A Letter To President Obama

November 9, 2009


President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama:

On September 11, 2001, the entire world watched as 19 men hijacked four commercial airliners, attacking passengers and killing crew members, and then turned the fully-fueled planes into missiles, flying them into the World Trade Center twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 3,000 of our fellow human beings died in two hours. The nation's commercial aviation system ground to a halt. Lower Manhattan was turned into a war zone, shutting down the New York Stock Exchange for days and causing tens of thousands of residents and workers to be displaced. In nine months, an estimated 50,000 rescue and recovery workers willingly exposed themselves to toxic conditions to dig out the ravaged remains of their fellow citizens buried in 1.8 million tons of twisted steel and concrete.

The American people were rightly outraged by this act of war. Whether the cause was retribution or simple recognition of our common humanity, the words "Never Forget" were invoked in tearful or angry rectitude, defiantly written in the dust of Ground Zero or humbly penned on makeshift memorials erected all across the land. The country was united in its determination that these acts should not go unmarked and unpunished.

Eight long years have passed since that dark and terrible day. Sadly, some have forgotten the promises we made to those whose lives were taken in such a cruel and vicious manner.

We have not forgotten. We are the husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and other family members of the victims of these depraved and barbaric attacks, and we feel a profound obligation to ensure that justice is done on their behalf. It is incomprehensible to us that members of the United States Congress would propose that the same men who today refer to the murder of our loved ones as a "blessed day" and who targeted the United States Capitol for the same kind of destruction that was wrought in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, should be the beneficiaries of a social compact of which they are not a part, do not recognize, and which they seek to destroy: the United States Constitution.

We adamantly oppose prosecuting the 9/11 conspirators in Article III courts, which would provide them with the very rights that may make it possible for them to escape the justice which they so richly deserve. We believe that military commissions, which have a long and honorable history in this country dating back to the Revolutionary War, are the appropriate legal forum for the individuals who declared war on America. With utter disdain for all norms of decency and humanity, and in defiance of the laws of warfare accepted by all civilized nations, these individuals targeted tens of thousands of civilian non-combatants, brutally killing 3,000 men, women and children, injuring thousands more, and terrorizing millions.

It is morally offensive to offer Constitutional protections to individuals charged with murdering 3,000 individuals, in essence, to jeopardize justice for war crimes victims, in order to make an appeal to the Muslim world. The use of Article III courts after the 1993 World Trade Center attack didn't stop any of the subsequent terrorist plots, including the attack on Khobar Towers, 19 Americans killed, the 1998 East African Embassy bombing, 212 killed, the USS Cole bombing, 17 sailors killed. The attacks of 9/11 were a resounding rebuke to the view that federal courts were an appropriate counterterrorism strategy. Afterward, we didn't send law enforcement personnel to apprehend the perpetrators, we sent the United States military, who captured them and held them pursuant to the 2001 Authorization of the Use of Military Force (AUMF).

The American people do not support the use of our cherished federal courts as a stage by the "mastermind of 9/11" and his co-conspirators to condemn this nation and rally their fellow terrorists the world over. As one New York City police detective, who lost 60 fellow officers on 9/11, told members of the Department of Justice's Detainee Policy Task Force at a meeting last June, "You people are out of touch. You need to hear the locker room conversations of the people who patrol your streets and fight your wars."

On May 21, you stated that military commissions, promulgated by congressional legislation and recently reformed with even greater protections for defendants, are a legal and appropriate forum to try individuals captured pursuant the 2001 AUMF, passed by Congress in response to the attack on America. Nevertheless, you announced a new policy requiring that Al-Qaeda terrorists should be tried in Article III courts "whenever feasible."

We strongly object to the creation of a two-tier system of justice for terrorists in which those responsible for the death of thousands on 9/11 will be treated as common criminals and afforded the kind of platinum due process accorded American citizens, yet members of Al Qaeda who aspire to kill Americans but who do not yet have blood on their hands, will be treated as war criminals. To date, you have offered no explanation or justification for this contradiction, even as you readily acknowledge that the 9/11 conspirators, now designated "unprivileged enemy belligerents," are appropriately accused of war crimes. We believe that this two-tier system, in which war criminals receive more due process protections than would-be war criminals, will be mocked and rejected in the court of world opinion as an ill-conceived contrivance aimed, not at justice, but at the appearance moral authority.

The public has a right to know that prosecuting the 9/11 conspirators in federal courts will result in a plethora of legal and procedural problems that will severely limit or even jeopardize the successful prosecution of their cases. Ordinary criminal trials do not allow for the exigencies associated with combatants captured in war, in which evidence is not collected with CSI-type chain-of-custody standards. None of the 9/11 conspirators were given the Miranda warnings mandated in Article III courts. Prosecutors contend that the lengthy, self-incriminating tutorials Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others gave to CIA interrogators about 9/11 and other terrorist operations--called "pivotal for the war against Al-Qaeda" in a recently released, declassified 2005 CIA report--may be excluded in federal trials. Further, unlike military commissions, all of the 9/11 cases will be vulnerable in federal court to defense motions that their prosecutions violate the Speedy Trial Act. Indeed, the judge presiding in the case of Ahmed Ghailani, accused of participating in the 1998 bombing of the American Embassy in Kenya, killing 212 people, has asked for that issue to be briefed by the defense. Ghailani was indicted in 1998, captured in Pakistan in 2004, and held at Guantanamo Bay until 2009.

Additionally, federal rules risk that classified evidence protected in military commissions would be exposed in criminal trials, revealing intelligence sources and methods and compromising foreign partners, who will be unwilling to join with the United States in future secret or covert operations if doing so will risk exposure in the dangerous and hostile communities where they operate. This poses a clear and present danger to the public. The safety and security of the American people is the President's highest duty.

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal that "the challenges of terrorism trials are overwhelming." Mr. Mukasey, formerly a federal judge in the Southern District of New York, presided over the multi-defendant terrorism prosecution of Sheikh Omar Abel Rahman, the cell that attacked the World Trade Center in 1993 and conspired to attack other New York landmarks. In addition to the evidentiary problems cited above, he expressed concern about courthouse and jail facility security, the need for anonymous jurors to be escorted under armed guard, the enormous costs associated with the use of U.S. marshals necessarily deployed from other jurisdictions, and the danger to the community which, he says, will become a target for homegrown terrorist sympathizers--like the recent Fort Hood shooter--or embedded Al Qaeda cells.

Finally, there is the sickening prospect of men like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed being brought to the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, or the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, just a few blocks away from the scene of carnage eight years ago, being given a Constitutionally mandated platform upon which he can mock his victims, exult in the suffering of their families, condemn the judge and his own lawyers, and rally his followers to continue jihad against the men and women of the U.S. military, fighting and dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan on behalf of us all.

There is no guarantee that Mr. Mohammed and his co-conspirators will plead guilty, as in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, whose prosecution nevertheless took four years, and who is currently attempting to recant that plea. Their attorneys will be given wide latitude to mount a defense that turns the trial into a shameful circus aimed at vilifying agents of the CIA for alleged acts of "torture," casting the American government and our valiant military as a force of evil instead of a force for good in places of the Muslim world where Al Qaeda and the Taliban are waging a brutal war against them and the local populations. For the families of those who died on September 11, the most obscene aspect of giving Constitutional protections to those who planned the attacks with the intent of inflicting maximum terror on their victims in the last moments of their lives will be the opportunities this affords defense lawyers to cast their clients as victims.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-conspirators are asking to plead guilty, now, before a duly-constituted military commission. Mr. President, the families of their victims have a right to know, why don't you let them?

