NJ: Friscia to switch parties (Democrat to Republican)

PoliticsNJ.com ^ | 8/4/03

[LdSentinal]

Assemblywoman Arline Friscia will announce on Tuesday that she is switching parties and will seek re-election to a fifth term as a Republican. Friscia narrowly lost the June Democratic primary to Perth Amboy Mayor Joseph Vas after losing the backing of the Middlesex County Democratic organization. Joined by Assembly Minority Leader Paul DiGaetano and GOP State Chairman Joseph Kyrillos, she will make her announcement at a 2 PM press conference at her Fords campaign headquarters.

[RoseofTexas]

I'm usally highly suspicious of converts! They make bad Rinos!

[OldPossum]

It does appear to be a strategic, not philosophical, move.

[HostileTerritory]

Desperation move. Friscia is not going to win reelection unless the Republicans sweep the legislative elections this fall like it's nineteen-ninety-one.

[genefromjersey]

From what I've read, Ms Friscia is a " my way or the highway " type, who acted as if she were entitled to office by reason of her gender.

The Republican party in Middlesex County, NJ has a record of supporting incredibly bad candidates, who, on the rare occasions they are elected,manage to persuade the electorate to vote Democrat the next time.

[pgkdan]

So the ranks of the NJ GOP are to swell by one more liberal.

<<< YAWN >>>

Thrilling.

[SwinneySwitch]

"She alleges that some of the people who voted in Perth Amboy are not citizens,..."

Well it was the demoncrat primary, Arline!

[ladylib]

Wasn't she the one who sponsored a law that would fine parents if kids 14 and under were left unattended in a car and the parents were more than a few feet away.

She made some sort of silly statement that the 14-year-old could possibly drive off with the car.

[fieldmarshaldj]

NJ Party-switcher *ping*. Rather embarrassing for the 'Rats to have had 3 Assemblymembers switch parties (while they were the majority party), 2 to the GOP and one to the Greens. They're 2 seats away from minority status now.

[AGreatPer]

New Jersey politics freek me out. But it is always a good watch. Thankfully, I don't live there. Don't get me wrong, great state, love to visit.

[Tall_Texan]

She alleges that some of the people who voted in Perth Amboy are not citizens, and has asked the state Attorney General to investigate her allegations of voter fraud.

Vote fraud in a New Jersey Democrat primary??? I'm SHOCKED, shocked I tell you!

[zygoat]

I'm really beginning to suspect that this is an infiltration, obviously these rats cannot change their ideology overnight.Their aim is to run as moderates , under the guise of republicans, and make a gradual left turn. At the risk of getting flamed, which does not concern me a bit, I've read quite a few posts lately that lead me to believe the same thing is occuring at this website. A sort of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, then eat em' from the inside out." type of conspiracy, if you know what I mean.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I'd use "pissed off" to describe the "Sopranos State." The State GOP is one of the most utterly disgraceful in the nation. Most of 'em are already in bed with the 'Rats, anyway, so it makes little difference which party is in charge, sharing marginally the same ideology (and most importantly, the same ETHICS, which is to say the complete absence of). Until the State GOP undergoes a total revolution, they will be nearly a lost cause.

[AGreatPer]

I hear what you are saying and I personally experienced your observations. I was a salesmanager for a major office equipment manufacturer (out of Edison NJ) and salespeople would take me to Trenton. I pretty much just shut my mouth when I saw the obserd goings on at the State Capitol.

I mean, there are so many payoffs to do business there it is way out of hand. You get the business if some people get a TV or something delivered to their doors. It is disgusting.

I declined to participate and our business suffered.

Dealing with 14 states I will say that New Jersey is the most corrupt I have seen, NY #2 but not nearly as bad.

[Zorrito]

I'm from Jersey and say let that bubblehead Arline Friscia stay in the Democratic Party. We don't need her ilk in the NJGOP.

[AuH2ORepublican]

When somebody switches parties *after* losing the primary, that doesn't mean much. This is like when that California Democrat who got beat by Linda Solis in the 2000 primary (what was his name, Martinez?) switched to the GOP for the last few months of his term. All that got us was the media talking about "another Democrat pickup" in the 2000 election.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Yeah, no surprise there. The biggest threat to both the 'Rats and the GOP in NJ are "outsiders." Anybody who attempts to get in the door without paying proper respect to the establishment is shut-out big time. With the 'Rats, a good example was their treatment of an African-American candidate for Mayor of Newark, Cory Booker. There's been a corrupt 'Rat establishment in place there since the late '60s, beginning with Kenneth Gibson and then to Sharpe James, both Black, succeeding the old corrupt White/Italian 'Rat establishment of Hugh Addonizio which ran the place into the '60s. Booker spoke in strong terms of reform (practically sounding Republican themes) and suffered a brutal and race-baiting campaign at the hands of James (who also serves simultaneously as a State Senator, not unusual in NJ). For the Republicans, it was former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, who made his entire career without any help from the state GOP apparatus. When he dared upset "their" annointed candidate in Bob Franks in the Gubernatorial primary, Donnie DiFrancesco sabotaged Schundler's campaign and all but handed the keys of Drumthwacket to Jim McGreevey. Schundler had the opportunity to back "his" candidates in the primary this year (none of the "problem" RINOs were thrown out), but opted to remain silent and in doing so hoped to collect from the incumbents to help him in '05 in a potential rematch. I'm not sure if he's trying to become a part of the establishment deliberately and continue business as usual or whether he wants to take it over and remake it from within (the trojan-horse approach). If its the former, he's a lost cause, but if it's the latter, it's brilliant and might actually work. He, of course, couldn't admit publicly that he'd be trying to do the latter.

BTW, the state last elected a Conservative Governor in 1941 with Charles Edison, a Democrat (and even Edison had to pay his dues to Jersey City Mayor-Boss for Life Frank "I Am The Law" Hague). You can see why this is all so daunting... :-(

[fieldmarshaldj]

Matthew "Marty" Martinez. It was still considered a black eye for the 'Rats when he did it, and Martinez voted a solid Conservative line for the rest of the year (he was about the most moderate 'Rat in the CA delegation after Condit, anti-partial birth abortion), which was still a positive.

[Kuksool]

The NJ GOP controlled the Governorship and the General Assembly for much of the 1990's. They did nothing but advance the Democratic agenda. Christie Whitman appointed 3 of the moronic judges who ok'd the Torch-Lautenburg Senate ballot switch last year. Also during redistricting, the NJ GOP machine was more interested in making the RATS happy than drawing districts to help conservatvies get elected. The NJ GOP is a perfect example of why RINOS are never to be trusted.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Actually, regarding redistricting, there is an "independent" board that draws the lines, but the tiebreaker was someone who wanted 'Rat lines. The GOP, RINO or not, did not want to lose what they had. A lower court agreed with the GOP that the lines were unfair in diluting minority voting, but the Supremos overturned it, predictably, with dubious (read: no) reasoning. If ole Tone says "jump" to da thugs, dey say "how high ?" If dey don't jump, Tone will send Paulie Walnuts to whack their mamas in the nursing home.