There will be ‘Bridgegate’ questions
Governor Chris Christie has called a press conference for 11am this morning to announce personnel changes in his administration.
‘Bridgegate’, the controversy over lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last September, will likely be the hot topic the press corps wants to talk about, unless Christie declares the press conference ‘on topic’ or restricted to questions about his new appointments or nominations. Christie has done this on occasion and then lambasted reporters who asked off topic questions. Any reporter who lets him get away with that today, if he tries it, will deserve to be called an idiot.
Democrats are alleging that the lane closures were political retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, for failing to endorse Christie’s reelection.
At his press conference on December 2 announcing Kevin O’Dowd’s nomination to be State Attorney General, Christie blew off questions about the GWB lane closures by joking that he was incognito, moving the cones to close the lanes. But his joke did not satisfy Assemblyman John Wisniewski who is acting as if he finally has an issue with which to take down Christie, politically.
Christie’s men at the Port Authority, the bi-state agency that manages the GWB, said the lane closures were part of a traffic study. David Wildstein ordered the closure/study and has resigned. Bill Baroni gave testimony to Wisniewski’s Assembly Transportation Committee justifying the study. Wisniewski called Baroni’s testimony “less than truthful.” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s guy at the Port Authority, Executive Director Patrick Foye, threw Wildstein and Barnoni under a bus in his testimony before Wisniewski’s committee. Wisniewski has called for Baroni’s resignation and has subpoenaed emails and memos from Port Authority.
The issue is beginning to get legs in the national political press as a possible threat to Christie’s 2016 presidential prospects. A pro-Hillary Clinton Super PAC is producing ads on the issue.
Tune in at 11 to see if Christie can put this issue behind him before it becomes a distraction to his second term, his chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association and to his 2016 presidential prospects.
UPDATE: BARONI RESIGNED.
Posted: December 13th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, 2013 Gubernatorial Politics, 2016 Presidential Politics, Chris Christie, Port Authority | Tags: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, George Washington Bridge, John Wisniewski, Port Authority | 1 Comment »
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 12th, 2013 | Author: admin | Filed under: 2016 Presidential Politics | Tags: 2016 Presidential politics, Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton, Polls | Comments Off on Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton neck-and neck in mock 2016 race, new polls show
Christie beats Clinton or Cuomo in New Jersey
7 of 10 New Jersey residents expect that Governor Chris Christie will run for president and he would take the state’s 14 electoral college votes against former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton or New York Governor Andrew Cuomo if the presidential election were today, according to a Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll released this morning.
A Republican has not won New Jersey in a presidential election since George H.W. Bush was elected in 1988.
Christie is favored by 46% of registered voters, including 19% of Democrats and 51% of Independents, against Clinton who is favored by43%. 3% prefer another candidate and 8% are undecided. Against Cuomo, Christie’s margin widens to 19% of NJ registered voters, 52% -33%.
The Monmouth University Polling Institute surveyed 802 adult New Jersey residents from December 4 to 8. Yesterday, Monmouth released a narrative of the same survey which indicated that 65% of New Jersey resident approved of the job that Christie is doing.
Posted: December 11th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2016 Presidential Politics, Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton, Monmouth University Poll | Tags: Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton, Monmouth University Poll, Patrick Murray | 1 Comment »
Historic Ellis Island will be the site of Governor Chris Christie’s second Inaugural Celebration, according to an announcement from the Inaugural Committee.
photo by Art Gallagher. click for larger view
Woodbridge, NJ – Governor Christie’s 2014 Inaugural Committee today announced that the Grand Hall at historic Ellis Island in Jersey City will be the host venue for the Celebration of the Inauguration of Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno.
The Inaugural Celebration will take place the evening of January 21, 2014, following the traditions of a morning Inaugural service and formal noon Swearing-In Ceremony for the Governor and Lt. Governor. More details on the full schedule of Inauguration Day activities will be announced in the coming days.
In addition, www.Inaugural2014.org has been established as the Inaugural Committee’s website. The site now allows for contributions to be made and will be updated to provide the public the latest information on all Inauguration Day activities, including ticketing information for the evening reception. Space will be limited and tickets are expected to sell out quickly.
New Jersey law limits all contributions to the Inaugural Committee to $500. All proceeds from the event will go to charity.
Today, Ellis Island stands as a symbol of the hope, freedom, and promise of opportunity afforded by our state and our nation and continues to be a powerful connection for millions of Americans to their family history. Estimates suggest that nearly half of all Americans can trace their lineage to at least one ancestor who was one of the more than 12 million individuals who passed through Ellis Island during its operation as a federal immigration station. Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument shared by New Jersey and New York.
The symbolism of Ellis Island for the celebration is important. For 2016, the message is a reminder that the governor won the Hispanic vote in his landslide reelection. It’s a reminder that President Obama has not gotten anything done on immigration reform, and that Christie is the guy who gets thing done.
Happening just two weeks before the Super Bowl which will be played in the Meadowlands, the choice of Ellis Island for what will undoubtedly be a high profile media event, will add to the New Jersey/New York bragging rights debate.