Respectfully submitted,



Dr. Kenneth Paul Ambrose and Mrs. Sharon Ambrose
Parents of Dr. Paul W. Ambrose, 32, American Flt. 77, Pentagon



Margit Kastel-Arias
Wife of Adam P. Arias, 37, Eurobrokers, Two WTC, 84th Fl



Donald C. Arias, Lt Col, USAF (ret)
Brother of Adam P. Arias



Thomas V. Arias
Brother of Adam P. Arias



Andrew D. Arias
Brother of Adam P. Arias



Lorraine Beliveau
Sister of Adam P. Arias



Lauren Lucchini
Sister of Adam P. Arias



Karen A. Arias
Sister-in-law of Adam P. Arias



Nicholas C. Arias
Nephew of Adam P. Arias



Maureen Basnicki
Wife Ken Basnicki, 48, Canadian citizen, One WTC, 106 Fl

.

Emily Schenkel
Goddaughter of Lorraine Bay, 58, Flight Attendant, United Flt. 93, Shanksville

And many, many, many more signers. You can sign the petition here.

10 Things You Should Know About Harry Reid’s Government-Run Health Care Experiment

RNC Research:

1. $493 Billion In Tax Increases On Health Insurance, Medical Innovation, Payroll And Small Businesses Would Pay For The Bill. (Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)

2. Americans Won’t See Benefits Of This Health Care Experiment Until 2014, But They Start Paying For It In 2010. (Page 13, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)

3. Reid’s Bill Allegedly Reduces The Deficit By $130 Billion In Ten Years, But The Obama-Reid-Pelosi Spending Agenda Produced Deficit Of $176 Billion Last Month Alone. (Table 3, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)

4. $465 Billion In Medicare And Medicaid Cuts Would Pay For Two New Unsustainable Entitlements. (Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)

5. Health Care Costs For The Federal Government – And Your Family – Would Increase, Not Decrease. (Page 16, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)

6. A New Medicare Commission Of Unelected Bureaucrats Would Ration Care. (Sec. 3403, H.R. 3590, Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute, “Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,” Introduced 11/18/09)

7. The “Doc Fix” Provision That Would Add $250 Billion To The Deficit Is Not Included In The Democrats’ List Price For Their Health Care Experiment. (Page 17, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)

8. Taxpayer Dollars Would Fund Abortions. (Sec. 1303(a), H.R. 3590, Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute, “Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,” Introduced 11/18/09)

9. A New Entitlement Program For Long-Term Care That One Democrat Senator Called “A Ponzi Scheme” Would Be Created. (Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09; Shailagh Murray & Lori Montgomery, “Centrists Unsure About Reid's Public Option,” The Washington Post, 10/28/09)

10. States Burdened With $25 Billion In Unfunded Mandates From Medicaid That Would Force Them To Increase Taxes. (Page 7, Douglas W. Elmendorf, Letter To Senator Harry Reid, 11/18/09)

** URGENT CALL TO ACTION **


After months working in secret behind closed doors, Harry Reid this week finally unveiled his 2,074-page government-run health care plan. His plan would increase health care premiums, increase taxes on families and small businesses by half a trillion dollars, cut Medicare by another half trillion dollars, and allow federal funds to be used for abortions.


Harry Reid has scheduled a critical vote this Saturday night that will allow the Senate to take-up his bill. If that vote succeeds, Harry Reid will be dangerously close to finally imposing President Obama's government-run health care scheme on America.


Two Democrat Senators - Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) - are critically important to defeating Saturday's vote. The RNC urges every concerned citizen to call Sens. Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln TODAY and tell them to vote against Harry Reid's liberal bill when it comes up for a vote on Saturday.

Senator Ben Nelson: 202-224-6551

Senator Blanche Lincoln: 202-224-4843

This is the best opportunity there will be to stop President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi from imposing their government-run health care plan on America. Again, please call Sens. Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln TODAY and tell them to vote against Harry Reid's health care bill when it comes up for a vote on Saturday.

Guidelines Push Back Age For Cervical Cancer Screenings

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has issued new guidelines for PAP smears, saying that women should delay their first test until age 21, and be tested less often than in the past, according to a report in the New York Times.

"Arriving on the heels of hotly disputed guidelines calling for less use of mammography, the new recommendations might seem like part of a larger plan to slash cancer screening for women. But the timing was coincidental, said Dr. Cheryl B. Iglesia, the chairwoman of a panel in the obstetricians’ group that developed the Pap smear guidelines. The group updates its advice regularly based on new medical information, and Dr. Iglesia said the latest recommendations had been in the works for several years, “long before the Obama health plan came into existence.”

She called the timing crazy, uncanny and “an unfortunate perfect storm,” adding, “There’s no political agenda with regard to these recommendations.”

Dr. Iglesia said the argument for changing Pap screening was more compelling than that for cutting back on mammography — which the obstetricians’ group has staunchly opposed — because there is more potential for harm from the overuse of Pap tests. The reason is that young women are especially prone to develop abnormalities in the cervix that appear to be precancerous, but that will go away if left alone. But when Pap tests find the growths, doctors often remove them, with procedures that can injure the cervix and lead to problems later when a woman becomes pregnant, including premature birth and an increased risk of needing a Caesarean.

Still, the new recommendations for Pap tests are likely to feed a political debate in Washington over health care overhaul proposals. The mammogram advice led some Republicans to predict that such recommendations would lead to rationing."

Christie: "One way of another, change is coming."

N.J. Governor-elect Christie tells local officials to expect 'a continued period of pain'

The era error of "What's in it for me" is over.

Those Boobs In Washington

By Grace Cangemi

I can’t remember the last time I was this angry. The federal government, those folks that want to take over my “health care” says I should wait to get a mammogram. They have, with this guideline, begun the first step in denying care to women. And you can bet Nancy Pelosi’s plane it’s all about the money.

THIS IS ABOUT MONEY AND THIS IS ABOUT CHOICE.

Some may say that the science supports changing the guidelines. But if a woman’s doctor disagrees, her opinion won’t matter once insurance companies use these guidelines to start turning down mammograms. Insurance companies and, should the Senate have the temerity to pass the Health Care bill, government workers will decide if it’s worth their money for a woman in her forties to have a test that could save her life.

Experience proves it. Try to get a mammogram if you’re under forty. Even with a family history of breast cancer, most insurance companies will deny you. Now, with new federal guidelines calling it “unnecessary” for women under 50, it won’t be long before women in our forties are being turned down.

And survival outcome isn’t the only issue. Last month, I had an abnormal mammogram. I had some subsequent tests and, in the end, my results were benign, although I now have a marker that will allow my doctor to locate that “trouble spot” and keep an eye out for any further changes. To be honest, the first question that I asked myself wasn’t “Am I going to die?” With early diagnosis, breast cancer survival rates are very high. The first thought that went through my head was “Oh God, please don’t let them want to take my breast.” A friend who helped me through the process said that’s what she thought when, in her early forties, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. (Caught by an “unnecessary mammogram.)

The government guidelines talk about survival outcome, but breast cancer detection isn’t just about survival outcome. Treatment options are far greater and less aggressive with early detection. Most women would do whatever they could to avoid radical surgeries and treatments. Mammographies are a good place to start.

For this government to say that they can “fix” health care and then recommend lessening the availability of critical diagnostic tools that absolutely can and do save women is an affront to all women. There should be no question that this recommendation will be used to cut costs by denying mammographies to women who breasts and lives could be saved by them.

