NJGOP: oligarchy or plutocracy? And can it ever be a meritocracy?

By Rubashov

Let us start with definitions. Defining what it is and the distance of travel to what it can become.

Oligarchy
"…power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes. Oligarchies in which members of the ruling group are wealthy or exercise their power through their wealth are known as plutocracies."

Meritocracy
"…the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability."

The Republican Party in New Jersey has been out of power since Governor Chris Christie left office in January of 2018. Despite the old lie put about by the (Christine Todd) Whitman wing of the GOP – that a Pro-Life/ Pro-Second Amendment candidate couldn’t win statewide in New Jersey – Chris Christie defeated a mega-wealthy incumbent Democrat Governor and then was re-elected with over 60 percent of the vote (winning all but two counties).

Out of power, there are three leadership figures within the state GOP: The elected Senate Republican Leader, Steve Oroho; the elected Assembly Republican Leader, John DiMaio; and the unelected Chairman of the NJGOP, Bob Hugin. By “elected” we mean through a direct democratic vote at which all citizens, theoretically, are entitled to participate. Last June, Hugin was selected by 2021 gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, whose decision was subsequently confirmed by the New Jersey Republican State Committee, which is made up of two individuals per county (regardless of the population of each county, i.e. not adhering to the basic democratic principle of one man, one vote).

In common with most Republican voters, Senate Leader Oroho and Assembly Leader DiMaio are Pro-Life and Pro-Second Amendment, like Governor Christie is. Bob Hugin is not.

Hugin, a wealthy Big Pharma executive who has spent tens of millions in pursuit of his agenda, was selected by Ciattarelli because he promised to raise and contribute additional money. Through candidate recruitment and political action committees that he and his family control, Bob Hugin is actively involved in reshaping the GOP into a more “woke” party on transgender policies and other social issues.

In the aftermath of Jack Ciattarelli’s defeat, Bob Hugin is attempting to assert his dominance over the New Jersey Republican Party. Instead of sharing a space with the elected Republican legislative leaders of both chambers, Hugin is actively attempting to thwart their recruitment of candidates for the 2023 legislative elections. Hugin is trying to bully the party and – in the process – maintain the hegemony of his favored members of the consultant class.

This leaves Republican legislative leaders facing continuous infringements from the state’s top executive – the Governor – and his executive orders, and now from a corporate CEO who holds an executive position in the NJGOP. Like Murphy, Hugin doesn’t seem to recognize that there are limits to what he can and cannot do. Like Murphy, Hugin appears to distrust legislators and sharing with them, despite them being elected.

QUESTION: Which better describes the NJGOP… oligarchy or plutocracy?

QUESTION: In your opinion, what steps should be taken to correct course and put the NJGOP on the path towards meritocracy?

To share your opinion and for more details on what’s roiling the NJGOP, email us at info@JerseyConservative.org

The NJGOP is reflective of a larger problem in our politics – our Republic, the United States of America, has quietly morphed into an oligarchy clothed in the garments of a democracy. In 2014, Princeton University researchers Gilens & Page released a groundbreaking study detailing the disconnect between what the people want and what their “rulers” want to give them. As with the NJGOP, the “rulers” often appear to be in direct conflict with those they are supposed to be representing. As Princeton’s groundbreaking 2014 study noted:

“The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

The reformers at Represent.US identify the problem in this short video:

To share your opinion and for more details on what’s roiling the NJGOP, email us at jerseyconservativetips@protonmail.com

“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

George Orwell

N.B. We welcome a conversation on this and all topics raised on this website.  Jersey Conservative is entirely open to your ideas and opinions.  To submit a column for publication, please contact Marianna at jerseyconservativetips@protonmail.com.