NBC'S BROKAW REPORTS DEMS SCURRY TO GET TORI REPLACEMENT A "FIASCO" AND "CHAOS"

[Liz]

Couldn't have said it better myself. So schadenfreud-ish in that Torricelli's forced exit from the race b/c he is an ethical nightmare for Dems tuns into a Dem nightmare to replace him.

[MamaLucci]

Lautenberg cannot legally be on the ballot!!!!!

[Liz]

Court proceedings will be interesting since through the procedure called discovery Tori will have to relate how he came to resign his seat in the first place.

[cynicom]

That is what they are going to the NJSC for.

[finnsheep]

As a Sopranos fan, and considering the problem wouldn't be there if the Torch flamed out, if this were a movie, I can only imagine that he would have dropped out of the race because he knew he was a target for a hit.

It makes no sense - - except possibly for his ego - - for him to drop out alive.

If he were deceased, there would be no problem for the Dems.
The gov could just appoint Lautenberg. But alive, he's as big liability out of the race almost as he was in it.

[Howlin]

And I'm sure he'd tell the truth. NOT.

I just wonder how the judges are going to feel when the Demmies get up and say, "Your Honor, he was losing; we want another candidate."

[Shermy]

Nailed it on the head. They managed this as well as Daschle manages his speeches.

I guess the release of the Chang statements was the final straw.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Lautenberg cannot legally be on the ballot!!!!!

The Law, my friend, is whatever four Democratic hacks in Trenton say it is. I refer you to Four Democratic Hacks in Tallahassee vs. The People of Florida, 2000.

[pke]

Florida deja vu or what?

[Teacher317]

Oh, it gets better, my FRiend...

This thread shows that two of the four Supremes in NJ have donated to Toricelli's campaigns.

[Teacher317]

See posts 15 and 17 on this thread.

[Common Tator]

The New Jersey situation is an interesting exersize in understanding how democrats think. After watching Bill Clinton at work I am pretty certain that putting a new Democrat on the ballot to replace the torch is a foregone conclusion. The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of changing the name on the ballot. I can't imagine the Democrats pulling the torch, with out the assurance that the court would rule the new candidate on the ballot.

I can't imagine the Torch pulling out in despair. Why did he do it? I start from the asumption that the Torch had rational reason and there is a real plan with benefits for the Torch. If not, it is the first time in history a Democrat acted on a national scale with out a clear cut plan for his own ultimate victory.

The Wall Street Journal says the Torch was pressured to "pull out". He had to get something in return. A new Jersey Paper was reporting that Bill Bradley said no dice to running. Then the hispanic guy said no then Palone said yes then no. They also said that Frank Lautenberg, the retired New Jersey Senator, said yes he would run and put up the money for his campaign in Torch's place. Does that sound pre-planned or what!!! Surely checks to the campaign committee have been written by Lautenberg.

Before the torch pull out the Democrats surely polled the chances of a new Democratic candidate winning. I think the polls showed Lautenberg could win.

There is a good chance the deal was that Lautenberg will run in place of Torch. I think the polls showed he had a good chance of winning. I think the Democratic members of the new Jersey Supreme court will order his name on the ballot.

Then in a year or so Lautenberg will retire again for health reasons or family reasons or a bad headache or a cramp in his toe,... your basic sounds good whatever. Lautenberg is there to save the seat for the Democrats not serve six more years. If he wanted to server six more years he would have run for re-election in 1996.

The governor, after Lautenbergs second retirement, could then appoint the Torch to the vacant Lautenberg seat.

Did I mention BINGO!!!?

They will have a year or so to paint the Torch as having never been charged with any wrong doing. And that when push came to shove the Torch gave up everything for the good of his party. I think there is a good chance the Torch will be a Senator again in a year or two.

There were meetings last week between the Torch and Daschle. There were confabs with Clinton reported in the press. This is not a spur of the moment decision by disheartened Torch. This is a planned strategy and there is something in it for the Torch...

Betcha....

[rwfromkansas]

Reports coming in of conflicts of interest with NJ Supreme Court justices...

Report now coming out that a judge has ordered no more military ballots to be mailed.

[txrangerette]

There are TV tapes of his withdrawal,
where he says he won't risk losing a
Dem seat, so he leaves the race. It's
too late to lie to a court.

They have to admit this, then argue
their case on other grounds.

Like, the people must be "heard";
the will of the people is to have a
Dem to vote for...

Yada yada yada!!!

Rush predict this.

[AFPhys]

The were NOT expecting to have to pull T.

Right on... the demodogs would NEVER have let him make that Saturday radio spot if there was any inkling this was in the wind. The NJEA would not have endorsed him... they have to be really angry right about now, too. Something caused this Sea Change, and suddenly.

[nj patriot]

The other shoe is about to drop. Torch got the hell out before more disclosures and more evidence sunk the skunk. Torch is a disgrace.

[SBprone]

Why is it so hard to believe they just screwed up?

As a long-time Charger fan I can tell you that when they entered a long bad patch a few years ago one of the things that made it bad was that the coaches just could not manage the clock to save their lives. Maybe that's what's happening here: The Democrats in NJ are stressed out and rattled and somehow they let the clock run too long on Torch and now they are stuck with his name on the ballot.

The Democrats will get their fighting form back eventually but they are presently in disarray. Just ask their voters.

[txrangerette]

Rush predict(s) this.

[okie01]

"Torch says clinton asked him to stay and Rush hypothesizes that clinton told him he has to go. Whom do you believe?"

Neither. They're both lying...

[LADY J]

If the Torch wasn't indicted for his crimes - and now they are publicly known.....why isn't he being tried for those crimes now???

[Petronski]

It is deliciously schadenfreudische, isn't it? LOL! Surely the first group award of the Beckel Prize is in order: To the Leadership of the Democrat Party, for provision to Freepers of the total Schadenfreude experience, I award you the first official Beckel Prize. May you wallow for days and weeks to come.