What's Left In The Tank?

by: huntsu

Tue Jul 22, 2008 at 09:52:50 AM EDT

Jim Saxton has SAXPAC, which has been closed down with $0 cash on hand after expenditures of $13,000 fro legal fees (anyone know what that's about?), $8,000 to a election compliance specialist (was there an issue that might deal with lawyers and election compliance?), $5,000 to Chris Meyers and $5,000 to Duncan Hunter's run for President.  Really.

Ferguson is a little harder to write out, but we'll try.  His Mike PAC is still open, but only has about $1800 left after a little less than $95,000 in expenditures since the last election.  He's got a lot of $1,000 contributions to local campaigns and out-of-state members of Congress, with only Chris Smith seeing any House money in state.

$20,000 went to the Somerset Republicans, $8500 to the Hunterdon Republicans, and $1,000 to Union County.

On the other hand, Saxton has over a million dollars in the bank and Fergie has about $250,000.

So there's a lot of money in the campaign war chests even if the PACs are dead.  I wonder if they'll use them for anything.

Rep. Mike Ferguson: I Failed At My Job

by: huntsu

Tue Jun 24, 2008 at 08:19:14 PM EDT

A little over a year ago we got nailed by the unnamed Nor-Easter, and Bound Brook, South Bound Brook and Manville got nailed again.  Ferguson was still Congressman.

When Ferguson got the job, his district flooded.  When Ferguson walks away, it'll still flooding.

And this is what he says:

"We're working with the senators,"' Ferguson said about the state's two senators, Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez.

Back when he was Tom DeLay's favorite congressman, taking in more than a quarter million from DeLay, his PACs and his cronies, Ferguson couldn't get crap for his district.  Back when the President was coming to town to party over the spectre of the destruction of Social Security, Ferguson got nada.  Back when Republicans could do anything they wanted with boogey-man threats, Ferguson got nothing.

Now that the Democrats control Congress suddenly last year we got more than ever before, and he's "working" with our Democratic Senators to get $10 million, $20 million for the project.

The difference is not Ferguson, it's the party in charge.

Think about that when you vote in November, all my friends in the 7th district.  Leonard Lance may be a nice guy with some environmental votes in his pocket, but he's still a Republican and they don't give a damn if your town drowns.

It's the Democrats who are there for you, and the ones who will help.

This ain't 2003!!!

by: Thurman Hart

Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 08:38:00 AM EDT

You see, back in 2003, when Republicans controlled the House, Republicans extended unemployment benefits by a vote of 416 to 4.  Only Scott Garrett hated the unemployed enough to vote against extending benefits at that time.  Ferguson, Frelinghuysen, and Saxton voted for the $7.2 billion bill.  That was when the national unemployment rate was 6.0 percent.

Fast forward to this year.  The unemployment rate now stands at 5.5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  As of last month, New Jersey's unemployment rate was 5.0%.  The bill would cost $11 billion over ten years.

So there are two possible explanations for Ferguson, Frelinghuysen, and Saxton: Either the economy just isn't bad enough or the bill isn't Republican enough.  Either way, they owe it to their constituents to explain their action.  Something that was right in 2003 can't just be wrong in 2008.

New Jersey Republicans try to kill Amtrak

by: Hopeful

Wed Jun 11, 2008 at 09:15:00 PM EDT

"It is no exaggeration to say that rail service is the lifeline from which New Jersey's state economy draws nourishment.  Our region's employers - small, medium, and large - depend upon an integrated rail operation to enable many of their employees to get to and from work," Holt said. "The continued operation of Amtrak is an essential component of easing traffic congestion, reducing wear and tear on roads, protecting our environment and preserving open space in New Jersey and across the country."

That's why all thirteen New Jersey Congressmen voted for the "Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act" -- though unfortunately it faces a Bush veto.  Still, as far as New Jersey is concerned, it's a lovely story of bipartisanship -- we may even read about it in the papers tomorrow.

But it's a happy story only if you just look at House Vote 400.  Moments before, in House Vote 399, all six New Jersey Republicans tried to kill the bill by voting to "recommit with instructions."  

Their names are Mike Ferguson, Rodney Frelinghuysen, Scott Garrett, Frank LoBiondo, Jim Saxton, and Christopher Smith, and when you're not paying attention, they do what Bush says.  

