The Jersey Political Swamp Remains Undrained.
Yesterday’s election in New Jersey proved to be a field day for incumbents. In the State Senate, all but three of the incumbents running for office were re-elected, while in the State Assembly, only one incumbent was booted. The obvious “takeaway†(I so hate that term) is that everything is just fine with the state of the State of New Jersey, thank you very much.
The more subtle “takeaway†is that the current state of affairs is fine with the majority of the 25 to 30% of the registered voters who actually bothered to show up at the polls to vote. And, in my view, most of them have some sort of a financial or political stake in maintaining the status quo.
For the 70 to 75% of you registered voters in Jersey who believe that being informed means never missing your favorite “Reality†show and who couldn’t drag your ass away from Oprah or your soap operas long enough to vote, I have the following bit of flash traffic for you:
By not staying informed and by not voting, you have waived your bitching rights. The next time a truckload of Trenton political rats is carted away in cuffs, or the next time your taxes are raised to the point of making you puke, kindly spare me your whiny bullshit. Don’t waste my goddamned time. You had your chance to change things, and you blew it.
A teeny-weeny ray of hope did appear in the election. Those who found the time to come to the polls voted down the referendum that would have played a shell game with the sales tax to enable further tinkering with the other shell game known as the “property tax rebate.†They also nixed the state’s borrowing of $450 million to fund stem cell research, a project so favored by the Governor that, at the eleventh hour, he tossed in $150 thousand of his own money for advertisements. Apparently, even many democrats are awakening to the reality of the state’s dire financial straits and did not fall for the ads that tried to turn a bond issue into a referendum on compassion or a lack thereof for people afflicted with tragic medical conditions.
I should also note that in several districts there were no incumbents running for office, due either to retirements or resignations of incumbents (often relating to ongoing criminal investigations or prosecutions), and, as such, there will be some new faces in the legislature. While, at first blush, it might appear as if that could signal the possibility of reform, I don’t believe it will happen. Once the newbies hit Trenton, the well-entrenched, recently re-elected good ol’ boys will show them how things work in Jersey government, and the newly elected (in most cases, after having been finically backed by the controlling party) will go along to get along. It will be more of the same ol’ crap.
Look for yet more Garden Staters to simply pack up and get outta Dodge.
I voted NO on everything. NJ is full of idiot voters. Grrrr.
Comment by RT — November 7, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
I’m with RT. I voted no to all of them. Questions and incumbents alike. I think a minor victory was won by two of the questions being turned down, but it wasn’t enough. Still too many stupid people here in NJ.
Comment by Shamrock — November 7, 2007 @ 9:21 pm
Ya know, this seems as good a time as any to say how much good ol’ boys piss me the hell off. Wherever they are.
Oh. And yeah I got your “referendum on compassion” right HERE, pal.
Comment by dogette — November 8, 2007 @ 7:18 am
You’ll forgive me for saying so, not being from New Jersey and all [thank the Maker], but the relentless dooshbaggery in your state sounds almost like New York’s Tammany Hall dooshbaggery of centuries back. Check this out, as an example:
“Tammany Hall’s electoral base lay predominantly with New York’s burgeoning immigrant constituency, which often exchanged political support for Tammany Hall’s patronage. In pre-New Deal America the extralegal services that Tammany and other urban political machines offered served as a rudimentary, if inadequate, public welfare system. The patronage Tammany Hall provided to immigrants, many of whom lived in extreme poverty and received little government assistance, covered three key areas. First, Tammany provided the means of physical existence in times of emergency: food, coal, rent money or a job. Second, Tammany served as a powerful intermediary between immigrants and the unfamiliar state, from dealing with the police and the bureaucracy to simply obtaining a pushcart license. Third, Tammany officials offered friendship and social intercourse to immigrants who found themselves in an unfamiliar social setting.”
Dude, I’m sorry, but that sounds exactly like New Jersey to me.
Comment by Erica — November 8, 2007 @ 9:34 am
Time to start thinking about a new home.
Comment by Dick — November 8, 2007 @ 12:01 pm
Jim,
I just have to say, “You rock!”
I think they ought to include a card with the ballots that we (all of us VOTERS) could then carry around:
It could be our “RIGHT TO BITCH” card.
Or maybe just make citizenship requisite upon voting. We’d quickly scoot back to … something.
Comment by Dz — November 8, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
Come on down here to the land of sunny beaches..and some sand beaches too. Our politics are just as crooked I reckon but they do use a little more KY jelly when they poke it in…
Comment by GUYK — November 8, 2007 @ 6:53 pm
After talking about leaving NJ for 9 years, I did it. Feels reeealll good. To hell with the NE.
Comment by n5 — November 9, 2007 @ 6:23 pm