Will Carlos Rendo call on Trump to resign over remarks?

After losing the coveted "Column One" position in Bergen County and filing a campaign receipts and expenditures report with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) in April that showed his campaign was deep in debt and not raising enough money to sustain itself, candidate John McCann apparently sent out an SOS to his friends and colleagues.  They responded in a big way.

A former Democrat candidate for Mayor of Bogota (Bergen County) stepped forward to accuse McCann's opponent of saying some pithy things about him a decade or so ago.  McCann's campaign neglected to fully vet this Democrat (who they, oddly enough, describe as a "Christian conservative").  He recently attacked the policies of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. 

Now Carlos Rendo, a once and perhaps future statewide candidate in New Jersey, has stepped forward to call McCann's opponent a "homophobe".

Really?  Because that is a curious jibe to throw at someone.  Does Mr. Rendo even know what it means?  Is all homophobia "irrational"?  If someone was molested by an authority figure, as a child or adolescent, and the resulting trauma produced a certain "guarded" nature, would Mr. Rendo taunt that person with the word "homophobe"?

We can't speak for Mr. Rendo, but there are a great many men out there for whom the idea of having sex with another man is very off-putting, scary even.  Are these men "homophobes"?  There are a great many women of a similar mindset when it comes to other women.  Are they "homophobes" too?

We have news for Mr. Rendo.  Depending on the scale of their fears, and how one defines it, there are a lot of "homophobes" in both political parties (although they may be a bit more closeted if they are active Democrats). 

We were taught to tolerate. And so, with the best "live and let live" intentions, we tolerated.  Then we were told that mere "toleration" was not enough.  We must "celebrate" -- which is more than live and let live, it's kind of joining in.  So we did, but only in a happy clappy sort of way.  Now when people like Mr. Rendo start throwing around words like "homophobe" at what level are they expecting us to participate?  How far are we to go to prove that we are without "sin" or the version of what goes for "sin" today?

Not only that, but Mr. Rendo requires that we reach back in time to atone for the words and attitudes said and unsaid (for if Mr. Rendo believes in a god -- whether of the New Age or Tradition -- that being sees both what is said and unsaid, so both must be addressed).  For if not, Carlos Rendo -- "Judge" Rendo as he sets himself up to be -- will pronounce sentence, and that sentence is a word that he will seek to make you wear.

Being tagged a "racist" or a "homophobe" is nearly as bad as being called a "sexual predator" or "molester"... except that the latter have the benefit of the judicial process, while the former have some moe like Judge Rendo passing sentence on Twitter.  People lose employment and are harmed by such "sentences".  Take care.

Actually, what Mr. Rendo (and Mr. DiGaetano and Mr. Olmo and Mr. Kulmala) are engaging in is something called "virtue signaling" --  they are making a fashion statement.  You see, fashion changes.  A decade or so ago, they might very well have been the ones making the less than kind remarks about men who have sex with other men.  But fashions change, so today they are making less than kind remarks about men who are afraid of men who have sex with other men. 

Wait a decade or so and it will all change again.  Round and round we go... tis a dance to the music of time.

Finally... and this is the most humorous bit of all... these idiots are members of the party of Donald Trump.  Their man, "Stumbling John" McCann, is running on a line that directly references that old "pussy-grabber" himself, the Commander-in-Chief, the 45th President of these United States, Donald Trump.  How can Mr. Rendo reference a remark someone allegedly made a dozen years ago, but then demand that the voters ignore the dozens upon dozens of remarks Donald Trump has made during the same time period? 

Haven't  the Democrats already labeled Trump a "homophobe" and "racist" and "sexual predator"?  And you want to label someone on less? 

Is Mr. Rendo in desperate need of a change of party form?  Because it is plainly evident that he cannot attack McCann's opponent and remain a loyal supporter to his President, Donald Trump.  We fear that Rendo can no longer swim in the party of Trump and that he must take to purer (or more rigorously fashionable) waters.

Yes, a change of party is essential.  Sad to say it, but it looks like Rendo is either going to choose to be a hypocrite or change his party.

Is Rendo endorsement the first shot in a GOP civil war?

We were thinking about that stupid statement by that fellow we thought we liked, Carlos Rendo, and who we were prepared to forgive for his anti-religious musings and his work as an immigration attorney.  The statement was made yesterday, by Rendo, in an attack on Republican Steve Lonegan, on behalf of John McCann.

Rendo told InsiderNJ that, of the two, McCann was the "only candidate with an actual record of putting taxpayers first."  

It's funny Rendo put it that way, because "Putting Taxpayers First" is the title of the 2007 book written by Steve Lonegan.  In it, Lonegan provides the blueprint for the conservative movement on how to address New Jersey's worst-in-America business climate and poor record of job creation, the state's highest-in-the-nation property taxes, subsidized COAH housing, the public employees union-dominated education system, and the activist judiciary -- among other things.

