Congressman Lance: “yada yada yada… tax cuts… yada yada yada… Republican ‘no’ votes"

Last night I went to the town hall meeting of my congressman, Leonard Lance. Unlike, the summer town hall meetings of 2009, this was rather tame by comparison.

First of all, I want to say that I like Leonard Lance very much. When I was on Borough Council in Flemington, he was always extraordinarily helpful getting us much-needed financial support from the state for roads and other municipal projects. Back then, State Sen. Lance would have no problem getting “earmarks” for those in his district. But now, Congressman Lance toes the Republican line against such earmarks. Oh, what a difference a few years and a larger district makes.

I expected that there would be many Tea Party people taking the Congressman to task on his Cap and Trade vote––but I guess that issue is mostly over since the June primary. Back then, three separate Tea Party candidates failed to garner even a majority of the vote to oust Lance. So there were conservative Tea Party people there at the Town Hall meeting, who had only supportive questions for the congressman. The only time I heard them peep or squawk was when a Democrat got up to ask a question and expressed support for Obama,––then there were boos and hisses. They were rude bunch to say the least.

There's no question about it---after seeing him last night---Congressman Lance is very different from State Sen. Lance. State Sen. Lance is the person who bucked his own party by voting against a pension bond scheme by then Gov. and family friend Christie Todd Whitman. He also was the person as Sen. Lance to sue then Governor Jim McGreevy over borrowing money for the state without voter approval.

I got a chance to ask him if he had to do it over again, would he support Cap and Trade this time around. His answer: "No, I would not.” His answer, however, did not surprise me––because he flip-flopped on this issue mostly under pressure from the right wing of his party. What did surprise me is his reason for flip-flopping on the issue: He said that the reason why he would not vote for Cap and Trade again is because “the Obama administration did a poor job of negotiating in Copenhagen”, and he wasn't willing to take on the responsibility for the United States to deal with this issue alone. Of course, the follow-up question I should've asked had I thought of it would have been, “so Congressman, had the Obama administration negotiated successfully in Copenhagen then you would still be supporting Cap and Trade?”

And so, Congressman Lance “yada yada yada’d” his way through questions about his “no” votes on job creation, consumer protection against Wall Street's schemes, and his switch on Cap and Trade. I believe that he is still one of the few Republicans who was moderate in his heart, but has become conservative in his “political brain”.

As long as the seventh District has to have a Republican in Congress, I wish we had the old Leonard Lance back. He was a maverick, he was independent, and voted his own mind. Unfortunately, we may not see that Leonard Lance again for a while––if at all.

Steve Lonegan anti-Cap and Trade Road Show

Went to see the Steve Lonegan anti-Cap and Trade Road Show last night. This one in Clinton, in the heart of conservative-right wing-libertarian Lonegan country.

Packed house for the usual right-wing debunking of the global warming "myth/conspiracy". On hand, of course, was Assemblyman Mike Doherty, the original anti-global warming zealot.

Packed house—all the usual Republicans were there: Hunterdon Chairman Kuhl (no question with a name like that he be opposed to global warming); the aforementioned Mike Doherty, who had his own anti-global warming road show while back---the one where he was asked if he believed in evolution, and he said, “It does not matter. Evolution or creationism. It just does not matter.” Erik Peterson, the winner of the political sweepstakes shift when Leonard Lance won his seat in Congress.

Missing were State Senator Marcia Karrow and Congressman Lance, himself.

Lance has always been a good thinker, and an independent legislator, by and large. No doubt he is a Republican by philosophy, geography and family lineage ----however in a district that went big time for Lonegan in the gubernatorial primary, he may be shifting too far to the center to suit some of the RLC* folks –*Republican Conservative-Libertarian. His vote for Cap -n- Trade was one of the few Republican votes in Congress. Three from NJ, so he was not alone. But the usually popular Lance got booed last night.

Much of the anti-Cap and Trade was based on their “proof” that climate change does not exist. Debunking Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” with stories by John Stossell about how a photo of a polar bear was taken in August; how the whole global warming conspiracy can be traced somehow to Goldman Sachs, who would make billions on Cap n Trade; and how their science (which comes from ‘objective’ sources like The Heritage Foundation) was just seeking The Truth.

Anyway, 250 or so angry folks sat and listened to Lonegan, who cracked jokes (“Proof of climate change for me is the change in women’s lingerie over the years.”), asserted that Friends of The Earth and the Sierra Club were “communist front groups” (Are you listening Comrade Tittle?) and got cued-boos when he mentioned Obama, Gore, or Lance.

By way, maybe the liberalism is catching: Congressman Lance and Al Gore both went to the same law school, Vanderbilt University Law School.

Anyway, if any of the folks there did not see “An Inconvenient Truth”, it is now available on DVD.

