Pallotta wins in CD05. Sussex County’s Kelly Hart does it again!

By Rubashov

It’s hard to win when the establishment sets its face against you. After his upset victory in the 2020 primary and his narrow defeat to Democrat incumbent Josh Gottheimer in the November election, you would think the party grandees would rally around Frank Pallotta, clear a path for him, and start him on his way for a 2022 re-match. That would have made sense.

But that’s not what happened. Instead, some party leaders nursed the wounds they had received in the primary, when Pallotta beat the Bergen County “line” for his upset win. Others were unhappy that Pallotta hadn’t gone with an “insider” consultant and had Sussex County’s Kelly Hart run his campaign. Many thought Pallotta too conservative – too honest and open about it. And for others, the Jersey operatives at the NRCC included, Pallotta just wasn’t one of the boys.

So, the establishment went out and recruited a very plausible candidate in Nick DiGregorio and raised a lot of money – that they spent on internecine battle to defeat another Republican, namely Frank Pallotta. How this made sense to them, we cannot figure out, but it did serve as an emotional balm to some and an economic benefit to others. We don’t think it did the party any good.

Nick proved to be a formidable candidate and a strong campaigner. He had a wonderful back story, but his establishment handlers suppressed his policy positions, not allowing him to communicate with conservative voters. They believed they would prevail using the blunt force of money, the party “line” in Bergen County, the Jersey operatives at the NRCC, and establishment muscle in Trenton. Nick pulled away endorsements that Frank had previously enjoyed – with a final blow delivered by a legislator yesterday, the day of the election!

The establishment had failed to learn the lesson from last year’s result in LD03. It was there that Steve Kush pulled an upset win by fashioning a campaign that went around establishment filters and engaged directly with the electorate. Of course, this doesn’t always work. It doesn’t work when the electorate is asleep. But the electorate isn’t asleep, is it? It is very, very agitated.

Kelly Hart fashioned a similar win yesterday in CD05, using grassroots networks the Trenton establishment, and especially the Trenton blogs, continue to discount. Strong showings by outsider candidates across New Jersey are an indication of an electorate that is wide awake and open to hearing a conservative message. Even in the CD03 primary, Steve Kush was able to take a very wounded candidate to a respectable showing.

“It is very reassuring that the conservative base wields so much muscle,” said Steve Lonegan, the father of the modern conservative movement in New Jersey, “This should be a wake-up call for the NJGOP establishment.”

Hopefully, the establishment accepts Frank Pallotta’s win and rallies behind him. Nick DiGregorio already has. Let’s hope others follow his good example. We hope to be hearing more from him.

In contrast, Matt Rooney at Save Jersey penned a particularly dickish attack on the Republican nominee – the day after the election. Why is Rooney acting the sore loser when he wasn’t supposed to have a side? Didn’t he hold himself out as someone impartial enough to moderate a debate between Nick and Frank? Apparently not.

For all those Trenton bullies who got owned yesterday.

Does the NRCC have a one-seat pick-up strategy in New Jersey?

By Rubashov

New Jersey’s congressional candidates don’t even have districts yet. The challengers keep multiplying. At last count, there were at least three in CD03, two in CD05, two in CD07, and three in CD11.

And yet, it all seems to be about just one candidate in district whatever it might be… Tom Kean Jr.

After losing two congressional campaigns and one for the United States Senate, State Senator Kean appears to be leaving nothing to chance in securing a federal seat at the next opportunity. He controls the Republican side of the congressional reapportionment process. And he has promoted former staffers – with less than spectacular war records – to staff positions at the NRCC’s high command.

Perhaps this accounts for the remarkable attentiveness of the Republican Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, who joined Kean and Save Jersey’s Matt Rooney for a “diner booth chat” yesterday, the day Kean chose to announce his candidacy for Congress from a district whose boundaries do not yet exist. Next up for McCarthy is an interview with the “Mastermind” of Bridgegate. Perhaps Ken Kurson will join them and add luster to the proceedings? Does McCarthy even know any of this?

So, a district is being made to order in as much as that is possible. The trouble with this is getting the balance right. Too swing, and Kean risks a repeat of his last go-round with Tom Malinowski. Too Republican and he risks a challenge from those wild guys on the right. And they won’t wait. They’re like McCarthy. The moment they smell blood in the water, they’ll be there and everyone will know it.

One other thing…

Kevin McCarthy isn’t a household name in New Jersey. He is a very powerful and influential figure but remains ill-defined in the minds of most voters. But that is changing – and that change presents risk.