Is Ellis Island in New York or New Jersey? Both. Under a 1998 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the original three acre site belongs to New York, but the surrounding 24 acres that was land-filled belongs to New Jersey. Some structures on the island are in both States.
The price to attend the party is also symbolic. At $500 per pop, it is not likely that the tired, poor and huddled masses will be attending.
Posted: December 10th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Gubernatorial Politics, 2016 Presidential Politics, Chris Christie, Immigration, Super Bowl | Tags: Chris Christie, Christie Inauguration 2014, Ellis Island, Inauguration 2014 | 1 Comment »
photo via facebook
U.S. Senator Cory Booker is going to be elected to his own full term next November.
None of the Republicans said to be considering a challenge to Booker can beat him.
It’s not that Booker is invincible, as was widely thought prior to the Special Senate Election last October. He is beatable. Steve Lonegan exposed the fallacies of the Booker myth and Patrick Murray documented that Booker’s support is shallow. Had Washington Republicans not followed Senator Ted Cruz’s lead to shut down the government in October and had State Comptroller Matt Boxer released his audit of Newark’s City Government which exposed millions of wasted taxpayer money and management practices that encourage fraud in September instead of this week, Lonegan might have pulled off the upset that Booker deserved.
There’s nothing wrong with 4 of the 5 Republicans reported to be looking to challenge Booker. Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, Senator Minority Leader Tom Kean JR, Senator Mike Doherty or Assemblyman Jay Webber would all serve New Jersey well in the U.S. Senate.
That Darryl Isherwood included Assemblyman Chris Brown is his list of 5 Republican of potential candidates to challenge Booker is more of a reflection of Isherwood’s sense of humor than it is of Brown’s viability as a candidate for any office in the future. After blaming his Assembly running mate John Amodeo’s 39 vote loss on Governor Christie, Brown will be lottery winner lucky if he is even re-nominated for his Assembly seat in 2015. “What will Brown do after politics?” MMM asked a senior Republican strategist after the gaffe. “We’ll find out soon,” the strategist said with a laugh.
(Correction: As a commenter pointed out, Isherwood was referring to a different Assemblyman Chris Brown (the LD 8 Brown) than the one who blamed Christie for his running mate’s loss. My mistake makes my overall point. MMM readers are more informed than the average voter. How many knew there was even one Chris Brown in the Assembly prior to the LD 2 Brown’s gaffe? There isn’t a member of the legislature with the statewide name ID to compete with Booker~ Art)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 7th, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2014 Elections, 2014 U.S. Senate race, 2016 Presidential Politics, 2017 NJ Gubernatorial Politics, NJ GOP, Republican Party | Tags: Chris Brown, Chris Christie, Cory Booker, Darryl Isherwood, Dr. Alieta Eck, Geraldo Rivera, Jay Webber, Jim Florio, Joe Kyrillos, John Amodeo, Jon Bramnick, Jon Corzine, Kevin O'Toole, Kim Guadagno, Lou Dobbs, Mike Doherty, NJ GOP, Patrick Murray, Steve Lonegan, Tom Kean JR | 7 Comments »
Governor Chris Christie’s post-election attempt to replace Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr with Senator Kevin O’Toole was not a matter of Christie doing Senate President Steve Sweeney’s bidding, as has been widely perceived, but the culmination of a months long battle over differing strategies over how to wage the legislative campaign.
That Christie was unable to persuade Senate Republicans to dump Kean as their leader in favor of O’Toole was viewed by the media and political observers as a shocking act of defiance of the governor by the caucus viewed as obedient followers. But insiders say the united Republican front portrayed to the public masked an ongoing dispute between Kean’s and Christie’s political teams that resulted in Christie’s landslide reelection yielding no pick up of seats in the Senate.
Early on in the campaign, the Christie campaign concluded winning a majority in the State Senate, picking up 5 seats, was unlikely given the legislative map and the resources that South Jersey Democrats and their Independent Expenditure supporters were known to be deploying to defend their turf. Team Christie devised a strategy of winning a “functional majority,” by winning three Senate seats…District 14 (Middlesex and Mercer Counties) where former Senator Peter Inverso came out of retirement in an attempt to unseat Democrat Linda Greenstein, District 18 (Middlesex County), gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono’s district where East Brunswick Mayor David Stahl switched parties to run as a Republican against Assemblyman Peter Barnes, and District 38 (Bergen County) where businessman/educator Fernando Alonso was out to defeat Democratic Senator Bob Gordon…and courting policy friendly Democrats…Senators Brian Stack and Sandra Cunningham of Hudson County…to deliver the 20th and 21st votes for a majority when needed during Christie’s second term.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 3rd, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2013 Election, NJ Senate Republicans | Tags: 2013 Election, Chris Christie, NJ Legislature, NJ Senate Republicans, NJ State Senate, Tom Kean JR | 4 Comments »
Obama predicts US will see woman president ‘very soon’ (via
AFP)
A woman in the White House? President Barack Obama says that will happen “very soon,” according to remarks released Friday. “We have some amazing female [public] servants all across the country and there is no doubt that sometime very soon, we’re going…
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: November 30th, 2013 | Author: admin | Filed under: 2016 Presidential Politics | Tags: Barack Obama, Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton | 3 Comments »