Cap and Trade is what the Republicans always say they want: tax incentives to promote environmental protection, rather than government regulation.

Whitman's witless campaign

Kate Whitman focused her entire campaign for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 7th district on just one thing:

Tearing down Senator Leonard Lance.

It was as if the other five candidates in the race did not even exist. That was mistake number one.

Senator Lance and I do not always agree on everything politically. He will be supporting John McCain for president and I do not. He opposed Paid Family Leave and I support it. He supports extending the Bush tax cuts to the wealthiest of Americans and I do not.

However, I can say this: He is a man of integrity. He is a true gentleman, and almost too good for New Jersey politics. The way Kate Whitman tried to tear him down said something about her leadership skills: she has none. She attacked Senator Lance for giving up his Senate Minority Leadership post to Senator Tom Kean, Jr. She even found a way to blame New Jersey's fiscal woes on Lance.

The Todds and the Lances go back generations in the Republican Party. I do not know what she was thinking, but it could not have been much. Even the Republican supporting Hunterdon County Democrat had something to say about Whitman's tactics.

Can’t tell the players without a score card.

In the 7th Congressional District, all the Democrats are supporting Assemblywoman Linda Stender. No confusion there. And, I wish to state that I endorse her candidacy, too. She has my enthusiastic endorsement.

But, the endorsements on the Republican side----maybe that’s a message a bit tougher to decipher. There seems to be little rhyme or reason.

Some are pretty straight forward, after that it gets mucky. Former governor Christie Todd Whitman, whose family [The Todds] are long time friends with the Lances, is supporting ---let’s see---her own daughter, Kate Whitman.

This is in spite of the fact that her daughter has tried to create some distance from her mom by declaring that she is “more conservative” than her mom.

Gov. Mom helped her “more conservative daughter” get the thumbs up from Somerset County Clerk Brett Radi and Freeholder Rick Fontana. Whitman the Younger tried to follow in the footsteps of Whitman the Elder’s footsteps last year and become a Somerset County Freeholder, but fell short and lost in a primary.

On the Lance side, thus far is State Senator Kip Bateman and Assemblymember Denise Coyle and Pete Biondi are supporting Senator Lance. Senator Ton Kean is supporting Lance, too ----over the candidates that come from his neck of the woods [Kelly Hatfield and Mayor Martin Marks].

Now, fellow Trenton Republican legislators Jon Bramnick and Eric Munoz are not supporting Lance, but giving the thumbs up to Hatfield ----they think she is the real McCoy. But maybe that will lead to a feud.

None of the other Republican congressional hopefuls -- Bridgewater Councilman Michael Hsing, Warren Mayor Vic Sordillo, former Hillsborough Councilman Chris Venis and Thomas M. Roughneen, a Watchung attorney and Iraq War veteran ----seem to have the gravitas to line up ‘top shelf’ name endorsements as of yet.

The Republican County conventions should prove interesting. Maybe I will attend one to observe their process, and report back.

Republicans Out Number Democrats 6-1

In the Great Race for Congress in the 7th, right now the Republicans lead by a ratio of at least 6-1.

They have somewhere between six and eight candidates: To start with there’s Kelly Hatfield, Leonard Lance, Martin Marks, Victor Sordillo, Chris Venis and Kate Whitman. And the Democrats just have one, Assw. Linda Stender.

And just when you thought there more than enough candidates in the race for the 7th Congressional District race, there come two more with very interesting backgrounds.

New on the Republican block, there is Tom Roughneen. He is an Iraq War veteran, and I thank him for his service. He experience also includes being an Army defense lawyer and a former assistant prosecutor with Union and Essex counties. He will actually be running from town to town in the district to help his name recognition. Clad in his www.rockthecongress.com sweatshirt, he may soon be seen running through your town. Be careful driving if you see him on the road at night.

If you go to his website, there is a streaming video where he has some typical sophomoric quips about Senators Obama and Clinton. From his experience in Iraq, he brings a unique perspective to the ongoing Iraqi War debate. If any Republican should be able to make the tough argument of why we should still be in Iraq, he should. However, at from his speech at his announcement, he brings nothing new to the debate.

Next throwing his hat in to the ring, is Bridgewater Township Councilman Michael Hsing. Hsing is a personal friend from our days in the Leadership New Jersey Class of 1998. He is a two term Councilman in Bridgewater. He has served as President to the Bridgewater Town Council, and as the President of the Somerset County Governing Officials Association.

So, now there are eight. Should be an interesting primary, to say the least.

Entrenched politicians from long standing Republican families. Neo-con Republicans.

But not one amongst them who has had the courage to declare that he/she would vote to bring the troops home Iraq, -----leaving us all still behind the eight ball.