The Biggest Disappointments of 2007

I think the biggest GOP disappointment of the year was the re-election of the turd, Tom Wilson to state chair.

Shows the lack of backbone of the county committee people.

Had a huge warchest which threatened many opponents away from the race.

Spreads his wealth throughout the state to other legislative candidates in the hopes they remember him after the election.

Got a Republican opponent thrown off a primary ballot to only get written in and challenge him anyway.

Has a weak showing at the polls from the underfunded opponent  

Does not get the prized Majority Leaders Seat with several north Jersey Senators voting against him.

Biggest disappointment is in the Whole New Jersey Republican Party.

Resons for my choice:

1. Robert Ortiz won an overwhelming victory for Bergen County Chariman while working for a firm that was getting milliions of dollars in fees from the Democrat Controlled Bergen County Freeholder Board, and while he was responsible to elect Republicans to the Freeholder Board. He failed...what a surprise.

2. The ignorant Republican Base chose Kevin O'Toole as nominee for State Senate while O'Toole's whole family is earning their livlihood working for the Essex County and serve at the pleasure of the Democrat machine. Kevin even ran his own freeholder candidates against the Bergen County Candidates dividing the party, then ushered in Robert Ortiz to give the BCRO the coup de Grace.

3. The reelection of Tom Wilson as State Chariman who couldn't even define a Republican but has only been successful in directing serious dough from the GOP coffers to his wife's company.

4. You cannot tell the difference from a Democrat and a New Jersey Republican.

"The State is great fiction by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else." Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)

Read "The Law" by Frederic Bastiat available at www.fee.org

I think Clara Nibot did a FANTASTIC! job. Her campaign for Senate in the 37th District was the best in years. This time Senator Weinberg was on the defense because for the first time she faced a "REAL" candidate full of energy that confronted her in all the important issues. Nibot was very smart and focus all the time and her LaRouche discovery was a real winner who got her the attention of the entire media. In all of the debates she was against the borrowing 450 Millions, the penny increase in sales tax and the selling of the Roads while Senator Weinberg defended and supported them. If the voters in the district voted with Clara Nibot on all the issues how can you ignored her campaign?.   

Energizer ? what are you smoking ?Failure to get 400 donations over a 5 month period. I heard that Yudin and Duggan had about that amount of signatures  each  on their petitions alone 

1. Yes. Maybe not by your own personal limited definition that follows every single one of your beliefs he's not a Republican. That's your opinion, if you want to waste your time being bitter who am I to suggest you do otherwise?

2. Provide Proof. Don't just spew it. If Senator-Elect O'Toole was personally employing his family members in his legislative office I believe you would see that as a pretty major election issue. If members of Senator O'Toole's family just so happen to be employed by the state or a county that doesn't mean anything, especially if they are qualified to do the job. You have to back up your points with proof and substance to convince me, and obviously it didn't work when convincing the primary voters in the 40th who saw through the politics of hate.

3. Suggesting the Democrats have any influence over O'Toole is absolutely laughable when he's one of the Republicans leading the charge against them. I've seen his voting record and I can make my own judgements, he's nowhere near a Democrat. You seem very alone  or one of a few that actually have a problem with O'Toole. I once heard Mike Doherty compliment him so even those who you probably support realize O'Toole is good.

4. First of all associating a lawyer who works in a firm with people they represent is straight from the dumb campaign moves hand book. It's their constitutional right to have representation and if Ortiz was ever a lawyer for them in the past that means absolutely nothing. Especially since they sound like a large firm why does it matter who they represent? Ortiz fundraised for Republicans and last time I checked he's a republican, but should he permanently quit his job and how he supports his family because one of his employers many clients just happen to be Democrats? Obviously it'd be a conflict of interest if he personally represented them while being BCRO chairman but I never heard anything about that happening. There was no money to even support the freeholder candidates, Ortiz was and is still cleaning up the freaking mess your buddy Talarico left him.

I'd hate to say it, but your grasping at straws.

We really do need to start throwing out our own garbage, but I believe my definition of garbage is a bit different then yours.

Both Joe and Eric have valid points. The problems  need to be fixed before the next election.  The  following are a list of suggestions.

1) As Bergen is the key to any statewide success , both Estabrook and Pinnachio  or who ever wins the nomination must demand and get total UNITY in Bergen .