My health is my responsibility. My choices should be between me and my doctor. Combining recommendations such as this with a government health care system threatens to put my health, my care, and my choice in the hands of some government worker who worked his way up from the post office. The government already plays fast and loose with my money. I’ll fight like hell before they play that way with my health.

Senate Health Care Bill Will Bust the Budget and Hurt Patients

Washington, D.C., November 18, 2009—The Senate health reform proposal released today by Majority Leader Harry Reid contains no mechanisms that are likely to reduce the annual rate of health care cost inflation, but could jeopardize patient care, according to analysts at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Despite claims to the contrary, most of the bill’s purported cost-cutting measures would be ineffective or would merely shift costs from the federal government onto the states or private payers, without affecting long-term health care inflation.

“Although the Senate Democrats’ bill appears to do more than the House alternative to rein in health care costs, looks can be deceiving,” said CEI Senior Fellow Gregory Conko. “Like the earlier bill reported out of the Senate Finance Committee, the only measures that could reduce the rate of growth in health care costs are those that erect government barriers between patients and their doctors, while jeopardizing long-term medical innovation.”

The Congressional Budget Office’s preliminary cost estimate for the Senate proposal suggests it would cost $849 billion over the 10-year budget window and reduce the federal deficit by $127 billion. But a review by CEI analysts shows that this estimate is based on “cost-shifting and accounting gimmicks” that even the CBO suggests will not significantly reduce federal expenditures or health care inflation. Two other measures in the bill, the creation of a “Medicare Commission” and a “Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute,” could prevent patients from receiving the care their doctors recommend.

“These programs are designed to adjust physician and hospital payment policies to keep patients from receiving costly and ineffective treatments,” said Conko. “But doctors know that what works for the average patient doesn’t always work for everyone. When it comes to medical treatments, doctors and patients need choices because one size definitely does not fit all.

“Eliminating genuine waste and inefficiency from government programs is a laudable goal, but centralized programs for comparative effectiveness, or ‘patient-centered outcomes research,’ run a substantial risk of becoming tools to control the practice of medicine in a way that puts patient health at risk,” Conko lamented.

Phatom Congressional Districts Getting Stimulus Dollars

The phantom congressional district scandal that has been in the news the last couple of days is growing.

Watchdog.org is reporting that there are 440 phantom districts throughout the country that have somehow received $6.4 billion to stimulus slush, including 18 districts in New Jersey.

Corzine: The gift that keeps on giving?

Rumors are running rampant that Frank Lautenberg will resign his U.S. Senate seat and that Jon Corzine will resign as governor to go back to the Senate. All this would have to happen before Chris Christie is sworn in as governor on January 19, 2010.

If such a scenario plays out Corzine would face the voters again next November in a special election to retain the Senate seat for the remainder of Lautenberg's term.

What more could the NJ GOP want? Corzine at the top of the ballot two years in a row would be like hitting the lottery.

Tolls On A Turkey Path

Christie Asks Corzine To Take Urgent Action With Respect To The Budget

Governor Elect Chris Christie sent the following letter to Governor Corzine today:


November 16, 2009

Honorable Jon Corzine
Governor
State of New Jersey
State House
Post Office Box One
Trenton, NJ 08625-0001

Re: URGENT ACTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE STATE BUDGET

Sent Via Hand Delivery


Dear Governor Corzine:

I am writing to follow-up on our conversation last week, and to thank you for your kind and gracious offer to take all possible steps to
ensure a smooth and orderly transition. During that discussion, you indicated that you would be taking additional steps to address
weak revenue collections that threaten to deplete this year’s planned budget surplus and aggravate next year’s multi-billion dollar
structural budget deficit.

As you know, I am deeply concerned about the state of New Jersey’s economy and the effects that the deepening fiscal crisis for both
fiscal years 2010 and year 2011 could have on New Jersey taxpayers. In order to prevent the crisis from worsening and budget hole
we are in from deepening during this critical transition period, I respectfully request that you take the following actions:

1) Place all discretionary grant and state aid accounts, including, but not limited to, Special Municipal Aid and Extraordinary Aid, in
reserve.

2) Freeze all new paid appointments and re-appointments to boards and commissions.

3) Line item veto any legislation with a fiscal impact on the State budget.

4) Veto all discretionary spending items in authority minutes.

5) Freeze all professional service, public relations, and consulting contracts.

6) Freeze all pending regulations that would incur additional spending.

7) Freeze all nonessential hires, promotions and raises.

8) Freeze all non-contractual personnel actions, including title changes and transfers.

9) Freeze all transfers of funds and directory letter appropriations.

10) Freeze all new leases, long term purchasing contracts and other long term obligations including certificates of participation.

11) Freeze the retention of all new outside professionals, manager selections, and new contracts for managing alternative investments
with respect to New Jersey’s pension funds.

12) Advise and provide advance notice to transition staff and major financial transactions.

13) Strictly enforce, and refrain from relaxing, any existing spending constraints and financial controls.

14) Hold 50% of all operating accounts in reserve to ensure that agencies are not spending more than half of their operating budgets
prior to the commencement of the second half of the year.

As we have advised your staff, I have named two experienced New Jersey natives and budget experts, Bob Grady and Rich Bagger, as
Co-Chairmen of the Transition Task Force on Budget and Taxes.

I have asked them to assemble a team to make recommendations to address the budget crisis and put New Jersey on a more sustainable fiscal footing. I ask that your staff continue to cooperate with them in providing information and assistance.

I appreciate your cooperation on these vitally important matters.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,



Chris Christie
Governor-Elect

Cc: David Rousseau, Treasurer

Rible Takes Name Out Of Consideration For Sheriff

Assemblyman Dave Rible(R-11), the newly elected Minority Whip, has informed Lieutenant Governor Elect Kim Guadagno and Monmouth County GOP Chairman Joe Oxley that he prefers not to be considered as Guadagno's replacement as Monmouth County Sheriff.

Rible told MoreMonmouthMusings that he believes he can do more to assist the Christie-Guadagno administration from his leadership position in the Assembly.

Guadagno will resign as Sheriff upon her swearing in as New Jersey's first Lieutenant Governor. Governor Christie will appoint her successor with the advise and consent of the Senate.

Holt and Pelosi: Perfect Together

Photo: Mike Dill/For The Times of Trenton
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gerard A. Compito, MD, Princeton Radiology Associates, Representative Rush Holt and David C. Youmans, MD, Chairman UMCP Department of Radiology take a tour of the University Medical Center at Princeton where Pelosi spoke about healthcare reform.

Congressman Rush Holt brought Speaker Nancy Pelosi to New Jersey yesterday. They went to the University Medical Center at Princeton.

The Carrier Clinic must have been booked.

Click here to send these crazies home.

Tragedy At Fort Hood

By Allen West, first published at Red County on November 8, 2009

This past Thursday 13 American Soldiers were killed and another 30 wounded at a horrific mass shooting at US Army installation, Ft Hood Texas. As I watched in horror and then anger I recalled my two years of final service in the Army as a Battalion Commander at Ft Hood, 2002-2004.

My wife and two daughters were stunned at the incident having lived on the post in family housing.

A military installation, whether it is Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, or Coast Guard, is supposed to be a safe sanctuary for our Warriors and their families. It is intended to provide a home whereby our “Band of Brothers and Sisters” can find solace and bond beyond just the foxhole but as family units.

A military installation is supposed to be a place where our Warriors train for war, to serve and protect our Nation.



On Thursday, 5 November 2009 Ft Hood became a part of the battlefield in the war against Islamic totalitarianism and state sponsored terrorism.

