Is the NJGOP’s Bob Hugin a “Reagan Republican”?

By Rubashov

A few hours after a Jersey Conservative column by Steve Lonegan asked the question, NJGOP Chairman Bob Hugin confirmed he had opposed an effort by supporters of former President Donald Trump to pass a motion censuring the efforts of two GOP congress members serving on the commission investigating the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol. Hugin had dodged answering for several days, until Lonegan, the Father of the Conservative Movement in New Jersey, posed the question in these pages on Monday afternoon.

In explaining his opposition, Hugin issued a statement that was quoted yesterday in the New Jersey Globe: “As a Ronald Reagan Republican who believes in his 11th Commandment, I believe we should be laser focused on beating Democrats and holding Joe Biden accountable, and so I voted against the resolution.”

Hugin continued: “That being said, while I believe those who broke the law on January 6th should be held accountable, the Commission set up by Pelosi does no such thing because it is being weaponized as a partisan, political tool and a sham attempt to distract from the many abysmal failures of Joe Biden and the Democrats.”

In other words, Hugin opposes an effort by Pro-Trump Republicans to criticize Anti-Trump Republicans who are criticizing Pro-Trump Republicans. Hugin believes the vehicle for this criticism is a partisan “tool” and a Democrat “sham”, but he wants to refrain from criticizing the Republicans involved in it. Why? Hugin claims he is doing this because he doesn’t want to criticize other Republicans.

That is a rather convoluted statement dreamed up by the staff at the NJGOP. In contrast, National Committeeman Bill Palatucci was direct in his opposition to the motion to censure: “Terrible action by the RNC but too few of us in the room to object and stop it. The Resolution we should have considered would commend Mike Pence for standing up for the Constitution and saving the Republic.”

You might disagree with Bill Palatucci, but that kind of honesty is refreshing. You can’t ask for more from someone than an on-the-level statement like that.

What struck us odd was Chairman Hugin’s claim to being a “Ronald Reagan Republican”. Words have meaning when they are not being used as slogans to pacify and obscure. Behind words, there are policies that inform their meaning.

Ronald Reagan, the author of a book that takes a Pro-Life position on abortion, is well remembered for the Pro-Life plank he insisted be part of the RNC platform. Generations of New Jersey Republicans have opposed the Reagan abortion plank, and Bob Hugin’s position appears to be in that vein. As a candidate for the United States Senate in 2018, Hugin was clear about his anti-Reagan position. A Bergen Record/ NorthJersey.com story from October 22, 2018, reported Hugin’s position:

Abortion rights: "I am pro-choice, pro-marriage equality, and strongly support equal pay for equal work. Politicians would rather point fingers. I will be different." — campaign ad, nomination speech

The same article provided U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin’s position on the Second Amendment:

Gun rights: "I’m a big believer in the Constitution and the protection of our civil constitutional rights. But I think New Jersey has strong anti-gun laws, or strong gun-control laws, which I think I’m supportive of. I believe teachers and children should be our priority, and safety is our No. 1 issue ... I believe in sportsman’s rights, rights to own the gun. I think you have to look at the specifics of legislation to make sure it’s appropriate, but I’d always side with teachers and children as my first priority.” — interview with USA TODAY Network New Jersey

In contrast, here is Ronald Reagan speaking on the subject…

President Ronald Reagan discusses the Second Amendment and gun control with members of the NRA.

So as a candidate for the United States Senate, on at least those two big issues, Bob Hugin was decidedly not a “Ronald Reagan Republican”. In fairness, Hugin might have changed his positions since 2018. If so, he needs to make them clear.

What remains clear is that the staff at the NJGOP, under Hugin’s chairmanship, have allowed a hostile atmosphere to develop towards the new legislative leadership of the State Senate and Assembly. This is mainly due to them being sore over who was brought in to quarterback the effort to gain a legislative majority in 2023. Instead of going with the Hugin-Ciattarelli team of operatives, a team with roots in Governor Chris Christie’s statewide victories and with President Trump was brought in.

The fact that this new legislative leadership is strongly both Pro-Life and Pro-Second Amendment – genuine “Ronald Reagan Republicans” – should not be lost on Chairman Hugin and the staff at the NJGOP. If Ronald Reagan’s referenced “11th Commandment” means anything to the NJGOP, it demands their focused cooperation on serving the needs of the legislative leaders and their team who are charged with the task of scraping together a majority in 2023.

