But Republicans should be very cautious.

If Republicans take control of Congress at the midterm, then President Obama has two years to run against what he will clearly define as an obstructionist Congress. Given America’s penchant of late to keep politics “balanced”, that would seem to favor re-electing Obama rather than give Republicans control, once again, of Congress and the White House.

Then again I don’t know what is worse: President Obama’s pathetic agenda or a spending Congress.

This I do know: if Republicans take control of Congress, they better change their ways. The reason they lost control in 2006 is because they were corrupt and they spent taxpayer money silly.

While there have been glimmers of change, frankly I have not seen a reformation of the GOP. Michael Steele is still leading. Newt Gingrich even though I really like him, is still a player. There’s a battle between the establishment and the new right-wing. The problem is that the newcomers are easily pigeon-holed, a la Millville First and TrackRacket, as extreme. If not handled properly and promptly, this new emergence will just be a Ross Perot moment.

Leadership extends beyond the day’s news cycle. Vision is needed. Honestly, what national politician (heck, name any on any level) has a clear vision? I guess, President Obama fits that criteria. Obviously more is needed than a vision because his vision is wreaking havoc.

Who is going to step up?

THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

It could not be any plainer than this.

Partisans will point out that the Republican is cutting spending and the Democrats want to raise taxes. While that is true here (and in other cases), lets not be fooled in thinking Republicans don’t raise taxes. Rather, it would be more on point to say that the conservative is cutting spending and the government workers are raising taxes.

All across our country, municipalities, states, and the federal government are wrestling with huge budget holes. Raising taxes seems to only grease the wheels of the machine that is causing the huge budget holes. True reform is not going to occur with targeted taxes, being creative with taxes, or pandering to specific constituencies.

Government is growing. For me (and I suspect many others), that is not a good thing. Limiting government is good.

Yes services will be lost. Overall, that is good for us. Will some take advantage? Absolutely. The counter is that folks are taking advantage now. (Who are the politically connected? If you are not among them, you lose.)

It is easy to point to the federal government and its roles. The Constitution does a pretty good job at defining it. State and municipalities are less defined. But when we can have three different tax zones in the town I live in, I think we have allowed government to mess too much. We pay 7% for goods and services at the “regular” stores. But if we purchase those same goods and services at a UEZ store, we only pay 3.5% . . . unless you attend the racetrack where you spend 9%. It’s convoluted.

Just as crafting a special tax for those who make more than $1 million annually.

Cut, cut cut spending!

Most easily seen are political parties. I left both the Democratic and Republican parties. Neither group represents my positions.

But I have shunned other groups too. I do not belong to the Kiwanas, Rotary, or the like.

Group membership also opens one up to attack. Locally, if one belongs to either Millville First or TrackRacket, one is simply dismissed because both groups have been demonized. Both groups are mocked publicly. No matter what they do or position they take, membership there is the easy path to dismissing whatever is said.

Last spring I was interested in attending the first tea parties in the area. I am enamored by the movement. I didn’t, and looking back, I am happy I didn’t. During the year, there have been attempts to organize that movement. Organization brings in those parts of organizations that I find problematic. All of a sudden, one needs to accept all of Sarah Palin and Dick Armey. And after yesterday’s actions, tea party members will have to answer why the group used racial and gay epithets and spat on a lawmaker.

Sure, it was the few that ruined it for the many. But that is always the case. Most Democrats are fine upstanding folks who mean well. But then there are Chris Dodd, Charles Rangel, and Bill Clinton. Likewise, most Republicans are equally upstanding folks, Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, and Mark Foley notwithstanding.

Independence lessens one’s influence, perhaps, but it frees him from the baggage that a group brings.

Edward Kennedy must be rolling over in his grave this evening.

And to think, the importance of this seat will mean the healthcare bill will assuredly change. Of course, it is likely that the Democrats will force something through with reconciliation. It will be disastrous. Not just the bill, but the political play. It really seems as though Democrats do not recognize that the political tide has shifted decidedly this past year. Mid-term elections are now months away. Pushing through major legislation with reconciliation is not a smart move.

Anyhow, early word is that Brown will give the Republican response to Obama’s State of the Union.

Three local lawyers — Robert Malestein, Brendan Kavanaugh and Arnold Robinson — were interviewed earlier this year, with one of the three most likely to be chosen Thursday to head the county’s legal department.

• Robert Malestein gave Magazzu $500 for the failed run at NaCo.
• Brendan Kavanagh gave Magazzu $1000 for that same NaCo trip.
• Arnold Robinson kicked in $1000 to Magazzu for NaCo.

Cumberland County taxpayers will not get legal representation at the freeholder board unless the lawyer donated to Lou Magazzu.

Kavanagh served as Magazzu’s campaign manager for the freeholder election held last week. He is also treasurer of the Cumberland County Democratic Party. He gives money to the Cumberland County Democratic Party.

Robinson also contributes financially to the Cumberland County Democratic Party.