There may be those who feel threatened by my words and would even recommend they not be uttered. To those individuals I say step aside because now is not the time for cowardice. Our Country has become so paralyzed by political correctness that we have allowed a vile and determined enemy to breach what should be the safest place in America, an Army post.

We have become so politically correct that our media is more concerned about the stress of the shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan. The misplaced benevolence intending to portray him as a victim is despicable. The fact that there are some who have now created an entire new classification called; “pre-virtual vicarious Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)” is unconscionable.

This is not a “man caused disaster”. It is what it is, an Islamic jihadist attack.

We have seen this before in 2003 when a SGT Hasan of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) threw hand grenades and opened fire into his Commanding Officer’s tent in Kuwait. We have seen the foiled attempt of Albanian Muslims who sought to attack Ft Dix, NJ. Recently we saw a young convert to Islam named Carlos Bledsoe travel to Yemen, receive terrorist training, and return to gun down two US Soldiers at a Little Rock, Arkansas Army recruiting station. We thwarted another Islamic terrorist plot in North Carolina which had US Marine Corps Base, Quantico as a target.

What have we done with all these prevalent trends? Nothing.

What we see are recalcitrant leaders who are refusing to confront the issue, Islamic terrorist infiltration into America, and possibly further into our Armed Services. Instead we have a multiculturalism and diversity syndrome on steroids.

Major Hasan should have never been transferred to Ft Hood, matter of fact he should have been Chaptered from the Army. His previous statements, poor evaluation reports, and the fact that the FBI had him under investigation for jihadist website posting should have been proof positive.

However, what we have is a typical liberal approach to find a victim, not the 13 and 30 Soldiers and Civilian, but rather the poor shooter. A shooter who we are told was a great American, who loved the Army and serving his Nation and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) stating that his actions had nothing to do with religious belief.

We know that Major Hasan deliberately planned this episode; he did give away his possessions. He stood atop a table in the confined space of the Soldier Readiness Center shouting “Allahu Akhbar”, same chant as the 9-11 terrorists and those we fight against overseas in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operation.

No one in leadership seems willing to sound the alarm for the American people; they are therefore complicit in any future attacks. Our Congress should suspend the insidious action to vote on a preposterous and unconstitutional healthcare bill and resolve the issue of “protecting the American people”.

The recent incidents in Dearborn Michigan, Boston Massachusetts, Dallas Texas, and Chicago Illinois should bear witness to the fact that we have an Islamic terrorism issue in America. And don’t have CAIR call me and try to issue a vanilla press statement; they are an illegitimate terrorist associated organization which should be disbanded.

We have Saudi Arabia funding close to 80% of the mosques in the United States, one right here in South Florida, Pompano Beach. Are we building churches and synagogues in Saudi Arabia? Are “Kaffirs” and “Infidels” allowed travel to Mecca?

So much for peaceful coexistence.

Saudi Arabia is sponsoring radical Imams who enter into our prisons and convert young men into a virulent Wahabbist ideology….one resulting in four individuals wanting to destroy synagogues in New York with plastic explosives. Thank God the explosives were dummy. They are sponsoring textbooks which present Islamic centric revisionist history in our schools.

We must recognize that there is an urgent need to separate the theo-political radical Islamic ideology out of our American society. We must begin to demand surveillance of suspected Imams and mosques that are spreading hate and preaching the overthrow of our Constitutional Republic……that speech is not protected under First Amendment, it is sedition and if done by an American treason.

There should not be some 30 Islamic terrorist training camps in America that has nothing to do with First Amendment, Freedom of Religion. The Saudis are not our friends and any American political figure who believes such is delusional.

When tolerance becomes a one way street it certainly leads to cultural suicide. We are on that street. Liberals cannot be trusted to defend our Republic, because their sympathies obviously lie with their perceived victim, Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

I make no apologies for these words, and anyone angered by them, please, go to Ft Hood and look into the eyes of the real victims. The tragedy at Ft Hood Texas did not have to happen. Consider now the feelings of those there and on every military installation in the world. Consider the feelings of the Warriors deployed into combat zones who now are concerned that their loved ones at home are in a combat zone.

Ft Hood suffered an Islamic jihadist attack, stop the denial, and realize a simple point.

The reality of your enemy must become your own.

LTC Allen West, (U.S. Army Retired) is a candidate for congress from Florida's 22nd district.

Bloggers: Rock Stars of the '60s and Bruce?

In a guest column at InTheLobby, Richard A. Lee, Communication Director of the Hall Institute of Public Policy-NJ and a former journalist, argues that songwriters of the sixties were the alternative media of the day. They were raising issues and questions ahead of the mainstream media much like bloggers do today.

"Forty years ago this week, Seymour Hersh broke the story of the My Lai massacre, in which hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians were killed by U.S. soldiers. Hersh later was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting, but he may have been scooped – not by another journalist, but by a then 20-year-old singer/songwriter named Arlo Guthrie.

Two years before Americans learned about civilian casualties from Hersh, Guthrie addressed the issue in “Alice’s Restaurant,” an 18-minute musical narrative that begins with his arrest for littering and ends at the Draft Board, where a Sergeant notes the arrest on young Arlo’s record and asks him if he has rehabilitated himself. Arlo replies with a mixture of anger and sarcasm: “Sergeant, you got a lot a damn gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself. You want to know if I'm moral enough join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after being a litterbug.”

During the 1960s, young Arlo was not the only singer/songwriter running ahead of mainstream media outlets. Protest music actually functioned as alternative media during the Vietnam War era, regularly asking questions and raising issues that were absent from the mainstream media."

Lee states that additional research is required before definitely declaring bloggers as cultural leaders.

He goes on to describe another disconnect between the mainstream media and what people really care about that he observed while exploring Bruce Springstein's work:

"My goal was to learn how Springsteen has kept in touch with his working class New Jersey roots while becoming a multi-millionaire and international superstar. I began by searching for connections between Springsteen’s music and the major news stories that have taken place in New Jersey during his career.

When I found none, I realized I was looking in the wrong place. I was looking at the major stories the New Jersey news media had reported, but I didn’t take into account the possibility that the items the news media deemed most important to cover might not be the same as the issues on the minds of working class New Jersey families – and that these working-class New Jersey families have more in common with the messages of Bruce Springsteen’s songs than they do with the news that makes headlines.

A number of media scholars have suggested that there is a gap between the type of news that is reported and what is actually of importance and interest to the citizenry. Much like protest music did in the 1960s, Springsteen’s music fills this gap. For example, people may gain a better understanding of the dire economy from the characters and the stories in Springsteen’s songs than they do from news reports filled with numbers, percentages and statistics."

I point this out not to pump up bloggers...God know some of us take ourselves too seriously already. Lee's piece creates an interesting context for blog participants...writers, readers and commentors alike.

It also gave me an opportunity to create a funny picture and tweak a few of my friends.

Halfacre Takes Holt To Task For Supporting ACORN

OUT OF TOUCH HOLT CONTINUES TO DEFEND ACORN

Halfacre:”172 Democratic Congressman voted for something that was unconstitutional??”

Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre, a Republican Congressional candidate in NJ-12 in 2010, today took Representative Rush Holt to task for his continued support of controversial community-action group ACORN, calling the Congressman’s comments at a townhall meeting in West Windsor Thursday night part of a continued pattern of siding with the extreme left wing of his party and against the wishes of his constituents.

“By continuing to support ACORN, once again Rush Holt has shown how out of touch he is not only with his constituents, but even members of his own party”, said Halfacre. “172 of his Democratic colleagues voted for the motion..is he saying they voted for something unconstitutional?”

