Posted on 11/13/2005 9:24:07 PM PST by Coleus
ON THE MORNING after Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester conceded defeat, one of the party's most feisty conservative pugilists declared war. But Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan wasn't attacking Democrats. His target was his own party.
Fire the GOP state chairman, Lonegan thundered. Fire the assembly minority leader, too. And one more thing: cleanse Republicanism of any taint of liberalism.
"It's time to start winning again," Lonegan said.
His blistering three-page e-mail, sent well before noon the day after Tuesday's double-digit triumph for Democrat Jon Corzine, was not so much a call for Republicans to regain their footing, but proof that the once-powerful and savvy party of such nationally significant figures as Tom Kean and Christie Whitman may now be on life-support.
After yet another crushing defeat in a state-wide election, it's worth asking if the state Republican Party has become so marginalized that it may be years before it can be a competitive force in a statewide election.
Consider the evidence: Since Whitman barely won reelection as governor against then-newcomer Jim McGreevey in 1997, Democrats have taken every statewide election. Democrats now control both U.S. Senate seats, most House seats, both houses of the state Legislature, and the governorship.
In the state Assembly, Republicans hold the fewest number of seats since the 1970s - or, or as Lonegan noted, "the lowest since the Watergate era." What's more, the party once regarded as the playground for New Jersey's rich can't even brag that it has the biggest election treasure chest anymore. Democrats now regularly beat the GOP at their old game: raising money. Millionaire Corzine outspent millionaire Forrester 2-to-1.
"We were facing a tsunami of cash" from Democrats, said GOP state chairman Tom Wilson. "It's hard to go on the offense when you run out of bullets."
Looking over the rubble, the triumphs of Kean in the Eighties and Whitman in the Nineties seem like ancient history. Democrats now firmly control the state's population centers, with Republican strength relegated to shore areas and rural sections in the northwest and south. As one Democratic strategist said in describing the state of Republican disarray: "The party is not in a different area code. It's in a different epoch."
What happened? This election was supposed to be different. Democrats seemed self-destructive. Gov. Jim McGreevey had resigned amid a lurid gay sex scandal, and the party's bosses had been linked to the pay-to-play game in which campaign contributors received lucrative government contracts.
What's more, the Democrats' gubernatorial nominee seemed only slightly more charismatic than asphalt on the turnpike. For all his millions, U.S. Senator Jon Corzine was viewed even by loyal Democrats as a muddled speaker, with too many ties to the pay-to-play party bosses.
It did not help that Corzine was disenchanted - some said he was bored - with his Senate job before completing his first term and that he pushed aside the hugely popular acting Governor Codey to run for governor.
It also did not help that one of the chief beneficiaries of Corzine's checkbook was a former girlfriend who happened to run a union that represented state employees. If Corzine won, his staff could be negotiating state contracts with the governor's former lover - or "gal-pal" as a New York tabloid wrote.
Was this Trenton or "The Young and the Restless"?
It seemed like a perfect opportunity for Republicans to win. And Doug Forrester, a former minister, seemed like the right candidate.
Or was he? What's surprising in the wake of Forrester's crushing defeat is how some prominent Republican leaders now say Forrester was terribly miscast.
In a post-election interview, state GOP Chairman Tom Wilson did not mince words. He described Forrester to me as "a nondescript Republican" who "didn't have his own identity" and had immense troubles communicating his platform.
William Palatucci, a respected GOP strategist and former finance chairman of the state party, went even farther. Forrester "just doesn't talk like an average person," Palatucci said. "He's stiff. He's too formal. He's verbose. In this state you can't run a candidate who is unable to communicate on TV when most voters get their information from TV."
Forrester's communication problems were especially apparent after Corzine accused his prescription benefits firm, Benecard, of its own pay-to-play relationships with municipal officials. Instead of just denying the accusation, Forrester would typically launch into long answers that even accountants found difficult to follow.
"Forrester came off as an uppity snob," said conservative strategist Rick Shaftan, who advises Lonegan.
Palatucci favored another Republican: U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, who had gained a reputation for busting corrupt politicians. But Christie never announced his candidacy. He told supporters he did not want to run in a contested primary.
Even Codey was surprised. "Why didn't they run Christie?" he said after the election.
Once nominated, Forrester seemed reluctant to reach out to charismatic Republicans for help. Yes, he managed to get Kean and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to appear in TV ads. But he was virtually alone on the campaign stump. He never sought help from President Bush, fearing the president's problems with the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina would turn off voters. Nor did Forrester reach out to one of his party's best campaigners - Whitman.
"It was a calculated mistake," said one Republican strategist of Forrester's decision to ignore Whitman. "I think we paid for it."
Finally, GOP leaders now acknowledge that the party never seemed able to put its own rhetorical house in order. Pressured by Lonegan and others to embrace a more conservative agenda, Forrester also knew that he needed to reach out to moderates and independents. Despite months of strategizing, the party never found a way to please everyone.
"You don't grow by subtraction," GOP Chairman Wilson said. "You grow by addition."
He's right. But New Jersey Republicans are still looking for a formula that works.
This could take a long time.
>>>After yet another crushing defeat in a state-wide election, it's worth asking if the state Republican Party has become so marginalized that it may be years before it can be a competitive force in a statewide election.<<<
Run as a Conservative and the voters will come . . .
