearly hasn't seen the latest polls, all of which indicate that New Jerseyans of diverse economic backgrounds strongly support the Governor's attempts to rein in government spending. Not Linda! Unbelievably, she's proposing a worthless new two-year study of the Garden State's inmate population.

From the Associated Press, via the Bergen Record:

A new measure approved by the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Monday would create a panel to study characteristics of the New Jersey inmate population.
The Blue Ribbon Panel to Review New Jersey's Inmate Policy would analyze prison inmates by race, length of incarceration and participation in prison educational and vocational programs, among other obtainable data.
Chairwoman Linda Greenstein said the bill cuts language from an earlier version that would have allowed the review of individual prisoners, addressing fears by some members of the public that inmates could be granted shorter sentences or earlier paroles.

Big government liberals of the Greenstein variety absolutely love stupid projects like prison studies. Studies, panels, commissions, and other organized wastes of time allow liberals "to do" without actually accomplishing anything. It's form over function and they LOVE it! Think about it: why are so many lawyers also liberals? Because they enjoy process more than results! But even more than that, advisory panels are a preferred avenue to hand out fancy titles and generous sums of cash to politically connected moochers. There's no real tangible public benefit to these things. What could we possibly learn about prison life that's worth the immense taxpayer investment required to undertake this project?

Nothing. That's not the point!

I want the Assembly GOP to question why this is a necessary expenditure during a financial crisis. Each prisoner profile is already in an easily searchable data form, folks. We know who is there, and we want them to stay there for as long as possible. If Linda has other ideas, then she should step forward and say so before any further consideration of this bill takes place. Otherwise, her prison study initiative should be put exactly where it belongs -- in a State House waste basket!

VIDEO: MoreMonmouthMusings Talks to Mike Halfacre

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:19:00 GMT

| March 8, 2010

Our good friend Art Gallagher sat down with Mike Halfacre for a multi-part interview on the NJ-12 Congressional race between the Fair Haven mayor and his multi-millionare opponent Scott Sipprelle (R-Princeton). Art initiated the interview after Sipprelle backed out of a debate that would've been co-hosted by MoreMonmouthMusings and Save Jersey.

Art's interview is good viewing, Save Jerseyans. He doesn't go easy on the Mayor, either.

Enjoy Part I:

An Increasingly Difficult Outlook for Mayor Mike Halfacre's Campaign

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:25:00 GMT

| March 8, 2010

Two new endorsements today in NJ-12, Save Jerseyans.

Incoming Middlesex County Republican chairman Sam Thompson has endorsed Scott Sipprelle in that congressional district's heated GOP primary. Thompson is also an "establishment" state assemblyman, so his endorsement may signal a continued erosion of support for Mayor Mike Halfacre who, through most of 2009, stood alone in the hunt to challenge Rep. Rush Holt (D).

Halfacre's campaign manager Tom Fitzsimmons responded later in the afternoon with his own press release touting Tea Party endorsement number five for Fair Haven's chief executive. The Jersey Shore Tea Party has a Facebook group with 62 members. The true size and influence of this particular organization is, as with most of the tea party groups, undetermined.

Which endorsement would you rather have heading into the March 27th Middlesex convention?

Indeed, it now seems likely that Scott Sipprelle will capture the county lines in Mercer and Middlesex Counties. The Middlesex convention is very interesting because it's open to any registered Republican in the county willing to pay the $10 credential fee; however, the advantage has to go to Sipprelle since he has 1) superior resources to credential his people and 2) he's locked up the support of the popular next chairman. And if both counties go Scott's way, it will be extremely interesting to see how long Mayor Mike can hold on to the elected officials supporting him in his home county of Monmouth. Even if he does successfully defend his home turf and Monmouth stays with Halfacre, Sipprelle then has the financial ability to use paid media and poach votes behind enemy lines. April 15th is looming larger and larger for everyone trying to handicap this campaign!

In the final analysis, Save Jerseyans, primary politics is all about the tension between grassroots momentum and structural advantages. With three months left to go, Mayor Mike doesn't seem to have enough of the former to overcome Sipprelle's growing control over the later, and he's rapidly running out of time to close the gap.

Leading Social Conservative Group "Cautiously Optimistic" Regarding Rosenzweig Nomination

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:54:00 GMT

| March 8, 2010

The New Jersey Family Policy Council's Len Deo sat down with Janet F. Rosenzweig MS, Ph.D, MPA and, according to a release dispersed this morning, is "cautiously optimistic" about her candidacy to head the Department of Children and Family Services.

For those of you who haven't been following this story, a controversy around Rosenzweig's nomination originated after a Paul Moonshine column questioned some of her "academic" affiliations. To be fair to Paul, he asked some fair questions that deserved answers. There's a first time for everything, Save Jerseyans.

The relevant part of Deo's release:

Two of the remaining hearings are of particular note, the first being today. The nomination of Janet Rosenzweig, at first glance, would make one wonder why a person with associations with AASECT (the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) and Quad S (SSSS – Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality), would be nominated for the Department of Children and Families. After reading Paul Mulshine’s article about Ms. Rosenzweig we did some research concerning this nominee, because the connections to these associations caused some concern for the NJFPC.