“More importantly, does Congressman Holt actually believe that an organization like ACORN, which is under investigation in multiple states for voter fraud should continue to receive taxpayer dollars? Does he believe that an organization which was caught on tape counseling young people how to commit mortgage fraud and didn’t blink an eye at suggestions of child prostitution should continue to receive taxpayer dollars? Apparently so. ”

Halfacre pointed out that both the motion to recommit on HR 3221 and the separate legislation HR 3571 do not specifically target ACORN, but “any organization” which meets certain criteria set forth in the bill, giving ACORN as an example.

Halfacre went on to say “To sneeringly dismiss the mountain of evidence that ACORN is a corrupt and partisan organization as ‘trial by Twitter’, is proof positive that Rush Holt is not interested in the truth of the matter. That fact that Mr. Holt is willing to bend over backward and misapply constitutional law to defend a group like ACORN instead of standing up for taxpayers, is just one more piece of evidence that he is out of touch not only with his constituents but even the mainstream of his own party.

Rasmussen: 60% in NJ Say Most Christie Supports Were Voting Against Corzine

From Rasmussen Reports:

Sixty percent (60%) of New Jersey voters say most of Republican Chris Christie’s winning support last week came from those who were voting against his opponent, incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the Garden State finds that just 22% think the Republican candidate won the race with support from those who were actually voting for him rather than against Corzine. Eighteen percent (18%) are not sure.

When pressed for specifics, 45% of voters in the state say the primary reason Christie was elected governor was dissatisfaction with Corzine’s job performance. Twenty-seven percent (27%) think the economy was the main reason for Christie’s victory, while 16% point to a general desire for change.
Only five percent (5%) name Christie’s campaign promises as the chief reason he was elected. Two percent (2%) attribute victory to his record as a prosecutor.

Voters are almost evenly divided in their opinions of Christie. While 49% have a favorable opinion of the governor-elect, 47% view him unfavorably. Those ratings are virtually identical to those in the last Rasmussen Reports survey in the state before Election Day.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters in the state say Christie’s first order of business as governor should be to cut government spending. Thirty-two percent (32%) say cutting personal taxes should be the new governor's priority, while 10% think he should cut business taxes first.

However, 86% of voters believe it will be difficult for Christie to fulfill his campaign promises working with a Democratic-controlled state senate and assembly. Forty-three percent (43%) say it will be very difficult. Just six percent (6%) of voters do not think Christie will have a difficult time fulfilling his promises.

But 51% do find it likely Christie will be able to root out and crack down on corruption as promised. Forty-four percent (44%) say it is not very or not all likely that he will be able to do so.

Voters are less confident in Christie’s ability to deal with the state’s struggling economy. Forty percent (40%) say it is at least somewhat likely that the new governor can improve the economy, but only seven percent (7%) say it is very likely. Fifty-four percent (54%) think it is unlikely.

Sixty-one percent (61%) also say it is not very or not at all likely Christie will be able to cut state property taxes, which are among the highest in the nation. Just 36% believe the governor-elect is at least somewhat likely to cut them.

Forty-two percent (42%) of voters say they learned the most about the gubernatorial candidates from television and radio news stories, followed by 34% who learned the most from newspaper articles.

Campaign TV ads and word of mouth were the primary source of information for four percent (4%) each, with candidate updates (2%) and candidate direct mail (1%) bringing up the rear.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of New Jersey voters now approve of the job Corzine is doing as governor. Sixty-one percent (61%) disapprove. These numbers are down slightly from just before Election Day.

This poll is good news for Governor Elect Christie and bad news for the Democratic legislature. Voters' expectations are low for Christie, but the majority thinks that cutting spending should be his first priority. That is exactly what he is setting out to do.

Expectations were low for Christie when he started as U.S. Attorney and he surprised even those who believed in him them. I expect he will do the same as governor.

Governor-Elect Christie Announces Chairs of Transition Task Force on Budget and Taxes

Trenton, NJ – Governor-Elect Chris Christie today named two budget and fiscal experts to chair a special Transition Task Force on Budget and Taxes and asked them to get to work immediately on developing recommendations to help address New Jersey’s fiscal challenges.

The Governor-Elect named Richard H. Bagger of Westfield, an executive at Pfizer Inc and a former Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and Robert E. Grady, a Livingston native, former aide to Governor Thomas H. Kean and former top official at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as Co-Chairmen of the task force.

“Addressing the problems facing New Jersey’s economy is my highest priority, “ Christie said, “and with these two experienced budget and fiscal experts helping me spearhead our efforts we are able to get to work right away.”

The Task Force Co-Chairmen will help develop recommendations to address the fiscal deficit that state experts have estimated at over $8 billion for the coming fiscal year 2011, and to respond to the shortfall in projected state revenues in the current fiscal year 2010. They will recruit additional Task Force members and staff experts to address various components of the State’s fiscal emergency.

Bagger served in the New Jersey Assembly from 1993 to 2002 and in the State Senate from 2002 to 2003. He was Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee from 1998 to 2002. He was a former Councilman and Mayor of Westfield. Currently, he serves as Senior Vice President for Worldwide Public Affairs at Pfizer Inc. Earlier in his career, Bagger served as Assistant General Counsel of Blue Cross/Blue Shield and was an attorney with the law firm of McCarter and English.

Grady served as Chief of Staff to former U.S. Representative Millicent Fenwick, as Director of Communications for former Governor Thomas H. Kean, and as Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Associate Director of OMB in the Administration of former President George H.W. Bush. For the last decade, he had been the partner in charge of venture capital investing at The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest private equity firms. Before retiring this summer and joining Cheyenne Capital Fund, a private equity firm, he served as Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) in 2006-2007 and as a professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business from 1994-2004.

Governor-Elect Chris Christie Announces Transition New Jersey Leadership Team

Trenton, NJ – Today, Governor-Elect Chris Christie announced his Transition New Jersey Leadership Team, which is being led by former Attorney General David Samson. The Transition Team is made of bi-partisan leaders in both the public and private sector who will bring their combined management experience, knowledge and know-how to spearhead transition efforts over the next few months.

Chairman David Samson said, “I am excited we have been able to put together a talented, bi-partisan and dedicated group of individuals to help guide Governor-Elect Christie’s transition efforts. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are ready to help execute Chris’ vision for changing the way our government does business.”

Governor-Elect Chris Christie added, “There is no doubt we have our work cut out for us, but I am confident that the team we have put together to lead my transition will set the tone for the rest of the Christie Administration.”

Governor-Elect Christie Transition New Jersey Leadership Team

David Samson, Esq. – Chairman
Former New Jersey Attorney General
Senior Partner, Wolff & Samson PC

Dr. Susan A. Cole
President of Montclair State University

Senator Sandra B. Cunningham
State Senator (31st Legislative District)

Debra P. DiLorenzo
President/CEO of the Chamber Of Commerce Southern New Jersey

Michael DuHaime
Managing Director, Mercury Public Affairs, LLC

George Gilmore, Esq.
Partner, Gilmore & Monahaný

Jon Hanson
Chairman and Founder of the Hampshire Real Estate Companies

Alfred C. Koeppe
Executive Director of the Newark Alliance, former President and COO of PSE&G

Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr.
State Senator (13th Legislative District)

Mayor John McCormac
Mayor of Woodbridge, former State Treasurer

Journalists, Bloggers and Reporters Need To Be More Demanding With Public Pollsters

By Adam Geller, National Research Inc.


