Bergen Republican leadership in flux

It's important for Mr. Foccarrino and his supporters to remember that Double Standard Bob Yudin called Mr. Foccarino Ortiz's "stalking horse", in a press release and ripped him for voting against extending the county committee vote times.

He also said that, "The County Committee won't be fooled - they know that a vote for Focarino is a vote for Ortiz."

After being called nothing but a "stalking horse" and being treated like they were wasting their votes by Yudin, I don't see why Mr. Foccarino and his supporters would ever support or vote for him.

Right out of the chute you start insulting the Focarino voters who could well make the difference in the runoff. Is that the kind of exceptional judgment Yudin and his supporters would propose to bring to the table?  It's awfully bold talk for the 2nd place finisher. In fact, if you are right and Ben was just a stalking horse, his supporters will then go to Ortiz and this thing is done, right?

Focarino ran as a gentleman, unlike Bob.  He saw an opportunity and took his shot but he came up short,  The people who supported him did so, i imagine out of loyalty.  They've been around for a few years and have been through the wars with Ben.  That being said, that also means that they have been around long enough to see Bob Yudin suffer embarrassing electoral loss after embarrassing electoral loss.

This is not funny any more.  This guy has not only never won a contested election, he has never even come close.  As a republican chairman, he is a democrat's dream.

if you are a voter, even if you have an issue with Ortiz, is there any rational reason for concluding that Bob Yudin is a better option? Has he given you a reason to believe that he can lead you?  Has he said anything at all about what he can do or has he just spouted on about how bad he thinks Ortiz is?  Ask yourself, if Ortiz is so bad, why are things so much better after just ten months?

We are just now emerging from the damage and destruction of the Talarico era.  It would be incedibly self destructive to turn the keys back over to one of Guy's biggest disciples. 

Don't be fooled.  Bob has been whining for 7 months now and he still hasn't said anything.

Bob Yudin has shown he does not back down from a fight and will make the party bold and forward-thinking. And all of you who think that Focarino supporters are going to go vote for a chairman in Rob Ortiz who does not represent their values versus Bob Yudin who does are just delusional. And yes Rob did motivate turnout, he motivated a 75% increase in votes AGAINST him.

    I find the calls for unity by the Ortiz camp pretty sad since he has shown that he couldn't care less about anybody in the party to the right of Tom Kean. The Ortiz folks are all for unity as long as they are in total control following the model of Boss Joe on the Democratic side.

   Yudin is certainly not a staunch conservative but at least he will listen and support both major wings of the party. And he won't deliberately subvert the will of the committee, nor is he a lobbyist looking to jump ship for the first more lucrative political job he can find.

Make up your mind, now they are fence sitters – the other day they were the destroyers of the party with the Dist 40 primary fight. Not spending money on races, ignoring your workers (CC) and trying to recruit bad candidates is handing elections to the Dems. Yudin who over the past 4-5 years of being involved has probably spent close to $500,000 on his races and in local towns to make a race of it, not to mention his time showing up to club meetings to see what’s going on and you call that handing it to the Dems – where can I send you a change of party card.

Press ReleaseBCRO Announces Run Off Election DetailsBy Matt Mowers - June 11, 2008 - 9:43am
Tags: BCRO, chairman,
Release Date: Jun 11 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: MATT MOWERS

201-880-1646

From the Desk of

Robert A. Ortiz, Jr.

County Committee Member,

As you know, there will be a runoff election next Tuesday night for the BCRO leadership election. ALL COUNTY COMMITTEE MEMBERS WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE NEXT TUESDAY, EVEN IF YOU DID NOT VOTE LAST NIGHT. Under our Bergen County Republican Organization bylaws, officer elections must be decided by a majority (50% + 1 vote), but the bylaws are silent on who may vote in a run-off election. The ground rules for the leadership election were determined by the Election Committee which, as dictated by the BCRO bylaws consists of one representative of each candidate and Republican election officials. Last week the Committee met and set the ground rules for last night’s election. The Committee decided that any necessary run-off would be conducted one week later. It also discussed who would be eligible to vote in such a runoff; however, in discussions after last night’s election, it was clear that the members of the Committee were unsure what had been decided on that issue. This is different from last week’s issue regarding voting hours. In that case, the Committee considered all of the factors and made a clear decision. In this case, the Committee’s decision was unclear. In light of that ambiguity, it is in the best interests of the organization that we are inclusive and ensure that all County Committee member are be given a voice in the future of the organization. This election will determine the future of the Republican Party in Bergen County, and the voice of every County Committee person must be heard. Please cast your ballot next Tuesday, June 17 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at BCRO.

Sincerely,

Robert A. Ortiz, Jr.Bergen County Republican Chairman

Make up your mind, now they are fence sitters – the other day they were the destroyers of the party with the Dist 40 primary fight.

Fencesitters are destroyers of the party. Their sole mission is to undermine the will of the party because they have an axe to grind. I've never made a distinction between the two and I challenge you to find where I did.