We can't expect the younger generation to remember what it was like after party liberals like Christie Whitman and Paulie DiGaetano lost Republicans our majorities in both chambers of the Legislature.  Under Democrats McGreevey and Corzine, the Democrats grew government with tax hikes and new regulations -- and always with Republican support.  Conservatives watched dismayed as the GOP provided the votes to end the death penalty for serial killers, child rapists/ murderers, cop-killers, and terrorists.  

While this was happening, John McCann was threatening to run for Congress, telling GOP leaders that Senator Gerry Cardinale and Assemblyman Scott Garrett were "too conservative" for the 5th District.  McCann's candidacies are cyclical.  Like the cicada, he surfaces from the mud about once a decade.  McCann called himself an "Arlen Specter Republican," going left on the issues, mimicking the Democrats' platform on such issues as abortion and gun-control.

Meanwhile, Steve Lonegan was organizing the modern conservative movement in New Jersey.  He led the fight against the Newark arena taxpayer rip-off, fought  state government borrowing without voter approval all the way to the Supreme Court, winning key concessions and transparency.  The Court's decisions in Lonegan I and Lonegan II paved the way for the (then Senator Leonard) Lance Amendment.  Lonegan organized conservatives to sue to stop eminent domain and taxpayer-funded elections.

Lonegan pulled off the unheard of accomplishment of defeating two statewide ballot questions -- stopping government-funded embryonic stem cell research and a sales tax increase.  Lonegan broke the back of the Corzine administration's plans to hike tolls on state roads and he successfully organized conservatives to stop the RGGI fuel tax.  Again, and again, and again, Steve Lonegan was the essential man -- leading the conservative movement forward, providing hope to the GOP in its darkest days.

Steve Lonegan became the glue that held the conservative movement together in New Jersey.  He took over the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and made it the premier chapter in the nation.  His fundraising prowess saw to it that conservative initiatives had resources.  When the GOP opposed same-sex marriage in 2009-10, it was Lonegan who made the calls to ensure they had the funding.

Because of Steve Lonegan, Chris Christie tacked right in his 2009 campaign for Governor, and New Jersey elected -- and re-elected -- a Pro-Life, Pro-Second Amendment Governor, something the Whitman/DiGaetano wing of the GOP had long held was an impossibility.  Lonegan held seminars, put together conventions, organized demonstrations and rallies -- a flurry of grassroots activity unheard of in the NJGOP.  He nurtured the careers and helped fund the campaigns of younger conservatives like Mike Doherty, Michael Patrick Carroll, and Alison Littell McHose.

Under Steve Lonegan, AFP became the thing that SRM and ARV have most desperately needed in the last few cycles -- a superPAC able to independently hit the Democrats and hold them to account.  Lonegan's relationships with national conservatives ensured that the efforts of groups like the General Majority PAC would not go unchallenged.  

All this ended abruptly when Steve Lonegan departed New Jersey to work on the national scene.  AFP became a shell of its former self.  Activism died overnight.

And the NJGOP, the SRM, the ARV?  Unprecedented losses over and over again.  You have to go back to the period after the Watergate Scandal (do any YR's or CR's even know what that is?) to find a time when New Jersey Republicans held this few seats in the Legislature.  Next up... the culling of the GOP's congressional delegation in New Jersey.

The Republican Party in New Jersey has been studiously ignoring its conservative base for years.  Meanwhile, its once dominant "country club" crowd has gone Democrat and is now fielding candidates from its ranks against GOP incumbents like Jon Bramnick.  In 2001 there were more so-called "wingers" than "country-clubbers" -- 17 years later, the country-club set is kidding itself if it still believes it counts for more than 20 percent of the party's registered voters. Now it is a discussion between populist "Trump" Republicans and their ideological comrades of the more traditional  "Reagan" right.  It's not your party anymore, Ms. Whitman.

Steve Lonegan's return to New Jersey politics could be a great shot-in-the-arm for the NJGOP, for SRM, and for ARV.  Lonegan has the relationships to bring national conservatives into New Jersey to take on groups like the General Majority PAC.  As we speak, a superPAC composed of medical professionals is forming -- the first of many.  

Unfortunately, there is this Rendo endorsement.  Normally, the endorsement of some moe from Hudson County who got elected mayor in Bergen County wouldn't count for much.  But this guy was the establishment's choice for Lt. Governor, so many conservatives are conflating his move with the establishment's wishes.  This misunderstanding could lead to conflict, which could become a very debilitating civil war at a time when resources are thin and the congressional delegation is at stake.

Right now, New Jersey Congressional Republicans are not speaking with a single voice on any issue and they are certainly not following the President in any collective fashion.  There are a lot of GOP messages out there.  Taking back CD05 is going to be a formidable challenge, with holding CD02 perhaps more difficult.  Congressman Frelinghuysen has been taking a terrific beating for months and faces a very attractive opponent.   If Josh Gottheimer doesn't wake up with a sore ass every morning, if Jeff Van Drew isn't sledge-hammered regularly, if Rodney doesn't learn how to punch back... the Democrats with all their money and all their superPACs are going to move on new opportunities.  It is time to stop them.

