He's the sponsor of the health care bill, and I am so against that it's not even funny. - Diane Gooch, candidate for Congress in NJ-6
I can't not take Diane Gooch's candidacy seriously. The wealthy Monmouth County GOP activist is the publisher of The Two River Times, and the Vice-Chair of the Monmouth Republican Party. And, not for nothing, Christie rocked the shore towns last year, and everybody knows it.
Frank Pallone is a big target. Knock him down - like Christie knocked down New Jersey - and you've really done something. Pallone's been in Congress for two decades, acts as Democratic Municipal Chair in his own hometown of Long Branch, and has the biggest war chest in the entire House, some $3.9 million and change.
Gooch - husband Michael is a Wall Street guy worth hundreds of millions - brings both party position and the ability to self-fund her campaign wholly if she wants to. And argue for campaign finance all you want, right now in 2010 - and particularly in expensive media market NJ - money can matter. Both those things mean Gooch doesn't have to jump through hoops other candidates, who have to spend their time raising money, have to.
Pallone, well-liked both in his District and outside it, chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Health, which puts him right in the middle of the struggle for health care reform, upon which the Democratic Party is shredding, upon which the teaparty was born.
Pallone's also the Communications Chair of the Democratic Policy Committee. He's the message man, on health care reform, and everything else. The man can talk. So I'm trying to take Diane Gooch seriously, even after that clunky teenager quote above. I know I should. I'm trying so hard it isn't even funny.
Following the Presidents Healthcare Summit on Thursday, Congressman Frank Pallone appeared on Countdown last night speaking with Lawrence O'Donnell about the current fate of healthcare. O'Donnell began the segment with a recap and then brought the Congressman on and started with what Pallone expects the way forward to be. He said they haven't been told what the President will do specifically and doesn't think a decision has been made on whether to move forward with reconciliation in both houses. They talked about the specifics in the bills and what the ramifications would be back at home in district for voting on some of the more unpopular provisions. Pallone said the bottom line is what is going to the President because your opponent will make things up anyway. You can see the full segment here:
Over the last year, the tea party movement has gotten a lot of attention from the media, progressives, and conservatives alike. I’ve been one of the many progressives that have made fun at them and commonly refer to them as “teabaggers,” which they originally called themselves before media personalities like Rachel Maddow told the public where the term “teabag” as a verb originally came from (porn) and what it means (a vulgar sex act). If you take away the top-down organization, the media hype and coverage (especially from Faux News), and the funding from industry, the tea party movement is a populist movement. However because of the top down organization and industry funding, it is not a grassroots movement like Faux News would like you to believe. It’s an Astroturf movement.
Last Friday, 27 of them visited Congressman Frank Pallone’s office in Long Branch and made their wishes known--- that the Congressman get a pink slip from the voters in November. A big part of me wanted to be there throwing snowballs at them. However that would be stooping to their level, and could possibly get me arrested, so I was better off not finding out until after the fact. The teabaggers are upset at Pallone for his role in the pending health care legislation, his vote on the (successful) stimulus bill, and his support of the “cap and trade” environmental legislation that is pending in the Senate. What the teabaggers do not realize is that they are often the very people who would benefit from the very legislation they are protesting. Do they honestly like the health insurance industry’s ability to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions? However having spoken with a few of them at Pallone’s Red Bank town hell (not a typo) meeting—they seem to be unconcerned with the rest of us. Their mantra struck me as “I got mine--screw you.” I’m just the opposite and support Pallone’s position on all of the above legislation.
This whole tea party movement has been on my mind for quite some time and it has me wondering--- why is there no populist equivalent for progressives? Should there be one? There are already several great progressive organizations in New Jersey which I am a part of. However not too many people know about them and the meetings and events are usually attended by the same (amazing) group of people. Should we embrace this populism and take to the streets the way the teabaggers have?
I personally think that it’s time for progressives to cash in on some of this growing populism. I do not mean that we should join the teabaggers with their misspelled signs, racism, and conspiracy theories. I simply mean that we as a party need to embrace populism. With a new governor who has already declared war on commuters and public employees this should not be very hard. If you simply ask people how they feel about the issues, many will agree with us. It’s just a matter of how we get our message out, which we are not very good at. However we do not have long to get our message across as the November elections are quickly approaching. And between now and then, the Democrats in Congress have to learn where their spines are located and how to use them. We saw last November what happened when progressives could not get excited about a candidate. We must not let this happen again.
It's the one-year anniversary of the stimulus bill, aka American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which every New Jersey Republican Congressman opposed and every Democrat supported. Rush Holt says "Everyone in Central New Jersey, whether they realize it or not, knows someone who would be out of job without the investments made in the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act." Frank Pallone says "The Recovery Act is putting New Jerseyans to work who have lost their jobs and continued to employ those, who without it, would have lost their jobs." The New York Times talked to independent economists and concludes "the stimulus package, flaws and all, deserves a big heaping of credit."