Garrett wants to leave Congress

by: Hopeful

Mon May 12, 2008 at 11:19:10 PM EDT

GOP Senate Primary - Disclosure Doesn't Pay

by: Thurman Hart

Sun May 11, 2008 at 08:15:45 PM EDT

George Ajjan is a Republican activist, writer and pundit who was the GOP nominee for Congress in the 8th District in 2004.

There's only one thing wrong with that description (that I'll focus on here) - it's incomplete to the point of being misleading and dishonest.  George Ajjan is working for Murray Sabrin, as is evidenced by his name on Sabrin's press releases.

I give the Record credit for being evenhanded - they have an op-ed for each of the candidates for the GOP.  It's almost as if they looked for the worst possible people to do it, though.  For example - Mike Ferguson writing for Dick Zimmer.  

Happy Mother's Day!

by: Hopeful

Sun May 11, 2008 at 05:00:00 AM EDT

Once you've done so, also take a moment to remember Rodney Frelinghuysen, Scott Garrett, Frank LoBiondo, Chris Smith, Jim Saxton, and Mike Ferguson, who voted against Celebrating the Role of Mothers in the United States and Supporting the Goals and Ideals of Mother's Day.  If you ask them, they might explain that they are not against mothers at all, but instead are trying to tie up Congress so it can't accomplish anything.  Four of them go before voters in November as they seek to do the same next year.

Hello, Kettle? May I Introduce You to Pot?

by: huntsu

Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 03:09:07 PM EDT

It is eerily similar to Ferguson's "Stender is a Spender" campaign from 2006 where he blamed Assemblywoman Linda Stender for everything that happened in Trenton even if Stender voted against it.

But apparently it's OK to blast Democratic state legislators for being part of the mess in Trenton, but not the Republicans.  At least in Fergie world.

"I was very disappointed to see Kate's ad, because it's false, it's misleading, it's a complete distortion of Senator Lance's record,'' said Ferguson, calling Lance a "taxpayer's champion in Trenton for years.''

Yeah, the most powerful Republican in the state government for years and he's a champion.  And how about the incredible debt run up under Lance's watch while they controlled state government and Whitman was governor?  Was that debt championing the taxpayers?

And blaming Linda Stender for actions in Trenton she voted against wasn't distorting the record?  Wasn't that "false, it's misleading, it's a complete distortion of [the] record?'

LNG Platforms off the Jersey Coast?

by: Jason Springer

Sat Apr 12, 2008 at 10:38:31 PM EDT

ExxonMobil and a private investor group each have proposed liquid natural gas terminals in the Atlantic, east of New Jersey and south of Long Island. Both projects are pending federal approvals.

Despite the potential for appeals, the governor's decision takes the project off the front burner and shifts attention to New Jersey where two other developers are proposing separate off-shore LNG projects.

The first, "Safe Harbor Energy," comes from Atlantic Sea Island Group (ASIG), a group of private investors who propose to build a man-made island for a LNG facility 13 miles off Long Beach, NY, and 19 miles off Sea Bright, NJ.

The second, "Blue Ocean Energy," is ExxonMobil's plan for a floating LNG terminal located 30 miles off Long Island and 20 miles east of New Jersey. (Video)

It will be interesting to see how the lessons of Broadwater are applied in New Jersey, both by the developers and project

Among the shifts in power: The federal government would gain the power to approve giant liquefied natural gas terminals off the coasts, over state objections. [snip]

Rep. Mike Ferguson, a fellow Republican from nearby New Jersey, supports increasing federal authority, and says states would continue to hold some regulatory oversight of these facilities.

"Federal pre-emption for siting is necessary to ensure the highest safety and security for LNG terminals," Ferguson said.

Now Congressman Ferguson has, in a largely party line vote, voted against an amendment to the Coast Guard appropriations bill that would require the Coast Guard to "conduct a comprehensive security and safety review of liquefied natural gas facilities."

Opposition likely will be lead by Clean Ocean Action, a Jersey shore environmental organization which hasn't wasted any time is using its web site and a "fact sheet" to educate its members and supporters about the alleged shortcomings of both projects.

The NJ GOP Is Not Racist! They Just Play One On Election Day.

by: huntsu

Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 03:18:06 PM EST

Well, now we know there is thanks to Allen Raymond, a former GOP operative who wrote a tell-all book (text below from TPM) about his political dirty tricks and what he calls criminal antics.  See, he'd know because he was sent to jail for 90 days for illegally jamming the NH State Democratic Party's phones on election Day 2002.

