With 24 GOP U.S. Senate seats up for grabs in 2016, vs. only 10 Democratic seats, the Republicans will be scrapping for every one, hoping to retain their majority. If Senator Menendez is forced to leave prematurely, they will be no less dedicated to that 25th seat, whether it is in a special election or during the normal 2016 cycle.
There's another important factor in play here: whom Governor Christie appoints as an interim Senator until an election is held. He could appoint a placeholder, as he did when he rewarded loyalist Jeff Chiesa after the death of Senator Lautenberg, or he could appoint a person who would stand for election for the remainder of Menendez's term.
What are the characteristics of the man or woman the GOP would like to see fill that seat?
Following news of a possible indictment, questions arise regarding the ramifications of Sen. Bob Menendez relinquishing his job soon. So far it's only a possibility, and Menendez says he is not about to leave. Many people would regret losing his voice on immigration reform, but not so much on Iran, Cuba or some other matters. Nonetheless, he has been a reliable voter on the moderate to progressive wing of the Democratic party, and in most cases he and his NJ counterparts (Sen. Lautenberg and Sen Booker) have voted in tandem. Now we face the possibility of a new senator who might be neither a Democrat nor even moderate. Our last elected Republican senator was Clifford Case who left office 35 years ago and was succeeded by Bill Bradley.
The first step would belong to Gov. Christie who would appoint a temporary senator. The last temporary senator he appointed was the respected but close confidante Jeff Chiesa following the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg. Christie might like to appoint another close confidante, but many of them could be tainted as part of the governor's poor performance or even under investigation - all of which reduces their likelihood of winning in a later special election. A well respected Republican with no close working ties to Christie might have the best chance of holding on to the seat.
Christie however has not shown much concern for the role of N. J. senators. He appointed Chiesa not caring that Chiesa would not run in a special election, thus strengthening the possibility that a Democrat would recapture the seat, which is what happened with Senator Cory Booker's victory.
Courier Post: Take the poverty of a row house's owner, add years of municipal neglect and you get the case study of 1510 Louis St. in Camden, the only building knocked down so far out of 593 earmarked for planned demolition by the administration of Mayor Dana L. Redd; $106,693.55 in liens for city & county taxes and bills, on a piece of land valued at $5,400.
Chris Christie has been a disaster for New Jersey's environment. From his pull out from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to his stacking the Pinelands and Highlands Commissions with his proles, Christie has been a friend of polluters, not people. Here he is in Iowa, bragging about his dismal record.
Unfortunately, this news about a New Jersey U. S. Senator is all too familiar as he would be the fourth in a generation to run afoul of the law. Similarly New Jersey congressmen have created their own problems. Hudson County, the political base of Sen. Menendez, has had its share of politicians breaking badly. Now our governor is under federal investigation with an uncertain future. Recent NJ history has provided plenty of warnings about the dangers of bending and breaking rules - warnings which all too frequently have not been heeded.
Senator Menendez delivered short remarks a few minutes after 7:30pm, followed by the same statement in Spanish. He took no questions. Text is on the jump page. Watch:
When Gov. Christie's back is to the wall because of problems/issues/mistakes/scandals/random crap that arises on his watch - or due to his own direct policy and decisions, Christie reverts to type. He blames others, and by name to avoid dirt sticking to him. Where, frankly, it often belongs.
And so it is that we get Christie's statement of today as the Exxon Mobil controversy reaches critical mass and national news. This is Chris Christie trying to govsplain away what he just got caught doing, by trying to throw Bradley Campbell - who was commissioner of NJ DEP when the Exxon lawsuits were filed and wrote this in the N Y Times yesterday - under the bus.
Hat/tip Kevin Riordan of the Philadelphia Inquire. Try to contain your lunch:
I've been in a flu fog for days, so somehow forgot to post this when it came out a few days ago. It's local, it's Jersey, and whether you have kids in NJ public schools or not, it's worth your watching. It's where your money's going, in many cases it's why your neighbors are aggravated.
Also read this slammin' letter published both in the essential source for coverage of what's happening to Newark schools, Bob Braun's Ledger, and also in Huffington Post. It is titled PARCC is 30 Days of Destruction, and it's signed by 35 teachers at Newark's Science Park High School, consistently rated one of the top public schools in NJ and the nation.
