2018 Midterm Snapshot: Dems Score at the Polls

Phil Murphy, New Jersey Democratic governor-elect

It's been damp, cool and rainy most of the day here in Hamilton, New Jersey.

Reflective, perhaps, of the fact that almost a year ago the lowest American presidential voter turnout in 20 years elected a man who may well be the most unqualified, unpopular, divisive and ethically-repugnant candidate ever elected to the highest office in the land.

But today is another election day, and this morning I felt a measure of quiet political optimism for perhaps the first time since inauguration day back in January.

As I usually do if I'm in the office and don't have an appointment scheduled or phone calls to make, this morning I started off my day at work listening to The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC.org.

While I was particularly interested to listen to what other New Jersey voters had to say about election day during a segment when Brian fielded calls from Garden State listeners, his overview of the elections in New York and around the country were informative and got me fired up to cast my own vote.

Knowing it was going to rain, I cut out at about 11:20am to drive over and vote at the local senior citizens center that serves as my local polling place - fortunately it's only a three-minute drive from work so I was there, signed in, cast my vote and was back in the office in about eight minutes.

Now obviously I'm eager to see the lackluster, remarkably unproductive, scandal-plagued era of Republican Governor Chris Christie come to a merciful end, but I think Phil Murphy is the best candidate to represent the changes that most New Jerseyeans want to see.

Overall, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kim Guadagno, Christie's lieutenant governor since 2009, ran a fairly unimaginative and uninspiring campaign.

NJ Republican candidate Kim Guadagno 

With the state hovering dangerously close to the border of fiscal crisis with issues like massive infrastructure spending needs and a looming pension crisis that keeps getting kicked down the road (including by Christie...), Guadagno tried to dazzle voters.

Not with innovative ideas, sound fiscal policy or a plan to boost sagging wages, but with vague promises to cut taxes by eliminating unidentified "government waste".

Which is little more than Republican code-speak for cutting state government jobs and gutting social spending programs - the same kind of "Starve the Beast" nonsense that sent the Kansas economy spiraling into fiscal free-fall under Republican anti-tax fetishist Gov. Sam Brownback.

Aside from Guadagno's divisive xenophobic fear-mongering about immigration, Guadagno followed her notoriously short-tempered boss' unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign tactic and took a hard ideological-right in an attempt to drum up support among the hardcore right-wing conservatives that went for Trump here in New Jersey last November.

Desperate to close the gap between her and Murphy, in the final weeks of the campaign she finally sunk to the level of running bogus attack ads falsely claiming that Murphy's support for making New Jersey a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants (NJ is one of the most diverse states in America) meant he wanted to shield violent criminals who are in this country illegally.

A simplistic bush-league Republican tactic that's been used by the GOP in campaigns around the country (including by Virginia Republican candidate for governor Ed Gillespie) to try and gin up the irrational conservative paranoia peddled by Trump and his cadre of xenophobic advisers and cabinet members. 

Virginia Democratic governor-elect Ralph Northam
and Republican Ed "Dixie Boy" Gillespie (right)

That same strategy backfired on Gillespie in Virginia tonight too, the former Republican National Committee chairman was soundly beaten by 54% - 45% by Democratic candidate for governor Ralph Northam.

Who, as NBC reported, benefitted from the boost of strong opposition to Republican attempts to destroy healthcare, Trump, and a strong state economy guided by outgoing popular Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe.

Like Guadagno donning the cloak of xenophobia, Gillespie really misread the temperature of Virginia voters.

Especially when he took up a pro-Confederate statue cause in the waning days of the election to try and draw support from Trump voters - as RNC chairman, he was actually fairly moderate and advocated for more inclusiveness.

Frankly I find it remarkable that with all the challenges we face in this country, Trump and his chief of staff John Kelly seem consumed with making a revisionist view of the Civil War and the Confederacy the main domestic focus of a White House trying to pull off a massive tax giveaway to corporations and the wealthiest percentage of Americans by Christmas.