Have a look at this video. It is from an episode of Tucker Carlson, the most watched cable news host in America and someone who is wildly popular with the GOP base in however you carve a district. It is about the GOP, the NRCC, Kevin McCarthy, and messaging. It is also about opioids… and responsibility – and assigning blame. So, pay attention.

America's most popular cable news host lays the blame...

“This is the guy Republican leaders just went to this week for, quote, messaging guidance on hot topics. And you wonder why you no longer recognize the party that you vote for.”

Tucker Carlson

Van Drew supported Obama despite Rev. Wright?

Remember “The Day of the Jackal”?  Yesterday was “The Day of the Ass Clown”.

It was the day that some national Republicans withdrew their support from a Republican candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s District Two, because four years ago that candidate reposted an article, that he claims came from an African-American Congressman, but that was linked back to a “white supremacist website.”

Okay, fair enough, but here’s the Ass Clown bit.  The Congressional campaign of Democrat Jeff Van Drew, currently a state senator, chastised the national Republicans for waiting so long.  Van Drew's chief-of-hand, Michael Muller, wondered what took the NRCC so long.

"It's been 29 days since the media first broke the story of Seth Grossman's hateful rhetoric," Muller said.  "If the NRCC had done a cursory Google search, or even visited their chosen candidate's website or Facebook page, they'd know what most voters in South Jersey already know.  Seth Grossman is unhinged and unfit for office."

Could it be that the handjob in question simply doesn’t understand the ways of cranky old Jewish guys?  Hey, we’d be the first to admit that Seth Grossman is the kind of radically honest guy who doesn’t give a damn what he says or who he says it to.  Yes, that is kind of the antithesis of those politicians – like Van Drew – who never leave an ass unkissed (but then screw them all over anyway).

But “unhinged and unfit”?  That sounds like ageism to us.  Just how old is this Michael Muller anyway? 

Question #1 for the candidate (or the handjob, for that matter):  “If cranky old Seth Grossman is “unhinged and unfit” then what is that newly minted Democrat nominee from New York, the lovely Ms. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14).  The self-described “millennial socialist” wants to abolish all border controls and border security – get rid of the ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) and let the illegal narcotics, opioids, illegal firearms, human trafficking, and the sexual trafficking of children just flow across the border without a hitch.

Now Messrs. Van Drew and Hand… is what your fellow Democrat advocating “unhinged and unfit”? 

Don’t ask us to down her… we think she’s cute as a button.  And we can’t wait until she’s in your caucus.  Heck, hand her a committee.  It will be a blast!

Now for Question #2.  Well, there’s no time like the present, and it has been some time, but we are wondering when Jeff Van Drew (aka “the dragon lizard”) will ever get around to condemning now former President Barack Obama for seeking out and attending sermons delivered by that notorious hater, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. 

Here are a few of the nicer quotes dropped by the man who the Democrat President called his “mentor”:

“Them Jews aren't going to let (Obama) talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office. ...They will not let him talk to somebody who calls a spade what it is.”

“White folk done took this country. You're in their home, and they're gonna let you know it. You are not now, nor have you ever been, nor will you ever be a brother to white folk and if you do not realize that, you are in serious trouble.”

“The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government lied.”

“In the 21st century, white America got a wake-up call after 9/11/01. White America and the western world came to realize that people of color had not gone away, faded into the woodwork or just 'disappeared' as the Great White West kept on its merry way of ignoring black concerns.”

“(The United States) is the same as al-Qaeda, under a different color flag, calling on the name a different God to sanction and approve our murder and our mayhem!”

“No, no, no, not God bless America — God damn America!”

Well, nobody can say that the good Reverend isn’t direct.  But still, as we are talking “unhinged” – would Senator Jeff Van Drew or his chief-of-hand care to call Reverend Jerimiah Wright… “unhinged”?  Would they care to suggest that maybe President Barack Obama was “unfit” for having sought him out for his personal and religious counsel? 

Senator Van Drew… balls?  No balls?  Which is it?

