RandySF
RandySF's JournalThe Manchester Union Leader turns on Christie
The George Washington Bridge traffic jam scheme apparently hatched in New Jesey Gov. Chris Christie's executive offices is a legitimate political scandal of undetermined magnitude. Pundits who dismiss it as a non-issue seem to a) assume that nothing more will be discovered, b) discount how serious a violation of public trust the lane closures were, and c) not know how passionate New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary voters are about the misuse of state power.
On Aug. 13 of last year, Bridget Kelly, deputy chief of staff to Gov. Christie, emailed David Wildstein, a Christie appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey: "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Wildstein emailed back, "Got it." Weeks later, the Port Authority closed two access lanes for the George Washington Bridge — the world's busiest — in Fort Lee.
Regarding the closures, the public knows little more than that. Were they retribution for Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, not endorsing Christie for governor? (The Wall Street Journal identified then-Christie aide Matt Mowers, now the executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party, as the staffer sent to ask Sokolich to consider endorsing Christie.) Were they to harm a big development in Fort Lee? The motive remains a mystery, as does the full list of participants.
Two legislative committees in New Jersey are scheduled to begin investigating the closures today. What they and some enterprising journalists find is likely to determine whether Christie strides into New Hampshire next year as a viable presidential candidate.
If Christie was telling the truth when he spent two hours last Thursday denying any involvement in or knowledge of the scheme to close those lanes, he can weather this storm, though trusting staffers capable of such vindictiveness will be considered a mark against him. If he was not telling the truth, his political career should be finished. The American public must not tolerate any politician of any party who would callously turn the machinery of the state against the people for his own personal gain.
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20140116/OPINION01/140119465/1004/opinion
Company Behind Hoboken Project Has Long Trail Of Jersey Campaign Cash
Rockefeller Group, the company at the center of explosive allegations made by the mayor of Hoboken, N.J. over the weekend, has an extensive history of spreading campaign cash around New Jersey.
Records show the company and its executives have doled out more than $70,000 to Jersey candidates and committees from both parties, including $2,500 to Gov. Chris Christie.
Rockefeller Group became a focus of attention Saturday when Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer alleged that Christie aides had threatened to withhold hurricane relief money unless she approved a development project that involves the company. Rockefeller owns the land where the project was to be built and was also represented by a law firm founded by a close Christie ally.
In an email to TPM Monday, Dwayne Doherty, a spokesman for Rockefeller Group, said the company allows its employees to make "personal donations."
"The Rockefeller Group has a long-standing company policy that prohibits political contributions on behalf of the company. Employees may make political contributions personally," Doherty wrote.
But even though Doherty initially said Rockefeller Group does not make campaign contributions as a company, campaign finance records show the company has been making political donations for more than two decades. From 1989 until 2011, records show Rockefeller Group has made 21 campaign contributions in New Jersey totaling $77,500.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/rockefeller-group-nj-donations
County GOP Explains MLK Gun Raffle: We're All 'Slaves,' Really
The Multnomah County Republican Party in Oregon was mocked last week for its plans to auction off a rifle in honor of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.
And in attempting to explain the raffle in a press release Monday, the Multnomah GOP drew an ill-timed parallel to slavery, according to the Oregonian.
“In our enthusiasm for celebrating Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. Constitution, our Multnomah Republican Party issued a press release that was unfortunately easily misunderstood," the release read, as quoted by the Oregonian. "The GOP stands for individual liberty, lower taxes, smaller government and individual responsibility. We apologize if people were hurt by the message being marred by insufficient wording and/or cynical misinterpretations by those who disagree with us politically. We will certainly endeavor to communicate more clearly in the future, and learn and grow from this experience."
Apparently, the Multnomah GOP's attempt to communicate its dedication to Second Amendment rights without bringing up guns involved calling the government an agent of slavery.
"The great political issue today is whether or not the American people of all creeds and races will live free or live as slaves - slaves to their own overreaching government," the release read, as quoted by the Oregonian. "50 years ago, Martin Luther King's great speech was an appeal for freedom for African Americans. Today, those same words he spoke 50 years ago are an appeal for freedom for all Americans."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/multnomah_gop_explains_mlk_rifle_auction_slavery
Port Authority study favored politically connected builder for Hoboken redevelopment
A planning report heavily favored the politically connected builder of a $1.1 billion proposed development that is at the center of a dispute between the governor’s office and Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer. The mayor alleges that the Christie administration withheld Sandy recovery money from her city because she did not favor fast-tracking the massive project.
Of the 10 industrial and commercial properties that the report recommended for redevelopment, nine were owned by a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Group, records show.
The Rockefeller Group is represented by the law firm of David Samson, a close Christie adviser whom Christie appointed as chairman of the Port Authority, which paid for the planning study.
But one of the report’s authors said Monday that his team did not favor the Rockefeller Group and that the Port Authority had limited involvement in the report’s preparation.
Dwayne Doherty, a spokesman for the Manhattan-based Rockefeller Group, declined to comment on the project Monday because it is being investigated by federal authorities and a legislative committee.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/Port_Authority_study_favored_politically_connected_builder_for_Hoboken_redevelopment.html?page=all#sthash.Mt86Zhzp.dpuf
2nd Tale of Abuse of Power by Christie's Lt Go Kim Guadagno
During the administration’s first year, 2010, the lieutenant governor for some unclear reason began a campaign to remove the executive director of the State Council on the Arts — a person hired and fired only by the council — and pointed to an alleged ethics violation: the director followed through on a request by a volunteer council member to have the state ethics division review a proposal to allow council members be able to request a second complimentary ticket when reviewing performances of organizations.
Just in passing, from my experience, non-profit companies generally respond favorably to providing tickets to funders, reviewers, and others involved with the mechanics of creating cultural activities. It is no big deal and business as usual, something an ex-sheriff may not understand.
