Mensch of the Week and Putz of the Week -January 19th 2008

I waited this week until Sunday to award the weekly Mensch and Putz of the week here at NJPoliticsUnusual, because I was live blogging from the 2008 GOP Presidential Candidate Debate and Straw Poll. This event organized by our very conservative friends over at Conservatives With An Attitude, and Michael Illions.

There was a healthy turn out of about 200 plus paleo-cons, neo-cons, Ron-cons, and one tie-dyed libertarian hippie. I did get to speak with many before the festivities began. There were some true-believers and many situational conservatives.

However, these were not Republicans that followed the Eleventh Commandment as stated by Reagan: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”

There was booing and hissing a plenty on several fronts.

Bill Spadea, speaking on behalf of Mayor Rudy, was booed for articulating Giuliani's stand on undocumented aliens and his support for a path to citizenship. Not to be out done, the room filled with mostly Ron Paul supporters, also jeered their own candidate’s rep ----libertarian Murray Sabrin ---for articulating so well that Rep. Paul does not support the Iraq War.

More on Sabrin: In an answer to a question on whether or not we should stay in the United Nations, Sabrin said [and I admit to paraphrasing, but this is the substance of what he said]

"Ron Paul supports withdrawing from the UN, and making them condos on the east river. That will handle the homeless problem in NYC.”

It was told as a joke, and thereby illustrates the difference in the core values between the Republicans and the Democrats.

And, so, for making light of the housing and homeless problem in New York, Murray Sabrin is our Putz of the Week.

Rush Holt has been trying for years to pass his Bill, H.R. 811 ---H.R. 811: The Voter Confidence & Increased Accessibility Act.

Recently, Rep. Holt has introduced the “Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act of 2008. This act will help election authorities using e-voting to convert to paper ballots, offer emergency paper ballots or convert audits by hand counts. For 2008, this will make sure that every vote is counted, that every election result is verifiable.

According to an AP story:

The bill would provide incentives for states to provide verified, audited balloting for the general election, but would not mandate standards for all states.

Voters in all or parts of 20 states, including New Jersey, now cast ballots electronically without backup paper verification, said New Jersey Rep. Rush Holt, who has sponsored the bill in the House.

"Millions of Americans will be voting on unreliable electronic machines without paper ballots. There will be questions that cannot be resolved because there is no way of determining a voter's intention. All you have is an electronic memory," said Holt, a Democrat.

Holt said he crafted the emergency bill because the House has not approved his earlier measure that mandated the use of backup paper ballots and audits in time for the presidential election.

For his ongoing efforts to ensure accountability in the election process, and especially his efforts this week, Rush Holt is the Mensch of the Week here at NJPoliticsUnusual.com.