Posted on 10/01/2002 10:02:17 AM PDT by Northeast
But, New Jersey Voters Deserve a Choice!
Let me see if I have this correct.
On June 5th, 2002 the voters of New Jersey went to the polls in a State Primary election and chose to put Torricelli back on the November ballot. The State Democratic Party did not choose to run anyone against him in the primary, as they were happy whit the sitting Senator. So let the campaign begin, and let the voters begin to make a choice. He has an early lead over his Republican challenger Forrester.
July rolls around, Torricelli is leading in the Polls, and is scheduled to testify under oath in a Senate ethics probe. By the time early August arrives, the Senate ethics committee has issued a “letter of admonition”, Daschle releases a statement claiming the Torch is innocent, and the Democratic party circles the wagons around their choice for the November election. Forrester is pulling even in the Polls.
But then, in mid August, the wheels begin to come off the Torch’s wagon. The voters of New Jersey begin reacting and Forrester moves into the lead in some polls. The choice of the Democratic Party begins to flounder. The party continues to support him, there is still plenty of time to replace him, but no one suggests it.
September. The debates begin, the charges fly. The voters focus on ethics and integrity and Torricelli is the choice of fewer and fewer voters. The deadline for replacing him on the ballot quietly slips by as the rhetoric heats up.
The week of September 23rd saw the Washington heavyweights come to town. President Bush campaigning for Forrester, and Daschle for the Democratic party choice, Torricelli. It also saw the release of more damaging evidence of the corruption of the Democratic party choice. By the time the weekend rolls around, it’s clear the electorate is choosing Forrester.
On September 30th, the Democratic party chooses to remove their candidate from the race, as it is apparent he has no chance to win - despite party heavyweights coming to town, attack ads, and the support of the Governor.
This morning, on October 1st the Democratic party - and indeed the Governor himself - were assaulting the media with a single coordinated message: The voters of New Jersey deserve a choice between two candidates from the major parties. We will go to court to give them that choice. Earth to Democrats! They did have the choice, and they weren’t choosing you. You chose to remove that selection from the voters yourselves.
The Democratic party took away the voters choice because they didn’t like what the voters were saying. Now, in a spectacular “do over” bid, they will go before the New Jersey Supreme Court and request that they flout election laws in the middle of an election because they were losing.
And their argument is that the voters deserve a choice.
Do I have that right?
1999 - Berek Don, a former chairman of the Bergen County Republican Party, pleads guilty to illegally steering $11,000 from David Chang to Torricelli's campaign fund. Lawrence Penna, former chairman of a defunct Hackensack brokerage, pleads guilty to illegally funneling $20,000 to Torricelli's campaign. Carmine Alampi, a former law partner of Don's, pleads guilty to aiding and abetting $2,000 of Don's donations.
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?level_3_id=7&page=5148030
2000 - Charles Koo, president of an Englewood Cliffs company, pleads guilty to funneling $20,000 of Chang's money to Torricelli's campaign. Chang pleads guilty to steering $53,700 in illegal contributions to Torricelli's campaign. Audrey Yu, a donor to Torricelli and an aide to Chang, pleads guilty to conspiring to obstruct justice by preparing a false document during the investigation. French businessman Philippe Hababou pleads guilty to donating foreign funds, reimbursing some donors, and paying tens of thousands of dollars in Torricelli campaign expenses.
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?level_3_id=7&page=5148030
May 2002 - David Chang sentenced to 18 months in prison for obstruction of justice and campaign finance violations related to illegal gifts to Torricelli during the 1996 senate campaign.
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_3_id=19&page=3839565
June 4, 2002 - New Jersey Democrats overwhelmingly select incument Senator Robert Torricelli as their candidate to continue on with his seat, despite charges of ethical violations during his first six-year term.
June 30, 2002 - The Senate Ethics Committee reprimands Torricelli, who is "severely admonished" for accepting gifts from Chang. Torricelli takes the floor of a nearly empty Senate chamber and says: "I agree with the committee's conclusions, fully accept their findings, and take full responsibility. ... I want to apologize to the people of New Jersey."
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?level_3_id=7&page=5148030
July 2002 - An independent poll shows the incumbent Senatorial candidate Torricelli leading challenger Forrester by 20 points.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/06/05/state.primaries/
Mid-Sept 2002 - polls show Torricelli behind by rougly 5 points.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/759291/posts
End-Sept 2002 - polls show Torricelli behind by roughly 13 points.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/760203/posts
Sept 30 2002 - Torricelli drops out of the race, citing as his reason that he doesn't want the Democrats to lose control of the Senate.
Regards
Long time! I been away from posting, but election season is gettin me fired up.
Regards
Key dates:
Aug. 26, 1951 - Robert Guy Torricelli is born in Paterson. His mother, Betty, is a school librarian and his father, Salvatore, an attorney active in Democratic politics.
March 6, 1978 - Torricelli becomes an associate counsel to Vice President Walter Mondale.
Jan. 19, 1980 - Torricelli marries Susan Holloway, an administrative assistant to Mondale.
March 18, 1980 - Torricelli makes his mark as a political strategist by organizing President Carter's 2-to-1 victory over Ted Kennedy in the Illinois Democratic primary.
