Reaction to Beth DeFalco

On the afternoon of February 2, the Asbury Park Press posted an article written by Beth DeFalco of the Associated Press that was titled “Gov. Christie Brags about Fights with Democrats.”  Without hesitation I would like to say this article is disgraceful.  DeFalco pins Governor Christie as nothing more than a bully looking to pick a fight with Democrats.  That was by no means the case and she took his words way out of context.  Governor Christie did in fact say that “to have Democrats arguing with me about which taxes to cut, I feel like I have died and gone to heaven.”  However, if you look at the greater context of it, he was talking about being proud that Democrats want to cut taxes now. 

New Jersey is one of the most overtaxed states in the Nation (thank you Maryland for not allowing us to be the most) and that is because Democrats have voted time and time again to raise our taxes.  Businesses are fleeing in masses to get away from the tax burden.  The re-distribution of wealth is not helping the middle class or even low income families.  It is killing them because businesses cannot survive in this environment and the ones that do survive cannot afford to hire new employees.

It is no shock to me that Senator Loretta Weinberg was the first to comment on the article and criticize the Governor.  She must still be upset that Kim Guadagno is the Lieutenant Governor of the State and not her.  Sorry Senator, but you can always run again in a few years.

Democrats have been in charge in New Jersey for way too long, but have now realized that adding taxes is not the way to go.  Governor Christie is proud of this accomplishment and realizes there is still work to do.  I hope Beth DeFalco learns to write a less biased article next time to show some integrity and learn some professionalism in the field of journalism.

Ron Paul, R3VOLUTION, Give us back the CONSTITUTION!

There is one candidate that I am very certain I will not be voting for in the primary election. Okay, there are actually a couple candidates and one of them is named Ron Paul. At the same time, Ron Paul is the one candidate who fascinates me above all others. He is by far the oldest candidate in the race and, yet, he has the youngest group of supports including Obama’s supporters as well.

Without even talking about age, Dr. Paul also has the most passionate group of supporters who will follow him to the end of the Earth. I could not get the “Ron Paul revolution, give us back the constitution” chant out of my head after his second place finish in New Hampshire. His supporters were so fired up and it was intoxicating.

Most of the supporters, however, know that he is not going to win the primary, heck, even Ron Paul is aware that he is not going to win the primary. Why else would he solely focus on Caucus states? He claims that it is to send a message to Washington for a lot of different reasons, mostly pertaining to liberty and free market economics. To be honest, I am completely on board for these causes. The United States spends too much money, has too much regulation, too high taxes, and at times infringes on the liberty of citizens. 

However, I do not really believe that Ron Paul is running to send a message to Washington. It is probably an advantage, but Ron Paul is running to pave the way for his son Rand Paul to be President in 2017. Think about it, what father does not want to do everything he can to help his son succeed? Almost none. He is doing a great job too, because all the passionate supporters Dr. Paul has are going to run straight to Rand who is already a tea party favorite. Rand is going to be an unstoppable force in the 2016 elections (if the Republicans do not win in 2012) especially after having eight years of Obama.

Ron Paul has a lot of great ideas and I would love to see the budget slashed by a trillion dollars. The problem is, I agree with Ron Paul on 75% of the issues, but the other 25% I disagree with so adamantly that I can’t vote for him. I wish him the best of luck in Nevada and am almost excited to see how well he does in Maine, but my vote is not one that he will be receiving.

 

Conservation is Conservative

I associate with the Republican Party. However, that does not mean that I always agree with everything that is going on within it. My biggest gripe with the party is its reputation, and sometimes deserving, for being anti-environment. I firmly believe that we need to care for the environment even if our reason is only to preserve its natural beauty. It disappoints me to know that I am sometimes criticized for these beliefs by my own party especially because we have such a rich history of strong environmental advocacy.

Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, and even Ronald Reagan had strong environmental ethics. Richard Nixon may be best known for the Watergate Scandal, but few people remember that the Environmental Protection Agency was his creation. He also signed key pieces of legislation including the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. Yes, he really was a republican.

There is a group that I was introduced to when I was young and having difficulty understanding why my party had a negative stereotype when it came to environmental protection. It is called Republicans for Environmental Protection which is an independent 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. Their website is filled with policy papers, press releases, and other documents for their cause. They even have a political action committee (PAC) that donates to republican candidates who adhere to their principles.

This image belongs to Republicans for Environmental Protection 

http://www.rep.org/

If you are like me and would like to see the Republican Party make a shift towards a more environmentally friendly agenda, take a look at Republicans for Environmental Protection. Do not forget, you and I do not belong to the Republican Party. The Republican Party belongs to us and we are the only ones who have the ability to make changes.

