For New Jersey Republicans, an Inviting Target Vanishes

New York Times ^ | August 13, 2004 | MICHAEL SLACKMAN

[OESY]

Memorandum
To: Schundler Coalition Leaders
From: Sal Risalvato
Date: March 11, 2004
Subject: Schundler v. McGreevey

A Perspective on Schundler v. McGreevey – NJ Statewide Research

I have attached the text of a memo I received concerning the results of a recent New Jersey political poll. The memo was written by Gene Ulm, a partner with Public Opinion Strategies – one of America’s leading political polling organizations. See link below.

The poll revealed:

1) That Jim McGreevey is the most vulnerable governor in America and that Bret Schundler is poised to beat him.

2) That if Bret Schundler runs for Governor, the odds of his winning the Republican nomination are extremely high.

3) That Bret’s property tax and school funding proposals are not just good policy, they are incredibly good political issues with the power to attract a huge number of Democrat and Independent voters to you.

4) That if Bret gets out his message on property taxes and school funding, he would likely win the governorship even if the Democrats replace Jim McGreevey with a stronger candidate like John Corzine, and even if the Democrats attack Bret savagely on divisive social issues.

These numbers tell us that Jim McGreevey cannot redeem himself with New Jersey’s voters. If Bret runs against him, Bret will win.

Since the Democrats cannot redeem McGreevey’s image, many political professionals believe they will focus on attacking the Republican candidates who enter the race for Governor. They will try to depict each Republican candidate as having no chance of victory so they can undermine Republican confidence and try to divide Republicans against one another. But these poll results suggest that this strategy will not work – that the voters have had it with Jim McGreevey and they ain’t buying him again.

Bret has been working to unify the Republican Party behind a practical, concrete solution to New Jersey’s property tax and school funding problems so he can position the Party for victory even if the Democrats ultimately change candidates. His enormous success in Democrat Jersey City was the result of his keeping focused on issues that everyone wanted to see addressed, and of his proposing workable solutions that almost everyone could unite behind. That is what Bret is doing now, and that is exactly what he should continue doing. Indeed, these poll results say that if Bret does continue doing what he is doing, and then decides to run for Governor, he will very likely be New Jersey’s next Governor.

I encourage you to share this information with as many members of your organization as possible – and to get involved with Bret’s “Empower The People” organization (sign up at www.empowerthepeople.org) as it works to lower your property taxes.

[tioga]

How about -- "For months NJ Gov. McIdiot lied to his constituents and lived a double life.....

[OpusatFR]

"In his speech yesterday, the governor said he was resigning because his disclosure that he had had an affair with a man would compromise his ability to govern."

Ah yes. Just putting a little lipstick on the pig as if only his sexual exploit is the reason for his resignation.

[2banana]

Democrat Gov. James E. McGreevey resigns amid massive scandal and graft and somehow that is bad for Republicans...?

[zencat]

Yep. It's just about politics to these folks. The immoral acts were only wrong in that it has a negatively impacts their party.

[OESY]

Jack McGreevey, who looks somewhat less than delighted, listens to his son, New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, as the governor announces his resignation August 12, 2004 at the Statehouse in Trenton, New Jersey. Governor McGreevey admitted that he had a homosexual affair and has been conflicted with his sexuality since adolescence. With the Governor are his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, center left, and his mother Veronica. Governor McGreevey has two children. NO MAGS NO SALES NO ARCHIVE NO TELEVISION NO USE HARMFUL TO DEMOCRATS REUTERS/Matt Rainey/The Newark Star Ledger

[Non-Sequitur]

I'm waiting for Limbaugh to outline the Clinton involvement in all this.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Not so fast.

What matters is that the people of NJ get to elect their own Governor, whether some arbitrary deadline is completely blown or not.

That's what the Supreme Court of NJ said in '02 (well, what it really said is that the Democrats of NJ were entitled to a candidate on the ballot who had good poll numbers).

Sue NJ for a Republican candidate with good poll numbers on the ballot Nov 2 to replace an outgoing governor. Deadlines? We don't need to meet no stinkin' deadlines!

[stockpirate]

How about -- "He was involved in criminal activity which involved stealing government funds to pay his 'Prostitute' lover who was not qualified for the position, and paid him out of our government funds even after he was no longer employed by NJ" ---pun intended

[goldstategop]

New Jersey is a one-party town. Even a scandal or tax increases can no longer unseat the Democrats. They have an iron grip over the state's urban areas.

[wideawake]

AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

(1) McGreevey's spin - that he has resigned because he is gay and people just won't understand - has been completely and robotically adopted by every local media source.

(2) McGreevey appointed his boyfriend as head of NJ Homeland Security. This is an outrage that would have been roughly equivalent to Clinton making Monica Lewinsky FBI Director before details of their affair leaked out.

(3) McGreevey's closest fundraising crony Chuckie Kushner has not only violated campaign financing laws and fraud statutes left and right but he has impeded federal criminal investigations.

(4) McGreevey operative D'Amiano, a connected mob guy, extorted extra money from a developer who had already bribed McGreevey and McGreevey is on tape accepting the bribe in coded language.

(5) Although the Democrats violated the NJ State Constitution by replacing Torricelli with Lautenberg at the last minute, claiming that they had to do it or the electorate wouldn't have a "real choice", McGreevey has unethically gamed the timinmg of resignation so the Democrats can anoint his successor rather than holding an election.

This whole situation is a sleazy Democrat operation and it is succeeding beyond the Democrats' wildest hopes.

[Antoninus]

Unfortunately, he didn't vanish. He's still there until November 15.

It's a bloody outrage what the dems get away with in this state. For a guy to get up and say he's resigning... in 3 months? It's outrageous.

McSkeevey OUT NOW!

[goldstategop]

Of course. The RINOS in NJ are equally liberal and corrupt. If one had to choose, stick with the devil you know. They revel in the filth.

[KC_Conspirator]

Vanishing target? From what I understand that 4-5 people around McGreedy are being targeted in investigations and scandals, including 2 aides. This is not a vanishing target at all.

[Pharlap]

Actually, the Republicans now have an opportunity. The timing of Mcgreevey's resignation is pure Democrat politics intended to prevent an election (for a new governor) on November 2nd. But, there is a presidential election on that date. Bret Schundler should immediately begin campaigning for President Bush and remind voters that he has been prevented from running for governor because of the political chicanery of the New Jersey Democrat machine. New Jersey voters should be encouraged to vote for President Bush to send a message to the Democrat machine.

[Antoninus]

(1) McGreevey's spin - that he has resigned because he is gay and people just won't understand - has been completely and robotically adopted by every local media source.

This is disgusting beyond belief. It's how ALL the news stations in the Philly area were reporting the story last night, complete with vox populi clips of morons saying exactly the same thing: "It's a shame he had to resign because he's gay. People's personal lives should be kept separate from their public lives. Blah, blah, blah." And the reporter piously opines afterwards, "Everyone at this diner felt pretty much the same way."

The propaganda coming out of the TV is off-the-scales this election. Thanks, McCain/Feingold.

[Shaddap IV]

Idiotic story. It's like saying that the British Navy was disappointed that the Bismarck was sunk because it meant that they wouldn't get to look for it any more.

[KellyAdmirer]

The NY Times is licking its chops, seeing this as another Torricelli maneuver. The significance of this is that it hurts Republicans? Make me laugh.

[stockpirate]

Here is an excellent article that shows his problem is more than sexual:

http://www.app.com/app2001/story/0,21133,656898,00.html