Corzine is ready to go

It's more than official: Christie vs Governor Corzine.

I was blogging at the Corzine for Governor event tonight, and got to see first hand who is the team with the governor.

Labor. LBGT folks. College students. Seniors. The African-American community. The Latino community. All working on parallel tracks to re-elect Jon Corzine.

No wounds to heal; no need to attend a "united front" breakfast----Corzine campaign hits the ground running. Tonight the VP was in town. I am sure that President Obama will visit before the campaign is over.

On Christie's side, I am sure that he will have Lonegan out there campaigning for him. Good luck with that. As well presidential losers Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani.

Important note: No pro-life/anti-choice candidate has won state-wide in New Jersey in more than two decades. Chris Christie may have coasted on the coat tails of US attorney reputation to the nomination---but now he has to run in the issues.

And his primary run forced him to the right on most issues. He has declared his anti-choice position, and his opposition to taking any federal stimulus dollars----in spite of the fact that NJ sends more dollars to Washington than just about any other state.

So, over the next 153 days until November election---the choice is clear.

Four weeks and counting

Today we are exactly four weeks from Election Day, an election day that will be written about for years and years to come. It is a real choice between the future and the past. Between a man who has voted with George W. Bush more than 90% of the time; and someone who offered a real hope for change for the better.

I am supporting Barack Obama for a wide variety of reasons. And he was not the first choice on my list. I originally supported Governor Bill Richardson as I thought he was the Democratic candidate who offered the most experience in the race. When he dropped out, I was left with considering someone who had far less experience.

What turned me in to an Obama supporter was the same experience that turned me in to a Richardson supporter----a personal meeting with the candidate. Back in 2005, I had the opportunity to meet and speak to Governor Bill Richardson when I was a keynote speaker for the New Mexico League of Cities state conference. I found him intelligent, funny and personable.

The same with Senator Obama. I had the opportunity of meeting him on stage at a campaign rally for Jon Corzine for governor. We spoke for maybe ten minutes in a small group on stage, waiting for the event to begin. We talked of municipal issues, sprawl, high property taxes, financial challenges to small communities---all issues that confront New Jersey, as well as his home state of Illinois. I was impressed.

So, I continue to support Senator Obama, and look forward to his election in November. Makes me feel a little old, as he will be the first candidate I support who is younger than me.

Corzine and Rendell step up to the plate

Putting party unity over intra-party partisanship, Governors Corzine and Rendell have stepped up to the plate: They're willing to raise millions to pay the tab for do-over elections in Florida and Michigan. And they both support Senator Clinton, too.

Like author Thomas Wolfe said, "You can't go home again". The do-overs would just not be the same as getting it right the first time. And this time Senator Obama would be on the ballot in Michigan, and both candidates would give the voters the benefit of actually campaigning in the states. But the do-overs are the best we can do.

"We ought to have a revote," Corzine told the The Star-Ledger. "I think the money would be available if it brought peace to the party and a resolution to the nomination."

The real election in New Jersey is just 783 Days away.

The November 2007 election is a mere 55 days away. However, the simultaneous election campaign in New Jersey is for the Presidential primary on February 5th, 2008 is a mere 146 days away.

And, of course, the grand daddy of them all ---the 2008 presidential election is on November 4th, 2008 and that’s 419 days away.

However, lurking waaay behind the scenes is the real biggie in New Jersey --- the 2009 election for Governor.

And that’s a mere 783 Days or 18793 hours. Or 1127626 minutes away.

It will be here before Bush can learn how to pronounce ‘nuclear’.

Why is that soooo big? Because it’s unprecedented.

It will be the first time New Jersey will be electing a Lt. Governor. Kind of changes the whole shebang, one might think.

Hence, who is on the short list for Lt. Governor to run with Governor Jon Corzine?

Well, the ticket will need some ‘balance’, perhaps. Someone to reflect the rich diversity of New Jersey’s political landscape. Someone with leadership skills and executive experience, possibly.

Indeed, that would put Newark Mayor Cory Booker on the top of the list.

But wait, New Jersey ranks somewhere in the low thirties for the top states with women in state legislatures.

So, maybe Barbara Buono or Susan Bass Levin might be on the ticket. Buono has been a loyal Senator and a good Democrat. Levin has been an executive (Mayor of Cherry Hill), the Commissioner of the DCA, and a solid fund-raiser for the Democrats.

Also, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman might be on the list ---she was the Democratic State Chair, and is the Majority Leader in the Assembly. Assemblywoman Nellie Pou, the powerful chair of Appropriations Committee could be considered, too.

Other possibilities might include Mayor Jun Choi of Edison, who has powerful standing in two important constituencies the Democrats need for victory: the Asian community and the progressive community. And he has executive experience as well, being a Mayor.

Another might be Kris Kolluri, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation. He was named a possible Lt. Governor candidate by PoliticsNJ on their 100 most powerful politicians in New Jersey list earlier this year.

