May 16, 2007 - 2:24pm
Sires backs Stack, complains of Vega’s “smear” tactics
By Matt FriedmanCongressman Albio Sires endorsed Brian Stack for Senate in the 33rd district today, characterizing the campaign tactics of Silverio “Sal” Vega, his own Commissioner when he was Mayor of West New York, as deplorable.
“In all my years of politics, I haven’t seen tactics -- smear, dirty tactics like this -- in a long, long time,” said Sires. “My former commissioner, Sal Vega, is responsible for that type of campaign.”
At a press conference held in front of Weehawken’s Municipal Building, Sires joined Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner and several Stack-backed candidates to paint the Union City Mayor and Assemblyman as an honorable public servant who devotes his life to the interests of 33rd District residents. Sires and Turner also touted Stack’s success in allocating State Money to the district to build new schools and restore historical sites.
“I remember 20 years ago he was buying groceries for the needy in Union City,” said Sires in his speech. “I remember 15 years ago he was doing peoples’ taxes because he was trying to help them. He has a proven record of service to his community and service to his people.”
In characterizing Stack as a tireless, “24/7” leader always willing to help his constituents, the press conference’s theme can be read as a response to Vega’s recent release of audio tapes in which Stack can be heard offering to help a County Committee candidate Delcia Alexander with finding an apartment and paying her PSE&G bill. Vega claims Stack was bribing some of the County Committee candidates in order to get her to take her name off the ballot. Prior to the speech, Sires told Politicsnj.com that this is normal, laudable behavior for Stack.
“I’ve known him for 25 years. This is Brian Stack. Brian Stack is someone who gives to everyone,” said Sires. “So for them to try to take somebody and to try to say that’s a bribe, it’s just a sleazy campaign.”
While much time during the press conference was devoted to mourning the lack of civility in Hudson County politics, Stack hit back at Vega with some strong words. “He’s only a face,” Stack said of Vega. “I feel sorry for him. He’s only a puppet for the machine in Hudson County.”
But Vega’s campaign kept up the intensity of its attack on Stack’s ethics. Even as Stack was holding his press conference this morning, the HCDO sent out a press release stating that Stack ally Freddy Gomez had been suspended without pay from his job as an investigator on the Hudson County Board of Elections. Gomez allegedly pressured County Committee candidate Angie Espinal, a tenant of his, to drop out of the race, telling her what to write on the affidavit that would formally withdraw her candidacy.
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suspension
This wasn't just "a County Committee candidate" -- this was someone running in opposition to Stack. So, Stack sends some of his most powerful surrogates to her door to pressure her into signing an affidavit, while he offers about $2000 in bill payments and Sires doesn't see anything wrong with that?
The FBI confirmed to the Jersey Journal that they've got the tapes. This is bigger than any campaign.
More at Stack Scandal.
“I feel sorry for him.
“I feel sorry for him. He’s only a puppet for the machine in Hudson County.”
I suppose that makes Brian Stack a puppet for... Brian Stack?
The most amusing thing about all of this is that both Stack and Vega are right about one another.
I guess this endorsement means that Easy Sires is going to be depending on Don Brian to finance his re-election effort next year because you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be a competitive primary in '08.
I can't imagine that Bob Menendez is very happy with Albio right now, not that he ever was to begin with.
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
HCDO is corrupt
And any comment from them regarding Stack is laughable. HCDO is going down and the people are glad for that. I am supporting Stack against the HCDO crooks.
Sires will win big
Dino why do you assume there will be a competetive primary? Sires will be running as incumbant. You are familiar with incumbant stats, aren't you? He will be a shoe in for re-election.
WNYer
You DO know how to spell incumbent, don't you???
Easy Sires only has $29,000 in the bank and there is no way that Bob Menendez will give him the HCDO line in the '08 Democratic Primary which will have Hillary Clinton at the top of the ticket.
Brian Stack is a user and a leech who only keeps you around until he's gotten all he needs out of you.
Easy Sires is going to find that out the hard way.
P.S., How many straight years have YOU voted straight down the HCDO slate, including for Sal Vega, up until Now???