BlueJersey's Melli joins firm subpoenaed in Mueller's Russia probe

You probably read today that Mercury Public Affairs has hired Juan Melli as a Vice President.  Melli is the founder of BlueJersey.com, a former associate editor and columnist for David Wildstein's PolitickerNJ.com, and communications manager for Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

Last year, Mercury Public Affairs was the subject of a subpoena in the on-going investigation into Russia's meddling in the United States presidential election in 2016.  According to the Washington Post, former FBI Director and Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller obtained the subpoenas seeking information about work Mercury had done for a pro-Putin political party in the Ukraine:

"The investigators asked Mercury for information about their public relations work at Manafort’s behest for a Brussels-based organization called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, which pushed for improved relations between Ukraine and European countries. The Brussels group primarily advanced the interests of a Russia-friendly Ukrainian political party that had been a client of Manafort’s before he joined the Trump campaign.

Mercury, which has prominent Republicans among its senior partners, had worked on the Ukraine lobbying project with the Podesta group, led by Anthony Podesta, brother of John Podesta, who led Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign."

The full article can be access below:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/washington-lobbying-firms-receive-subpoenas-as-part-of-russia-probe/2017/08/25/55e547de-89c2-11e7-a50f-e0d4e6ec070a_story.html?utm_term=.f43579514869

Melli joins several other members of the New Jersey political establishment at Mercury Public Affairs.  These include Mo Butler, United States Senator Cory Booker's campaign consultant, former chief of staff, and "longtime advisor"; Michael Soliman, United States Senator and former Chairman of the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations Robert Menendez's political advisor and former State Director; and Michael DuHaime, Governor Chris Christie's campaign consultant and someone who has worked on several Republican presidential campaigns.

Once upon a time, there were campaign managers who came up through the ranks alongside the politicians whose careers they helped to manage.  In Great Britain, they call them election "agents" and this is how they once operated in this country too -- wedded to the ups and downs of a particular political personality, often finding a job in the bureaucracy in between campaigns. 

From these manager/agents came the first campaign consultants.  Regional or statewide at first, but with the centralizing power of the national committees and national money there soon came to be the "national" consultant -- recommended by one of the party committees or put in place by them.  We recall a list, circa 1994, that the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) gave out, with the names of those "recommended" media consultants and pollsters on it. There were about a dozen names in all.

But as more money washed into DC and was funneled into campaigns, that changed.  Consultants proliferated and firms became larger.  Following the money, a few either merged with or morphed into public relations and lobbying (government relations) operations.  Why not?  Corporations paid big for access to politicians and there is nobody politicians love more than the person who got them elected.

It was only a matter of time that things went global.  And that is why these New Jersey political operatives became members of an international firm representing the interests of quite a few unsavory foreign governments.  Mercury Public Affairs is itself a subsidiary of an even larger international firm that handles the image-making for Russian President Vladimir Putin, receiving credit for, among other accomplishments, getting Putin's face on the cover of Time magazine -- as the "Person of the Year" for 2007.

Mercury Public Affairs began in 1999 as a decidedly Republican shop with connections to the RNC and politicians like John McCain and Mitt Romney, around 2013 it embarked on a mission to "diversify" -- meaning making the firm "more bipartisan and full-service."  Mike DuHaime joined the firm in 2009, first as a "managing director" but swiftly rising to partner.  Michael Soliman joined Mercury in 2013 and became a partner this year.  Mo Butler joined as a "managing director" in 2016.  Mercury Public Affairs has 10 partners and 160 employees.  Omnicom purchased Mercury in 2003.

Mercury Public Affairs has 18 offices worldwide -- including London; Mexico City; Washington, DC; New York; and Westfield, New Jersey.  The New Jersey offices (a satellite operates out of Trenton) of Mercury are the haunt of Messrs. DuHaime, Soliman, Butler, and other connected operatives like newspaperman Darryl Isherwood (former top political reporter for the Star-Ledger and editor of PolitickerNJ), and "Christie campaign vet" Mark Mowers. 

In January 2015, Michael Soliman registered with the United States Justice Department, pursuant to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as a person representing the Embassy of the State of Qatar.  You must have read about Qatar in the news...Amnesty International has accused Qatar of being complicit in human trafficking and modern-day slavery.  Yes, slavery.  In fact, in March of 2016, the United Nations gave Qatar one year "to end migrant worker slavery" or face an international investigation. 

Qatar is just one of freedom's garden spots represented by Mercury Public Affairs.  Remember the controversy in Uganda, when the President of that country decided that homosexuality was a crime that should be punishable by death?  Well, the law he wanted passed was "moderated" in December 2013, substituting life imprisonment for the death penalty.   In 2015, Mercury was brought on to provide public relations, lobbying, and media monitoring services with regards to the Office of the President and the Ugandan government in general on subjects beginning with "human rights" and ending with "good governance."  For which the contract calls for Mercury to be compensated at the rate of $50,000 per month, with $150,000 up front.