The Republican Party’s existential struggle in New Jersey shouldn’t come down to institutional jealousy over which political consultant is getting the buy. That would be too sad. Too ridiculous. With elements of both tragedy and farce.

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

Are celebrities like Lady Gaga new model “Christians”?

One famous actress once observed of another… “that type would wear a gold-plated dog turd around her neck to get attention.”

And so we come to Lady Gaga, the latest in a long incarnation of “entertainers” who begin by desperately seeking public attention… and end with thinking themselves the centers of the universe.  Just when did court jesters (and these jesters perform, first and foremost, to gain the favor of a fashionable elite) replace philosophers and theologians?

The Gagster has been in the news again, decrying the existence of any outpost of traditional Christianity – you know, the kind that existed for a couple thousand years before the coming of her hirsute arse – and suggesting that Christians follow her interpretation of the New Testament.  Yes, the Gospel as read by Lady Gagged and Gagged Again.

Not that she’s read the Bible… no, she’s just kind of “felt” it.  But hey, feelings trump knowledge, right?  So this is the Gag… read it:

“Here it is. Lady Gaga calls herself a Christian and then tries to convince the rest of the world that Vice President Mike Pence is not a good representation of what Christianity actually is. Why? Because he believes in traditional marriage between one man and one woman. Gaga's comment came after people on the Left became outraged to learn that Karen Pence is going to teach at a Christian school that follows biblical teaching about sexuality. That led to broad attacks against Christian schools in general, revealing that they have become the next big target for the anti-Christian Left.

…It exposes the tacit end game of an unseen spiritual force in this no-holds-barred age of fury – to defeat the cultural impact of the Christian faith by redefining it.”

If they can redefine what Christianity is – update it into something fitting their image – they can then simply define away traditional Christianity (the 2,000+ years old religious faith) as a common hate crime, something not protected by the First Amendment.  And then they will criminalize its practice. 

This new model “Christianity” revolves around sex.  It calls itself “progressive” when, in fact, it is a regression into the unrestrained carnality and violence of the religions of antiquity.  It “celebrates” satisfying the “animal” in mankind that Mohandas Gandhi warned about. 

Of course, the more “progressive” members of our political class, failing to come to terms with America’s relative economic and cultural decline, have happily embraced the promise of the politics of sex.  Instead of assuring voters of a “chicken in every pot” they tout “orgasms for every peccadillo.” 

In a politics dominated by a One Percent who long ago stopped worrying about things like food and housing (Governor Murphy anyone???), the endless quest for sexual fulfillment can fill the vacuum.  Aldous Huxley observed: “As political and economic freedom diminishes, sexual freedom tends compensatingly to increase.”  (Brave New World, 1932)

Stephen Baskerville has written an excellent book on what Newsweek magazine described as “the politics of sex” and it is a must read for every legislator and policy maker in New Jersey.  Baskerville is a scholar of political science and a leading authority on divorce, child custody, and the family court system.  He holds a BA in International Relations from American University as well as a PhD in Political Science and History from the London School of Economics.  Baskerville is currently Professor of Government and Director of the International Politics & Policy program at Patrick Henry College.  Prior to this he was Professor of Political Science at Howard University.

The book is called, The New Politics of Sex (The Sexual Revolution, Civil Liberties, and the Growth of Government Power).  In his book, Baskerville outlines the emergence of a new political ideology that derives its claims to political power from neither economic relations or ethnicity or race – but from control of sexuality.  He notes that, until recently, scholars and journalists have been reluctant to analyze this new phenomenon with any depth or detachment – for fear of repercussions.  One critic had this to take away from reading the book:

“I found it intriguing to understand how the roles of the sexes have not really changed. Women are still predominately the ones who care for children – they just do it as day care workers or welfare recipients now – and men still predominately provide the financial support – they just do it by paying court ordered child support now, or by paying tax dollars that the government redistributes to women on welfare. 

What predominately has changed is that we’ve gone from having nuclear family units with a man at the head of it who is looked to for leadership and support, to being a herd-like society with government at the head, giving the orders, and being looked to take care of us.

Instead of individual family units, we’ve become more like one big family with government as our daddy. And instead of that daddy taking us to church once a week to worship God, our new daddy takes us to the government schools five days a week where we learn to serve the state in the new religion of socialism.”

Oh, and where our children learn that pot is “medicinal”, abortion is a “rite of passage”, and STD’s are a normal by-product of a life well lived.  Happy days!

You can get a copy of the book here:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36138566-the-new-politics-of-sex