ASSELTA TO VAN DREW: REPEATING THE SAME FLAWED ATTACK DOESN’T MAKE IT ANY MORE EFFECTIVE, IT JUST MAKES IT LOOK LIKE YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION

(VINELAND, September 7) – Senator Nick Asselta – responding to Democrat Jeff Van Drew’s latest press release, posted to PoliticsNJ.com last night at 8:51 PM – today reminded Van Drew that, under the generally accepted rules of political discourse (not to mention the courtesies of polite society), in order to launch a negative attack, the foundation of the attack must have at least some element of truth to it, and that repeating a flawed attack doesn’t make it any more effective, it just makes it look like you’re not paying attention.

“Last night, Democrat Jeff Van Drew responded to my charge that his so-called ‘opposition’ to the Democrats’ scheme to monetize New Jersey’s toll roads is a sham, by re-packaging and re-issuing a press release he first issued on July 30.

“In his original July 30 press release, and in last night’s re-issued press release, Jeff argues that my 1999 vote for a bill to monetize state assets somehow compromises my current opposition to the Democrats’ scheme to monetize New Jersey’s toll roads.

“But as I already pointed out on July 30, it does no such thing – because the only state assets we voted to allow the State Treasurer to monetize were state assets ‘that are associated with certain benefits that have value to private sector parties but that have no value to a government entity. The bill authorizes a structured transaction that has the effect of allowing the sale of just those benefits that have value to other parties’ – in other words, NOT the toll roads, which OBVIOUSLY have value to the State. We weren’t talking about selling physical assets – we were talking about selling intangible assets, like depreciation values.

“Let me repeat that, in BIG, CAPITAL LETTERS, so even Jeff can understand:

“THE ASSETS WE GAVE THE TREASURER THE AUTHORITY TO MONETIZE WERE ONLY THOSE ASSETS THAT HAVE VALUE TO PRIVATE SECTOR PARTIES BUT THAT HAVE NO VALUE TO A GOVERNMENT ENTITIES … SUCH AS DEPRECIATION VALUES. THE BILL WE PASSED BY A MARGIN OF 37-0 IN THE SENATE AND WITH 67 OF 80 VOTES IN THE ASSEMBLY NEVER SOLD OR LEASED OR MONETIZED NEW JERSEY’S TOLL ROADS, OR ANY OTHER STATE ASSET FROM WHICH THE STATE DERIVED VALUE.

“Repeating the same flawed attack doesn’t make it any more effective, it just makes it look like you’re not paying attention. Jeff should know better than to continue his campaign of deception against the voters of the First District. He should man up, acknowledge once and for all that he voted to give the Governor a blank check to prepare to sell or lease or monetize the toll roads, and take the consequences.”

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