If memory serves me correct, Zimmer won the nomination even if he didn't win Bergen since Joe "Pinnocchio" had the county line and Andy Unanue would've won the nomination as well if he had stayed in the race because both "Pinnocchio" and "Madman Murray" ran horrible campaigns and neither one of them was electable. Seems to me that if anything, Ortiz knows how to pick a winner.

Furthermore Vin, we are all computer literate here and more than capable of clicking the press release link at the top of the screen. You don't need to cut and paste it here a second time.

Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.- Winston Churchill

Yeah, Ortiz knows how to pick a winner. Zimmer is a three-time loser. He is the typical Candidate of RINO Republicans: They are willing to lose as long as they have a "respectable" candidate to lose with. I have hopes for the rest of the ticket in the 39th  but not for Zimmer.

"(Miller, Taschler & Yudin himself) who are pushing Yudin." I just want to picture Yudin "pushing" himself. How hillarious is that?

There will be a lot of Ortiz supporters saying foolish things over the next few days. Things like "Rob needs more time" or "Guy and Yudin are twins." The problem for Rob is that he motivated turnout against him. Yudin is the one with a platform for change and thats why he will win on Tuesday.

Thank you for that shot, Mr. Campaign Manager. If the tone of your campaign for BCRO Chairman is what Republicans can look forward to under Chairman Yudin, then no wonder people have turned their backs on the county and will continue to do so.

I was preparing a response to all of this nonsense, but it would be useless. You just don't get it. Your camp couldn't see the big picture if it was staring at you in the face.

What has happened to our party? When did we stop caring about the people we should be fighting for - the taxpayers. I've worked for a long time for Republican leadership on Capitol Hill, and I've never witnessed such lack of vision, such selfishness. You know the sad part right here, right now - Down the street there is probably someone trying to avoid heatstroke but can't afford to pay to have the ac on because of the rising cost of energy. We don't deserve to win as a party if we have totally forgotten why we should be involved in politics in the first place. Wake up Vin - you want to define winner. A winner is someone who works selflessly for others. A winner is someone who doesn't personally attack others. A winner doesn't need to post anonymously on websites. At the end of the day, I commend anyone willing to step up to the plate and fight for the taxpayers. I'll take that shot, Vin. Maybe when we change the tone of politics here in Bergen County and New Jersey, maybe then we will start winning. Winning for the taxpayers. If you really had them in mind, you wouldn't be challenging the Chairman.

Here is another reality check for you too - the average person on the street doesn't care about all of your nonsense. They care about their family. They care that they may be struggling. They care that there is a war going on. Stop typing at your keyboard and look around you. You've wasted an opportunity here. I can't say that enough.

True leaders lead and step up to to the plate when necessary. They don't squander opportunities - and they have a history of uniting people not dividing.

All the best,
Deirdre Woodbyrne

What exactly is that platform? "I am not Rob Ortiz" is not exactly a platform for change.

A platform for change is "here is where we have gone wrong and this is what i will do differently"  Funny, i haven't seen that from Bob.

What part of raising more money does Bob want to change, especially when he has raised next to nothing in the past.

What part of winning local races and picking up more republican seats doe Bob want to change?

Spare me the incessant whining about the fundingof last year's freeholder race.  BCRO spent more on that race than it had spent on the 3 previous general contests.  Much of that money was spent on the local level where it helped elect Republicans to council and mayoral seats and, (gasp) increased the Freeholder results in those towns. 

Funny, that strategy is employed last year and Bob only loses by 12,000 votes, as opposed to the 40,000 and 50,000 vote prior losses.  SO he has his best performance under Ortiz, yet his failure becomes Ortiz's fault.  How convenient.

 the only change Bob offers is a change back to the despair of the Talarico days.  No thanks.

BCRO is far far better off now than it was 10 months ago when Ortiz took office. Is that foolish?

In 10 months (7-8 of which spent listening to Bob whining)

 -audit

 -out of debt

- closest county margins in 3 years

- greatest local success in a decade

-money in bank

-phone on

-rent paid

-full time presence at HQ

-new bylaws proposed to restore power back to county committee after Talarico line hijacking debacle

-regular newsletter and more communication with county committee

- YR's reinvigorated

we need a lot more foolishness at BCRO.

Let's see, you gratuitously insult a committed volunteer activist. 

You also insult, without reason or basis, the party's best vote getter county wide, a mayor who won in a landlslide and an impressive new county candidate who needs the party's support.  2 of these people are on the ballot this year. 

Is this how the Yudinites are going to rally us to victory?  What's next? Charlotte? Are you coming after Charlotte next? 

Know what i missed, the part where you offer a reason why it is a good idea to support Yudin.  That part always seems to be missing.

while everyone is fighting. Just who is helping the Republican county ticket with donations and support ? The the BCDO machine is in full campaign mode already. Wonder just how many of the above  posters have donated anything to any of the candidates yet. ? Ft Lee has.

Not afraid to get personal are you district 40 ninja?

At least I don't hide my true identity. Why don't you reveal who you are?

Yudin people care nothing about unity. They won't unite the party what so ever.

Then again I've realized it's impossible to unite Bergen, too many county committee folks have that disease known as "shoot themselves in the foot over and over again".

Yup, let's give the county over to a guy who did nothing but whine about money instead of try and raise some himself, you know the third or fourth time he lost a freeholder race. Let's just give the most vital county in this state for Republicans to win to a guy who was completely quiet and holding hands with Talarico during the O'Toole primary challenge.

Have fun losing elections over and over again, as long as your happy though right? As long as you feel the chairman personally kisses your ass then you could care less about winning Bergen County.

I mean that's got to be why you attack the only county wide Republican elected official, right? From what I remember reading Ms. Donovan had a slate against Guy Talarico...who the heck can blame her? Guy was probably trying to throw her out like he did to Senator O'Toole - a guy who is respected and supported by Conservatives and Moderates.

Oh yeah, learn how to read. I wrote that my family was filled with unaffiliated voters, i.e. independents, which make me understand the nature of Bergen County. Because towns like New Milford aren't hotbeds of the folks on the far right, they are independent towns, like most parts of Bergen.

Way to attack the YR movement and BCYR Chairman by the way, and I thought Yudin's press release said he was going to reach out and work with the YR's?

Yeah right...

Message to the newbees. 1) Pay your dues before you RUN 2) Pay your respects to all County Committee 3) Reach out to other districts. Ramsey, Saddle River, Allendale wont bring victory in Bergen. 4) Start out in Ft Lee and district 38 and you just might get some respect

Color me shocked.

First of all, Fort Lee - not exactly the incubator of Republican success stories.

Second - please don't try to make a results based argument about Yudin.  If results really mattered then we should look at Bob's 50,000 vote countywide loss; his 40,000 vote loss (an astonishing 20 point defeat where he ran a full 12 points behind Tom Kean jr) and last year's 12,000 vote loss - his closest race ever which was under Ortiz's leadership. 

Maybe the strategy of spending money in targeted towns actually worked.  Bob must have liked it because he has co-opted it put it on his website as part of HIS platform.  Kinda inconsistent with all his complaining over the past year that all that money should have been spent on him and the county race.

You want more results, Yudin's ELEC reports show that in 3 county races in 3 different election cycles, the amount he raised from non-candidate/political org sources is LESS THAN HALF of what Ortiz raised in his first 3 months on the job.

More results.  19 new elected republicans and vast improvement in the county organization.  Don't talk to me about underwhelming

PLEASE make this race about results!

Less than $5k per candidate in kind recd from BCRO and No individual donations from the BCRO management team. Their Best4Bergen Campaign was run by Andy Gauze with NO Help from the BCRO Colletti and Team had to ask Gauze for help. Ortiz tried to remove Colletti from the team. Remember that ? District 38 can remember a lot

Thats a lot of votes coming Bob's way. Looks like the business owner is going to beat the lobbyist.

Kaz ? does your own county committee feel the same way.? I guess NOT because they all voted for Ben. Did you read Bens letter?

Never have I seen someone disenfranchise so many in so little time. Bob Yudin has not won a contested election yet. His two terms for school board were uncontested. He and his supporters make claims about how much money he has raised/contributed to his campaigns and others when all he raised last year was $7,000 after the primary. Bob, how far do you think $7,000 goes? While you were strutting your stuff last year as a candidate, Rob Ortiz had to clean up the mess your former chairman left, ie: back rent, past due utility bills, phones turned off and misc. debt from your previous campaigns. Instead of running against Rob Ortiz, you and your cronies should be thanking Rob that you personally weren't served with the campaign debt. As for leadership, you have played your cards and now owe Sen. Cardinale everything. That means you are a PUPPET, no better than your former chairman. For Republicans to win in November, Yudin cannot win on Tuesday. The future of the party is at stake. Re-Elect Rob Ortiz. Walter

How about discussing what's imporatnt to you going forward? What would you like to see at the BCRO no matter who is the winner? What about some POSITIVE input instead of the Paul & Gary negativism?

you're right lady we should all be versed in facts but Bob's supporters should be very careful about asking for that.

Bob y has been playing fast and loose with the facts from Day 1. He has grossly misrepresented his fundraising ability, the amount of support he got from ortiz last year vs BCRO support in prior years and varous aspects of Ortiz's record.

He's a great gladhander on the rubber chicken circuit but no one is going to give him money. they never have before -- $28k a year is not going to get it done.

Bob has trouble raising money because people expect that he will lose. he always has before and people don't want to throw their money away, regardless of political loyalties and affiliation. If they are going to part with their money, they need to believe they have a chance to win. Bob does not have that ability. That is why he has never been able to raise money.

how shocked were you that to learn that despite what Bob has been saying, ELEC reports show that Ortiz gave the Yudin's county ticket 4x more for the general election than the BCRO had in Bob's 2 prior runs combined? Were you surprised to see that other than his own loans and contributions from other candidates, Bob raised less than $20k in his '07 run.

You wanna play county politics, you need money. Bob Y is incapable of getting that done and will lead BCRO back into financial ruin and electoral failure. The stakes are too high to turn the org over to someone who can't raise money just beacuse he has the time on his hands to go to a few events