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
Dino
Whom do you think HCDO will be able to run against Sires in the 13th district? I guarantee Sires has more money than what you say, besides, the election isn't now.
PS, I've never voted straight HCDO and I've never been for Vega.
Sure you weren't
I find it very hard to believe that you were never for Vega seeing as though he was once aligned with your boy, Easy Sires, who saw fit to hand him his old jobs before he went to Washington.
The HCDO will find somebody out of North Hudson to take on Easy Sires in '08. Whomever it is, they will get the HCDO line with Hillary and Frank Lautenberg at the top of the ticket and Easy Sires will be left out in the cold. Brian Stack will not help him because he knows that it would be a suicide mission to go up against a Menendez backed ticket with with Hillary at the top and you know that Menendez is going to take Easy Sires to task for abandoning ship.
Say what you want about Bob Menendez because I can't stand him for the life of me, but he's not stupid. He may be letting the baby (Stack) have his bottle for now but it's only a matter of time before Boss Bob drops the hammer on him.
Does the name Glenn Cunningham ring a bell??
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
And might I add...
And, by the way, despite the fact that, as Henry Higgins lamented, English-speakers cannot even master their own language, conservatives will still tout the benefits of abolishing the Department of Education...but I digress.
I have always liked Brian Stack myself. There is a difference between asserting oneself and being a machine politician. Stack has always seemed not to be afraid to speak his mind--whether others agree with him or not--and that is something of which we need to see more in New Jersey, rather than the typical triangulating.
Dean Martin, wannabe English teacher
>>You DO know how to spell incumbent, don't you???
I don't think you are in much of a position to comment on others' orthography or mechanics. As I recall, you are still a bit confused on the difference between "complement" and "compliment." Even in your last post you demonstrate your less-than-perfect mastery of English; you wrote "whomever" where you should have written "whoever." Recall that a linking verb takes a predicate nominative and not a direct object. For those people for whom The Elements of Style is not the bible, mistakes will be made (see, use of passive voice...shame shame shame). Heaven knows I make more than my fair share.
Thanks for the Lesson
Now can you dispute anything I have said here? Or are you going to dance around it like a good little lib?
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
It’s only a matter of time.
There is a bright future ahead for the DFHC. Many elected officials are coming out to speak out about the Dirty Tactics Mr. Vega is using to campaign against Mr. Stack. Mr. Albio Sires and Mr. Richard Turner are among them speaking out. Mr. Vega is not only lying to himself that he could win. But, he’s also lying to a small group of supporters that believes in him. Just think about it, Mr. Stack is running on his merits. He’s accomplishments are many. There are new schools, new parks, the streets are pave and are keep clean, better police protection, there is a U.C. civic association that helps the community and Mr. Stack is a mayor always ready to help. He is a “24/7 Mayor.” In the other hand Mr. Vega has nothing to show but a deceiving agenda.
Sires and Turner
The only reason Easy Sires and Richard Turner are jumping on the Stack bandwagon is because they feel it's in their best personal interest to do so. I think we'll find that they're in for a rude awakening.(Sires in particular)
Once Stack leaves Sires for dead next year and the HCDO tells him to take a hike, he will quickly find himself out of a job.
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
Only time will tell.
The HCDO will find themselves surprise when they see that Mr. Stack stays loyal to Mr. Sires. This will create a turmoil whiting their ranks and they will have to make a deal with the DFHC in order to survive. But, we won’t know this until Nov.
If a tree falls when nobody is around...?
My “con” friend Dean Martin, If "lib" is your nickname for "librul," then how appropriate the corresponding moniker for conservatives...In that case, I'll take the etymological connection to "book" rather than the conservatives' either to "against" or, more likely, a denizen of prison. Moreover, there is no reason to rebut your arguments for the precise reason that they are not arguments in the first place. They fall largely into two categories, idle speculation and personal opinion.
Idle speculation (anybody can guess, can they not?):
-there is no way that Bob Menendez will give him the HCDO line in the '08 Democratic Primary which will have Hillary Clinton at the top of the ticket.
-Easy Sires is going to find that out the hard way.