Maybe a Congressman or two might be interested in the number two spot, with an eye toward being elected Governor in 2013. A congressman would not have to give up their seat in Congress to run for Lt. Governor, either. So, Rep. Albio Sires ---the former Speaker of the Assembly might be tapped, or maybe even Congressmen Rush Holt or Rob Andrews.

Anyone we're leaving out? And it's still just 2007.

I love Paris in the the spring

"When it comes to public records archives, New Jersey will always have "PARIS." At least that's the idea behind the Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support program, dubbed PARIS, that was established "to boost efficiency, integrity and security of public records systems at the county and municipal level." (Lockwood, Star-Ledger)

Paris is on every one's mind these days. No not 'France' or 'Hilton' ---the Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support program. It is essential for a town in a democratic society.

Flemington was one of many municipalities to pass a resolution this week asking the Governor to restore funding to the PARIS program. This is a very important program to aid towns in the management of "strategic and emergency records management, preservation, and storage needs of county and municipal governments." It is a no-brainer to support this resolution; the New Jersey State League advocates for all municipalities to let Governor Corzine know what you're thinking. Amazingly enough, though, a Councilman in Flemington actually voted against it.

The grant funds are accrued through fees charged to the public for the recording and filing of various public records at county clerks offices. Last month, the state announced this year's batch of PARIS grants, which totaled $21.8 million to New Jersey's 21 counties and 37 municipalities.

As the storage of information becomes more and more important in these days of electronic filing of financial transactions, property and zoning documentation ----maintenance of such records is essential for towns to be responsive for residents and businesses. If you're a borough clerk, you need to keep careful records. I have taught through the Municipal Clerks Academy, and I know the important work clerks do.

Just some thoughts.

“Phone calling. It’s not just for Governors anymore.”

Maybe the governor is trying to set a good example for us all by giving up email and only using his cell phone. Maybe it's the wave of the future.

I think people rely way too much on email. It's tough in email to communicate complex ideas. Negotiate multifaceted deals. Have emotional blow-ups. Be sarcastic. You can't tell someone's 'tone' in an email. No matter how well you bold, capitilize, or ITALICIZE words. The problem, of course, is it's tough to do anything other than share the most basic information with emails. Short quick thoughts and ideas that people can read and say “Yay” or “Nay” to.

We taught my 81-year-old mother how to use email. She would email me and then immediately call me on my cell phone asking, “So, did you get my email?”

She'd email my Aunt Lilly, and then call her to see if she received the email. “Let me get off the phone and look,” Aunt Lilly would answer.

So, my Aunt Lilly would get off her phone, unplug her phone, hook up the computer modem to the phone line, go online with her very slow dial-up modem, go to AOL, get her email, and then see my mother’s email listed. Then she would just as dutifully, unhook the modem, re-connect the phone, and call my mother back.

“Hello, Pearl, this is Lilly, your sister,” she would say.

They have been sisters for 81 years, and they still identify each other by name and title when they call. The conversation would continue:

“So, did you get my email?”
“Yes, I did.”
“So, do you want to go?”
“Go where?”
“To play Mah Jong with Gertie? It’s in the email. Did you read the email?"
"Oh, I didn’t read the email. You just asked me if I got the email. I got the email."
“But you didn’t read the email?”
“No, I didn’t. What time did you want to go and play Mah Jong with Gertie?”
“ I don’t have time for this. That’s why I put it in the email. Go back and read the email."

So, Lilly goes back to read the email. She gets off the phone, unplugs the phone, hooks up the computer modem to the phone line, goes online with her very slow dial-up modem….

And it goes on and on like this. By the way, my mother and Aunt Lilly live just four doors down from each other.

Gotta love Florida. It’s like living in a Seinfeld episode.

Maybe Governor Corzine has the right idea:
“Phone calling. It’s not just for Governors anymore.”

I am a Democrat, a member of the Democratic Party

On Tuesday night in Linden, I gave a presentation on clean community elections in NJ to the Linden Rotary. They were a nice bunch, and seem to enjoy the subject matter over all.

I mentioned that I was proud that New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Jon Corzine signed in to law a clean campaign bill earlier this year. A Rotarian, who I found out later was Republican, piped up in the group that “there is no Democratic Party. They are the ‘Democrat Party’. They are not and never been ‘democratic’. That name is just an attempt by them to tell the world that they are democratic, when they’re not.”

Now, this statement was so shockingly stupid on so many levels, I just didn’t know where to begin.

“The name is the Democratic Party. I am a Democrat, and the Party is the Democratic Party”, I tried to assure him. That, it is the DEMOCRATIC Party itself that should certainly be able to decide upon their name, not some Republican from Linden, New Jersey. He was unmoved.

However, it did give me pause for thought about the issue. I have heard for years in Hunterdon County, Republican elected officials refer to the Democratic Party as the “Democrat Party”. I always wondered where that came from, and how they always seemed to me like snickering adolescent school kids, chanting “I know you are, but what am I”, over and over again to be as annoying possible .

