GOP: No Torricelli Replacement

Wash Post ^ | Monday, September 30, 2002; 7:22 PM | David Espo

[rightwingextremist1776]

Two years ago, New Jersey Sen. Robert Torricelli raised $100 million to help Democrats in their drive to win control of the Senate. Now, he's giving up his own tattered re-election campaign before he becomes the reason they lose it.

But preventing the loss of his seat to Republicans will be a challenge for the famously combative senator, brought down by an ethics controversy, and his party.

The Republicans are one obstacle. The election calendar is another.

Even before Torricelli announced his withdrawal Monday at a news conference in Trenton, N.J., GOP officials said they were ready to go to court to block Democrats from fielding a replacement candidate so close to the election.

"The laws of the state of New Jersey do not contain a 'we think we're going to lose so we get to pick someone new' clause," taunted Torricelli's challenger, Doug Forrester.

[rightwingextremist1776]

"The laws of the state of New Jersey do not contain a 'we think we're going to lose so we get to pick someone new' clause," taunted Torricelli's challenger, Doug Forrester

Just maybe we finally got SOMEONE from the Repubs in NJ with some balls. Guess we will see soon.

[terilyn]

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[SamAdams76]

For the Socialists to even attempt this drastic ploy, they have to be desperately concerned about their chances this November.

[L.N. Smithee]

I hear they are investigating ways of cloning Jim Jeffords in a NJ lab so he can run as a NJ resident.

[cardinal4]

For the second time in as many years the Dems have tried an end-run around the ballot box. First with the Gore debacle and now this. How the daschles,etc have any credibility is beyond me...

[Chad Fairbanks]

"The laws of the state of New Jersey do not contain a 'we think we're going to lose so we get to pick someone new' clause," taunted Torricelli's challenger, Doug Forrester.

I wonder if we can nominate a (just guessing, here) non-freeper for Quote of The Day?

[Dog Gone]

Exactly. I am thrilled by today's developments.

[rightwingextremist1776]

That was my first reaction. Now we just need somemore blowhards from the left like Mcdermut :)

[hchutch]

Any thoughts on Chad's question?

[DWPittelli]

My real worry is that the Democrats are doing this even though they know they are unlikely to get a replacement on the ballot.

Their real plan:

1) They know that the Torch will lose. So they have no downside.

2) Maybe they whine enough to get a replacement, and maybe he'll win.

3) Better yet for them, the law is followed, and they get no replacement. They will of course lose this one seat, which they'd lose anyway. Then they'll whine a lot about how unfair it (i.e., following the law) is. Then all the idiots in the middle -- the swing voters who actually decide all close elections will feel sorry (or outraged) for them. And the Dems will win other seats in the Senate and House which they would lose otherwise.

In a way, it's like all the screaming in Florida. The question is whether anti-legal screams for "fairness" will fool more people than they will appall. As in Florida, they're betting on enough swing voters being idiots, and on motivating their base to come out for payback elsewhere.

[jwalsh07]

Paging Jim Baker, Paging Jim Baker.

The rats are at it again Jim. Report for duty asap.

[#3Fan]

No mention of the 51 day cut off point. Wash Post = Lying liberal scum.

[cardinal4]

I dont want to scare anyone, but John Gibson asked Napolitano on his show today could Bill Clinton run for the senate seat......

[anniegetyourgun]

"Any Democratic candidate is going to walk into an essentially turnkey operation," said Jim Jordan, executive director of the Democratic campaign committee, referring to the campaign organization that Torricelli and the party has in place.

READ: All the illegal donations and donors are already lined up. And you'll be able to claim plausible deniability when it's all exposed after the election.

[buzzyboop]

hmmm... not a word has been heard about all those disenfranchised voters who voted for the Torch in the primary.. I wonder why??

[Cicero]

The Washington ComPost typically blames the Republicans and the calendar for Toricelli's problems.

Maybe he shouldn't have committed numerous felonies. Or maybe the Senate Ethics Committee should have given him the boot, instead of a slap on the wrist.

Now we learn that Toricelli was probably down by 20%. That isn't what the ComPost and its lying friends were telling us yesterday.

The Dems did this to themselves. Now they have to live with it.

[willgetsome]

DUers are all rationalizing this BS right now. Their self-righteousnous in Florida juxtaposed with this NJ stuff is hysterical.

[SpinyNorman]

They'll probably try to find some shiftless Kennedy bored with abusing women, cars, or cars and women!

[copycat]

"I cannot talk about war and peace or economic opportunity...I can't be heard," he lamented at his news conference.

You can't be TRUSTED..."

[Political Junkie Too]

"The laws of the state of New Jersey do not contain a 'we think we're going to lose so we get to pick someone new' clause," taunted Torricelli's challenger, Doug Forrester

Not yet, anyway. Whatever it takes to win...

-PJ