After reading Tom Moran’s editorial column in the Star Ledger, it shows me that politics is local unless you pay attention to the issues that are not only going to affect the country, but also the state and local towns.
In case you have not had a chance to read his column, I am re-printing his column in its entirety. After reading his column, we cannot wait until next year but must start now in holding not only our Congressmen accountable, but all of our elected officials accountable. We cannot sit back and allow them to get a free ride.
So as Plainfield’s Democratic Chairman, I am not waiting until next year to get started in dealing with the issues that can cause this country and state hardships, because there are a handful of people have already made a decision, ‘my way or no way’. Their ‘way’ is not good for any middle income American which is why we need to begin to make our stand now.
I invite anyone who is interested in working with me to show our Congressman Frank Pallone Jr., and our President Barack Obama, that they have our total support. We are prepared now to speak out against those who are not standing up for what is good for ALL people.
If our opposition chooses to continue to play politics, we will draw our line in the sand and not wait until next year to put forward a movement. To have our country thrown into utter chaos is completely unacceptable.
Tom Moran Editorial
NJ Republicans in Congress have become Tea Party Foot Soldiers
As we watch the final days of this embarrassing dance with default, know that one thing is already settled: The Republicans won.
Neither of the two surviving plans raises taxes at all. The federal tax bite is now frozen at its lowest level in 60 years. And that means we are entering a new era of harsh austerity, with more than 14 million Americans already out of work.
This is radical stuff. So it’s been depressing to see New Jersey’s Republican members of Congress marching in formation without making a peep. These guys used to have a reputation as moderates, and now they are reduced to being foot soldiers of the tea party.
You would expect this from Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5th Dist.) because he has been doing crazy things for many years. He voted against relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, saying he was concerned some of the money would be wasted. Now that is small government.
But what about the rest of them? Once upon a time, this crew had an independent streak that fit New Jersey like a glove. Now, they seem to be channeling their colleagues from Texas.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th) is known mostly as an ardent opponent of abortion rights. But that misses a great deal. He is a principled human rights activists who bucked the Republican line on trade with China over its political persecutions. He has a pro-union voting record. And when he defied party leaders to defend veterans’ benefits in 2005, he lost his chairmanship of the Veterans Affairs Committee. He voted for the cap-and-trade bill to combat climate change. Now, he’s hiding in his office, turning down interview requests, and marching in formation when the small light in his office clock turns on, signaling that a vote is coming.
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd) is another moderate who has been missing in action. Like Smith, he has a pro-labor voting record, and supported the last increase in the minimum wage. He gets solid scores from environmental groups, and voted for the cap-and-trade bill as well.
Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th) is another case. His inspiring moment came in Trenton when he refused to support then-Gov. Christie Whitman’s pension bond deal, a move that so infuriated his Republican colleagues that he was removed as chairman of the state Senate Appropriations Committee. He also supported the cap-and-trade bill.
Lance, like LoBiondo, has cracked the door open to support ending some corporate tax breaks, including the ethanol subsidy. But for the most part, they are making no fuss as their party pushes this program.
Maybe they really believe this is the right approach. Lance and Garrett supported a budget plan that was even more extreme than the party leadership’s. Inspired by the tea party crowd, it would have savaged programs such as food stamps and health care for the poor and eliminated funding for the arts and public broadcasting, while cutting taxes on the rich.
But the political pressure to go along on the debt ceiling plan was crushing, so it’s hard to tell where their true sentiments lie.
“Both parties have made this a test of loyalty and strength,” says Stuart Rothenberg of the respected Rothenberg Report. “It happens a couple of times in a Congress, and this is one of them.”
It is true that some Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, are being as dogmatic as Republicans. But President Obama has made major compromises, and even the Senate Democratic plan contains no tax increases.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that Democrats have given more ground than Republicans.”
That brings us to the final depressing point: Republicans now have Obama’s number. They’re going to win the next round, too. Because in a game of chicken like this, it always comes down to a question of who is more nuts.
Republicans made it clear that they would not lift the debt limit unless Democrats caved on taxes. That would have wrecked the economy, but they did seem ready to do it. And with that gun pointed to the hostage’s head, Obama decided to yield.
That is an ugly tactic. Too bad none of the Republicans from New Jersey stood up to object. It will be interesting to see how the state’s moderate voters react next November.
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