Abelow rebukes Asbury Park Press over Corzine photo

This is pretty funny.  When they're screaming, you know a nerve has been struck.

the Asbury Park Press mixes its editorial page views into its reporting?

Shocking....just shocking.

Only MartinOne could possibly conclude that because a newspaper endorsed a sitting President for re-election (and who incidentally won against a clearly inferior candidate and inferior running mate) that it automatically means it is a "GOP rag." 

Rubbish.  For example, the paper led the charge against former GOP Senator, John Bennett.  And did he ever deserve it!  The only problem was that the district did not deserve Ellen Karcher either.  So, now things may be getting back to normal.

Unfortunately for the rest of us, Martin's candidate for President this time around (that same inferior running mate) has been spending far too much of his time preening in front of a mirror, and squandering small fortunes of his campaign contributors' cash on haircuts.  Quite understandably, Edward's candidacy has been crashing and burning in slow motion for months.  He can't even get the leading contender to plot with him against the "lesser" contenders any more.  That's because he's now a lesser contender!  He'd have to attack himself!

Thus, MartinOne now has way, way too much time on his hands.  Martin should spend more of his time railing against the Governor and his new Chief of Staff, Bradley Abelow, for refusing to reveal any of the details of the governor's asset monetization plan.  Abelow's attack on the APP is based on the silly theory (as contained in his letter) that: 

"[a]s we enter the important debate on how best to restructure New Jersey's finances to better serve the public, the free press must do so without their own opinion or agenda."  

Abelow would be in less jeopardy if he simply donned a KICK ME REAL HARD sign, and waltzed into a butt-kickers convention!Of course, the fact that both Corzine and Abelow steadfastly refuse to release any details at all about the plan, obviate the possibility that there can be any kind of public debate about it, and that is what certainly opens he and the Governor to justifiable public anger attack on a variety of different fronts, including parody.by Trochilus

If this were Governor Franks, Schundler, or Forrester doing the same thing, he would be chided as running "the most secretive administration in history."  Legality aside, the fact that Corzine has not kept this process open is the line that HE crossed that made this APP image appropriate.  The picture summarizes the shadiness of the whole deal.  I'm not saying he doesn't have the LEGAL right to keep his draft report private.  Let's not confuse that with his passionate DESIRE to keep it private.  An honest and forthright governor wouldn't be afraid to show ALL of the options on the table (tolls on 78/80/287) and dismiss them if they are too controversial. The Governor said that he is prepared to lose his job if that's what it takes to save the state.  Why, then, is there a desire to continue to play politics with this report?  I know there are Democrats who will constantly harp on the bad news (and yes, even root for it) in Iraq so Bush will look bad, but that is the worst kind of politics.  As a Republican I will not do the same with regard to Jon Corzine.  I didn't vote for him, and probably won't again, but I  want him to be successful for the good of my state.  Still, he deserves this minor hit from the Press.  And slightly off-topic, the fact that the Chief of Staff has time to send letters out complaining about it is pretty disappointing.  Good to know there's lots to do in the office today. 

Although Trochilus engages in nonsequiturs as if they were going out of style -- his rant against Edwards on a personal level, though revealing his lack of policy know-how or substantive politics is a prime example -- at least he doesn't troll from thread-to-thread looking for me like SomersetRepublican, who refuses to answer any privately sent messages and usually offers, as evidenced in this thread, the political insight equivalent of an Andrew Dice Clay joke.

Mind you, it is hard to take seriously a poster who posits that the Chief of Staff should go to a "butt-kickers convention" or defends the godawful presidency of George W. Bush simply because he won. If Trochilus were serious about debate and public financing, he wouldn't attack the governor for not releasing plans yet; but he's not serious about either, of course.

Back on topic, the Asbury Park Press, and Gannett News Services, are decidedly pro-Republican and pro-conservative; the evidence is so obvious that one shouldn't belabor the point. All Republican candidates (nearly), all the time -- those are the endorsement practices of the APP. Further, according to Media Matter's "Black and White and Re(a)d All Over" report, the APP has three regular conservative columnists featured to one single progressive one. Fair and balanced, eh? And yet some Republicans feign ignorance when distorting, unhelpful attacks like this picture of the governor appears in their newspaper...

So a newspaper shouldn't tell people what to think, but it's okay for you, Brad?  Who could forget this little chestnut from him this spring:"people need to keep an open mind" about doubling or tripling their tolls to pay for all your Wall Street buddies to make a mint?

Corzine opened himself up for the criticism as a hustler on the QT when he refused to share the taxpayer financed studies, and when he keeps forever changing the stated purpose of all the newly-borrowed billions. 

Since you have no compunction about telling people what to think, you'll have to forgive people for reaching the very reasonable conclusion that it's not worth giving Wall Street our last remaining valuable asset in exchange for the sole privilege of refinancing half our debt and leaving the other half untouched.

PS -- Look for Brad to take his leave soon, since no one who wants to stay in the game for long fights with newspapers who buy their ink by the barrel.  Much less newspapers with a proven propensity for agendas.

Martin, as you should know, the point I was making -- by way of a joke -- was that Bradley Abelow is a complete political fool if he believes it will serve him well to mindlessly attack the Asbury Park Press.  He is a political neophyte, who will probably bear a few more nasty scars before he is through, should he continue appearing so touchy.

So, to make my point, I quipped he would be in less jeopardy if he attended a butt kicker's convention donning a KICK ME HARD sign -- not suggesting that he should attend one.  Here's a little secret, Martin.  I kind of doubt there really are any such events.  But I stand fully prepared to be corrected by any one with greater knowledge of such things than I, e.g., former attendees who wore any such signs.  Martin?

I am serious about public debate, Martin, but in my opinion no one in their right mind is really serious about public financing, including the Democrats in this state.  Of that I am certain, even though they pay it lip service with their rubbish about clean elections.  What they want is whatever will give them a greater advantage in elections. 

And, as proof, let me submit as EXHIBIT I our sitting Governor, who plainly thinks nothing about throwing his personal money around to buy the loyalty of certain recipients, or of any election he can get away with indirectly funding.  One good proof of the latter in the past election was that he "wheeled" $10,000.00 of his own money -- chump change to him -- into a sheriff's election in Hunterdon County.  A Sheriff's election!

And despite the pre-election boasting of local Democrats around the county, they lost -- though they managed to outspend an utterly unknown Republican woman by 16 to 1.  Heh!

As to asset monetization, there are only two likely reasons the Governor has not released any elements of his plan, or engaged a public debate about it -- though we all live in a representative democratic society.  One is that it ain't soup yet --  not really a full plan.  The other is that it is a plan, but he wants to squeeze the Democrats in the Spring, making them support his plan, or they get no budget goodies.  It has nothing to do with good public policy.

by Trochilus

For the first time since he took office Corzine may actually be keeping a promise.  He recently said that he is not afraid to lose an election.  Judging from this and other recent moves, I think we need to take him at his word.

 If he keeps it up, it may be a primary election that he loses. 

I don't know whether to laugh or be insulted that my Gov's COS has nothing better to comment on than a picture of his boss.  Only in New Jersey