Nov. 2, 1982 - Torricelli, running for office for the first time at age 31, is elected to the House after defeating a three-term Republican incumbent in New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District.
June 27, 1989 - Torricelli and his wife file for divorce, which is granted less than four months later. Susan Holloway Torricelli maintains close ties to her former husband as a consultant.
March 22, 1995 - Torricelli accuses the CIA of covering up the killing of an American by one of its informants. House Speaker Newt Gingrich claims Torricelli has violated a secrecy oath and asks him to resign; the House Ethics Committee later votes to take no action against him.
Nov. 5, 1996 - Torricelli wins 53 percent of the vote to become New Jersey senator. He defeats Republican Rep. Dick Zimmer, who received 43 percent, in one of the nation's muddiest and most expensive Senate races.
Jan. 21, 1997 - A federal grand jury issues the first of at least four subpoenas to Cresskill businessman David Chang and his companies.
Dec. 1, 1998 - Torricelli is appointed chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The committee raises a record $85 million for the 2000 elections, helping Democrats tie Republicans for control of the Senate.
Feb. 5, 1999 - A federal grand jury in Newark begins studying allegations of finance problems in Torricelli's campaign.
May 27, 1999 - Berek Don, a former chairman of the Bergen County Republican Party, pleads guilty to illegally steering $11,000 from Chang to Torricelli's campaign fund.
Oct. 5, 1999 - Lawrence Penna, former chairman of a defunct Hackensack brokerage, pleads guilty to illegally funneling $20,000 to Torricelli's campaign.
Nov. 10, 1999 - Torricelli's first book, "In Our Own Words: Extraordinary Speeches of the American Century," is released with a first printing of 50,000 copies. A year later he publishes a second work, "Quotations for Public Speakers."
Dec. 1, 1999 - Carmine Alampi, a former law partner of Don's, pleads guilty to aiding and abetting $2,000 of Don's donations.
Dec. 10, 1999 - Chang is charged with obstructing the grand jury investigation. A week later he is indicted on charges of campaign-finance violations.
June 1, 2000 - Charles Koo, president of an Englewood Cliffs company, pleads guilty to funneling $20,000 of Chang's money to Torricelli's campaign.
June 2, 2000 - Chang pleads guilty to steering $53,700 in illegal contributions to Torricelli's campaign.
June 6, 2000 - Audrey Yu, a donor to Torricelli and an aide to Chang, pleads guilty to conspiring to obstruct justice by preparing a false document during the investigation.
July 19, 2000 - Torricelli announces his intention to run for New Jersey governor. He abandons the effort 12 days later as a result of strong opposition from Woodbridge Mayor Jim McGreevey.
Sept. 28, 2000 - French businessman Philippe Hababou pleads guilty to donating foreign funds, reimbursing some donors, and paying tens of thousands of dollars in Torricelli campaign expenses.
April 18, 2001 - The senator - answering published reports that he accepted gifts of cash, jewelry, and Italian suits from Chang - says he has neither broken the law nor betrayed the trust of the people of New Jersey.
June 7, 2001 - At a Teaneck fund-raising reception, Torricelli tells supporters he has been "publicly raped" by the investigation, and promises to emerge unscathed.
Jan. 3, 2002 - The U.S. Attorney's Office ends its investigation into Torricelli's finances and turns over its files to the Senate Ethics Committee.
April 20, 2002 - Torricelli sells his Englewood home of 17 years for $905,000. He later moves to a $1.225 million, 13-acre farmstead in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County.
June 4, 2002 - Millionaire health-care executive Douglas Forrester wins the Republican nomination to challenge Torricelli in the Senate.
June 30, 2002 - The Senate Ethics Committee renders one of its sternest reprimands in years, and Torricelli is "severely admonished" for accepting gifts from Chang. Torricelli takes the floor of a nearly empty Senate chamber and says: "I agree with the committee's conclusions, fully accept their findings, and take full responsibility. ... I want to apologize to the people of New Jersey."
Aug. 2, 2002 - Torricelli launches what analysts call a public "redemption tour," telling a group of senior citizens in Edison that he is a "simple human being" who made mistakes.
Sept. 26, 2002 - Under court order related to a lawsuit by news organizations, the federal government releases a memo that shows federal prosecutors believed Torricelli took illegal gifts from Chang. But, the memo said, prosecutors abandoned the Torricelli inquiry because of questions over Chang's credibility.
Sept. 30, 2002 - Torricelli withdraws from the Senate race. In a speech, he reflects on his accomplishments, apologizes for his mistakes, and says of his years in public office: "I wouldn't change a bit of it."
As opposed to a comb over.
It's about democracy, don'cha know.
Regards
Minor correction: The Crook said at his press conference yesterday that his lawyers were going to the US Supreme Court, not the NJ Supreme court.
I think it's an important distinction because we can reasonably expect the SCOTUS to throw this back in the 'Crap's faces, after we've heard so much about their reluctance to screw with election laws during elections.
Not technically. Not legally. You see, voters still have a choice. In fact, they have an unlimited choice to vote for anyone from any party.
It's called the Write-In vote. It's legal. It's already on the New Jersey ballots that have been printed and mailed, and it is by WRITE IN vote that current Senator Strom Thurmond won one of his early elections.
Ergo, no "choice" has been denied to anyone.
Regards
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