Moderate like Tom Kean ? Here's the problem right there with the NJ Republicans. Until we get rid of these liberal, corrupt, statist, country-club RINO Jersey Welds and their stooges, the party will NEVER recover.
Lonegan has been nothing but a spoiler since the news12 primary debate. He doesn't have what it takes to be a successful state level politician.
The NJ GOP is dead, the state master plan, the great minds of urban planning, the constant influx of new residents and citizens will continuously deny any political organization that has a lower "c" conservative stance on the role of government the platofrm to sway the largest plurality of citizens to vote for that party.
NJ's GOP will be reborn by a Arnold Schwarzenegger populist. The conservative constituency has left the state, making other states more republican, yet less conservative. But for NJ, there is no future Republican party, you can see how shallow the bench is for the NJ GOP by looking at how many relatives of current politicians are being groomed for office. It's a sign of weakness, lack of fresh blood and fresh ideas, lack of dynamicism, and a party that will continue to play it safe in redistricting, we've become the equivalent of the Tories in the UK, the permanent opposition party.
Here's hoping for Corzine to take in the role of a benevolent Caesar, though it's very likely he will destroy large swathes of the state's economy in fits of master planning egomaniacalism.
I expect the property prices in NJ to freeze by May, by that time Corzine's initiatives will be made public. He'll give targeted tax cut to homeowners, but will more than take it back through forcing increases to car and health insurance, commuting costs, income tax increases, increased phone taxes, and increased regulations.
He's planning so many drastic piece of legislation, no one will be able to oppose it all. They've already written the Assembly bills, they're chomping at the bit to introduce them in committee.
Steve Lonegan had the greatest radio ads during the primary. I was surprised at how disgraceful the GOP voters in New Jersey were that they would once again go with a proven loser like proud "moderate" Doug Forrester.
The first time I heard one of Forrester's radio ads during the general election I decided he HAD to lose for the good of the party. NO WAY can the GOP tolerate a "moderate" winning - - all it does is encourage other wimps to run as "moderates".
I, for one, am delighted that Forrester got smoked.
New Jersey deserves Corzine. Corzine and New Jersey - perfect together.
Isn't that nice? A Republican is going to "reach out to conservatives".
He's another one who's got to lose.
California needs to get a clue.
Tell me, what does the Republican Party, at any level, stand for?
Coming in second. But liked.
Lonergan forgot to mention the massive voter fraud that locked it up for Corzine who won with the lowest election day turnout in that state's history.
Corzine had the state's officials including the NJ Secy of State, who owns a GOTV business, working on the Corzine campaign on state time, using tax dollars for political purposes.
Corzine, obviously used the McGreevey Playbook entitled: " How To Win Elections By Fellating Unions, Hyphenates, Party Bosses, Fat Cats, Developers, Pay-to-Players, Urbanites With Entitlement Fixations, And Anyone Else Who Figures Taxpayers Owe Them A Living."
Key chapters used by Corzine: (1) buy votes now, pay later (2) promise government funding to anything that moves, then extort taxpayers to foot the bills for the government giveaways once I'm in power, (3) politicians first, taxpayers last, (4) party bosses reign supreme, (5) employ massive voter fraud, it's OK if state employees work the campaign on state time.
Seems the only place Corzine diverged from the McGreevey Playbook is by having a gender-specific lover----unlike McGreevey.
Star Ledger said 80% of minority vote went to Corzine.
I wonder how many illegals voted since we are a gateway.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1472612/posts?page=38#38
>>>- Services, ie but not limited to: public school enrollment, language proficiency programs, and building permits, that cater to illegal aliens have increased in areas that are considered gateways for immigration.
- The top nine states that account for 50% of illegal aliens are: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina.<<<<
>>>Lonergan forgot to mention the massive voter fraud that locked it up for Corzine who won with the lowest election day turnout in that state's history.
One of the largest abuses of voter fraud is absentee ballots.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1518679/posts
Vote Early, Vote Often
>>>While voter fraud is not new in this nation, it seems to be gathering steam in recent years with the absentee voting explosion, loosened voting registration requirements and fewer controls, not to mention the enormous incentives for successful practitioners.<<<
Codey relaxed the requirements for absentee ballots right before the election and Corzine encouraged voting by absentee ballots.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1518679/posts?page=4#4
Absentee votes encouraged
Home News Tribune Online 10/27/05
>>>With a new state law essentially allowing any registered voter to make choices using an absentee ballot, the campaigns for both U.S. Sen. Jon S. Corzine, D-N.J., and Republican Doug Forrester have pushed to get out the vote early.<<<
>>>Corzine has talked about absentee voting on the campaign trail, and his campaign has used phone banks, direct mail and his Web site to encourage absentee voters.
"It's definitely a key effort for us," said Corzine spokeswoman Ivette Mendez. "We're looking for folks that we think would support Jon Corzine, and our support is not only coming from the Democratic Party."<<<
Good points.
Mrs. Forrester's last minute appeal bragging that her husband was "Pro-choice" was an in your face to conservatives, "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO VOTE FOR CORZINE?"
Well I know several Republicans who just decided to stay home!
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