Remember dear reader, the Cumberland County Democratic Party is where Freeholder Director Magazzu got an interest-free $10,000 loan. No one is willing to show the check that was written. No one has indicated who authorized the loan. But we do know that Magazzu is the chairman of the Cumberland County Democratic Party and he is was the recipient of the free loan.

Who is being served by selecting one of these lawyers?

I am sure each is qualified. I am sure, however, there are other lawyers who did not donate to Lou Magazzu’s that are equally qualified. None of them stand a chance because they did not give Magazzu any money.

This dear reader, is not good government.

In that post I stated:

Today, I became independent once again. That does not mean I have moved off any of my positions. Rather, it is affirmation that no party does a good enough job of representing my positions. I am conservative and neither the Democrats or the Republicans are equally conservative.

Interestingly, there is still no party that represents my positions.

There is little that I can point to with Democrats that I agree with. The approach, the issues, etc. are nowhere near where I am. It feels as though every move is to interject government into my life. I favor instead, for government to leave my life.

One would think the Republican Party would be a better fit. Yet, for six years during the Bush Administration, Congress was Republican-led. What did this one-party rule net us? Spending and corruption ad nauseum. Yes, I agreed with the war, but that was not the only issue during those years. Last year, before he left office, President Bush placed government squarely in the middle of financial markets in a manner that made it easy for an incoming President Obama to pass unprecedented spending.

Last evening Virginia and New Jersey elected Republican governors. Listening to Republicans, one keeps hearing about the Republican revolution, a la 1993 when Newt Gingrich ushered in the Contract With America. I voted for Gingrich for POTUS last year. I would not do so at this point.

As the insidious media-spectacle in upstate has demonstrated, the Republican Party is still a mess. Internally, the old GOP (Gingrich et al.) are battling the “conservatives” (Palin, Malkin et al.) for control of the party. It’s a fight I suppose that needs to occur, but it’s going to be messy and in the end, I suspect the Republican Party will be weaker.

While I am admittedly more conservative than the average bear, putting a party in the hands of the fringe is going to be problematic. Palin is nice as a rogue, but she is not a leader. Malkin is great for focusing on issues, but she should not be guiding the debate.

Like it or not, these “conservatives” are equal to the Move On-Soros crowd on the left. It is easy to marginalize the left by demonizing the groups at the fringe. Shoot, locally that is what is occurring. Associate with Millville First or Track Racket, anonymous hatred will be hurled one’s way. So much will said, the message, no matter how accurate it may be, is lost because regular folks don’t want to sift through the sludge.

I suspect that is what happened with Freeholder Lou Magazzu. Magazzu is the poster boy of what is wrong with New Jersey politics, yet he was the top vote-getter last evening in the freeholder race. Why?

Magazzu Watch is a site that popped up to highlight Magazzu’s flaws or as they state it:

We just wanted to share our concerns about all we felt was wrong with Lou’s county government.

There’s a lot of good stuff at the site. Yet every post is accompanied by inane commentary, most of it anonymous. Those who run the site claim there would be retribution from Magazzu if their names were revealed. Yet when one cowers behind pseudonyms, not only is civility lost, so is accountability. In recent weeks Magazzu Watch has stumbled with its reporting and has been rightly called on it. Furthermore, there is an incident where a contributor revealed personally-identifiable information about one of these anonymous posters. He claimed he was not acting on behalf of the web site, but the web site, as far as anyone can tell, has done nothing to rectify the action. It’s wrong.

Nevertheless, it just goes to show that as soon as organization occurs, the straw man attack is underway. It’s easy to discount Magazzu criticism when it comes through Magazzu Watch as the site is little more than The Daily Journal comment section hosted elsewhere.

I don’t where this leaves me. My views are not represented by (m)any I want to associate with. Even when the state ousts an inept governor, it approves to put taxpayers in further debt, and it continues to elect the local politicians who cause the spending problems to continue.

One of the words I am currently teaching my students is insignificant. It is difficult to help but think as a conservative in Cumberland County, NJ that I am insignificant. The machine is stacked against a single person making a difference. As soon as he organizes, the anonymous cowards begin hurling dung at the fan obfuscating the discourse.

I am sure this is just post-election blues.  Sigh . . .

I have no issue with Sen. Clinton’s remark. She was trying to defend why she shouldn’t drop out of the race. To support her side she pointed to other Democratic races that weren’t won until June or after. Certainly 1968 was one of them given Kennedy was the front-runner when he was assassinated.

The issue with what she said isn’t the assassination remark, it’s that Bill Clinton didn’t win the nomination until June 1992. After the New York Primary in April, he was the presumptive nominee.

Bill was the clear front runner now [ed: after Super Tuesday]; however a grassroots strategy by Jerry Brown pulled him awfully close to the Arkansas governor. Brown used a 1-800 number to call mass numbers of people and receive funding for his campaign. His wins in Connecticut and Colorado made it look like he was going to take over Bill. However a series of controversial bumps set Brown behind and Clinton won the Democratic nomination in early April after his win in New York.
Seattle Politicore

Frank Lautenberg, who has run some dirty campaigns during his career, is running against fellow Democrat Rob Abdrews. This Andrews’ latest commercial.