What a difference a decade makes

Seems to me that the loss of control of the Statehouse (2001) and then legislaure begat fundraising problems for the GOP on a statewide level, which in turn begat losses on the county level, as the funding from the State party and leadership committees wasn't there anymore.

So blame the statewide GOP for not winning a statewide race, and blame John Bennett for losing the legislature too, while we're at it.

"Given the choice between Democrats and imitiation democrats, voters will usually choose the real thing."
The GOP (my party) needs a genuine platform. "Lower taxes" and "ethics reform" are simply not ideas. Voters can sniff out an empty phrase pretty quickly. They can see a candidate going through the motions. And as for the "Choice for Change" platform, does anyone believe the GOP really wants initiative and referendum?
When the GOP gets spanked again this year, maybe we will finally become more than just an echo of whatever the Democrats say.

It is my belief that many Americans are centrists or progressive. Liberal? not even the democratic party is liberal anymore. The one thing that kills the republican ticket is not being on par with the times- meaning the main stream population and the young voters. It's my belief that republicans have lost their way -the true republican way, by catering to the bible belt and their funding. The holier than thou, bible pushing form of conservatism is not very popular, especially in NJ. That is not conservatism, it's religious fanatism. True conservatism id government and is what the republicans have forgotten in favor of big bible sponsorships. I respected Ronald Reagan he was a true republican and a decent man (I met him). Even though I did not agree with many of his policies, I admire him to this day. He was a religious man, but did not shove it down people's throats. You are all not progressive enough, and need to get back to true government-not just moral agendas.
The "republic" is government, not a church, or the voice of morals for freedom of choice. If you guys ever start to understand that, then you will have a chance. Believe it or not, i am not writing this as an anti-republican message but with rather nostalgic feelings of rememberance of doing battle with real honest republicans. All the luck to you.

This is excellent insight. As a conservative Catholic, but one who does not let faith dictate politics, I have been frustrated on one hand by the RINO's infinite stupidity in running elitist candidates with no popular appeal, and on the other hand the Religious Wrong imposing its absurdity and the two groups squabbling off, all while acting like its still far in the past. As we see, neither group is truly reliable for the Republican Party, just ask Bret Schundler about the former in 2001 or Rudy Giuliani about the latter today.

Young people have turned away from the GOP, but not because the Democrats are so great, but because we emphasize the wrong issues. Look at a Republican like Ron Paul who is running as a traditional true conservative, he is winning mass support among people of all ages. The other Republicans running seem more and more unable to define themselves in a future context.

And Wilson has really brought this party to its knees. The NJGOP need not be a subsidiary of Turnkey Productions. Isn't it the party chairs job to recruit candidates? Why wasn't Wilson meeting throughout 2006 with local Republicans in every possible pickup district to find good people who fit the area to run. Instead we end up with joke candidates like Mike Guarino who can't win their own precinct and make their Democratic rivals look good by comparison.

There are plenty of good Republicans in this not-so-blue state, but our party leaders keep giving us the blues.