But to me, we can see how a recovery has started -- and how far we have to go -- in this graph of job losses put out by Organizing for America:
On the one hand, you can see how the jobs losses stabilized and then improved under the Obama Administration. The problem is that to bring unemployment back down, we need years of positive job growth.
So when our Representatives follow through on their promises to continue fighting for us, they should look at this conclusion from the Times article:
The last year has shown - just as economists have long said - that aid to states and cities may be the single most effective form of stimulus.
It's too bad so much of the stimulus went to tax cuts that most people don't even realize they got. Still, all in all, the stimulus is a success and we have averted an even worse disaster.
The tea party people have come and gone from Rep. Frank Pallone's District Office in Long Branch today. As I understand it, they didn't let the office know they were coming; I think Pallone's staff found out from a right-wing blog (imagine that!).
I'm hoping I'll have pictures to go with this later, and I don't know how many people showed up. But, though the Congressman was in D.C. today, he had this statement:
I respect the right of the tea party members to speak out. But, i am concerned that their policies would give more New Jerseyans pink slips.
They opposed the stimulus bill, which povided the biggest tax cut to the middle class in history. It prevented teachers,police officers and fire fighters from being laid off, helped ppl with extended ubemployment compensation, Medicaid and COBRA subsidies.
The Tea Party opposes a new jobs bill that provides more tax cuts and loans to small businesses as well as money for transportation projects - all to create more jobs.
The legislation they oppose is actually good for NJ and will help us get out of the recession.
Two-term Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini (R-Ocean Twp.) says she might challenge U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), the chairman of a key House subcommittee that approved President Obama's health care plan.
"This is all speculation. It really is," said Angelini, who acknowledged that she has been mulling a congressional bid.
While she says it's all just speculation, the more she talks the more she sounds like a candidate in waiting:
"Unfortunately I think he really has kind of lost touch with who he's representing," she said. "I think you do see that sometimes. These folks stay in office too long and forget where they went in to begin with."
Republicans would love to find a way to make Pallone stay at home in his district and spend some of his war chest protecting his current seat, rather than planning for future endeavours:
What the State GOP gains from this is forcing Frank Pallone to spend money when he'd rather save it for a potential future statewide run, for senate," said Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray. "That's the benefit that you get - to bloody him up a little bit."
As for Murray's take on Angelini?
"Yes, she's a viable candidate. But she's not going to win."
There are other potential names that have been mentioned, but Angelini would be the most notable challenger. She's talking like she wants it, but we'll see whether she is willing to back that talk up with a full blown campaign.
I like to see our Representatives trying out new ways to communicate:
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. will conduct a "Twitter Town Hall Meeting" to engage in an online discussion about health care reform, the New Jersey congressman announced on Friday.
To participate in the Twitter Town Hall: Sign onto Twitter between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Monday, December 21st and direct a question to @FrankPallone with the hash tag "#ttpallone" at the end.
If you and your friends use Twitter, maybe you can promote the event beforehand.
One advantage is you have less chance of losing a finger at this Town Hall.
In the wake of highly controversial and contested new recommendations to women on when in their lives they should have mammograms, Congressman Frank Pallone is convening a hearing to examine the issue.
The federal recommendations - a sharp departure from medical orthodoxy - produced immediate reactions, from women flooding into their doctors' offices demanding an opinion, to charges that this was the government getting ready to ration care and kill off older women. Well, there's no accounting for Fox News.
Pallone chairs the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Congressman Frank Pallone announced yesterday that his Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold hearings over new guidelines released by the he U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that say breast cancer screenings, previously recommended for women in their 40's, should not be done annually until they reach 50:
"Breast cancer is a preventable and treatable disease if it is detected early but we don't want to cause other health problems in the process," said Pallone. "Providers and patients need to understand the risks of both screening and not screening so that they can make a balanced decision."
"We should try to minimize the confusion people have about what is best for their health," Pallone said. "And we should be cognizant that these studies also have an impact on what insurance will cover. This hearing will increase everyone's understanding of the issue."
The new report and guidelines say that having this procedure done on an annual basis might cause more harm than do good for women under the age of 50. It says that exposure to radiation, false alarms and unnecessary biopsies are among the downsides, according to the study.
the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Society for Breast Diseases, have released statements defending the use of mammograms in the 40-49 age group.
They argue that cases of breast cancer could go undetected with the less frequent testing. The Congressman said that the hearing will be held early next month.
In the political context, the new guidelines come in the middle of the debate over healthcare and have only added to the talking points of those who argue the government will ration care. As Congressman Pallone pointed out, insurance companies will make decisions on coverage based on these recommendations, so it's good to examine the situation further because it's a pretty significant change. In the mean time, Senator Menendez has called on the Surgeon General to increase efforts to educate women about the new mammogram guidelines to help avoid confusion.