2) The BCRO must reach out to everyone and let volunteers be volunteers .   I attended a  good meeting this year ran by a great candidate Charlie Kahwaty and others  pror to Ortiz election. I have not been invited to one since.   Why  ??    they   told us that these meetings    were going to be held  right up to the day of the  election.

3) The YRs must be given a role   and  its  members  must  be given a reason to help out  candidates  and not just  used to stuff envelopes.

4) The BCRO  must reach out to the real community. The refusal to campaign in towns like Hackensack and Englewood is a disgrace.

5) Finally the BCRO need to communicate with  its members and supporters. They need a friendly face   like Mike Alfone in Hackensack  to answer the phones.  They are paying all that  rent and there is nobody there

Enough of the finger pointing and  lets get to work

Outside of some interesting muncipal victories accomplished without "organization" assistance, the general results in an offseason election were pathetic.  The energy and planning were lacking.  Leadership was nihil.

"That whole quote "Rome wasn't built in a day" works perfectly in this scenario."

true...  but it was burned to the ground in a day...

The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets. - Will Rogers

Biggest failures are the state Assembly and Senate for failing to pass any eminent domain reform legislation even after the Public Advocate urged them to do so on many occasions.

That would require dropping out of college...haha. I take a particular interest in Bergen because I grew  up there until I went to college in Monmouth, all of my family and of course some of my friends are still in Bergen and I stop by during the holidays.

Problems worse after Talarico? I guess it was so much better under a racist extremist like Talarico!

The fact is I know quite a few guys who left because of Talarico and the direction the county was going in.

I assume your referring to County Clerk Donovan when you mean the only Republican county office holder. I'm not sure how a county clerk can "sabotage" the Republican message of fiscal restraint.  Please enlighten me and provide facts and proof.

I don't need to spend time to get the picture. Clearly people are more than willing to jump on the still newly elected chairman (how long has he been there..only a few months?) for not giving them the results they want or going after Republicans they don't like.

My advice to you is to help the Chairman and try and get people to unite. Clearly in New Jersey and in Bergen County that would be most beneficial for everyone. But if you'd rather be bitter or spend time not helping the rebuilding process, that's your decision.

If I was in Bergen more often I'd be on the front lines helping the BCRO, volunteering and such. Unfortunately, I'm not, but there are plenty of others who are that are encouraging a new message of unity. It's sad that some people would rather split in factions, but that's their decision. Sooner or later they'll realize that instead of splitting up the only way to even combat the Ferriero machine is to unite.

The fact that the Baroni camapign was only about Baroni, and basically ignored his running mates, Tom Goodwin and Adam Bushman. Why? The "word on the street" in the 14th is that Baroni cut a deal with Monroe Mayor Richard Pucci. Pucci would run a weak Dem candidate for the Senate (Seema Singh) and Baroni would not run much of a campaign in the 5 Middlesex municipalities that are in 14 because this would threathen Pucci in Monroe. Singh ran and the Baroni campaign disappeared in Middlesex in the last 2 weeks. You figure it out!

Baroni's campaign didn't ignore Goodwin and Bushman at all. The Singh-Baroni race got more press attention because Singh kept attacking him. The Assembly match wasn't getting any press on both sides until Common Sense America came in.

The fact that Hamilton got more attention was the simple strategy that they turn out to vote better than any Middlesex town and are  a lil more Republican friendly..campaign knew they were going to get killed in Monroe anyway. Unfortunately a few thousand votes didn't carry over from Baroni to Goodwin or Bushman, who both won Hamilton but not by enough to combat the Middlesex Dem wave. Your theory on Pucci is completely ridiculous, remember Singh was the challenger for Inverso. Who else was going to challenge Baroni..Greenstein? The Assembly seats would have probably went R then, or at least one of em would. And she would have lost..they did a poll..the people who voted Baroni/Greenstein all the years would have went with Baroni. He woulda won..not by as much..but the poll wasn't too close.  Nobody else woulda even came close..Pucci would be a lil bit interesting..he would probably win Middlesex..but woulda gotten dominated in Hamilton..more then enough for Baroni to win.

Only town that was really left out of the entire Baroni campaign was Plainsboro..but they really don't turn out enough in off-years and I believe outside of Monroe it was the only town where Singh won.  

12th was biggest disappointment..what was it the Dems spent..6 million? Karcher and Panter were looking good until about the last month in polls..

is a coward.

