Redstate

Take Back NJ!

While I am still waiting for the FULL frontal assault we have been demanding out of Republicans for some time now, I have grown increasingly excited about the party over the last few months.  Admitedly, I was ready to go jump over a bridge following the Miers debacle.  However, Bush and the party leadership are finally starting to march in step.  Most importantly, the voters are willing to follow again.

That said, I am growning more optimistic about Election Night 2006.  I hardly expect the GOP to be handily "rewarded" for their performance over the last months.  Barring a major screw up, the House and Senate should hold steady.  I would even venture to say a pick up of 2 seats is concievable, in that most "amiable" upper house of Congress.

I have told many people who are nervous about 2006 to calm down.  When Republicans are united (on the RIGHT issues, mind you), they are a force to be reckoned with.  The Dems having no plan of governance does not help their cause.  If the GOP gets on message, look for a steady majority into 2008.  And we all know that we are going to have to be on top of our game for that battle.

and NJ is just as liberally bad.  The only hope is the name, Kean.  Jr. But hoping for a Kean pickup in NJ might spell doom in PA with  Casey.  Jr.  

We Repub's need to pick it up, spell out the differences in our philosophies and stopp allowing our elected people to "moderate" their positions.

Why should we move closer to Dean, Pelosi, Sheehan, etc?  They're lunatics.

with a liberal rather than having the spotlight focused only on what the msm chooses to call flaws in us.

Our trump card is that only ELECTIONS, where we always have a lib at be compared to convey power and if our elected leaders can keep that in mind in between elections, and keep our heads and spines, as W rope a dopes the dems, we will fix the USA.

he's off the 911 Commission.  Sign me up!!!

I commented on Kean, Jr. here.  Summary:  I am not convinced he will be a good campaigner.

Plus, Menendez has all those years in Congress and the Dem leadership ties that will help him raise money.  I also think the Kean name could be a liability.  If his father keeps up his recent antics as know-it-all head of the former 9/11 commission, will this hurt Kean, Jr with Republican primary voters?

Menendez is dirty enough to keep this a close race.  But, I still think it will go his way in a squeaker.

as a matter of fact, it is looking more and more like a leak from Schumer's office.  I bet that goes down real well with Corzine.

And here is some more thoughtful insight from our friends the Kossacks,

"Unfortunately, Kean Jr.'s "record" won't mean squat. The wimgnuts like Ferguson won't squawk because they know Kean Jr. will have wonderful coattails in the 'burbs. All the "moderate" Republicans in Jersey are delusional. They're RNC puppets in Washington because they think in some wonderful future the religious extremists will go away & they'll get to control the party again. They're all cowards, & Kean Jr. is one of the most gutless. He shouldn't be elected to the senate, rather he should be taken out into in the street & horsewhipped until his skin peels off in bloody strips, then tossed into the stinking horse stables of his rich "old family" pals ."

Ah yes, the people of tolerance.  I wonder if they are all RoP'ers?

this is Kean, JUNIOR, not the former Gov of NJ.  The son.  Not the same guy.

That is his father, the former Governor, Tom Kean, Sr.  Jr. is a State Senator who is now running for Governor.

Unfortunately Santorum (R-PA) is 20 points down to Casey, and I doubt he's going to be able to climb that mountain no matter what we do.

Just a quick note to any Non-New Jerseyans, Menendez doesn't have "ties" to the Hudson political machine, he is the Hudson County Political Machine.  The downside to this is that he can't be linked to any other party bosses, like Andrews would have been to Norcross.

The upside is that Menendez is simply not very likeable, and hopefully Kean Jr. can take advantage of that.  From what I hear, Tom is a personable, charismatic guy, which could be huge.

As for primary challengers, I don't think Norcross is short sighted enough to run Andrews against Menendez in the primary.  Although Pallone is completely unpredictable, but he's a very small fish in comparison to the others (think Biden 08' when talking about Pallone.)

he has been one of the best except for that specter move

Once Codey decded he wasn't going to run for the Senate it was almost a foregone conclusion that Menendez was gong to be the pick.  He's probably the most powerful Democrat in NJ and Corzine has a good relationshp with him.

Polls are meaningless right now since most NJ residents don't know much about Menendez and they know even less about Kean Jr.  They pick Kean on name recognition only.  

It's good to see the NJ GOP finally come to its senses and not run with two certain losers in Forrester and Schundler.  I have no idea what Kean's  political views are but if they are like his father then he is a country club Republican.  

But Kean is going to face a tough opponent in Menendez.  Menendez runs a very powerful and efficient political machine.  If he doesn't run a well organized campaign he could get really killed, regardless of the issues.  

If the GOP is smart they won't let any hard core Righties challenge him on abortion or gun control.  These are loser issues in NJ for the GOP.  

Against him.  Since Day One.  Thank Dan Savage and his Army of Lovers.

saying such politically brilliant things as homosexual sex is like having sex with a box turtle.

Although it's perfectly acceptable to recognize that many gay men will have sex with anything that moves or crawls (as will many straight men) it's NOT acceptable for Rick Santorum to say those things, because he doesn't like it.  It's all in HOW you say it.