I’d like to contribute a few thoughts on the performance of the public polls during the recently concluded New Jersey Gubernatorial race. On this topic, I bring a unique perspective, as the pollster for the Christie campaign, and I’d like to offer my thoughts not as any type of authoritarian, but rather to contribute to an important professional discussion.

I should mention that, for what it’s worth, some observers may have been surprised by the results on November 3rd, but neither Governor Elect Christie nor his advisers were surprised.

Before the cement hardens and ink dries on the post election wrap up, let me offer the following five thoughts:

1. The automated polls were more accurate than the live interview public polls, due in part to the methodology of the live interview polls.

From polls that were in the field for an entire week (Quinnipiac) or even longer (FDU), to polls that oversampled Democrats (Democracy Corp, among several others) to polls that asked every single name in the ballot (Suffolk), an essential reason for the poor performance of the live interview polls had less to do with the fact that a live person was administering the poll and more to do with methodological issues.

2. The partisan spread in the polls ought to be reported up front.

Some public pollsters make it difficult to determine how many Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters they interviewed. Why not just put it into the toplines? Reporters and bloggers should demand this before they report on the results. Not to pick on Quinnipiac, but they had Corzine and Christie winning about the same amount of their own partisans, and they had Christie winning Independents by 15 percentage points, and yet they STILL had Christie trailing overall by 5 points. Quinnipiac did not publish their partisan spread, but then an astute blogger was able to ascertain the fact that there were, in fact, too many Democrats in the sample. Other polls, notably Democracy Corp, regularly produced samples with too many Democrats (though, in their parlance, some of these were “Independent – Lean Democrat”). That their sample was loaded up with Democrats had the obvious effect on their results. Whether this was intentional or not, I would leave to others to speculate.


3. In general, RDD (random digit dialing) methodology is a bad choice in New Jersey, if the goal is predictive accuracy.

In New Jersey, there are many undeclared voters (commonly but mistakenly referred to as Independents). These undeclared voters identify themselves as Republicans or Democrats – even though they are not registered that way. In our polls, we frequently showed a Democrat registration advantage that matched their actual registration advantage – but when it came to partisan ID, the spread was more like a six point Democrat advantage. By using a voter list, we knew how a respondent was registered – and by seeing how they ID’s themselves, we gained insight into the relative behavioral trends of undeclared voters and even registered Democrats who were self identifying as Independents. Public pollsters who dialed RDD missed this. Partisan identification in New Jersey is not enough, if the goal is to “get it right.”

4. The public polls oversampled NON voters.

Again, this is a function of RDD versus voter list dialing. It is easy for someone to tell a pollster they are “very likely” to vote. With no vote history and no other nuanced questions, the poll taker has little choice but to trust the respondent. Pollsters who use voter lists have the benefit on knowing exactly how many general elections a respondent may have voted in over the past five years, or when they registered. By asking several types of motivation questions, the pollster can construct turnout models that will have a better predictive capacity. The public polls did not seem to do this.

To this end, we had heard all about the “surge strategy” that the Corzine campaign was going to employ. This refers to targeting “one time Obama voters” and driving them out in force on election day. With voter lists, we were easily able to incorporate some “surge targets” into our sample. After running our turnout models, we saw no evidence that the surge voters would be game changers.

5. The Daggett effect was overstated in the public polls.

Conventional wisdom holds that Independent candidates underperform on election day. But the reality is, many analysts could have easily predicted Daggett’s collapse, based not on history, but on simple a simple derivative crosstab: for example, voters who were certain to vote for Daggett AND had a very favorable opinion of him. They could have asked a “blind ballot” where none of the candidate choices were read. We did these things – and we estimated Daggett’s true level of support to be around 6%.

None of this is meant to pick on the “live interview” public pollsters. For the most part, these polls are conducted and analyzed by seasoned research professionals. But in non-Presidential years, RDD methodology can lead to inaccurate results, which can then lead to inaccurate analysis. It is tough to conclude that the automated polls are somehow superior to live interview polls, given the methodological issues I’ve outlined.

What does it mean for next year? At the very least, journalists, bloggers and reporters need to ask more questions about the methodology and construction of the poll sample. They need to understand the partisan spread, and the extent to which it conforms to reality. They need to know how long the survey was in the field. They also need to beware of polls being released that are designed to manipulate opinion rather than measure it. They need to ask if certain polls are being constructed to reflect what is happening, or if they are being constructed to reflect what the poll sponsor would LIKE to happen. The public polls add to the dialogue, and given their ever increasing contributing role, we all ought to be more demanding when reporting their results.

Do You Support Health Care Reform?

Tell Senator Menendez. He has an online poll here.

Impact of Election on Monmouth County Politics

*With the return of the Monmouth County Freeholder Board to GOP control, the smart money is betting against Deputy Freeholder Director John D'Amico seeking re-election in 2010. D'Amico wants to be in charge. That is not likely ever to happen.

D'Amico's seat and that of Rob Clifton are up next year.

*Barring a surprise Assembly vacancy in the 13th district, Clifton will seek re-election and should win easily. There has been speculation that Senator Joe Kyrillos will take a position in the Christie administration, leaving his Senate seat to Amy Handlin and Clifton filling Handlin's Assembly seat. A more likely scenario keeps Kyrillos in the Senate while being a high ranking member of the "kitchen cabinet." Kyrillos should be considered a front runner for an appointment to the U.S. Senate, should Governor Christie get to make an appointment due to a vacancy.

*Early speculation for Clifton's running mate includes Neptune City Mayor Thomas Arnone, former Howell Mayor Joe DiBella and Highlands Mayor, former Freeholder Anna Little.

As the senior Freeholder, and having been passed over twice before, it is Clifton's turn to be Freeholder Director. But don't be surprised if Lillian Burry is Director next year. Lillian wants it more than Robby does. Politically, it would be wise for Clifton to be Director in 2010 and get the free press that comes along with the positon during his election year, with Burry taking the post in 2011 when she is up for re-election.

*Lieutenant Governor Elect Kim Guadagno will resign as Monmouth County Sheriff in Janaury. Governor Christie will appoint Guadagno's replacement, with the advise and consent of the Senate. Wally Edge has speculated that Assemblyman Dave Rible, a former police officer, would be in the running for sheriff. Rible was just promoted by his GOP Assembly colleagues to minority whip. Undersheriff Mickey Donovan is considered the front runner for the top job. Shaune Golden, who sought the GOP nomination against Guadagno in 2007 has also been mentioned.

* Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini has been mentioned as a possible pick as Christie's Human Services Commissioner. If Rible became sheriff and Angelini Human Services Commissioner, both 11th district Assembly seats would be vacant. That's another reason to discount speculation of Rible for sheriff. Arnone, Little and state committee woman Christine Hanlon would be in the running to fill an 11th district vacancy.

Any legislative vacancies will be filled at a convention per title 19.

Christie Meets With Government and Business Leaders At The Shore

Governor Elect Chris Christie and Lieutenant Governor Elect Kim Guadagno visited with Ocean County Mayors and Monmouth County business owners yesterday.

In his meeting with the Mayors, Christie reaffirmed his committment to "gut COAH" and to reform the culture of DEP, according to the Asbury Park Press.

"We're going to continue to be aggressive in protecting the environment," Christie said, adding that he recognizes the economic importance of a clean environment for the Shore counties. For Barnegat Bay, Christie said he will seek a solution for the issue of cooling water discharge from the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant — although he stopped short of an outright commitment to requiring that cooling towers be built at the 40-year-old reactor.

The Press reports that Christie resisted the Mayors' call to end binding arbitration for police officers.