Congressman Frank Pallone spent the end of last week talking about the H1N1 flu shot. Here's an interview he did with Washington Unplugged on CBS:
The Congressman talked about a hearing that his Health subcommittee will hold a hearing later this month to look into if Wall Street employees and others with additional access have been able to get the H1N1 flu vaccine before people from high-risk groups. From the Wall Street Journal:
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup are among several large New York City employers that got doses of the H1N1 vaccine, which remains in short supply. WSJ's Betsy Mckay discusses Wall Street's latest public relations nightmare on The News Hub.
The businesses registered with the city's Department of Health to offer the vaccine through employee health clinics, and a department spokeswoman said they were sent doses as part of a plan to reach more high-risk adults.
"We should do the vaccination strictly based on whether its a high risk group because, you know, disease has no barrier based on whether you are documented or not," Pallone told moderator John Dickerson. "If you end up not inoculating people who are undocumented and they start spreading the disease then that hurts everyone."
Dickerson asked the congressman how he would respond to the argument that the already unproduced and scarce vaccine should be distributed to United States taxpayers first.
"That's acting against your own self interest," Pallone said. "That's like saying all of the poor people have a disease so we won't inoculate them, and somehow the rich people are going to immune. You've got to be practical about this and not worry about whether somebody has papers.'
Let me preface this conversation by stating that I supported Senator Frank Lautenberg's re-election campaign during both the primary and general elections last year, but...
1) ...after seeing him speak in public numerous times at a dramatically reduced level of performance than in the past...
...and...
2) ...after last week's gubernatorial election results...
...and...
3) ...assuming that the aspiring Governors that are currently serving in the State Senate and State Assembly are not going to be willing to rescind the power that the Governor currently has to fill vacated U.S. Senate seats, I think that Democratic Party leaders, electeds, and rank-and-file members should reach out en masse to Senator Frank Lautenberg and ask him to resign his seat.
Of the many heroes today, is my former boss, Rep. Rush D. Holt of New Jersey's 12th congressional district. Hopeful has his full statement from the floor of the House in Comments. Here it is on vid:
It has all come down to this. As I am sure you all know, here in New Jersey Election Day is next Tuesday, November 3rd. So, right now, Jon Corzine and Loretta Weinberg need our help during this final stretch run. Your support and hard work could make the difference in one of the most important races in the country, and in the most important gubernatorial race I have seen in my lifetime.
This election is simply too important for anyone to sit on the sidelines. In tough times, Governor Corzine is standing up for New Jersey's families. He's worked hard to provide healthcare coverage for more children and protect property tax rebates for seniors and working families. Governor Corzine's investments in health care, green technology and education have shown that he is the leader New Jersey needs to get us through these difficult times.
"This is history in the making for health care in America," said Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., a key author. "Once these reforms are enacted, every American will be able to take comfort in the knowledge they will have access to affordable health care and that insurance coverage won't be denied or taken away. Good health care is a basic need shared by all Americans, this will make it a basic right for everyone."
I had the chance to join Pallone's conference call for the media this afternoon. The messages I took away were:
Pallone is happy with this bill, says it refects for the most part the bil passed by his Energy and Commerce committee. When asked what disappoints him, he says "nothing."
He emphasizes that many aspects of reform will take effect immediately. In particular, rescissions, denial of pre-existing coonditions, and lifetime limits on coverage will be banned. He raised the point that some (certainly not all) of the protections exist in New Jersey state law already, but insurers will find it harder to evade federal law as they now do state law.
I thought this six minute speech by Frank Pallone on the governor's race is worth watching:
He makes a good case for Jon Corzine. Even if your mind is made up on this election, I think it's nice to check out the major politicians in our state to see what they think is important and how they deliver a speech. After all, we may have a statewide primary someday where Pallone runs.
Not surprisingly, elected Democrats liked Corzine and Republicans liked Christie. First we have the Governor's running mate, Lieutenant Governor Candidate Loretta Weinberg:
"Tonight, Governor Corzine demonstrated clearly that he is the candidate who will fight for what matters to New Jersey in these tough economic times. He's fought every day for New Jersey families- expanding health care coverage for almost 100,000 additional children and passing paid family leave. These are the right choices for New Jersey and the right priorities for the next four years.
Chris Christie, on the other hand, is more concerned with lining the pockets of insurance companies than protecting the families and children of New Jersey. Christie has repeatedly said that he would give insurance companies free rein to drop coverage for critical procedures like mammograms and autism treatments.
Time and time again, Christie shows he continues to be wrong when it matters most."