As an aside, NJ7 GOP candidate Kate Whitman was the NH State Republican Party's Communications Director that day. 

Back to the story, though.  Our new friend Mr. Raymond also has a history in NJ with a GOP political firm called Jamestown Associates which has proudly put the mug of one Congressman Mike Ferguson on its home page as proof that they can "win tough campaigns," including his 2000 race against Maryanne Connelly he just barely won.

Apparently they win close campaigns, and lose close campaigns, by relying on racism and hate.  Seriously.  Check out what they hired Raymond to do in the 2000 New Jersey election between Congressman Rush Holt (D) and Dick Zimmer (R):

[Tom Blakely from Jamestown Associates] called me up and asked, "How do you guys find voice talent?"

"Well, I've got a whole catalog of different voices on CDs. I've got 'single Northeastern female,' I've got 'Southern belle' -- what are you looking for?"

"We're targeting Democrats of Eastern European descent using a surname select and geopolitical filter."

"Oh," I said, quickly doing the polarizing-voter math in my head. "How about 'angry black man'?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. What's his voice sound like?"

So I cued up one particular actor's CD on my computer and put the phone to the speaker. The track I played was one in which the actor was deliberately playing up a street gang character.

After listening for a few seconds, Blakely said, "That's the guy!"

So we had the actor record a spot over the telephone saying, "I'm calling as a Democrat, asking you to vote for the Democratic nominee. We need your vote for Holt."

I'm not saying that all Eastern European whites are racists, but, no matter where or when an election is held, there is a always a cultural divide that you can rely on. The message was "I'm ghetto black calling you, racist Ukrainian guy, and scaring the crap out of you because you probably think that if you don't vote for the Democrat I'm going to come to your house and take care of some business."

He's not saying that all Eastern Europeans are racist; he's just saying that enough of them are that he preyed on that fear and hate to change their votes.  But it wasn't just Eastern Europeans!

We made calls to Democratic union households supporting Zimmer, taped by actors putting on thick Spanish accents, figuring union workers were the voters who felt most threatened by immigration. The objective was to get them to throw up their hands and stay home on Election Day. We were just forcing those people to make a decision that was true to who they really were. If you want to question someone's character, look to the people who stayed home because of those calls.

You wonder why there is a fear of Spanish speaking folks in working class NJ?  Because jackasses like Jamestown Associates and their clients (Mike Ferguson) fan the flames in order to win elections for themselves.  They can call themselves moderates all they want -- Jamestown also works for "moderates" Jody Rell and Chris Shays in Connecticut -- but they are just as cynical and ready to engage in racist stereotypes as much as any KKK Grand Wizard ever was.

This is your NJ Republican Party: they're not racist, but they're happy to take advantage and foment racism to win.

Lonely, Lonely Garrett

by: Juan Melli

Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 08:58:42 PM EST

During the vote last week, Mike Ferguson, Rodney Frelinghuysen and Jim Saxton also voted against it. This time around, the trio voted for it but only after tax-payer funded subsidies of energy companies were put back in the bill. President Bush is expected to sign the legislation.

In conclusion, Ferguson, Frelinghuysen and Saxton want to spend your tax dollars to subsidize the carbon economy, and Scott Garrett is more out of touch than Commander Cuckoo Bananas.

Just Wondering

by: huntsu

Wed Dec 05, 2007 at 12:54:35 PM EST

So where are these "pro-life" Congresscritters when it comes time to end the New Jersey Death Penalty?

Cillizza Says NJ-3, NJ-7 Among Top 5 Most Likely to Flip

by: Juan Melli

Fri Nov 30, 2007 at 10:58:35 AM EST

5. New Jersey's 7th District (R): Rep. Mike Ferguson's (R) retirement stunned House Republicans who now must defend one of the most expensive Congressional districts in the country (the 7th is entirely within the New York City media market). Adding to the Republican woes is the candidacy of state Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D) who came within 3,000 votes of ousting Ferguson in 2006. Republicans lost their number one recruit when state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. took a pass and now face a likely primary between Kate Whitman, the daughter of former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman (R), and state Sen. Leonard Lance. This district was made more Republican by redistricters in 2001 but given its cost Republicans must nominate a candidate with either a well-known name or deep pockets to compete. (Previous ranking: N/A) [...]