"I think for folks who can't strike, they need binding arbitration," Christie said. "There may be some tinkering we can do." Christie said he will also talk to rank-and-file police and fire union members, who supported him in his run for the governor's seat.

Asbury Park Press photo

The meeting with business owners, members of the Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, took place at Guttenplan's Frozen Dough Specialist on Route 36 in Middletown, where company President Abe Littenburg gave Christie, Guadagno and Senator Joe Kryillos a tour of the plant.

Bill Saloukas, owner of Broad Waverly Staffing, Red Bank, expressed concerns about the sky rocketing cost of workers compensation insurance and urged Christie and Guadagno to allow for more competition in that market.

Cliff Moore, owner of IHOP franchises in Keyport and Neptune, urged a renewed commitment to tourism promotion and to revitalizing the Route 36 and 35 corridors. Spiro Pappas, owner of the Comfort Inn, Middletown said that more of the revenue generated by the hotel tax should be used for tourism advertising.

The costs of health care, unemployment taxes and abuses and regionalization of municipals governments were among the other concerns expressed by members of the group.

Guadagno said that Christie had charged her with reviewing all state regulations during the first 90 days of their administration. Christie noted that they will be relying on business groups for suggestions for regulatory reform. "We want to impact the regulations that are hurting businesses," he said, "we're not interested in going through an exercise of review and to change regulations are not a problem."

Christie noted that the top income tax rate of 10.75% is set to expire in June and that he would not renew it.

WE Did It.

Monmouth and Ocean county voters made the difference in electing Governor-elect Christie.

Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray has a geographical analysis of the election results at InTheLobby.

Here's what Murray has to say about Monmouth and Ocean:

What the heck happened in Monmouth and Ocean? Let’s take it year by year. Christie Whitman won these two counties by 34,000 in 1993 and 58,000 in 1997. The region went Democrat in 2001, giving Jim McGreevey a slight 8,000 vote edge, before returning to form in 2005 with a 37,000 vote advantage for Doug Forrester.


So, how well did the Republican candidate do here this year? Try a 134,000 vote margin! Yes, you read that correctly. That represents a 36 point margin, when 25 would have been considered extraordinary.


How did it happen? A lot of Northern Shore residents came out to vote, that’s how. Turnout was at least 50.2%, about 5 points above the state average. In 2005, it was 50.1%, just 1.6 points above the state average. While turnout dropped 3 points across the state, it actually went up in Monmouth and Ocean! I’ve heard conflicting reports about whether there was any extra GOTV effort here.


But I do know one thing. Voters need to have a reason to get enthused enough to come out in large numbers, and nothing riles up a voter like anger against an incumbent. The source of that ire may be found in a New York Times interview Jon Corzine gave a week before the election. In that interview, he raised the possibility of revisiting his ill-fated toll plan from January 2008. That’s the plan that single-handedly caused his job approval rating to drop from a net +3 to a -15 in just two months. The plan that I kept wondering why Christie wasn’t hammering away at. Well, Corzine did his opponent a favor by reminding these Parkway-dependent commuters why they didn’t like him in the first place.


A look back at Monmouth/Gannett polling during the time of the toll plan debate points to a real possibility that the toll plan played more heavily in this region than any other. In March 2008, 53% of the state said they were paying a lot of attention to the toll plan, but interest was highest in the Northern Shore region at 73%. Statewide, 56% of New Jerseyans opposed the plan, while 15% who supported it and 28% who had no opinion. In Monmouth and Ocean counties, a whopping 73% opposed it compared to just 13% who favored it and only 14% who had no opinion. The region with the next highest level of opposition was the Route 1 Corridor at 62%.

It’s also worth noting that when Governor Corzine went on his town hall tour to promote the plan, he probably received his worst receptions in Marlboro and Toms River. Coincidentally, Congressman Frank Pallone probably had the angriest crowd of any in the state during the health care reform town halls last summer. That was in Monmouth County. The state’s angriest voters seem to live along the Northern Shore. And I always thought ocean breezes were supposed to be soothing. At any rate, it would be fair to say that the toll hike plan was a real sore spot with Northern Shore voters.

There was a huge GOTV effort on the Northern Shore. Many MMM readers were part of it. Thank you to all who kept pushing themselves to make another phone call.

I don't know who to thank from Ocean.

In Monmouth, Christine Hanlon and John Raue did a fabulous job recruiting and inspiring an army of volunteers throughout the campaign. Give Christine and John a big THANK YOU when you see them.

Dispatches from San Juan.

A Road Map for Republican Victory.

By the blogger known as Teddy Roosevelt


The Republican Party has been fighting with itself trying to decide which road leads back to power. Is it the road to the right or the road down the so called middle? Can a party of ideological purity win or do we need a big tent.

The fact is that we can not win without the conservative base but we must also attract Independents. This election cycle has shown us how to accomplish both.

Our candidates need to be fiscal and social conservatives but they should only talk about fiscal issues. Both Chris Christie in NJ and Bob McDonnell in Virginia are pro life, pro family candidates that social conservatives should be very happy with. But that is not what they spoke about on the campaign trail and they refused to get dragged into that conversation (and boy did their opponents try). Their message was less spending and more economic growth, fiscal responsibility and less taxes. Both of them focused in on that message like a laser.

The Independents generally don’t care about the other issues that much. They only get worked up one way or the other when that’s what the candidates focus on. Sure the militant feminists and gays are not going to vote for us but quite frankly, most of them wouldn’t anyway. However the Independents love that fiscally conservative message. They can eat that up all day. That’s what they really care about, the pocket book.
With the people that do care about the other issues we already have the advantage. Gay marriage has failed in every state where it has been put to a vote. I think the count is 32 now. Poll after poll shows that for those who vote strictly on the life issue, pro life voters out number pro choice voters by two to one. Recent polls have shown that pro life people are in the majority now. My point is, being socially conservative is not as bad a thing for a politician to be as many pundits would have you believe.

That being said, why alienate those people who think they have an opinion but really do not want to discuss those types of icky issues. Say where you stand once so the base of your party knows and then hammer home how you are going to make the vast middle prosperous.

Yes there are other things we need to work out. We need to find a coherent national leader. We need to think about our foreign policy. Let’s face facts even if you agree that Iraq was the right thing to do it is pretty clear that the majority wants us to be more selective in how we use our military. Those issues are for another day. The key however is our base plus the middle and Governor ELECT Christie and Governor ELECT McDonnell have shown us the way.

The Monmouth Bull Moose.

Pallone Is Vulnerable. Will He Face A Credible Challenge?

For better than a decade, the GOP has given Frank Pallone a free pass back to Congress because he couldn't be beat.

Now, despite his $4 million war chest, he can be beat.

As one of the prime sponsors of Obamacare, Pallone has made it known that he sides with Nancy Pelosi over the will of the people he has been elected to represent. His town hall meetings this summer made that very clear. His popularity has taken a hit and he could should be taken down.

Pallone was Jon Corzine's campaign chairman and he orchestrated the political theater called Congressional hearings into Chris Christie's deferred prosecution monitor awards.

Chris Christie proved this week that a Republican can win in Middlesex County against an unpopular incumbent. Pallone has never been less popular that he is now.

The Monmouth County portion of the 6th congressional district is rich with Republicans who could beat Pallone given adequate organizational support and fundraising.

New Jersey Republicans are already mounting serious challenges to two incumbent Democrats. Mike Halfacre has Rush Holt running scared in the 12th. Ocean County chairman George Gilmore will find away to win back the 3rd, despite John Adler's fundraising success.

As RNC Chairman Michael Steele, NJGOP Chairman Jay Webber, Monmouth GOP Chairman Joe Oxley, and Middlesex County Chairman Joe Leo look to 2010 they should not concede CD 6.

TOM KEAN CALLS ON GOVERNOR CORZINE TO IMPOUND UNSPENT FUNDS

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean today called on Governor Jon Corzine to immediately impound all unspent funds. This year’s budget is running almost $1 billion behind in anticipated revenues. A projection by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates the structural budget deficit for FY 2011 to be almost $10 billion. Impounding funds is using legal authority to set aside appropriated monies.

“It is vitally important that the Corzine Administration ensures that a portion of unspent funds are immediately impounded. Revenue collections for the current budget are running more than $1 billion behind, in the current fiscal year.

“This year’s state budget deficit will impact next year’s budget. The estimated magnitude of the structural budget deficit for fiscal Year 2011 is truly staggering. The nonpartisan OLS has estimated the shortfall to be about $8 billion. This figure could rise to $10 billion in a worst-case scenario.

“The call for an outgoing administration to impound unspent monies is not without precedent. Following the gubernatorial election of 2001 the incoming McGreevey Administration asked the outgoing DiFrancesco Administration to freeze unspent funds. Governor DiFrancesco and his team took management actions that saved almost $1.2 billion in revenue.

“One of the actions considered was a directive that all departments identify options to reduce spending by 5 percent. Governor DiFrancesco also directed key personnel to be accessible to the incoming administration during the transition period.

“I would hope that Governor Corzine and his team would take similar actions to ensure that what promises to be a difficult budget season runs as smoothly as possible. In the spirit of bipartisan cooperation the Senate Republican Caucus has identified several areas that could produce significant savings. Some of the suggestions are available at www.senatenj.com.

Congressional House Calls

A Message from the NJ Tea Party Coalition:

Patriots,

Congress will vote on Healthcare Reform this week. Today, we have sent 2 busloads to Washington, DC for a "Congressional House Call"

If you were unable to attend the trip to Washington, please consider making a “Congressional House Call” locally. Tell Congressman Rothman and Senators Lautenberg and Menendez to vote NO on the Obama/Pelosi/Reid health care takeover. The goal is simple: today, activists like you show up at key Senate and Congressional offices in your state with your own message telling them to keep their "hands off your health care."

The procedure will be: Arrive, go into the office and register your opposition in writing. As we do not know how many people can participate during the work week, consider putting your request in writing ahead of time if you are pressed for time. If you cannot visit, please FAX your letter or CALL during the afternoon beginning at noon. A FAX is more effective than an email. A personal visit is more effective than a FAX.

If you need help composing a letter, several letters have been written that you can use “as is” or as a template for you to personalize. http://www.njteapartycoalition.org/Contact-Your-Congressman.html

Many who intended on visiting local offices have made the trek to Washington. We do not have a “group” attending, but please attend with a friend or as an individual. The suggested schedule is as follows:

12:00 noon

Congressman Steven Rothman

Hackensack, NJ Office

25 Main Street, Suite 101

Hackensack, NJ 07601

201-646-0808

201-646-1944 (fax)

OR

Congressman Scott Garrett

266 Harristown Road Suite 104

Glen Rock, NJ 07452

(201) 444-5454

(201) 444-5488 (fax)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1:30 p.m.

Senator Bob Menendez

One Gateway Center, Suite 1100

Newark, New Jersey 07102

973-645-3030

973-645-0502 (fax)

AND

Senator Frank Lautenberg

One Gateway Center

Newark, New Jersey 07102

973-639-8700

888-398-1642

973-639-8723 (fax)

If you cannot make both location and times, at least show up at ONE. If you are not from the immediate area, go to: http://americansforprosperity.org/nov5 for your congressional representative and their office nearest to you. Time grows short and opportunities to make a difference are important especially now.

The Best "Terrible" Campaign In History

How does a Republican beat a Democratic incumbent who can outspend him/her 4-1, in a deep blue state?

Even as they were announcing his unpredictable early victory last night, pundits were still being critical of the Christie campaign.

"Terrible, awful, not pretty, etc." is how many continue to described the campaign. Here's my question to the columnists, editorial boards and talking heads who have been so critical of the campaign for months: Compared to what previous campaign?

Doug Forrester's? Bret Schundler's? Christie Whitman's? Tom Kean Sr's first?, Jim McGreevey's first?

Here's a news flash news hounds: The purpose of campaigns is to win, not to give you good material to write about. I know I've not been alone in biting my tongue about this for months, though I have shouted at my computer screen and TV set several times.

You want an expert opinion...consult Joe Cryan, as quoted by Josh Margolin and Claire Heininger:

Christie also surprised Democrats by running a disciplined, organized race instead of reacting recklessly as they thought he would in the face of an advertising onslaught that accused him of being a back-slapping bully who liked handing out public contracts to cronies.

"He stuck to his strategy."

Margolin's and Heininger's piece is brilliant and insightful.

There's something I think that Josh and Claire missed, that I haven't seen anyone else write about, that worked so brilliantly in Christie's campaign.

By sticking to his strategy and refusing the yield to the demands of pundits and pollsters who demanded specifics, Christie caused the Corzine campaign to panic and use their negative research too soon. As Christie cruised through the summer, ignoring demands for specifics, with rising poll numbers, the pressure on Corzine to withdraw was rising. The assault of ads about the loan to a friend/employee, the driving record, deferred prosecution agreements (which was actually used up by the DGA during the primary) would have been more effective for Corzine if they had been released in September and October, instead of in August. By election day voters considered them unfair attacks, even though they were successful in bringing Christie's favorables down. The voters didn't care about the issues Christie was attacked on anymore. A reasonably uninformed Christie voter told me today, "I voted for him even though he didn't pay his taxes."

Christie often said, "this is a different kind of campaign." It was and it worked and it really doesn't matter what the pundits say about it.

Sweet Victory

After a long and celebratory night, waking up this morning I know I am not alone in feeling a sense of optimism that I haven't felt in quite some time.

Congratulations and thank you to Chris Christie, his family, and his team.

There's lots of talk on TV about the national implications of Chrisite's victory. Appropriately so. The RGA and the RNC played huge supportive role in the NJ victory. It was great to see RNC Chairman Michael Steele in Parsipanny. Jon Corzine made this a nationally significant race by making Obama his de facto running mate and Obama took the bait.

Congratulations to John Curley who never stopped running for Freeholder after last year's heartbreaking defeat. The Monmouth GOP is back in its rightful place as the sheppard of the outstanding quality of life in Monmouth County New Jersey.

Congratulations to Chairman Joe Oxley. Joe promised Christie a 27,000 vote margin of victory in Monmouth County and delivered 64,000...more than half of Christie's margin of victory statewide. In addition to winning back the Board of Freeholders, we had significant municipal victories throughout the entire county. Oxley has done an outstanding job rebuilding our party, from the grass roots up. He should be on the short list for a Cabinet position in the Christie administration. Whether that happens or not, I hope he stays put as Monmouth GOP chairman for at least another term.

Kim Guadagno makes us all so very proud. She will be missed by so very many in Freehold, yet there is no doubt that she will make a historic impact in Trenton.



Congratulations to the Monmouth County Assembly delegation. Special mention to Sam Thompson and Amy Handlin in district 13 who won with a larger margin than than the great teams of Dave Rible and Mary Pat Angelini in 11 and Caroline Casagrande and Declan O'Scanlon in 12, despite the fake poll the Middletown Democrats floated last week.

The Middletown Democrats got Byrned and came up Short. Congratulations to Steve Massell on a well deserved 5,000 vote victory.