Mercury also represents individuals.  Folks like Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi, who in 2003 led an anti-American demonstration in which he personally burned an American flag.  For its work, Mercury pocketed a $30,000 monthly retainer, plus expenses.

In January 2016, Mercury Public Affairs partner Morris Reid negotiated a contract with Amsterdam & Partners, an international law firm with offices in London and Washington, DC.  The document is marked "confidential and privileged" but is public information under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.  In August of 2015, Amsterdam & Partners signed a contract with the Turkish Ambassador to the United States to provide legal services related to a "matter of importance" to the embassy.  The government of Turkey paid Amsterdam a retainer of $50,000 a month.

While the contract stipulates that the greatest security and confidentiality be observed, under the terms of the contract between Amsterdam and Turkey, third parties may be hired "as the Firm and the Client agree in writing are necessary to further the Engagement."  And so, in March of 2016, Amsterdam hired Mercury to perform work on behalf of the Turkish government for $20,000 a month -- above and beyond what was being paid to Amsterdam by Turkey.  It is in the contract between Amsterdam & Partners and Mercury Public Affairs that we learn what all this cloak and dagger is in aid of:

The Amsterdam-Mercury contract references an "investigation into Fethullah Gulen and his organization in the United States."  So who is Fethullah Gulen?

Gulen has been in the news since the attempted coup in Turkey in 2016.  Gulen is a religious leader from Turkey, and a one-time political ally of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  Erdogan is the increasingly authoritarian and Islamist President of Turkey.  He has been repeatedly in the news for purging the judiciary, jailing journalists who write unflattering reports, and successfully intimidating the opposition.  Erdogan had a law passed to allow the government to ban websites and he has promised to "rip out the roots" of Twitter.  He has even attempted to censor speech in other nations, in 2015 Turkey demanding that Germany prosecute a poet who had written some verse critical of Erdogan.

Erdogan and Gulen had a falling out over allegations of political corruption by Erdogan in 2013.  Gulen's books were banned.  First, he was indicted on charges that a Turkish judge threw out, but then was indicted a few months later for treasonable offenses that carried the death penalty.  Gulen fled Turkey, came to the United States, and was convicted in absentia.  According to Wikipedia, Gulen was one of the first Muslim leaders to condemn the attacks on September 11, 2001, writing a "condemnation article" in the Washington Post, the next day.  He wrote:  "A Muslim cannot be a terrorist, nor can a terrorist be a true Muslim."

Gülen teaches a Hanafi version of Islam, deriving from Sunni Muslim scholar Said Nursi's teachings. Gülen has stated that he believes in science, interfaith dialogue among the People of the Book, and multi-party democracy.  He has initiated such dialogue with the Vatican and some Jewish organizations.

Gülen is actively involved in the societal debate concerning the future of the Turkish state, and Islam in the modern world. He has been described in the English-language media as an imam "who promotes a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work and education" and as "one of the world's most important Muslim figures."

The government of Turkish President Erdogan has attempted to extradite Gulen back to Turkey to face punishment, but the government of the United States hasn't cooperated.  In the hours after the coup attempt, Erdogan was quick to blame Gulen, while Gulen put forward the theory that Erdogan had staged the coup himself in order to consolidate power.

http://www.asianews.it/files/img/TURCHIA_-_USA_-_Fethullah_Gulen.jpg

The Associated Press identified Amsterdam & Partners (the firm Mercury is working for) as "lawyer(s) for the Turkish government" and quoted Robert Amsterdam:  "There are indications of direct involvement (in the coup attempt) by Fethullah Gulen."  Amsterdam added that he and his firm "have attempted repeatedly to warn the U.S. government of the threat posed (by Gulen)."  Amsterdam said that "according to Turkish intelligence sources, there are signs that Gulen is working closely with certain members of military leadership against the elected civilian government."

Why does Mercury Public Affairs want to be a part of extraditing a moderate cleric to satisfy the rage of an Islamist dictator?  The close relationships with powerful figures in American politics that many of Mercury's partners and employees enjoy is a matter for deep concern. Given who Mercury's relationship with American politicians and the confidential relationships they have with them, shouldn't some clients be out-of-bounds?

Wouldn't it be better if American political consultants stuck with helping to elect the best candidates to serve the American people?  With all this money from foreign powers floating around, at what point does a political advisor to an elected official in America find himself in an existential conflict of interest?