3. New Jersey's 3rd District (R): Rep. Jim Saxton's retirement is a BIG problem for Republicans. Why? First, this south-central Jersey district is marginal territory politically as President Bush won it with just 51 percent in 2004. Second, the district is covered by the incredibly expensive New York City and Philadelphia media markets and is a very tough one in which to communicate. Third, Democrats seem united behind state Sen. John Adler as their candidate, while state Sen. Diane Allen, the preferred Republican candidate, dropped from the race on Thursday, a decision largely credited to her running dispute with the boss of Burlington County. (How can you not love New Jersey politics?) It now looks like Lockheed Martin vice president Christopher Myers will be the Republican pick and will enjoy Saxton's support. (Previous ranking: N/A)

The Blog That Didn't Dump Mike Ferguson

by: nathanrudy

Sun Nov 25, 2007 at 06:52:35 PM EST

Last week Congressman Mike Ferguson, the Rep. from NJ7 who loved Tom DeLay and worshiped embryos, announced that at age 38 he was retiring from Congress after four terms.  His stated reason was to spend more time with his family, but suspicions have been raised that it was either an emerging sex scandal or the upcoming brutal campaign against Linda Stender that pushed him out.

Others suggested that a blog I mostly wrote, called Dump Mike, was a primary reason.  Matt Stoller over at Open Left wrote:

The first candidate-centric blog I ever saw was DumpMike.com, targeting Ferguson (congrats, you did it).  There were many times when Ferguson was embarrassed by the site, but my favorite post was when DumpMike caught Ferguson with a whites-only website.

Fergie's Retirement, the REAL reason

by: Jay Lassiter

Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 07:53:33 AM EST

Something besides that tired ol' spend-more-time-with-family meme.

Not surprisingly, non political people all over the state are scratching their head.  Maybe it's easier for non-activist types to smell a rat than it is for those of us in the trenches. 

So until we know for sure, I am curious what the rest of you all think.  Kindly turn your attention to the poll below the fold and weigh in accordingly.

It's Who I'm Running For... Not Who I'm Running Against

by: Linda Stender

Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 10:23:29 AM EST

Visit me at LindaStenderForCongress.com, where you can sign up for updates and contribute online via ActBlue.

I'm sure many of you have heard the news:  Republican Congressman Mike Ferguson is not seeking re-election in 2008.  While New Jersey's 7th District won't be seeing the rematch everyone expected, I'm still moving ahead at full-steam with my congressional campaign regardless of who my opponent will be.

First, before anything else, I just want to say that I respect Congressman Ferguson's decision not to run again.  As the mother of three children, I understand all too well the difficulty of juggling the demands of public service and family.  Along those lines, one of my strongest motivations for running for Congress is the well-being of all families and the future of all our children.

I also want to make it clear that this doesn't change my outlook on the race.  I was never running against Mike Ferguson.  All along, I've been running for my neighbors in New Jersey's 7th District.  Here are just a few of the reasons why: 

Stender Statement

by: Juan Melli

Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 02:51:24 PM EST

"I respect Congressman Ferguson's decision not to seek re-election and, as the mother of three children, I understand the difficulty of juggling the demands of public service and family. But one of my strongest motivations for running for Congress is the well being of all families and the future of all children.

  "The change of Republican candidates is not enough of a change for the voters. They want a change in the direction of the country and no Republican who replaces Mr Ferguson will bring the change that is needed. 

  "The voters already sent a strong message rejecting the failed policies of the Bush Administration and all the Republicans who sided with him. The disastrous record of Bush and the Republican Party has become even more pronounced since the 2006 elections. The voters are more than anxious to follow through in 2008 and I am more than prepared to keep up the fight on their behalf.

  "I never slowed down after coming with a percentage point of winning last year and Mr Ferguson's departure makes me even more determined. The stakes are too important and the need for change in Washington is too great."

Mike Ferguson Announces Retirement

by: Juan Melli

Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 12:36:14 PM EST

After barely defeating Linda Stender last year, Congressman Ferguson says he won't seek reelection in 2008. His announcement is surprising considering he's only 37. His statement:

"I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for re-election to Congress in 2008.  I deeply appreciate the privilege the people of the 7th District have given me during the past seven years, and it has been my honor to represent them and our country.

"My wife, Maureen, and I have four children, the oldest of whom is 9 years old.  Since first being elected in 2000, I have strived to balance my responsibilities to my family and to my constituents.  I am indebted to Maureen, whose love, selflessness and patience allow me to meet my obligations to my constituents - from votes in Congress that extend past midnight to multiple trips each week between Washington and New Jersey and back again.  Being a representative in Congress is more meaningful than I had imagined, and I know that now is the right time to step away from public life to focus more on family life while our children are still young. [...]