The lieutenant governor seized on the request to create a stir, labeled the director and the council unethical for requesting “freebies,” and demanded a new director.
New Jersey Assemblyman Patrick J. Diegnan Jr.’s August 10, 2010, letter to the Star-Ledger provides some context: “The recent questioning of the integrity of the members of the state Council on the Arts by Lt. Gov. Guadagno was unnecessarily heavy-handed. I have heard rumors that several members are considering resigning from the council rather than risk being labeled as unethical. I ask Gov. Chris Christie to intervene and use some common sense. The members of the Council on the Arts are some of the finest citizens of our great state. They deserve to be treated with respect and decency.”
The result was bad blood between the lieutenant governor and the arts council. Meanwhile, the lieutenant governor turned her attention to other business, including Petty’s Run.
http://www.princetoninfo.com/index.php?option=com_us1more&Itemid=6&key=01-15-14guadagno
The GOP's 2016 Presidential Roster Is Already Melting Down
A once-promising roster of Republican presidential hopefuls in 2016 is slowly coming apart, tarnished by individual scandals as well as the struggles of some candidates to keep faith with the conservative base's stubborn rightward shift.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is the latest to fall from grace, as a political retribution-laced scandal implicating his top officials continues to make national headlines, fueling a narrative about his alleged history of being a bully. Christie's plunge is particularly painful for Republican operatives because of his dually strong conservative record and cross-partisan appeal.
Late last month, before Christie apologized for his aides' decision to cause traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge, he was leading Hillary Clinton by two points in a national CNN/ORC International poll. By late last week, he was trailing her by 13 points, according to an NBC News/Marist poll.
Christie is not the only A-list Republican whose standing has diminished.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/gop-2016-roster-meltdown
Iowa’s Republican governor opens assault on his state party
GRINNELL, Iowa — Two years from now, Republicans will formally kick off the process of nominating a presidential candidate with caucus meetings in church basements, community centers and school classrooms. The candidate they nominate will rise or fall, in part, based on the grass-roots prowess of the Republican Party’s organization here and in other swing states.
But as they gather for biennial caucuses Tuesday evening, many Republicans, including Gov. Terry Branstad, worry that their party, run by supporters of former congressman Ron Paul, the libertarian firebrand, isn’t up to the challenge. Branstad is leading a not-so-quiet push to wrest control of the Iowa party, one front in the war for the soul of the GOP. And though the presidential contest is two years away, the health of the state party could affect the GOP’s more-immediate chances at winning control of the U.S. Senate.
The fight mirrors feuds within other Republican Party organizations, from states such as Arizona, Nevada and Maine to the Republican conference in the U.S. House of Representatives, where insurgent outsiders seized control in 2008 and 2010. Now, the establishment — led by long-time operatives and party elders, including Branstad and House Speaker John A. Boehner (Ohio) — is fighting back.
In Iowa, the bank balance tells the story. Under the leadership of Chairman A.J. Spiker, the state party has seen its account dwindle. The party ended November with about $260,000 in the bank, down from $295,000 at the beginning of 2013. That month, the state GOP raised just $5,500 and spent $45,000. The party had raised a little under $600,000 between Jan. 1 and the end of November, less than half the total raised by the Iowa Democratic Party.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/01/20/iowas-republican-governor-opens-assault-on-his-state-party/
Palin To Obama: Honor MLK By Not Playing The 'Race Card'
Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin seized Martin Luther King Day as an opportunity to lob vague criticism at President Barack Obama.
"Mr. President, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all who commit to ending any racial divide, no more playing the race card," Palin wrote Monday on her Facebook page, after quoting from the civil rights icon's famous "I Have A Dream" speech.
Obama said in an extensive New Yorker profile published this weekend that he believes “there’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black President."
"Now, the flip side of it is there are some black folks and maybe some white folks who really like me and give me the benefit of the doubt precisely because I’m a black President," he added.
Palin didn't point to any specific instances of the President playing the race card in the short post.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sarah_palin_mlk_obama_race_card
Chris Christie Says He's 'Readier' To Be President Now
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said in an interview with Yahoo News published Monday that he's "readier" to be president than he was in the past.
Christie, who is widely seen as a potential 2016 candidate commented on his relative readiness when Yahoo's Matt Bai reminded him of a 2011 conversation they had in which the governor said he was not ready to be president.
"Yeah. I’m readier, if that’s a word,” Christie said.
Christie also addressed the scandal over September's lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that led to days of gridlock in Fort Lee, N.J. Some Democrats have alleged the closures were ordered by Christie's allies to retaliate against a mayor who declined to endorse him. Christie's interview with Yahoo was conducted Friday.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/christie-readier-president
Joe and Mika attack Zimmer on MSNBC
"Morning Joe" hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, self-described fans of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), attacked the mayor of Hoboken, N.J. Monday for alleging Christie's administration shook her down for Hurricane Sandy relief funds.
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer alleged Saturday on MSNBC that Christie's lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno, and one of Christie's cabinet members tried to pressure her into fast-tracking a proposed redevelopment project in her city in order to receive Sandy aid.
Scarborough and Brzezinski questioned Zimmer's credibility because she waited to come out with the allegation until months after the alleged shakedown. After an alleged encounter with Guadagno in May, Zimmer wrote in her personal diary that she was dismayed to find Christie "cut from the same corrupt cloth that I have been fighting for the last four years."
"If she's willing to go public and vouch for something that is corrupt, an administration that is corrupt, what does that say about her character?" Scarborough asked, referring to tweets Zimmer sent in praise of Christie. "She can't have it both ways."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/morning_joe_hosts_eviscerate_hoboken_mayor
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