“You have ‘inner-clout’, dear.”

Do you remember when you’d ask your mother, ‘Mom, am I good looking? Am I smart?’ And she’d say in her sweet motherly way,“Dear, you have 'inner beauty'. And the kind of intelligence they can’t teach in school. You have street smarts.” And you’d think to yourself, ‘Great. I’m ugly AND stupid.’

And that is, perhaps, solace to those who did not make The List.

Almost one hundred percent of the people I predicted to be on the “PoliticsNJ Top 100” made it to The List. Of course, I included several elected officials, not recognizing that they were not to be included. I told you yesterday that the criteria was ‘hush-hush.’ So, I stand corrected.

So, who was I right about? Racist frat-boys from 101.5, Carton & Rossi at Number 9; Juan Meli of BlueJersey.com in at Number 17, well ahead of Donald Trump at Number 20. It's the hair, Donald.

Lobbyist Dale Florio of the Princeton Public Affairs Group is on the list once again, no surprise. Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality is there, too, as I thought.

However, I was wrong about Bill Dressel of NJ State League of Municipalities, someone who has a great deal of clout with municipalities. I was equally wrong as well with the omission of the “Voters of New Jersey” --- as a list choice with real muscle.

I was pleasantly surprised to see my former Seton Hall law professor and current chair of the New Jersey Ethics Commission Paula Franzese clocking in at Number 18. She is a good law professor, has a great sense of humor --- and is very ethical, too.

The thing I am impressed with the most is that if you’re in the Top Ten of The List , you get a drawn caricature of yourself. Now that is privilege, as well as power. Who was the artist?
Probably a police sketch artist, figuring, after all that this is New Jersey. If you're in politics in
New Jersey, having a picture like that already can be a real time saver later on.


The caricature of Carla Katz [left] makes her look like a joyous Howard Stern [right].




In his caricature, George Norcross looks a little ‘too happy’ about being 'Number Two'.

And Joe Ferriero looks like he’s cackling to himself, “I’ll get you yet, Loretta Weinberg....and your little dog, too”.

I was, however, just a touch miffed at the spot I was placed on the list. We folks down at The List Number 452,034 found it difficult to spot those in the top 100, with so many taller people blocking my view.

Fortunately, I did happily find out just now that I ranked higher this year than some very important people: I beat out 1985 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Shapiro; former NJ Homeland Security guy Golan Cipal; and the third-string catcher for the Camden Riversharks. That’s progress in my book.

So, to those of you who did not make The List and do not have the clout of the Top 100:

"You have the kind of power that does not come from being on any dumb old PoliticsNJ list. You have’ inner-clout’, dear."

Those of us not on The List will just have to go on thinking that.

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.