Did the McCann campaign lie to national Republicans?

The campaign of congressional candidate John McCann recently issued a press release claiming to have been placed "on the radar" by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).  "On the radar" is the first designation in the NRCC's "Young Guns" program, which highlights "promising" candidates.

To get considered for this program and to obtain the "on the radar" designation, a candidate's campaign must first fill out a lengthy questionnaire and complete a background survey with questions like:

- If you are an attorney, please list the type of clients/nature of litigation (corporate, criminal defense, family, etc.) and any noteworthy cases that could potentially be relevant in a congressional campaign:

- Have you ever owned or run a business?

- If so, has this business ever been a part of any legal proceedings such as a suit, judgment, bankruptcy, etc.?

- Please list any history/problems with your business partners (bad breakups, criminal history, sanctions, significant lawsuits, etc.).

- Have you or your business ever had any tax warrants, liens, etc., filed against you? Were annual business filings consistently submitted on time?

- Have your personal finances been thoroughly examined, including analysis of any foreclosures, personal bankruptcy filings, investments, etc.? Are all taxes up-to-date?

- Is there anything in your past that has not been addressed in this questionnaire that you see as a potential vulnerability in your run for Congress?

Considering the answers that McCann would have had to provide to questions like these -- if answered truthfully -- we fail to see how the McCann campaign could have possibly obtained entry into the program or secured the designation for their candidate.  If answered truthfully, that is.

We understand that some law enforcement officers who have been in legal disputes with Mr. McCann, an attorney, have accumulated enough background material on him to choke a horse.   And his tax liens and such make for a poor public record.  A quick look at this website will make you wonder what is going on inside the brain cavities at the NRCC:

https://www.realjohnmccann.com/

Could it just be desperation?  The chicken wing of the congressional GOP has been cutting and running rather than standing on its record in 2018.  Nearly half of New Jersey's Republican incumbents have quit rather than fight.  Because of them, New Jersey might well be on its way to becoming another Massachusetts.  And it is no surprise that these incumbents are -- like McCann -- from the GOP's liberal Whitman "My-Party-Too" crowd.  They long ago cut ties with the conservatives who make up the Republican base. 

Maybe the NRCC is taking anyone with a pulse into these programs?  Based on its acceptance of a candidacy as shambolic as McCann's is, the NRCC no longer has the high standards and stringent requirements it once did.

Well, we owe it to you -- our readers -- to get to the bottom of this.  So we are going to publish the questions asked by the NRCC, and the details of what should have been revealed by the McCann campaign to them.  Then we are going to ask the NRCC... Why? 

But not just the NRCC staff.  Because anyone who has read Donna Brazile's new book knows how corrupt national committees can become.  Here's a piece of the story, courtesy of Politico...

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774

So judge for yourself as to whether or not "corruption" of one kind or another could have figured into what happened.  What we do know is that there are eight elected public employees who are responsible for the oversight of the NRCC and should be held to account for its decisions.  They are all members of Congress themselves, and all accountable to the people and to the media -- inside their districts, as well as the wider media.  So we will be reaching out to them as well and asking them:  "Knowing this... why did you allow this to happen?"

Maybe they didn't know?  Maybe they caught a line of bullshit?  Maybe somebody is doing somebody a favor?  Maybe they are scared and believe that it's all over but the shouting?  Who knows?  And that's why we are going to ask.

Why John McCann is a non-starter for Congress

So-called "Republican" John McCann is following the Democrat DCCC playbook and -- just as they do with President Trump -- trying to question conservative Republican Steve Lonegan's bonafides.  They did it to every Republican since Ronald Reagan.  It's just what liberals do. 

But there is a reason why the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and every elected Republican in the 5th congressional district have said "no thank you" to stumbling John McCann:  They don't trust him.

And why should they?

During the 2016 Presidential Election in which Democrat Hillary Clinton faced Republican Donald Trump, John McCann was the "right-hand man" (according to The Record newspaper) to Democrat Sheriff Michael Saudino, Hillary Clinton's running mate.  That's right, wannabe Republican candidate John McCann was the consigliore to and "brains" behind a Bergen County Democrat candidate who shared a ticket with Hillary Clinton.

Not only did McCann's boss, Democrat Saudino, share a ticket with Mrs. Clinton, he shared it with Democrat congressional candidate Josh Gottheimer.  And yes, on election night, in Bergen County, they all partied together and celebrated Josh's win and Saudino's win... and then they all started to cry when Hillary didn't.