Guadagno never strayed into "Confederate statue territory", but trying to embrace Trump's anti-immigrant hysteria at the last minute backfired for her here in New Jersey too - she won a mere 14% of the Hispanic vote and a paltry 9% of the African-American vote based on today's election results.

There are a healthy amount of Trump voters here in Jersey, but overall Garden State Republicans tend to be more moderate in the mold of my Congressman Chris Smith.

Chris Christie argues with a voter outside a polling
station earlier today

So I think Guadagno resorting to hate and bigotry to boost her sagging poll numbers didn't do much for her image as someone who was going to unify the state and bring something different to the NJ Governor's Mansion.

She's a pretty good communicator with some solid experience as a prosecutor and Monmouth County Sheriff, but regardless of what she did, it was going to be tough for her to get the stench of Christie and Bridgegate off of her.

Did you hear about him getting into a public argument with a NJ voter outside a polling station earlier today?

Believe it or not, Christie is so unpopular (14% approval rate according to one recent poll) that the most unpopular presidential candidate in modern American history is actually has a higher approval rate here in the Garden State.

Aside from the weight of the Christie baggage, Guadagno was also clearly a sounding board for people who might not have been all that excited by Phil Murphy, but hated Trump more and were eager to send a message to the Embarrassment-in-Chief and the Republican Party that tapped him as their candidate.

But the polls are closed in the east and the voters have spoken.

While professional pollsters and analysts will dig deeper into today's election results in the coming days over an election in which strong Democrat turnout led to decisive victories in the New Jersey and Virginia governor's races and the mayoral race in New York City by Bill de Blasio, there's little doubt that the Democratic base is fired up.

From my perspective tonight's results are a clear reflection that a majority of Americans are fed up with Trump and a Republican-majority House and Senate who've yet to pass a single piece of meaningful legislation on behalf of the American people in over nine months.

Next year's midterm elections are a long ways away, and a lot can happen before then, but if today's results are any indication, November 6, 2018 could be a rude awakening for Trump - one he won't be able to shrug off as "fake news" with a tweet.

As I said, I was quietly optimistic this morning, and I'll sleep much more soundly tonight than I did on election night last November.

Attacking Funding for the Arts, But Ignoring Ethical Boundaries - The GOP's Christie Quandary

New Jersey Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno - (Photo-The Star Ledger)

It's common knowledge that conservatives in this country have been stripping away government funding for the cultural and artistic enrichment of the lives of American citizens for 30 years.

But not many of the people around the nation outside the Tri-State area who've seen New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on television trying to stake his claim as the 2016 GOP presidential candidate know about his vindictive war against the arts here in the Garden State.

For a politician who holds up his ability to appeal to a broad cross-section of voters as strong evidence of his ability to lead the Republican party back to the White House, Christie's hostility towards government funding for the arts is remarkably out of step with the views of a huge portion of the electorate he'd need to win over to become President - and sheds light on deeper issues.   

For instance, in the summer of 2011 after a series of back door meetings conducted outside public scrutiny or open debate, he sold off NJN, New Jersey's former state-owned public television and radio network, laid off it's staff of 120 and closed the operation after 43 years. 

But as an eye-opening article in the Gotham section of Monday's New York Times clearly illustrates, his administration had begun efforts to cut off government funding for the arts long before he shut down NJN.

With the help of current New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, the Christie administration went much further. Michael Powell wrote a scathing account of Guadagno's bizarre year-long campaign against the New Jersey Council on the Arts; which she zealously led in 2010 - a year before Christie dismantled NJN and sold the pieces off as if it were some kind of derelict shipyard.

One really must read Michael Powell's well-written Times article (click the link above) to truly appreciate how far Guadagno and the Christie administration went to try to attack the New Jersey Council on the Arts; railing against the well-respected organization with irrational hysteria.