The New Jersey Comback

I realize that this video came out five days ago, but I felt like it was definitely necessary to share with anyone who has not seen it. New Jersey had a long struggle with Governors and just when we thought they could not get any worse, along came Jon Corzine. 

In Washington I am often times criticized for my strong faith and admiration for Governor Christie. However, it is because of his willingness to do what is right regardless of what others think that I believe he is right for New Jersey. He plays the politics game at times, but ultimately he stands by his decisions. 

Please take a look at this video posted on youtube by NJGOP. The clips are from this year’s State of the State address.

Joe Kyrillos Campaign Kickoff

State Senator Joe Kyrillos announced last week that he would seek the US Senate seat currently held by Bob Menendez (D-NJ).  His official campaign kick-off, tomorrow, will be the first moment of true spotlight the Senator has received since the big announcement.

Here is the e-mail that was sent out this morning to his supporters:

Joe Kyrillos and his family would like to invite you to his official campaign kick-off for U.S. Senate.  There will be two events, both held on February 1st.  Please join us as Joe shares his story, why he's inspired to run and his strong vision for a better New Jersey.

Wednesday, February 1st

Monmouth County
11:00 am
Lincroft Inn
700 Newman Springs Road 
Lincroft, NJ 07738

Burlington County
3:00 pm
Gibson House- Evesham Community Center
535 E. Main St.
Marlton, NJ 08053

While the poll numbers for any Republican candidate seeking the Senate seat are not great, do not count Senator Kyrillos out just yet.  The poll numbers for Senator Menendez are not great either.  There are plenty of New Jerseyans who would love to see Menendez gone and Kryillos is the Republican Party’s best bet to make that a reality. 

Just like in the Presidential race (which is a whole different ball game), the New Jersey Republicans need to get behind one candidate.  I am sorry to anyone drinking the Tea Party Kool-Aid, but Anna Little is not that candidate.  Not only does she lack the name recognition, but she will not receive the independent support that is required to win in such a liberal state.

You can be assured that Senator Kyrillos will receive the support of his good friend and political ally in Trenton, Governor Chris Christie.  Even though Menendez has a financial war chest as deep as they come, Governor Christie has the ability to be a powerhouse fundraiser as well.

There will, without a doubt, be a hard fought battle for the US Senate seat, not to mention a primary battle that is about to begin.  Let’s hope it is not a long drawn out battle that is ultimately nothing but damaging to the Republican Party. 

Turner Wins NY 9

            Anyone who picked up a newspaper or turned on the television in June was witness to the sex scandal involving former Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY).  A seven term representative, who could have been the next democratic mayor of New York City, caught sending inappropriate self images through social media to women across the country.  With the exception of political pundits, far fewer people knew about the special elections, to replace Anthony Weiner, which took place on Tuesday, September 13 between Republican Bob Turner and Democrat David Weprin. 

            New York’s ninth congressional district is regarded as one of the most democratic leaning congressional districts in the United States.  A Republican has not won the seat in eight decades and democrats outnumber republicans three to one.  No one expected Turner to win the election and early in the campaign, democrats believe it to be an easy win.  However, even with a last ditch attempt by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to purchase a half a million dollar TV ad, Turner came out on top.

            Not only did the Grand Old Party win in New York’s special election, but they expectedly won Nevada’s second congressional district as well.  Some wonder if the win for the Republicans is foreshadowing the end result for the elections in November 2012.  Members of the Democratic Party brushed this theory off, justifying it as nothing more than a freak occurrence and predicting favorable outcomes for the democrats in November 2012.  Speaking about New York’s ninth congressional district, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) believes “the bottom line is it’s not a bellwether district.”  Senator Schumer is correct; traditionally it is not an indicator of future election results.  However, it confirms that there is unease within the Democratic Party that stems from a greater issue. 

            It has been argued by several politicians and multiple media sources that the election was won based off of President Obama’s poor approval rating and the struggling economy.  In addition to an economy that saw zero job growth for August, the heavily Jewish community was also reacting to a President who has lacked support for Israel.  While some believe that this was a fluke and that President Obama’s jobs plan will help democrats in 2012, this seems doubtful since 51% of Americans do not believe the plan will lower unemployment according to a recent Bloomberg poll. 

The democrats have a difficult task ahead of them, in addition to reelecting a President who continues to have a falling approval rating; they also want to maintain control of the Senate while retaking control of the House of Representatives.  Taking control of the House will require 25 seats held by Republicans to be turned over which is a considerable task in itself.  It may be too soon to tell if New York’s special election is a signal that 2012 will be a difficult year for democrats.  However, it did show every democrat who thought they were in a safe seat that no seat is going to be safe in 2012.