Now why would any self-respecting Republican trust (forget support!) a guy like McCann -- who was in the middle of all those Democrats?

Here they all are, on election night in Bergen County, whooping it up. 

The only people rooting for John McCann are Democrats who want to see Josh Gottheimer not have the tough fight he deserves -- so that the Democrats are free to focus on races against Republican congressmen Rodney Frelinghuysen, Leonard Lance, and Tom MacArthur.  Any Republican who goes along with that is either corrupt or a fool.

GOP Senators Pennacchio, Cardinale, Oroho, and Doherty all support Lonegan for Congress

The tsunami of conservative endorsements continues for Republican candidate for Congress Steve Lonegan, with today's endorsement by State Senator Joseph "Jersey Joe" Pennacchio.  That puts all but one of the Republican State Senators representing portions of CD05 in Lonegan's camp. 

"Steve Lonegan has been a tireless fighter for our conservative principles for years," Sen. Pennacchio said.  "New Jersey conservatives have been grateful for his leadership and West Milford voters have richly rewarded him."

Pennacchio, who represents one of the two Passaic County towns in the Fifth Congressional District, was referring to Lonegan's dominating performance in the 2013 U.S. Senate election when he defeated Cory Booker with 62% of the vote in West Milford.

"West Milford knows and trusts Steve Lonegan to fight for our conservative values," Pennacchio said.  "Better jobs, lower taxes, term limits for Congress, the right to life, religious liberty, and a firm commitment to the Second Amendment -- these are all hallmarks of Steve's unwavering vision."

Lonegan thanked Pennacchio for his support and pledged to fight for West Milford and for all of North Jersey.

"Senator Pennacchio is among the most dependable senators New Jersey conservatives can look to," Lonegan said.  "He is a leader in pushing for lower taxes, less government, and especially the right to life.  I'm proud to have earned his endorsement and will work closely with him to make North Jersey a better place to live, work, and raise a family."

Each one of the Senators supporting Steve Lonegan is strongly pro-life, as is Lonegan.  Pennacchio's endorsement comes on a day when Lonegan's likely opponent in the primary -- liberal RINO John McCann -- confirmed to Politico's Matt Friedman that he supports abortion and would "enforce the laws as they are constituted."  Of course he will.  No different than liberal Democrat incumbent Josh Gottheimer.

Lonegan has already been endorsed by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Bergen County State Senator Gerry Cardinale, Mrs. Ann Kievit, President of the Northwest New Jersey Taxpayers' Association, Rev. Greg Quinlan, President of the Center for Garden State Families, on behalf of New Jersey for a Conservative Majority, Alexander Roubian, President of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS), United States Senator Ted Cruz, Warren County State Senator Mike Doherty, Sussex County Senator Steve Oroho, Assemblyman Parker Space, Assemblyman-elect Hal Wirths, and Sussex County State Committeewoman Jill Space.

Oroho Endorses Lonegan for Congress: Declares Sussex County Lonegan Country

State Senator Steve Oroho, (R-Sussex), today announced his support for conservative Republican Steve Lonegan in his campaign for congress in New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District.

"Steve Lonegan will go to Congress to cut taxes and create jobs," Oroho said.  "We need his determination and focus now, more than ever.  That's why I'm supporting Steve Lonegan for Congress in Congressional District 5, a district Steve has won in the past, albeit for different offices."

Oroho was referring to the 2009 Republican Primary and the 2013 Special Election for U.S. Senate when Lonegan crushed Cory Booker by 20 percent.

"Sussex County has strongly supported Steve Lonegan in the past and will do so again in 2018," Oroho said.  "New Jersey needs Steve's leadership in Washington, DC. and we're going to do our part to help him get there."

"People who know Steve Lonegan know that he's a person of great integrity and determination.  Steve is a gentleman who is always there to help his party, our region, and the country.  Steve knows what it is to overcome obstacles.  He believes that the safety net should be a trampoline, not a hammock,"  Oroho added.  

Lonegan expressed his admiration for Senator Oroho's leadership in the state legislature.

"Senator Oroho has been a strong and courageous leader for Sussex County in the state legislature," Lonegan said.  "He consistently fights for the interests of Sussex County -- smaller government, the right to life and the right to bear arms -- all are important issues in Northwest New Jersey and I share Senator Oroho's commitment to them."