As if the modest $16 million NJCA distributed around the state annually to support the arts was somehow corrupt in nature, or the cause of the Garden State's economic and fiscal woes.

But it's Guadagno's year long effort to try and discredit a modest, organized and civic minded New Jersey artist/writer named Daniel Aubrey that bears real scrutiny; and offers insight into the mindset of Guadagno and the Christie administrations vendetta against government's role in supporting artistic enrichment.

Aubrey was earning $12 - $15 dollars an hour working on a time-line of the events surrounding 9/11 for Liberty State Park, but according to Michael Powell's article, Guadagno tried to suggest his contract from the NJCA and his work was a fraud.   

The charges later proved to be totally unfounded, but Guadagno's conduct in the matter raises questions; particularly with regard to more recent allegations that she threatened a NJ mayor with political extortion.  It shows a pattern of behavior not befitting a public servant.

Before being tapped as Lieutenant Governor, Guadagno was a prosecutor (like Christie) and her treatment of Daniel Aubrey in 2011 certainly comes off as a witch hunt - even though it's now clear no wrongdoing on the part of the NJCA or Aubrey related to the project in Liberty State Park had ever taken place.

When Guadagno (pictured above) dismissively shrugged off recent accusations from Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer that she'd relayed a carefully veiled threat from governor Chris Christie (in a parking lot no less) demanding that Zimmer back a land redevelopment project or risk loosing Sandy relief funds for Hoboken, her denial was almost contemptuous.

Like her boss casually brushing off the initial allegations of political motivations behind Bridge-gate, Guadagno's self-righteous denials to the press in January that she'd threatened Zimmer gave the distinct impression that she was offended someone would even ask her such a thing; she didn't deny meeting Zimmer in the parking lot though.

When she quickly surfaced in front of television cameras volunteering at a Sandy Aid project in New Jersey pitching in for hurricane victims; it came off as disingenuous and staged.

In light of disturbing new revelations that Christie approved $6 million of Federal block grant funds (earmarked for parts of New Jersey that were seriously damaged by Hurricane Sandy) for Franklin Manor; an affordable housing complex for seniors in Belleville, NJ, there's been a renewed focus on Dawn Zimmer's allegations that she and the citizens of Hoboken were denied additional Sandy relief funds because she failed to support the governor.

Aside from some downed trees and power lines, Belleville wasn't really hit that hard by Sandy; it certainly wasn't flooded like Hoboken. There's no evidence any residents were displaced by the storm; and two weeks after the $6 million was approved, the town's Democratic mayor publicly endorsed Christie for governor.

By itself it's not a smoking gun or anything; or all that shocking for state politics.

But on top of the Bridge-gate allegations, the charges that the governor's office used Sandy relief funds to try and strong-arm Hoboken mayor Dawn Zimmer into supporting the land redevelopment deal, and the recent news from NorthJersey.com that Christie's brother Todd invested heavily in land around a Harrison, NJ PATH train station linking the town to Manhattan then flipped the properties for a huge profit after local property values soared once the PATH improvement project was announced - one thing is clear. The governor has an ethics problem of massive proportions.

Take a look at WNYC's list of Christie's 18 State Secrets - it's not very presidential.

Something just doesn't sit well with a politician who on one hand vilifies government funds being used to support the arts by (in part) using his lieutenant governor to smear legitimate expenditures; then on the other hand demonstrates an almost ceaseless appetite to use the power and influence of his position to financially enrich his family, friends and close associates.

It just doesn't come off as presidential when you don't seem to really stand for anything other than enriching those around you; or turning a blind eye to flagrant ethics violations.

Baggage like that just isn't going to make it through the unyielding 24-7 media meat grinder of the presidential nomination process. At this point, based on this ever-growing list of political shenanigans, choosing Chris Christie as the GOP nominee for 2016 would be like handing over ammunition on a silver platter for the opposition to use.

