Mike Ferguson Vs. Linda Stender – October Outlook
Given the closeness of the U.S. senate race between Tom Kean and Bob Menendez you really have to scratch your head and wonder why anyone thinks Linda Stender has a chance of defeating Republican Mike Ferguson in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional district.
In 2005, the district went for the losing Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester with 56 percent of the vote. In 2004 Ferguson won with 57 percent of the vote and in 2002 with 58 percent of the vote. As national Democrats have been forced to pump money into New Jersey in an attempt to save Menendez, what scenario makes a Stender upset seem even remotely possible?
The lefty Democrats on Blue Jersey are pointing to voter ignorance as key to a Stender win:
If voters don’t know Stender’s record and positions now, they will by the time November 7 rolls around. As for Charlie Rangel (D-NY), here’s what he recently had to say:
In 2005, the district went for the losing Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester with 56 percent of the vote. In 2004 Ferguson won with 57 percent of the vote and in 2002 with 58 percent of the vote. As national Democrats have been forced to pump money into New Jersey in an attempt to save Menendez, what scenario makes a Stender upset seem even remotely possible?
The lefty Democrats on Blue Jersey are pointing to voter ignorance as key to a Stender win:
You can't walk this district for a week and find a dozen people who know who Charlie Rangel is, much less what committee he is in line for. Hell, I'm pretty sure most of them don't know what the Ways and Means committee does.We have a great deal more regard for the voters in NJ-7 than Linda Stender’s backers and we’re willing to place a large bet that that more than a dozen people in the district are familiar with Charlie Range. He’s on TV news talk shows frequently and is often quoted in the media:
Rangel's accession to the chairmanship of the committee would likely end six years of tax cuts by the Republican- controlled Congress. He said he ``cannot think of one'' of President George W. Bush's first-term tax cuts that merit renewal.That is not music to the ears of taxpayers in New Jersey’s 7th. The most heavily taxed voters in the county will not be supporting Linda Stender whose position on taxes mirror Rangel’s. As the Star-Ledger reported about Stender on October 8 - “She wants to repeal most of the Bush tax cuts” and “she's been party to the mess Democrats have made in Trenton, supporting all the spending and tax increases since her election in 2001.”
If voters don’t know Stender’s record and positions now, they will by the time November 7 rolls around. As for Charlie Rangel (D-NY), here’s what he recently had to say:
“When I become chairman of the Ways and Means Committee,” he said Thursday night in front of the Hudson River School paintings at the New-York Historical Society, “we will have power over the entire tax system, Social Security system, pension system, Medicare and all international trade.”That may well be a socialist’s dream come true, but it’s a taxpayer’s nightmare. The odds of Linda Stender defeating Mike Ferguson for congress range from about slim to none.
Posted by Enlighten-NewJersey @ 4:00 PM
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8 Comments:
Ahh I get it. Ragrdless of how badly our country is being mismanaged. Regardless of how obscenely our military personel and our safety is being disrespected. Regardless of how grossly we bankrupt our childrens' future and squander our influence for good.
That is all ok as long as we can keep a few extra dollars in our paychecks?
Crying socialism?
Selfish and irresponsible.
Respectfully, this is why the Republicans, perhaps not in NJ 7, but nonetheless dramatically, will lose on Election Day.
We probably share quite a few commonalities and demographics. I suspect we have similar tax burdens.
But when it comes to taking pride in what our country represents and what our nation is truly capable of being and accomplishing both within our borders and around the world, it is as if we are different species from different planets.
We have a responsibility as the greatest nation in the histroy of the world.
If your not interested in living up to our potential, cool. But pay your taxes, ok?
Patrick Thompson
Hightstown NJ
You apparently agree with our post and conclusion – Ferguson will win the election. So what’s the purpose of your comment? Do you want to debate the administration’s strategy for the GWOT? The U.S. economy? Tax policy? Socialism vs. Capitalism? The definitions of selfish and irresponsible? Who takes more pride in the country or pays more in taxes?
“We probably share quite a few commonalities and demographics. I suspect we have similar tax burdens. But ...it is as if we are different species from different planets.”
We suspect you’re wrong on all counts.
Patrick,
As a small business owner, your comment of a "few extra dollars in our paychecks" makes me reel. Moreover, your "pay your taxes" comment is vaguely offensive. Are you implying that Republicans cheat the tax system more than Democrats? As I recall, Ariana Huffington and John Kerry both came under criticism during elections for having paid a remarkably small percentage of their income in taxes.
