Garrett leaves Dems blue [conservative landslide where you LEAST expected it]

The Star-Ledger ^ | 11/6/2008 | Jim Lockwood, Star-Ledger Staff

[NewJerseyJoe]

Garrett leaves Dems blue

He pulls shocker: An easy GOP win

Thursday, November 06, 2008
By Jim Lockwood, Star-Ledger Staff

This time, U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett, (R-5th Dist.) surprised even himself.

As the reddest of Republicans in one of the bluest of states, Garrett, 49, of Wantage, Sussex County, has made a political career out of defying conventional wisdom and confounding critics and opponents.

Known as the most-conservative congressman in New Jersey -- and the Northeast -- Garrett defeated three prior Democrats by double-digit margins, but this year faced his toughest race against Democrat Dennis Shulman, 58, a psychologist and rabbi from Bergen County.

With a surge of Democratic voter registrations in the district, expected coattails from an Obama wave, and anti-Bush/GOP-incumbent sentiment running high over the economy, Shulman was poised for a close race, if not an upset.

Or so it seemed.

[NewJerseyJoe]

Scott Garrett beat the liberal Dem challenger by a handy margin -- even in Bergen County. BERGEN COUNTY! For those not familiar with NJ, a conservative Republican winning a majority of votes in Bergen County is just as momentous (news-wise) as Louis Farrakhan gaining a majority of votes in downtown Jerusalem!

This bears so much repeating: When Republicans run as conservatives, THEY WIN. When they run as moderates, they lose.

This goes to the heart of what Rush Limbaugh was discussing on today's (11/6) program, about how the Republicans have really become the Suicide Party. Today, he commented how the Repubs, rather than talking about their own deficiencies and how every "moderate" Republican lost -- instead made dissing Sarah Palin their #1 priority. This is a sickness in what's left of the GOP... and I don't think it's curable. It's time for the New Republican Party.

[padre35]

Well, so much for the “no Republicans left in the Northeast” nonsense...

Was this the race where the two men were blind or something?

[fieldmarshaldj]

"As the reddest of Republicans"

Garrett's a Communist ?

[word_warrior_bob]

I’m in Bergen County and Steve Rothman (Rat) is my congressman, it wasn’t all of Bergen County he won in. Bergen County went 54 - 45 for Obama, not good enough, I’m looking at Texas ; )

[goldstategop]

Republicans can win even in the Bluest of Blue States - when they run as conservatives. When they run as moderates... they lose! Will the NJGOP draw the lesson from all this? No - it won't. Its RINO dominated establishment will continue its slide towards complete extinction. And they deserve to become extinct.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[A message]

This bears so much repeating: When Republicans run as conservatives, THEY WIN. When they run as moderates, they lose.

BUMP

[word_warrior_bob]

The NJ “GOP” is a bunch of corrupt RINO’s for the most part, they are traitors who campaigned against Bret Schundler, who could have been President this year : (

[fieldmarshaldj]

"Republicans can win even in the Bluest of Blue States"

I certainly hope so, since that IS the color of Republicans. Let's ditch the media-labelling of us as Communists already. We lose the battle when we refuse to.

[NewJerseyJoe]

ping

[Clemenza]

Rothman’s district starts in North Bergen and goes up to Paramus. Northern Bergen county went for McCain, according to my friend on the ground there. Too bad the Dems keep kicking GOP a-s in countywide races.

[skr]

Congratulations to NJ!

[Niord]

When Republicans run as conservatives, THEY WIN. When they run as moderates, they lose.

You would think that our candidates and their campaign gurus would know this by now.

[St. Louis Conservative]

Principled, articulate conservatism wins, even in blue New Jersey.

Scott Garrett is one of our finest guys.

[NewJerseyJoe]

The news media have been saying “no Republicans in New England” ... which is correct; NJ is considered Mid-Atlantic, not New England.

The blind person is the Dem rabbi, Shulman, who was Garrett’s opponent.

[ABQHispConservative]

This guy should be in charge of the East-Coast strategy. A proven conservative winning in NJ?!? Hot damn.

[NewJerseyJoe]

Yes, congrats for NJ.... the bad news is: 49 other New Jerseys were created on Election Day.

[Clemenza]

Sad to say, we had a net loss of 1 in terms of congressional representation. John Adler took Jim Saxton's old seat, which takes in much of Burlington and northern Camden Counties, along with the southern half of Ocean County.

LoBiondo's district will probably be the next to go. Once he retires, it will be very difficult for the GOP to hold a district that includes both Atlantic City and Vineland.

[NewJerseyJoe]

> This guy should be in charge of the East-Coast strategy. A proven conservative winning in NJ?!? Hot damn.

Possibly, but Scott's got some soul-searching to do.... He can continue to "go along" with the RINOs -- or he can be a major leader and mover/shaker in creating the New Republican Party. That's a decision he needs to make, and soon.

[NewJerseyJoe]

> Principled, articulate conservatism wins, even in blue New Jersey.
> Scott Garrett is one of our finest guys.

Scott's not the only one.... another NJ congressman, the very fine Chris Smith, also won reelection -- and by even more impressive margins than Scott Garrett. Chris Smith won by a TWO-to-ONE ratio -- see http://www.nj.com/elections/index.ssf/2008/11/4th_district_republican_rep_ch.html.

[CedarDave]

Republicans can win even in the Bluest of Blue States - when they run as conservatives. When they run as moderates... they lose! Will the NJGOP draw the lesson from all this? No - it won't. Its RINO dominated establishment will continue its slide towards complete extinction. And they deserve to become extinct.

Ummm. Sounds good but isn't necessarily true. Conservative Congressman Steve Pearce lost out to radical enviro-nutter Tom Udall by 61% to 39%. Pearce was very popular in conservative District 2, but couldn't compete with the liberal wave in Districts 1 and 3.