By virtue of their absence of rational policy direction that appeals to mainstream America, allowing Tea Party extremists to dictate the party's agenda and tone, and an absolutely atrocious legislative record in the House of Representatives, Republicans have enough of an uphill battle on their hands with upcoming Congressional elections, let alone the 2016 quest for the White House - they simply can't afford Chris Christie's ethical shortcomings; and those of the people around him.

Dragging those things to Iowa or New Hampshire would be disastrous for the GOP - my guess is the smart money in Republican circles are already quietly vetting candidates who can make it through the grueling party nomination process and emerge intact enough to match up against the political juggernaut that Hillary Clinton is going to represent.

You can be sure it's on the agenda for the three day Republican Congressional pow-wow going on in Maryland at the moment; where the weight of Chris Christie's baggage will be oft discussed.



 

Bob McDonnell Got Some Gifts, Eee-Eye-Eee-Eye Ohhhh

Bob McDonnell & wife Maureen; happier times (AP)

Former Virginia Republican Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen had good reason to smile as they danced at his inauguration ball in Richmond back on the night of January 16, 2010 (pictured left).

They were riding the crest of a political wave that swept 29 Republican governors into office; including NJ Governor Chris Christie three days later on January 19th and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on November 3rd.

Democrats were humbled in the 2010 mid-term elections that saw the GOP capture 63 seats in the US House of Representatives to recapture the majority and also boost their Senate minority numbers by 6 as well; they captured 680 seats in state legislatures around the nation creating a number of "Super Majorities".

But as we know, a lot can happen in four years.

McDonnell and his wife appeared in Federal Court earlier today to face 14 counts of obstructing Federal investigators, conspiracy and fraud. The charges stem from at least $140,805 worth of gifts they received from Jonnie Williams, the wealthy CEO of a nutritional supplement company called Star Scientific.

This afternoon McDonnell was adamant about he and his wife's innocence: “We did not violate the law, and I will use every available resource and advocate I have for as long as it takes to fight these false allegations, and to prevail against this unjust overreach of the federal government.”

The embattled ex-Gov trying to curry sympathy with the right by characterizing the charges as some kind of infringement by the Federal Government is a pretty desperate ploy.

Frankly he's got some cojones accusing the Federal Government of "overreach" considering the gifts he and the former-First Lady of Virginia received from their pal Jonnie; including golf bags, golf shoes, an engraved Rolex watch, designer dresses, earrings, wallets, two iPhones, $15,000 worth of catering for the McDonnell's daughter's wedding and free trips on Williams' private plane.

The jaw-dropping list of goodies was summarized in a stunning document made public in the 45-page indictment - click here to take a look at the list of gifts for yourself. You think that's bad?

The Washington Post reports the McDonnells also had the gall to bill the state of Virginia for personal items like nasal spray, sunscreen and dog vitamins too. And don't think their buddy 'Ole Jonnie was in some kind of perpetual gift-giving mood for no reason either.

An excellent article on the Politico Website today by Alexander Burns and Elizabeth Titus details several specific instances when McDonnell used his political influence and the power of his office to do favors for Star Scientific immediately after some kind of lavish gift from Jonnie was received.

And so yet another once high-flying GOP governor once mentioned as a possible presidential contender in 2016 falls under the cloud of scandal; even though McDonnell's gift grab pales in comparison to Bridge-Gate.

Speaking of which, even as Christie was sworn into office today and basically ignored the growing scandal surrounding his massive abuse of power during his speech, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer  isn't backing off an inch on her charges that Christie's Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno threatened to withhold Hurricane Sandy relief funds for Hoboken if Zimmer didn't back a massive redevelopment project on a three-acre site proposed by The Rockefeller Group.

Who did the Rockefeller Group hire as it's lobbyist? According to the NY Daily News, none other than former Christie cabinet officer Lori Grifa. The Daily News article also points out that The Rockefeller Group's law firm, Wolff & Samson is the law firm of (drum roll please) Port Authority Chairman David Samson - a Christie appointee.