Does anyone really believe that a candidate like John McCann can even piss straight?  For years he's lived in the moist dirt of county patronage politics, sucking up what the boys -- Republicans and Democrats -- feed him.  McCann is where he is because he threatened to run in a primary against conservative Republican incumbent Gerry Cardinale.  That's right, this asswipe thought it was a good idea to primary Senator Cardinale and make SRM spend money it didn't have, so there would be less to spend fighting the Democrats in November.

Oh, and at the time, McCann was the patronage employee of Democrat Sheriff Michael Saudino, who would have had to sign-off on his antics.  No conflict there, right?

At the time, Bergen County GOP boss Paulie DiGaetano was messing in a divisive primary of his own (one he couldn't raise money for) and dissuaded McCann by promising him the Congressional nomination.  Paulie got crushed in the primary and here we are now.  McCann thinks the nomination is his by gift from a party boss who couldn't raise the money required to fund his own legislative race!  Does anybody think Josh Gottheimer is going to take this clown seriously?  Josh will be able to campaign fulltime in CD11.

Steve Lonegan's presence on the ballot has given new life to the state's conservative movement.  It has energized the base, made them happy, and caused them to think well of the GOP.  Carlos Rendo's stupid move has jeopardized that and the conspiracy theories are already circulating.

John McCann can't raise the money, can't stir the troops, won't rally the base, and will only provide Josh Gottheimer with the leisure to make mischief in another district.  But maybe that's all beside the point.  Perhaps his loyalties are still with Democrat Saudino?  As has been suggested, perhaps he is one of them?

Poor Carlos Rendo gets used, swallows McCann's B.S.

Poor Carlos Rendo... he got leaned on by Bergen GOP boss Paulie DiGaetano and   now he's been made to endorse John McCann, who the Bergen Record called "the right-hand man" to Democrat Sheriff Michael Saudino.  Well that's a real shame.

In his release, the hapless Rendo repeats word for word the same DCCC talking points that McCann shares with Democrat incumbent Josh Gottheimer.  For instance, there are comedic bits like this:  "I have gotten to know John and what he stands for and he is the only candidate with an actual record of putting taxpayers first."  This is vintage Gottheimer -- just switched the names!

Oh, and the way in which both McCann and Gottheimer "put the taxpayers first" was to put them first in line to pay for more Democrat-led government.  Both McCann and Gottheimer played key roles in turning once "red" Bergen County a very deep "blue".

On behalf of McCann, Carlos Rendo parrots the following howlers:

(1) "The State PBA has acknowledged John (McCann) as the 'driving force' behind the police merger in Bergen County..."

Actually, the State PBA issued a press release attacking John McCann for his role in helping the Bergen Democrat party bosses empire-build at the expense of law enforcement and community protection.  Here's what the President of the Policemen's Benevolent Association (PBA) had to say about John McCann: 

"Over the years, we have gotten to know John McCann very well.  Well enough, in fact, to know that he is the wrong person to represent the interests of the law enforcement community in Congress.  Our members proudly serve our communities and face incredible risks and challenges on a daily basis.  Now more than ever, we need leaders who will fight to ensure first responders have the resources they need to stay safe, protect our residents, and prevent acts of terrorism."

(2) "He (McCann) received national recognition for playing a major role in killing the Clinton Healthcare Plan, saving not just the taxpayers of New Jersey, but saving Americans..."

What "national recognition"?  Where?  From whom?  The truth is less edifying.  McCann was a college intern in liberal Senator Arlen Specter's office.  At the direction of his superiors, John McCann claims to have made a graph.  That's right.  A graph.  And just like the typical self-important, overblown junior academic, he takes credit for the hard work of all those Senators and Congressman and Rush Limbaugh and talk radio and the medical professionals and all those thousands of conservative activists and all the reams of studies and research and opinion pieces and thousands of graphs of all those conservative and libertarian think tanks -- not to mention the Republican legal staffs of both the House and the Senate.  No mention of all them... it was "me" says McCann.  "Me and my graph... saved not just New Jersey... but America!"  Yeah, sounds like he gazed into that mirror a bit too long.

(3) "In 1995, McCann was the first to introduce the 2% tax cap on property taxes." 

McCann he says he got the idea from reading about Proposition 2 1/2 in Massachusetts and Proposition 13 in California.  Now here is where his bullshit breaks down:

Proposition 2 1/2 was passed in Massachusetts in 1980 and went into effect in 1982. 

Proposition 13 was passed in California in 1978 and went into effect immediately.

And John McCann wants us to believe that in all those years between 1978 and 1995, nobody (let's say that again) nobody had the idea to try it in New Jersey???

In fact, there were a plethora of newspaper stories discussing caps in New Jersey as low as 1 1/2 percent nearly a decade before McCann claims to have thought of it.  There was even a ballot question on the issue in Bergen County. 

We've had enough of Stumbling John McCann's antics.  McCann's bullshit stinks to high heaven and Carlos Rendo should be ashamed to repeat it.