Being Pro-life is certainly not "extreme" in my book. That being said I believe it is a personal moral decision that should never be designated to a political party. Being pro-choice or pro-life does not define a candidate or a party in my book.

Calling out Kevin O'Toole and claiming he is like Al Sharpton simply because he has an asian and korean heritage is somewhere beyond extreme.

One has to wonder if your a friend of Todd Caliguire with your attacks on County Clerk Donovan. I'm not quite sure how much she is paid, but I do know she has been there for quite some time. I also believe she is not the highest paid Clerk in New Jersey, so I'm not exactly sure what your point is.

Who defines "traditional" Republican values? Shouldn't the goal of any political party is to be accepting of others, even if they don't share all of the same beliefs? The last thing we need to be doing as part of the Republican party in New Jersey is excluding people simply because they may not believe in the same exact things. I'm friends with Republicans who hold more conservative views than I do and I have friends who are more moderate then I am, dare I say even more liberal, it doesn't mean I tell them to get out of the party. I welcome a good debate and discussion, because at the end we still find common causes that we agree on and things to fight against, even if it's just one cause like lowering taxes.  Limiting a party by strict definitions is a risky move especially as the generations change. True there must be some structure, but that structure needs to be flexible at times to encompass people who have many different views.

 Senator Paul Sarlo is the biggest disapointment

 He had  BCDO Joe Ferriero backing him and still couldn't get majority leader.

Needless to say his backing of Encap and of course his retort that he wasn't involved with Encap all are very lame.

Best thing about Sarlo is that he has a brothers Tom and Charles. No where the liar and jerk Paul is.

Only real question is when will Christie investigate Sarlo.

Hide your head in the sand all you want. Like O'Toole or dislike him I don't care, but his father has worked for the Newark Democrat bosses. It has been documented. To the tune of $25,000 per year. The Star Ledger has called him a quasi-Democrat for a reason. 

 O'Toole picks a lot of good fights. He picks many of the right ones but he is very cozy with the Democrats.  Otherwise why would his law firm, with his name on it contribute $5,000 to help Joe D run for County Executive. Just accept the truth. 

From the Star Ledger, May 11, 2003 Essex Shuffle

"Tomorrow, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo will announce that he is nominating Freeholder James Paganelli - the lone Republican on the freeholder board - as director of the Essex County Improvement Authority, the bonding agency for the county and a notorious patronage mill.

"The ECIA is also in charge of building the new county jail, a star-crossed project that is way overdue, and way over its cost estimate. Some say Paganelli is making a huge mistake by taking on this agency's baggage.

"The county Republican Party, which has been in disarray since poster boy James Treffinger was indicted on federal corruption charges, is split between traditional Republicans and those who are considered quasi-Democrats.

"Some in the party feel that Paganelli and state Assemblyman Kevin O'Toole are a little too cozy with the DiVincenzo administration. O'Toole has a number of friends and family on the county payroll, including his wife, Bethany O'Toole, who works at the ECIA along with one of his sisters, Sharon Gebhard. Another sister, Eileen O’Toole, is a county sheriff's officer."    You can look for money from his firm to the Essex GOP or to other Republicans. You won't find any.     Still doubt me? Go ask Muriel Shore the last GOP Freeholder in Essex who was most responsible for her defeat?  Now it is on you to disprove others. You are entitled to your opinion, no matter how ill-informed they maybe, but don't go attacking other people on this site assuming you are correct.  You should read the weekly newspapers covering Verona and Cedar Grove, you'll find plenty of information. Remember I am not saying O'Toole is a bad guy; just pointing out that he isn't pure as the driven snow either. You  should keep that in mind before attacking other. And for the record from a conservative stanpoint, O'Toole's record ain't that bad. It is pretty good 

Sure just don't attack others by asserting things that you don't know to be true.

You really should look through the Essex County Dems ELEC filings for 2006. There is a lot of money from O'Toole's law firm, $5,000, as well as thousands more from attorneys that work for the firm. 

Stop attacking the messenger when you don't like the message (especially when the message is true).

You are a good writer. I read your entries at Red Jersey. You'd be a better writer if you accepted facts and utilitzed them. Stop using the term "laughable" when you don't have the facts.  

Many of us share with your frustration, but take this piece of advice for what it is worth --Sometimes you'll find that it is better to sit back and observe a little more before commenting.

You've got a bright future