Debates do as debating does.

At the debate at NJN this passed Friday night, Andrews tried to make the case that he, and not Lautenberg, should be the standard bearer for the Democrats this fall. So, Congressman Rob Andrews does have greater rhetorical skills than Senator Lautenberg. Just not enough to shake loose the Senator.

While he made the case that he is a better speaker, Andrews’ powers of persuasion still have not convinced me that age alone should be the criteria by which Democrats should judge Lautenberg unworthy of their support. We all should be as energetic and intelligent at 84 as Lautenberg is now.

Andrews picked, poked, prodded, and punched Lautenberg over and over again, but like a well-worn world champion who still has the experience of a thousand battles, Lautenberg kept his cool and showed a thick skin. He remained serious, sage and unshaken.

I arrived at NJN about 7pm, and there were dozens of Lautenberg supporters out front holding blue placards bearing the Lautenberg name, chanting, and “Bank on Frank!” over and over again. An apt, if not entirely clever, slogan.

We can bank on Frank, and, of course, bank on Frank’s bank account as well. He donates much to his own campaign. As Andrews pointed out during the debate, he and his wife Camille could not write their own campaign a two million dollar check because it would bounce.

Like that concern has ever stopped politicians from writing checks before.

In the audience was a Who’s Who of NJ Democratic politics: Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes; his brother and Andrews campaign manager Michael Murphy; Assemblyman Reed Gusciora; Congressman Frank Pallone; and Governor Jon Corzine himself. Where else should NJ’s in-crowd be on a Friday night in Trenton?

Even conservative columnist Paul Mulshine was there to cover the festivities. Mr. Mulshine and I have a mutual dislike for the exorbitant fees charged by Wachovia Bank for overdraft protection. Ironically conservative Mulshine thinks there should be a federal law addressing the issue. Imagine that?

Anyway, there was a lot of' 'he said/he said’: [“You supported the war.” “No, you supported the war”: “You voted with President Bush”. “No, you voted with President Bush”. “You’re running from your record.” “No, you have no platform”].

The poor mayor of Morristown was the only one saying, “But, what about me?”

One final note: The press release sent out by the Andrews campaign which contained Lautenberg’s statements from the debate included the “umms” and “uhhs” that occasioned the Senator’s answers: This was rude, crude and entirely unnecessary. -----As unnecessary as if Lautenberg’s campaign pointed out Andrews’ ‘well-practiced’ standard political-debate ‘hand gestures’ and/or his occasional casual head movements, all in a press release of their own. It was a low point for the Andrews campaign. Andrews is much better than that.

When it all shakes out, both Andrews and Lautenberg have good records as Democrats in Congress and in the Senate respectively. While I do give a tip of the hat to Andrews, I must give the nod to Senator Lautenberg.

However, I will work as hard for either candidate, which ever one wins. The mere thought of a Senator Sabrin, Senator Zimmer or Senator Pennacchio is just too much to wrap my brain around.

Today, Dick Zimmer called himself, “The Un-Lautenberg”.

He’s also the “Un-Torricelli” and the “Un-Holt”. These are all the people Zimmer has lost to. Maybe he is also the Un-Yousouff, by this point. Joe Yousouff was the last guy Zimmer beat, waaay back in 1994.

Once unbeatable in his day ---but now, Dick Zimmer is so last century.

I don’t know what the Republicans were thinking when they thought of Zimmer, after Estabrook dropped out and the Goya Guy fizzled. Zimmer could not even win the line in his own county.

If you are a 30 year old voter, with a family and kids living in New Jersey and paying exorbitant amounts for gas and property taxes, you were 16 years old the last time Zimmer won an election. Does anyone outside of insider Republican Party hacks know who this guy is?

Zimmer told the Star Ledger that “I'm not promising I'll win the pork barrel game…[W]hat I want to do is make it possible for taxpayers to keep their money in the first place."

Of course, this is the case only if he is not working as a lobbyist and getting paid his piece of that pork barrel pig. Like the big bucks he made from working as a lobbyist for Hunterdon and Somerset Counties trying to stop the Highlands legislation -----where he porked-barreled his way to $15,000 a month. He failed at that effort: So, tell us, Dick---are you going to give back to the tax payers any percentage of that money you took on their behalf?

Zimmer complained that New Jersey gets fewer dollars from Washington than just about any other state, and that Senator Lautenberg is not bringing home the bacon. Dick---how can you be against pork barrel spending, take the big government contract dollars yourself when it suits you, and then complain that Senator Lautenberg isn't bringing back enough in pork barrel spending??

Another clueless wonder is Murray Sabrin, who keeps on calling for his opponents to drop out----while he drops campaign cash bet last weekend on the Kentucky Derby. And he calls himself the front runner. He is about as much of a front runner as the horse he bet on ---- Cowboy Cal---who galloped his way to a ninth place finish.

So, my prediction for the Republican Senate candidate race winner is Jersey Joe Pennacchio, who is running commercials with the catchy jingle. However, this Jersey Joe is out of his league, if he thinks he can beat either Andrews or Lautenberg. His current values seem to be in line with the "Nationalist Agenda" values he espouse back in the early 90's.