Perhaps you might have written "pay the arbitrary high tax level that feels good to me, not the lower level that is healthful to the economy."
High taxes are harmful to the economy, both locally and nationally. California and New Jersey both lost millionaires after they passed half-millionaire taxes. NJ has one of the highest tax burdens in the country and still suffers from tremendous debt and incompetent service departments (specifically, DYFS). Money doesn't solve problems, even if it makes you feel good.
Where do you think capital for job investment comes from? It comes from people who are rich. And when that capital is there, it's the opportunity for you, your family, and your community to create wealth as well. Our system is why we are so far ahead of the socialist Europeans.
Taking money from the wealthy to funnel through the government, where it likely ends up funding boondoogles and corruption doesn't really better anyone's situation, except the well connected.
Small Business Owner
Frankly, I think Ferguson and Stender are both perfect examples of what's wrong with their respective parties. I'd love to have a moderate to vote for in this district. But I suspect that I will hold my nose and vote for Ferguson, and hope he can keep his "family values" out of my personal life!
The implication of Patrick Thompson’s comment is strange, indeed.
But as long as he seems so vitally interested in ensuring that people pay their taxes, he might wish to take a quick visit to the "by name" search engine on the website of the Union County, NJ, County Clerk where he can type in the name of the lobbyist and Democrat Mayor of Rahway, NJ, James Kennedy, who Patrick might remember as the best friend of former governor Jim McGreevey.
On August 1 of this year, Kennedy had a tax lien for a "mere" $94,022.00 slapped on him, for an assessment that was made back on 11/7/2005.
Then Patrick can go back and check to see if it has been satisfied, and he will get a message on his computer screen that reads "Sorry, no results were found."
That should be enough ammo for Patrick to then fire off a public and targeted missive to Mayor Kennedy, who incidentally is running for re-election this year, and tell him to pay his taxes!
Ahh, I do love stopping by here, even if only a paragraph or two of sends me reeling. You guys love it too as I quickly send you reeling as well.
I simply find it incredibly hard to believe that people that have so much in common with me (by this I am making an assumption that we all live in NJ, similar family status, income levels, etc) think so profoundly diferently on the subject of paying taxes. That this issue - paying taxes - seems to trump all else....particularly with the incredible challenges and mismanagement facing our nation, is disappointing and appalling.
THaks for listening.
PAtrick Thompson
HIghtstown NJ
Pat, you seem to have missed the point. You were the one who took the big bad shot at Republicans, and passed along your generic "demand" that
"If your not interested in living up to our potential, cool. But pay your taxes, ok?"
We were just giving you an opportunity to target your zeal at a real offender, one of yours.
There is nothing quite like the hypocrisy of a liberal democrat, who wants the government to grow by leaps and bounds, but who doesn’t quite get the connection when it comes to himself. Like a Mayor who wants to decide all the priorities for spending everyone else’s property taxes, but can’t quite cough up the boodle when it comes to paying his own income taxes.
Do you get it now?
As to your inability to understand how folks who you assume are very much like you, could think so differently from the way you think, call it a mental block – yours.
There are folks, some of them very productive people, who recognize that government has a very strong tendency to become bloated and wasteful. They also tend to believe that freedom is very much an economic condition, including freedom from bloated and wasteful government, especially when they are disproportionately being required to pay for it.
Hmmm. Bloated and wateful government. You must recognize that our current administration is one of the most wastful and misguided in history. You could not possibly look at the Iraq bill coming home each month, while seeing how less safe and vulnerable this makes us and our families and how disrespectful it is to our brave military personel, and be happy how things are going, can you?
I will freely admit there are scores of hipocrital Democrats. Bad people. Poor leaders. Absolutely.
(Not to mention how disappointed I am at how inept the Democratic Party is at the basic sales and marketing necessary to win elections).
So, yes Mayor Kennedy, pay your damn taxes.
And yes our elected officials need to be aggressively held accountable for exactly HOW they spend our tax dollars.
But wil you admit that the current Republican administration needs to be held accountable for poor leadership, poor decisions, failed execution and blatant fiscal irresponsibility?
Trust me, I am a proud capitalist, and believer in the good (many) corporations do to support our economy and our people.
I simply believe people who benefit from the American dream should pay our taxes. AND hold our leaders accountable for how they manage their responibilities.
Do we really disagree?
The tone suggest we do.....
Patrick Thompson
Hightstown NJ
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