Me, Myself and I

Last spring, the folks at Campaigns and Elections started covering the political scene in New Jersey. Their usual articles include titles such as “Property Tax Debate Turns Partisan” , about how the property tax debate has turned partisan. Or the article entitled “Republicans Zero In On Immigration Issue”, about how the Republican Party has zeroed in on immigration as an issue. Or, finally, the article whose title is “Fair and Clean Elections Program Passes ‘Success’ Threshold”, which is about how the 2007 Fair and Clean Elections program was successful. You can see their keen insight into the New Jersey political scene has no equal, as their titles clearly reveal the article you are about to read ----unlike my posts.

So it was with great pleasure and humility that I caught the title of their latest venture in to the New Jersey political scene, with a piece entitled "Joey Novick Embodies Politics Unusual", I figured out quite quickly that the article was about me. As has been said about me by my long time friend Mike Z, "You have a firm grasp on the obvious." Indeed.

I spoke with their ace reporter for New Jersey, who peppered me with questions left and right, probing my background. “Where did you get started in comedy?” "Who inspired you to do stand-up comedy?" When did you move to New Jersey?" I tried my best to lead him down the path of what it is to be "me". Since I am me, this was fairly easy.

He spoke to a number of people about me, including some comedy-world colleagues such as comedy club owners and booking agents. The one person from the world of local NJ politics their reporter tried to speak with was current Flemington Mayor Bob Hauck, the longtime Borough Clerk and former Councilman. Hauck was my opponent in the Flemington mayor’s race last year. Republican Hauck refused to speak to the reporter, making “it clear he did not want to talk about his former opponent.” Go figure.

As I tell everyone, in that race, I know I won the hearts and minds of the people. But Hauck won the pancreas, the liver, at least one kidney, and the esophagus. Since he won more body parts than I did, he became the Mayor.

Unfortunately, like most Republicans these days, his values are as about as useful as an appendix, but that's another story.

So it goes in New Jersey politics.