-The HCDO will find somebody out of North Hudson to take on Easy Sires in '08. Whomever it is, they will get the HCDO line with Hillary and Frank Lautenberg at the top of the ticket and Easy Sires will be left out in the cold. Brian Stack will not help him because he knows that it would be a suicide mission to go up against a Menendez backed ticket with with Hillary at the top and you know that Menendez is going to take Easy Sires to task for abandoning ship.
Personal opinion (just like a particular odorous orifice that everybody has):
-Brian Stack is a user and a leech who only keeps you around until he's gotten all he needs out of you.
- Say what you want about Bob Menendez because I can't stand him for the life of me, but he's not stupid. He may be letting the baby (Stack) have his bottle for now but it's only a matter of time before Boss Bob drops the hammer on him.
You give me an intelligent, well-researched argument instead of abject con-prejudice, and then perhaps you will deserve something more than a much-needed grammar lesson.
Penny Loafer
Alright, first of all, isn't there a Political Science class in session somewhere that you should be missing right about now?
Second, it nice to see that you can throw big words around while mocking my intelligence. I guess you figgre I ain't into nona dat fancee buk lernnin. At least I can take solice in the fact that at least one of your professors found time to take a break from pumping your head full of Marxist garbage in order to teach you how to look up big words in a dictionary. Kudos to you Penny Loafer, Kudos.
Third, yes, I give my opinion here as do you. That's kind of the point of allowing comments to these threads. Nobody here is a professional analyst and none of us here pretend to be. If you don't see fit to challenge my opinions, that's fine, but if you insist on insulting me, at least use your insults constructively and challenge my opinions rather than just using insults to dance around my question.
When you're done reading the dictionary and you're ready to have a real discussion, let me know.
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
About penny loafers...
Penny Loafers is actually an a capella group at my university that I quite enjoy...so thanks for the compliment! (By the way, I'll bet this only feeds further into your notions of universities as chock full of pinko commie hooligans, right? A capella...the very thought conjures images of Dennis Kucinich burning the American flag.) Actually, though, I like that nickname. I'm thinking of changing my user ID to just that. Are you college educated, sir? If so, how did you manage to keep your head above the drowning waters of Marxist intellectual elitism? Personally, I study biochemistry, and I don't exactly see how there is much room for market theory interspersed between enzyme kinetics and reaction mechanisms. Meanwhile, this gay, Jewish, liberal Ivy Leaguer may one day be your physician and, G-d forbid any harm should befall you, have to save your life. What irony that would be, but I'll bet you would be grateful for the calibre of my education then.
My point is that it is futile to challenge your opinions when there is little chance that you will ever change your mind about your dogmatically held conservatism. To be fair, I am also not very likely to suddenly come around and see the light of conservatism. Please explain to me why I should spend time answering your "question" (frankly, I've lost track at this point of exactly what that is) when it is not likely to make any sort of impact on you, and you will read it only thinking about how to strike it down rather than based on its merits? I do hate to tell you this, given your obvious disdain for higher education, but this is what we call a purely academic pursuit. One needn't spend his time reading the dictionary or some such in order to realize this.
Go back to reading The National Review, or more likely watching Fox News, and I'll settle back down with my encyclopedia, soy latte, and Rufus Wainwright CD.
Hey Dino...
try posting using facts instead of what you think. I had no consideration of Vega at all in past elections.
By the way, the NJ Presidential primary is in February. Her name won't be on the ballot with Sires or Lautenburg.
Penn...
obviously Dino has nothing of substance to post. I will say this. THe only thing worse that the HCDO is the Republican Party. Losers everyone.
Good look, WNYer
How right you are. His "questions" and responses are all big on rhetoric and generally utterly lacking supporting evidence. He just regurgitates whatever talking points that probably appear on Fox News that day (I don't watch television myself, but I imagine based on reading the newspaper that it's probably the same spin on the "boob tube"). I don't know why I bother debating with him at all, but I guess it's kind of like when you have a cavity and you suck air through it to see if it still hurts. Once you realize it does, you reap a sort of strange satisfaction from it :-).
Penny Loafer
Well, at least now I understand your fascination with a certain odorous orifice.
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
Heck ya!
Gotta love dem orifices ;-).
--Penny Loafer