Lonegan has already been endorsed by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Bergen County State Senator Gerry Cardinale, Mrs. Ann Kievit, President of the Northwest New Jersey Taxpayers' Association, Rev. Greg Quinlan, President of the Center for Garden State Families, on behalf of New Jersey for a Conservative Majority, Alexander Roubian, President of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS), and United States Senator Ted Cruz, and Warren County State Senator Mike Doherty.

Stumbling John McCann peddles his b.s. in Paramus

Candidate John McCann reminds us of a wax figure that's been in the sun too long.  The guy is limp, droopy.  He looks like he's melting.  Sleepy and shambolic is very uninspiring.

Before stopping by Sussex County a day after the election (he skipped the November 5th rally hosted by Sussex GOP Chairman Jerry Scanlan and Steve Lonegan) Democrat ex-pat McCann was at an event in Paramus, in Bergen County.  There he let loose with some major whoppers -- first and foremost that the NRCC (the National Republican Congressional Committee) was not supporting Steve Lonegan in his race to unseat incumbent Democrat Congressman Josh Gottheimer.

McCann apparently missed this press release from the NRCC:

View fullsize

There has been a lot of media coverage about this but McCann, who lacks even a Facebook page, seems to have missed it.  Either that or he was just bullshitting again.

Who is John McCann?

He is the brainstorm of what remains of GOP bossism in Bergen County.  The Bergen County GOP, fresh from their latest in a long string of losses in both primaries and general elections, have abjectly surrendered to the point that they now believe that the only way forward is to formally turn their county organization over to the Democrats, and to rest comfortably under the wing of the Democrat Party.  So they accept the Democrats' terms and lawyer John McCann, who was a patronage employee with the County's elected Democrat Sheriff, is their chosen candidate for Congress. 

With John McCann, the Bergen GOP will appear to have found a candidate to oppose incumbent Democrat Josh Gottheimer.  In reality, McCann's candidacy will be a hollow one, lacking financial resources or contrast with the Democrat.  It will serve the Democrats' will and cement Democrat Gottheimer into a district that no Democrat should hold.

John McCann is one of the Bergen GOP's "hollow men" -- having surfaced to run for the Assembly in 1995, he was crushed, fell to earth, and burrowed into the moist manure of crony politics.  Here he existed as a kind of chrysalis, without thought, ideology, or principles.  The money doesn't allow such things.  There are lots of "hollow men" about.  The Bergen GOP could not fill a room without them.

We are the hollow men
    We are the stuffed men
    Leaning together
    Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
    Our dried voices, when
    We whisper together
    Are quiet and meaningless
    As wind in dry grass
    Or rats' feet over broken glass
    In our dry cellar
   
    Shape without form, shade without colour,
    Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

    ...Behaving as the wind behaves

At the very beginning of conservative Scott Garrett's career in Congress, at the very beginning, John McCann attempted to go from pupa to butterfly.  But it was to oppose both Scott Garrett and Gerry Cardinale in the primary because, so John McCann said, they were "too conservative."

In that race, McCann -- a self-described follower of the ideology of Democrat-turned Republican-turned Democrat Arlen Specter -- assured anyone who cared to listen that the only way Republicans could hold on to CD05 was to nominate a "moderate".  McCann spelled that out as someone who was liberal on abortion, the social issues, and the Second Amendment.  McCann was wrong.  A solid conservative won -- while McCann's campaign collapsed because he couldn't raise the money or support to sustain it.  That was in 2002.  Does anyone really believe that the GOP has gone Left since then?

John McCann's candidacy is the end game of the Bergen County GOP.  Their intentions and his candidacy promise to end the game and to deliver New Jersey's 5th Congressional District into Democrat hands for what might as well be an eternity in politics.  And for what?  Perhaps the Bergen bosses will accrue some considerations, and one more piece will be removed from the already almost blank board.  One less contention to squabble over. 

This is the way the world ends
    This is the way the world ends
    This is the way the world ends
    Not with a bang but a whimper.

Well, not on our watch.

NRCC backs Lonegan in CD05 race against Gottheimer

Two recent happenings in the race to unseat Clintonista Democrat Congressman Josh Gottheimer.  On Friday, the NJ Observer reported:  "The National Republican Congressional Committee, a key fundraising group for House races, is throwing its support behind Steve Lonegan in New Jersey’s 5th congressional district, giving him an advantage in a GOP primary and possibly the 2018 midterms."