"After winning re-election in an extraordinarily challenging year for Republicans in 2006 and then witnessing the impressive gains Republicans made in the 7th District just this month, I am confident that Republicans will nominate a candidate who will continue to reflect the mainstream values of voters in the district and be elected as our next representative in 2008.

(full statement below) The district has a partisan voting index of R+0.6, meaning it's a serious pickup opportunity for Democrats. PolitickerNJ speculates on next year's race:

Senate Minority Leader-designate Thomas Kean, Jr. becomes one of the most likely GOP candidates for the seat.  ....

Other possible GOP candidates include: Assembly Minority Whip Jon Bramnick, outgoing Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance, State Sen.-elect Christopher Bateman, Bridgewater Mayor Patricia Flannery, and Franks, now the President of the Health Care Institute of New Jersey.

Ferguson Flip Flops on ENDA

by: Scott Weingart

Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 09:52:19 AM EST

If you'll recall, Ferguson has also changed his position on hate crimes twice since his first term.  While campaigning for Congress in 2000, he supported including sexual orientation in hate crimes laws, and he cosponsored the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2001.  In 2005, he voted against covering sexual orientation under federal hate crime laws.  Then, earlier this year, he voted for the same bill he supported in 2000 and 2001 but opposed in 2005.

Ferguson has abandoned all principle on LGBT issues, voting half the time to please his right-wing donor base and half the time to mollify his mostly moderate constituents.  His vote yesterday placed him far to the right of the New Jersey mainstream; last year just 10 of 120 state legislators voted against banning employment discrimination based on gender identity or expression.  For someone who likes to talk up his "moderate" record during general election season, that's pretty pathetic.

Congress' Dedicated and Courageous Pro-Life Leader

by: huntsu

Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 08:39:08 PM EDT

Last Thursday the Susan B. Anthony List joined with National Right to Life Committee and FRCAction to present Real Women's Voices, a training conference for pro-life women activists from across the country.  ...  The activists also witnessed inspirational words from Congress' dedicated and courageous Pro-Life leaders: Senator Sam Brownback (KS-Sen), Rep. Mike Ferguson (NJ-07), Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC-05), and Rep. Jean Schmidt (OH-02).

Ah, so what, you say.  So Mikey wandered off to hang out with his own for a little while.  What's the difference?

One participant said, "When I came in this morning, I had no interest in political office. By the end of the day, I was saying, I have to run for something."

Yep, they're working to take people who are pro-life as a personal belief and turn them into elected officials who see pro-life as a societal belief.  In short, they are working to create a crew of pro-life politicos who will work to take control of your bodies.

But maybe it's OK, because if that's what these women really believe they should get into the process?  After all, aren't we all about the democratic process as much as anything?

Well, sure, if they were being filled with facts and honest arguments that might apply.  But here's one of the things they are most proud of:

After a day of intensive training, activists headed off to lobbying meetings with their legislators, where they discussed the Equal Rights Amendment and the importance of adding language to make the amendment neutral on the abortion issue.

They spent their day making sure the ERA is neutral on the abortion issue.  Frankly, I thought the ERA died back in the 1980s, but let's suppose it has a renaissance now and was brought back up. 

Here's the text of the ERA:

Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Now, I'm sorry but I can't see any reading of the text above that could in any way be construed as being pro, con or even ambivalent about abortion.  It's already as abortion neutral as any single sentence in the language could be except, "Yup."

But the article says these women were meeting with "Congress' dedicated and courageous Pro-Life leaders" -- including Mike Ferguson -- to discuss making sure this language was abortion neutral.

It's just more evidence that the anti-abortion crowd is about more than preventing and illegalizing abortions.  The reason why they are making the ERA into a boogey-woman is because they want to control women's lives, to prevent them from having equal rights.  As long as these women are indoctrinated to believe that the ERA is about abortion, they'll be happy to fight against ensuring themselves the right to equal treatment under the law.

Mike Ferguson is in the middle of these mendacious, misleading efforts to twist women around in knots until they are advocating for policies against their better interests.  It's possible that Ferguson does this because he is honestly anti-abortion, but the effect of his actions and associations is more important than the intent.

Ferguson has got to go, and 2008 is the time to do it.