However, not to be ones to cast accusations without a full communication with the Governor’s office and the nominee herself, the NJFPC requested a meeting which was granted this past Friday. One of the encouraging points that we came away with from that meeting was that Ms. Rosenzweig is an advocate for preventing child abuse. Her convictions and answers to our questions provided insight and a feeling that she would be a tough Commissioner who would implement the policies set forth by Governor Chris Christie. That is, to protect children and continue building on the improvements that has already begun in the Department of Children and Families. According to Ms. Rosenzweig her training and background equipped her to train police and social workers in looking for the signs of adults abusing children. “Based on our meeting I am cautiously optimistic that Ms. Rosenzweig is capable of doing a good job in the best interests of our children once confirmed,” Deo stated.

Rosenzweig's Judiciary Committee hearing is currently underway in Trenton. I'm sure many of these questions will receive further attention as today's inquiry unfolds. I'm equally positive that her critics won't be satisfied. They have their own agendas irrespective of the facts.

Stay tuned...

Loretta Lies (Again), This Time About the Effect of S799

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:47:00 GMT

| March 8, 2010

State Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) sits on the Senate Health, Human Services & Senior Citizens Committee. We all suffer for it on a regular basis, Save Jerseyans!

The latest example? Her committee approved S799 last week, a bill that would make it impossible for young pregnant women that have to choose between abortion and adoption to enter into an anonymous adoption process. You can read more about S799 by clicking here. There's no getting around the fact that this is a pro-abortion bill. Removing one of key elements that makes adoption palatable will inevitably result in more otherwise preventable abortions.

In a Blue Jersey post from earlier this morning, Weinberg rationalized her rabid support for S799 by arguing that women can simply "opt out" if they choose to remain anonymous:

" The bill would allow birth parents to opt out of allowing information to be released to the adopted person for a period of one year after the law takes affect. However, birth parents would have to supply important health information to the adoptee. "

Nice try, Loretta, but I wasn't born yesterday.

Let's get the facts straight. Under S799, the birth certificate would not be sealed for adoptions occurring after the legislation's passage. Senator Weinberg is correct to say that birth parents could choose to submit a document of contact preference to Trenton and, in the document, indicate their unwillingness to be contacted by the adopted child. Unfortunately, the legislation's other wrinkles render the birth parent's preference document completely meaningless! Even if the parent selects "no contact" on the contact preference document, the State of New Jersey will still provide the adoptee with the "long form" version of his or her birth certificate. For those of you unfamiliar with this particular bureaucratic process, the long form contains all necessary identifying information including the birth mother’s actual contact preference form. Stupidity or deceit by the drafters?

And it gets better. If this new law is approved by the Legislature, birth parents would be required to update their medical history information every ten years until they reach age 40 and every five years following their 40th birthday. Hence, nothing protects the birth parent's identity save the adopted person's willingness to honor the birth parent's original preference.

Whether or not you support this bill, Save Jerseyans, it's distressing that Senator Weinberg has once again chosen to deceive New Jersey residents regarding the true effect of her votes. S799 does not give birth mothers a choice in the adoption process. Loretta's insistence on lying about it validates my initial assumption: that this is a camouflaged pro-abortion bill championed by some of the Senate's most socially liberal radicals.

Monday Open Thread: Where Will the Hammer Stroke Fall Hardest?

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT

| March 8, 2010

Governor Christie's budget is set to be unveiled on Tuesday, March 16th. That's only one week away. The entire New Jersey political universe is fixated on what (and how much) Chris Christie decides to cleave from Trenton's bloated budget.

So where will Chris's hammer stroke fall the hardest, Save Jerseyans?

Everything from school aid and transit subsidies to unemployment benefits and agency payrolls are currently under the microscope. Can you hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth already? I'm just curious to hear what you would advise the Governor to tackle in what looks to be a dramatically different budget than the government class is used to swallowing! Keep in mind: they're actually afraid of this Governor in a way that neither Corzine, McGreevey, or any of their recent predecessors could pull off.

And Christie-induced dread is undeniably a great thing for Garden State taxpayers, Save Jerseyans. We'd be in even more financial trouble if the NJEA, CWA and other collective mooching organizations thought they had another pushover on their hands. Chris Christie is no pushover so, next Tuesday, for the first time in state history, special interest groups and lobbyists will know what its like "go without." Hardworking middle class taxpayers are all too familiar with that feeling! It's about time the government class shared the burden, don't you think?

Leave a comment below, Save Jerseyan. Rest assured that your input is being monitored by the right people...

FOX News Sunday Video: Adler Still Indecisive On ObamaCare

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:09:00 GMT

| March 7, 2010

Rep. John Adler (D, NJ-3) is being pressured by the White House to switch his "no" vote to a "yes" on health care reform. We've covered this extensively at Save Jersey. Remember: this isn't ultimately Adler's decision. If Pelosi needs the votes, Adler may not have a choice whether or not it places his seat at higher risk of going to the GOP in November.

Adler didn't really do much to clarify his position this morning on FOX News Sunday:

Attention All Middlesex County Republicans

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:55:00 GMT

| March 6, 2010

The Middlesex GOP is the only county party that allows any registered Republican to vote at its convention. Pretty wild, isn't it?

Convention festivities kick off on March 27th at 8AM in East Brunswick. There's some big races in districts touching Middlesex in 2010 including the contentious primary battle between millionaire Scott Sipprelle (R-Princeton) and Mayor Mike Halfacre (R-Fair Haven) for the NJ-12 congressional nomination. Through covering this race, I've observed profound substantive and stylistic differences between the two major candidates. Every active Middlesex Republican should take advantage of this unique opportunity to help guide the Democratic process and weigh in meaningfully before Primary Day!

Interested? Click here to download the form required to register as a convention delegate. Forms must be received by 4:00pm on March 13th. And FYI: There's a $10 registration fee. It's well worth the theater!