This report was followed by other newspaper and media coverage from across the state noting the NRCC's choice to take on the liberal Gottheimer next year.  The NRCC's action signals that the GOP Washington, DC money crowd are placing their bets on Steve Lonegan as their best chance of retaking the seat once held by conservative Congressman Scott Garrett.

Meanwhile, at an event in Sussex County at which Lonegan and two other "possible" GOP candidates attended, a couple of controversial figures were seen leading one of those "others" around.  Jack Zisa, a notorious figure from the underbelly of Bergen County politics had congressional wannabe John McCann by the hand, introducing him to those few ex-Trenton oldtimers at the event.  Zisa will be remembered for his role in electing corrupt liberal Democrat Bob Torricelli to the United States Senate in 1996.  Then the Republican Mayor of Hackensack, Zisa organized GOP turncoats for liberal Torricelli, who went on to become a particularly memorable dirtbag, even by New Jersey standards.  Now Zisa is part of McCann's brain trust (or brain fart, depending on how you look at it).

There was another creature slithering about -- an actual Democrat from the Bergen County Sheriff's office -- in attendance at the Republican event in conservative Sussex County.  Hey, shouldn't these guys be  at the Wicca rally down the street hosted by Blue Wash or I'm Blue and in Jersey or the Hand of Action or any one of a number of colorfully named leftist groups that go to rallies endlessly the way drunks head for the can.  It makes us wonder if Mr. McCann has actually ended his employment with the Democrat Sheriff of Bergen County.

The other "possible" candidate, Warren County Freeholder Jason Sarnoski, was bright-eyed and active throughout the event.  And no Democrats with him.

Speaking of his endorsement by the NRCC, Lonegan said:  "The 5th congressional district is a fundamentally conservative district... The people of North Jersey support lower taxes, job-creating policies, term limits, deregulation, smaller government, an end to Obamacare, and no funding for sanctuary cities or sanctuary states. Josh Gottheimer is on the wrong side of every one of these issues and that’s why he’s going to lose.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was quick to label Lonegan a "Tea Party" Republican -- which is strange coming from a group of people who have routinely supported the activities of ANTIFA, Jihadist Linda Sarsour and her Women's March, and the Women's March organization's support for terrorist cop-killer Joanne Chesimard (AKA Assata Shakur).

At the event, Lonegan was basking in the glow of being named as part of the NRCC’s “Young Guns” program, which identifies candidates that could wage competitive races against Democrats.   An endorsement by the NRCC will mean an enormous financial edge for Lonegan in the June 2018 congressional primary.  Lonegan was one of 31 Republicans identified by the “Young Guns” program nationwide.  He is known as the "father of the conservative movement in New Jersey." 

Has McCann been put-up by Democrat Gottheimer?

Liberal Democrats are working overtime this year to damage Republicans' congressional chances next year.   In the 11th congressional district, liberals have found an out-of-district unaffiliated voter to become a Republican in order to challenge incumbent Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen in the GOP primary next June.  According to media reports, lawyer Martin Hewitt is running as a "moderate Republican" in order to challenge the national Republican Party platform.

The same thing looks to be happening in the neighboring 5th congressional district, where lawyer John McCann is also running as a "moderate Republican" in the tradition of Democrat turned Republican turned Democrat Arlen Specter.  McCann is a political patronage holding Republican who is employed by the elected Democrat Sheriff of Bergen County.

It was McCann who helped deliver Bergen County into the hands of the Democrat Party machine, splitting the party and helping to defeat the Republican County Executive there.  After that defeat, McCann responded to the Republican County Executive's claims that it was "traitors" within the GOP who caused Republicans to lose power in Bergen County.

John McCann's candidacy seems designed for failure.  Not only has he dropped out of the last two races he got into, but his recent problems with tax liens and such make him a very dubious choice.  This has led to speculation that he is the favored candidate of the Democrats and the candidate who incumbent liberal Democrat Josh Gottheimer would prefer to face in November 2018.

The Democrats have a real interest in controlling who runs against Congressman Gottheimer next year.  The liberal Democrat's district was carried by President Donald Trump and is decidedly Republican as well as a top target of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).  The Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has acknowledged that it will be a challenge to keep Congressman Gottheimer's seat in their column in 2018. 

So it makes all the sense in the world for the Democrats to help "engineer" who becomes Gottheimer's Republican challenger.  McCann, who is actually on the Democrats' payroll, appears to be their perfect choice.

This will be a drama worth watching.  So, as always, stay tuned...