Congressman Frank Pallone:
"Tonight's debate highlighted the very clear choice facing New Jersey voters in November. While Governor Corzine has fought for what matters for New Jersey families over the past four years, Chris Christie has been wrong when it matters most. He said he'd reject President Obama's stimulus funds, driving up property taxes by $2 billion and now he says he still backs the Bush policies that got our country into this mess."
State Chair Joe Cryan:
"Governor Corzine proved tonight that he is the right man for the job. He succeeded in passing the nation's first economic recovery plan and worked with President Obama to bring over $17 billion in new federal stimulus funds into New Jersey, helping to balance our budget and generate and save over 40,000 jobs. Chris Christie once again showed he would rather score cheap political points than fight for what matters to New Jersey."
I'll put more reaction from Democrats and Republicans below the fold. Nothing surprising, but what do you think?
This coming November we all have an important choice at the polls. This election doesn't just impact New Jersey's families; it affects Democratic and progressive causes all over the country. We are fighting in Washington to make sure that lasting health care reform legislation is ultimately passed and the Republicans have been fighting us every step of the way. If Chris Christie is elected Governor it will only embolden right-wing Republicans to continue to obstruct and derail our ambitious agenda.
Congressman Pallone took to CNN the other night on the Lou Dobbs show to continue the healthcare debate with Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. Blackburn says that her biggest concern is the public option. Pallone talked about how the cost to the overall healthcare system would go down with reform. Blackburn just continued to hammer away at the public option calling it rationing and saying it restricts public access. Pallone defended the public option saying there is no way the public option doesn't bring down costs:
Following the interview, Senator Baucus released the details of his bill from the Senate Finance committee, to which Pallone had this response:
"This is a major step forward in the long-sought effort to reform health insurance in America. Senator Baucus and his colleagues have dedicated a lot of time and effort to produce a plan in the Senate Finance Committee. I praise them for their work and welcome the introduction of their plan; it will add momentum to the political and popular support that is steadily growing for health reform as people learn the truth about the proposals and the fallacy of most criticisms.
[snip]
"I know already that there are many more similarities than differences with the two plans. We will work to bridge whatever differences that exist. I am confident that we will do that. We have made a lot of progress, we have increasing political momentum, popular support grows with understanding and most everyone sees the need for reform."
And the debate moves on. Pallone will be on Fox this Sunday at 1pm to discuss the next steps in health care reform.
You already know about the infamous Anti-Christ question (more here, but Public Policy Polling asked quite a few more interesting questions in their New Jersey Poll. Here's a roundup:
The horse race: They have Corzine-Christie-Daggett at 35-44-13. Not much to say, except that maybe Daggett is surging. This poll is a bit worse than some others, but does show improvement from the previous PPP poll. PPP notes that 47% of Daggett voters say they might change their mind, so there's plenty of room to fade to a more typical third-party result.
The Republican Dream Voter Universe: If the 2009 likely voters had determined 2008, Obama would have won in a 48-46 squeeker (and with the margin of error, McCain might even have won.) In other words, current likely voter polls are based on the Republican dream electorate.
Those persuadable voters are a pretty Democratic leaning group. They voted for Barack Obama 53-36 last year, supported Corzine 56-29 in 2005, and 39% of them are Democrats compared to just 20% who are Republicans.
You'd think all that would add up to them being more inclined to vote for Corzine. But 61% of them have an unfavorable opinion of him. Of course 44% of them have an unfavorable opinion of Christie too, which is why a lot of them say they're planning to vote for Daggett right now.
Barack Obama's decline in approval (now at 45% for "likely voters", see above) is linked to moderates and conservatives. He's at a staggering 98% approval among liberal Democrats. Well, it's staggering if you read Open Left like I do.
Booker or Pallone instead of Corzine. PPP tested two alternative candidates, though obviously people who aren't running for governor are at a disadvantage because they haven't been able to get a message out. Pallone faired even worse than Corzine, getting only 23% of the vote against Christie. I'd say most people don't know who he is, but plainly he should do a little work on his statewide image if he ever runs for Senate. Cory Booker also trails Christie for this year in the hypothetic matchup, but he is well positioned for a future statewide run:
Booker is a far more intriguing possibility. 41% of voters view him favorably, nine points better than Corzine, and only 20% have an unfavorable opinion of him, 40 points lower than the current Governor. Booker's popularity is such that he's even viewed positively, 29/27, by a small plurality of Republicans. He's only the fifth Democratic politician PPP has found that to be the case for across the entire country in 2009.
It doesn't look like Booker's race would be an issue. 40% of whites view him favorably compared to 21% unfavorable. That's far better than Corzine's numbers (25/67) and Barack Obama's (37/55). And while Booker may have been accused in some quarters of being an 'Uncle Tom' during his campaigns for mayor of Newark, only 5% of African Americans statewide have a negative opinion of him.
Congressman Frank Pallone appeared on Your World with Neil Cavuto last week to talk about how we should be judging and quantifying the progress of the stimulus:
