SEN-NJ: More Torricelli Talk
A Switcheroo in the Near Future?
By Adam C Posted in Archived — Comments (10) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
No one is surprised that corrupt Senator Menendez (D-NJ) has a lot of skeletons in his closet. As the "Boss" of northern New Jersey, his closet is surely full. Despite that knowledge, Gov. Corzine (D-NJ) appointed Mr. Menendez to the Senate. This gave Republicans a chance in a left-of-center state to run against the machine politics of NJ Democrats. Now that Mr. Menendez's skeletons are slowly coming on, some NJ Democrats are talking about switching him off the ballot. They did in 2002 with Torricelli and Republicans tried with Delay this year. The talk of tossing him overboard can't help with his already well-known reputation as a machine politician who has a checkered past.
MORE BELOW...
According to John Fund at the OpinionJournal's Political Diary ($),
New Jersey Democrats are huddling to see how much damage appointed U.S. Senator Bob Menendez has suffered from last week's revelation that a local U.S. Attorney has subpoenaed records of his financial dealings with a local nonprofit organization that has benefited from his political actions. Some Democrats are quietly talking about asking Mr. Menendez, who trails Republican Tom Kean Jr. in the latest polls, to step aside much as scandal-tarred Senator Bob Torricelli did in 2002. Mr. Torricelli's replacement on the ballot, former Senator Frank Lautenberg, went on to win in November....
Last week, Rep. Robert Andrews, a Camden Democrat, was overheard having several discussions on his cell phone while on an Amtrak train heading for New Jersey....
"We are still reeling from Torricelli -- third strike and you're out," Mr. Andrews told an unknown caller. He suggested to another caller that any replacement for Mr. Menendez would have to be selected quickly: "A 60-day campaign is [doable]; a 30-day campaign is death...."
The congressman also expressed skepticism that voters will be swayed by claims that U.S. Attorney Chris Christie is simply acting out of political motives just before an election: "If this was political, [the U.S. Attorney's office] would have waited until the end of the campaign," Mr. Andrews told a friend from the Amtrak train last week. "I think they are thinking, 'We needed to go now because we were worried about evidence being destroyed.'"
Mr. Andrews' office maintains that at no time did he discuss replacing Senator Menendez and "any suggestion otherwise is completely false." Bill Caruso, Mr. Andrews' chief of staff, told me that he was with Mr. Andrews on the Amtrak train and that "most of the quotes you cite are inaccurate and incorrect. They didn't happen."
Whatever the case, Mr. Andrews' reported comments certainly accurately reflect a growing fear that Mr. Menendez's role as the unofficial boss of corruption-plagued Hudson County isn't playing well with suburban voters.
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SEN-NJ: More Torricelli Talk 10 Comments (0 topical, 10 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
The question is whether the NJ voters will ever tire of this act (answer: not the dead ones).
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
I was thinking the same thing - aren't New Jersey voters going to get tired of all this switching candidates? But, your answer suggests that you are far ahead of me on this one. :-)
1) Who would be their Lautenberg? It was easier for them to convince NJ-ers to vote a retired Senator back in. That option is not available this time.
2) Kean is a stronger candidate than the R (Forrester??) was last time. He was a good candidate, but Kean is much stronger by comparison.
However, Forrester was up by 10 or so in polls when the switch took place. Kean is somewhere between even and up 4. It would not take much improvement on the D side to take the lead.
As to possible replacements, I presume one of the other Representatives would be the most likely choice. However, if they really wanted to pull off a coup, ex-Gov. Codey would probably seal the deal.
That's the name I've seen mentioned.
When I wrote my initial post on the Menendez thing I didn't realize that his supposed clearance of this with the House Ethics panel was a supposed oral, never-documented conversation with a guy who is now dead.
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
I'm not convinced that Kean's support isn't a mile wide and an inch deep.
He has the great name, and NJ voters are sour on the Dems right now with their corruption, the government shutdown from the summer, and the sales tax increase it resulted in.
Once NJ voters start paying attention, and they listen to Kean, Jr. speak, watch out. He is utterly incomprehensible. For a politician, he is the worst speaker I think I have ever seen. If he holds on and wins against Menendez it would be a miracle. If the Dems replace Menendez with a moderately competetent politician who isn't wearing a prison uniform and can string three words together, it might take a personal intervention from the Almighty to get Kean, Jr. elected.
I hate being this cynical, by the way. But there it is.
Develop alternatives to existing policies and keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable. Milton Friedman
"No compromise with the main purpose, no peace till victory, no pact with unrepentant wrong." - Winston Churchill
I don't believe for a second that Menendez would step down. He has a much bigger war chest than any other potential candidate and there's no time for anyone else to run the campaign needed to win. When Torricelli was swapped for Lautenberg it was easy because Latenberg was already well known and popular and Forrester was a weak candidate.
The only New Jersey Dem that would be able to pull this off would be Codey and he's not interested. The Dems already tried and failed to recruit him when Corzine was looking for a replacement.
This race is going to be a close one. If the Dems lose this race they can kiss any small chance they have of picking up a Senate majority in 06.
Those bones probably got him where he is in New Jersey.