Bush uses the phrase lots of times, using the noun-as-adjective, Democrat Party instead of Democratic Party. He used it the State of the Union address several times. But then again, he is just plain stupid. Other Republicans, not as stupid, use it too. If a Republican knows your name, but gets it wrong anyway --- it either comes out of Republican stupidity or passive-aggressive behavior or both.

The Republican use of noun-as-adjective ‘Democrat’ has its history. New Yorker commentator Hendrik Hertzberg wrote:

"There’s no great mystery about the motives behind this deliberate misnaming. 'Democrat Party' is a slur, or intended to be - a handy way to express contempt. Aesthetic judgments are subjective, of course, but 'Democrat Party' is jarring verging on ugly. It fairly screams 'rat.'”

In 1947, Republican leader Senator Robert A. Taft said,

"Nor can we expect any other policy from any Democrat Party or any Democrat President under present day conditions. They can not possibly win an election solely through the support of the solid South, and yet their political strategists believe the Southern Democrat Party will not break away no matter how radical the allies imposed upon it." President Dwight D. Eisenhower used the term in his acceptance speech in 1952 and in partisan speeches to Republican groups. Ruth Walker notes how Joseph McCarthy repeatedly used the phrase "the Democrat Party," and critics argue that if McCarthy used the term in the 1950s, then no one else should do so.

From the New Yorker article:

“…the use of " 'Democrat Party' is now nearly universal" thanks to "Newt Gingrich, the nominal author of the notorious 1990 memo 'Language: A Key Mechanism of Control,' and his Contract with America pollster, Frank Luntz." While Hertzberg noted that Luntz "road-tested the adjectival use of 'Democrat' with a focus group in 2001" and "concluded that the only people who really dislike it are highly partisan adherents of the ... Democratic Party," he also wrote that Luntz had told him recently that "[t]hose two letters ['ic'] actually do matter," and that Luntz "recently finished writing a book ... entitled 'Words That Work.' "

And now they have trained the media to use the term, too.

Want to know who in politics in New Jersey has been eating their spinach...

... and wields a great deal of political muscle?

This morning at 10:30am on the nose, PoliticsNJ will release The List of “100 Most Powerful People in New Jersey Politics”. Prepare to have their site crash because of all the folks who will log on right at 10:30 on the dot.

The criteria for The List is kept very hush-hush. And The List is probably only important to (a) the folks at PoliticsNJ who actually make up the list, (b) the folks who actually get chosen for the List, (c) those who wish they were on the list, and (d) the folks who get to comment on The List. For the rest of New Jersey’s working class families, it’s a big yawn.

However, since I fit somewhere between between (c) and (d), I am making my predictions about The List --- the night before.

I am sure the folks on The List will include Gov. Jon Corzine [duh], and the former [and possibly future] Acting Governor/Senate President Richard Codey [double 'duh'] ---they certainly deserve it. Also, our two Senators Lautenberg and Menendez wield a great deal of power. Democratic Congressmen Holt, Pallone, and Andrews should find their way somewhere there. And perhaps Loretta Weinberg, Susan Bass Levin, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman and retired NJ Supreme Court Chief Justice Deborah Poritz.

Also, my guess given the state of the Repubs these days nationally, fewer Repubs will be on the list this year statewide. Undoubtedly, Chris Christie [United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey] and Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance will make the list. Where on the list, who knows ---but I predict that Christie will place higher than Lance. Christie is the clear choice [if he so chooses] to challenge Gov. Corzine in 2009, while Sen. Lance will be challenged by Tom Kean, Jr. for the Senate Minority Leadership post. Maybe Jr. will be in the top 100, but he won’t be higher than 50. As far as Mayors go, look for Cory Booker of Newark and Jun Choi of Edison.

There will be a smattering of hired guns here and there in the top 25 ---the usual suspects including Dale Florio, Brad Brewster, Judy Shaw, Hazel Gluck on the Repub side. On the Dem side, certainly Karen Kominsky and Paul Matacera.

There will be some non-governmental players in the top 100, too. In spite of their racist frat-boy antics, Craig Carton and Ray Rossi of 101.5 may be in the top 100. Their show reaches so far and wide, and they have such a powerful drive time listening public, that they wield enormous influence.

It’s a more sure thing than a blackjack bet at any Trump Casino that Juan Melli of BlueJersey.com [named Politician of the Year for 2006 by PoliticsNJ] will be in the top 20, if not the Top 10.

Other non-elected players in the top 100 will be Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality [who engineered the civil unions in to law, and vows marriage equality to follow within two years]; and Bill Dressel of the NJ State League of Municipalities for his no-nonsense common sense approach advocacy for NJ’s 566 towns.

Who won’t make The List? Well, me, for one. I am fairly certain of that, but who knows.

Also, Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow and Raritan Twp Committeewoman Chris Harcar for their Sunday night fisticuffs. Assemblyman Mike Doherty’s name will be missing--- hard to put someone on The List who does not believe in evolution or global warming or stem cell research.

But the most glaring omission from The List ---and perhaps really the most powerful entity in all of New Jersey --- is the New Jersey voting public. After all, without the voting public, no one on The List would need to be on the Any List at all. And they are no dummies.