I only ask because I think you are mixing up senators and misquoting at the same time.

PA's purple but Santorum's bright red, and Casey's pro-life to boot.  Just IMO.

And correct on all accounts.  I hope Rs will accept Kean, Jr. as "Mr. Moderate" and leave it at that.  He is the best chance for the NJ GOP and he has national support.  He's not perfect but he's a lot better than Martinez.  And the idea of 56 or 57 Rs is a nice one.

It was John Cornyn who said that little zinger.  Those two act like a tag team on this issue at times.

Santorum has been been far to vituperative.  He plays well the Conservative base but alienates the moderates.  Not smart in Blue PA.

And your analysis is even better when not scoring pot shots:

"He plays well the Conservative base but alienates the moderates"

As much as many here would like to think that his only fault was supporting Specter, we aren't talking about Alabama here.  Santorum is out of touch with much of his state and Casey's name is a big plus.  I think it will be much closer than polls show today, but Santorum is the underdog.

has he moved farther right   or

has he alienated his base with moderation or

does he just have a better opponent

or  flyerhawks gaffes argument

His opponent has a better name.  And FWIW, he was behind in the other races too and won.  But I don't recall him ever being down 15-20 before.  He has squeaked by in his first two races.  A very well-liked name is running against him.  He could win, but he is not favored.

Furthermore, he may not have "moved to the right" but his image is definitely as a Christian Coalition Republican now.  That can be good or bad, but my guess is that it is good in the "T" and bad in the big cities.  And the cities are bigger.

It is to be hoped that the GOP does start fighting back, BUT...

I think what you overlook is the horrific recruiting (lack thereof) by Liz Dole at the NRSC.  We blew top tier candidates in at least 9 states that could have made a difference.  I see us breaking even (had us down 2 or 3 during Meirs).  '06 should have been a 3 or 4 pick up year.

Does she have any children in politics?

It helps the democrats and the republicans usually run candidates they fish from the river.  Positions are great but you have to find someone who can throw slime better than they can.  I realize that's not Lincoln-Douglas but in NJ better a dirty winner then a pristine loser.

of the bank vault long enough to give the residents of NJ a suprise, at least to them.  He has already started the "sacrifice" talk and that means only one thing.  You would think after Jim Florio the dimmer voters there would learn but if you want to be a sheep you'll always find a shepheard,- in the slaughterhouse.

Having 56 or 57 Rs doesn't really matter if you can't count on all 56 or 57 when you need them most (such as on breaking the judicial filibuster).

So I won't get too worked up about whether a 'moderate' R wins in NJ or not, myself.

your proposal on how to fix the significant deficit gap that New Jersey is currently facing.

Let me see if I can guess it.  Stop corruption, cut taxes, and curtail spending?  That about right?  

There is really no point in exchanging with you.  Like I said last time, enough.  You may,  and probably will, take this as a mark of your superior debating skills, I take it as your being to insignificant to bother with.  However if you're tormented with the idea of deficits, do what every liberal should do, send your own money in.  It's called putting your money where, if not your brain,your mouth is.

Granted NJ has always had a reputation for less-than-stellar ethics standards

Heh. Mention NJ politics, and the Torricelli/Lautenberg switcheroo (select the 10/09/02 cartoon) is the first thing that comes to my mind.

NJ, where by Supreme Court fiat, 51 days doesn't really mean 51 days.

The simple truth is that you are a lot of  sound and fury signifying nothing.   Your big on buzzwords and Conservative Known Facts but you really offer more than that.  If I'm insignificant you can simply not respond to my posts.  

The state is facing some unpleasant fiscal realities in the next couple of years.  They have to be dealt with.  Unlike the Federal government states CAN'T spend their way out of problem.  At some point their debt becomes overwhelming.  

And of course the ever-brilliant demand that I should send my money into the government if I'm concerned with deficits.  This is a somewhat odd twist on that nonsequitor.  Apparently fiscal responsibility is the mark of a Liberal.  Good to know that you have officially discarded vestigal arm of Conservatism.

but I think a good case can be made that Kean's antics (or his willingness to criticize a Rep. administration's response to 9/11) plays very well in a state that is blue and where 9/11 itself remains a raw issue with many voters.

Former NJ Gov Whitman is trying to become the Zell Miller of the Republican Party... while if she did have offspring who had political aspirations they'd have a natural advantage in the state, Whitman was so liberal of a Republican that the GOP may be better off having a moderate or center-left Democrat there instead (as when Whitman decides to open her mouth she's taken by the MSM as a sign that the Republicans are fracturing).

Are you joking? He voted for and pushed heavily for the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill; he has supported increases in minimum wage, and he is too much of a party hack to be any good. Anyone close to the party elite has done a pretty miserable job when it comes to fiscal issues. He is opposed to boys kissing, but no one should use that as a plus to gauge him as a Senator.

esp the part hack business that I alluded to re specter

"with Republican primary voters"

Unless there is someone challenging him, he can look forward to the general election similar to Lt. Gov. Steele (MD) and Congressman Kennedy (MN).  Notice that those seats without a major primary tussle are the ones where the R polls best.