Kim Guadagno was probably pushing the righteous indignation act just a little bit too hard the other day when she called Zimmer's accusation of political retribution "completely false" and "illogical".   

According to WNYC reporter Sarah Gonzalez, Zimmer fired back with a copy of a letter dated April 23, 2013 written to Governor Christie in which she objects to Sandy aid being contingent on her supporting the Rockefeller Group development proposal to counter charges from the Christie camp that Zimmer's charges against the Governor appeared out of nowhere.    

Seriously what is it with these Republican governors anyway? It's like the political power buzz of the 2010 elections and Tea Party fervor never wore off and they saw it as some kind of rubber-stamp edict from the voters who elected them to do whatever they pleased; even if it was ethically and legally reprehensible. 

How about Republican North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory? This state might as well have the flag of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) flying over the state capital, or they should just send Republican thugs out across the state with bats to beat the poor, working class and middle class citizens of the state into submission.

Journalist Bill Moyers has been doing some excellent coverage of ALEC on his television show and his Website. He reports that The Raleigh News & Observer reporter John Frank claims that 54 out of 170 state legislators in North Carolina are members of ALEC; including the Speaker of the House Thom Tillis; ALEC's 2011 "legislator of the year".

Governor McCrory's new legislative lobbyist? State ALEC chairman Fred Steen; himself a former state legislator.
 
No wonder North Carolina has passed some of the most draconian voter suppression laws since the Jim Crow Era and actually voted against the state accepting additional funds from the Federal Government to extend available unemployment benefits for those in the Tar Heel state still struggling to find work.

Not only are Republicans busy suppressing as many votes as they can, Think Progress.org reports that Governor McCrory is catching heat for leaving North Carolina's 12th Congressional district without an elected US Congressman representing them for more than a year.

According to the article by Josh Israel, Democratic Rep Mell Watt resigned his office on the first day of the legislative year to become director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Governor McCrory won't hold a special election until November 4th - meaning a Congressional district that stretches from Charlotte to Greensboro with over a million citizens, the majority of whom are minorities, will have no representative in the US Congress for 12 months.

Kudos to MSNBC's Chuck Todd for confronting McCrory last Wednesday on The Daily Rundown.

But confrontation isn't enough. The mainstream media, average citizens and the Justice Department have to come together to identify, address and stop this kind of contemptuous dismissal and denial of the Constitutional rights of citizens.

Par for the course for this Republican party - and a blight on the basic ideals of liberty, freedom and citizenship for our nation. Republicans just can't sell their extremist policies and rigid ideology to mainstream Americans, so they're determined to cut off access to the political process (and health care) for millions of Americans who don't vote Republican.

But have faith. In "The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News - And Divided a Country" a new unauthorized biography on Fox News chief Roger Ailes, one of the chief architects of this divisive form of political warfare, author Gabriel Sherman asserts that the Republican party has shackled itself to a rapidly shrinking base that's aging fast - and unable to connect with the more diverse, politically progressive, younger and more technologically savvy voter base that is becoming the majority in this nation.

Smarter more moderate Republicans like Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, South Carolina Senator Lyndsey Graham and Arizona Senator John McCain know the numbers don't lie; but they sit quietly on the side of the room while the Tea Partiers dance. If the GOP couldn't pull it off with Mitt Romney in 2012 against Obama; it's probably not going to happen in 2016 either.

Not while the GOP is ruled by misogynists, zealots and reactionaries; and governed by an archaic  intolerance that's indigestible for the majority of Americans. 

For Republicans, the states have become the last bastion of this vicious brand of Conservatism.

But as we've seen by the actions of Republican Governors like Bob McDonnell, Scott Walker, Chris Christie and Pat McCrory, they're starting to loose their grip on the pulse of the states as well as they increasingly operate not in the actual political arena - but in an abstract ideological vacuum where reason, dissent or debate are not tolerated.

By their own actions they have become the authors of their own epitaph; maybe not tomorrow, but soon.