E.G. (Ed Gillespie), Phone Home

By Alan Steinberg | October 13th, 2009 - 8:38am
| More

While the trends in the polls continue to be negative for the Christie for Governor campaign, the good news for the Republican Party comes out of Virginia.  Bob McDonnell, the Republican candidate for Governor, is in the process of locking up his victory over Democrat Creigh Deeds.

Unlike the Christie campaign, the McDonnell campaign has a clear and convincing message and winning strategy, and a key player in its formulation and its implementation is New Jersey native and McDonnell campaign chair Ed Gillespie.

Gillespie is, plain and simple, one of the most astute political strategists in modern Republican politics.  He has an unsurpassed understanding and knowledge of message and media.

A McDonnell victory in Virginia will be a huge asset to any Republican nominee for President in 2012.  No Republican can win the White House without winning Virginia.  When a new governor is elected in any state, an enhanced political infrastructure is created around the new state chief executive.  This infrastructure is invaluable to a Presidential candidate of the same party as the Governor.

In New Jersey, the top Corzine political strategy team of Jamie Fox, Steve DeMicco, and Maggie Moran is outperforming and outstrategizing the Christie political strategy team with ease.  Watching the Christie political “brain trust” members take on their Corzine opposite numbers is like watching the lovable loser 1962  New York Mets play the 1927 New York Yankees of Ruth and Gehrig.  Even the Daggett political team is outperforming the Christie cadre.

Ed Gillespie, phone home.  The Christie political "brain trust" badly needs a major league political strategy star like you.   McDonnell is locking up his election, while Christie is on the verge of irrevocably losing his.  Come home to New Jersey before it’s too late.

Alan J. Steinberg served as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush. Region 2 EPA consists of the states of New York and New Jersey, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and seven federally recognized Indian nations.

Wake-Up Call

Morning News Digest: February 9, 2010

Garden State Equality fires new broadside at Dems Smarting over the state Senate's refusal to pass marriage equality and disillusioned at the moment with the Democratic Party majority, Garden State Equality’s 85-member Board of Directors unanimously decided against giving financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. ...

Wally Edge

A handwritten note left behind during a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting indicates that Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) would support a plan to require all current public employees to contribute at least 1.5% of...
As New Jersey braces for another snowstorm, noteworthy is Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo’s website, where residents can use “Snow Plow Sal” to monitor the movements of snow plows to determine when their street will be plowed.  Hamilton also has...
Just before leaving the Senate Presidency, Richard Codey (D-Roseland) appointed Orange Mayor Eldridge Hawkins to the Congressional Redistricting Commission.  Now his successor, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) is considering making his own...
Mark Anton, the Chairman of the Suburban Propane Gas Corporation, was a half-term Republican from Essex County who was elected in a 1953 special election after Alfred Clapp, who had mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the GOP gubernatorial election...
Assemblyman Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) has dropped his bid for Burlington County Democratic Chairman, notifying party leaders by letter this weekend.  That leaves Gary Haman as the leading candidate to replace Alice Furia, who took over last...

Contributors

Everybody needs to start a new job with a list of priorities and Chris Christie is no exception. There might be a thousand things that need to get done... more »
A new Governor and Legislature offer the perfect opportunity to re-think the Trenton status quo and for experienced observers and practitioners to offer their best ideas on improving the... more »
 I grew up in a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey where gambling was part of every day life.  Many of my relatives gambled.  The guys gambled on games, and... more »
Due to a highly inappropriate breach of etiquette by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union Address, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United... more »
When life is bad---natural disasters, families losing homes or jobs, an attack on our country, health crises--people come together and do things that are inspiringly good.  After the... more »
Our new Governor suffers from no lack of advice.  Much of it, contained in the transition reports, deserves prompt attention.  Obviously, economic prosperity benefits everyone, and – as... more »
The agenda has been ambitious.Jobs.  Homeland security.  Iraq.  Afghanistan.  Healthcare.  Energy.  Banking.   Taken together, the Obama Presidency has all the makings of a compelling story -- action, adventure, emotion,... more »
The new regime pushes the only conservative off the Budget Committee.   This is a direct result of pressure from a certain Republican County Chairperson who was hired by Garden... more »
Now that  the dust has finally settled after the grueling campaign for governor, there are a number of lessons that we can draw from this election. First and... more »
A  few years ago, my brother Paul gave me a birthday present of Tim Russert’s book, The Wisdom of Our Fathers. Great book. Read it cover to cover. Or skim... more »
New Jersey's spending and borrowing spree over the past three decades is coming home to roost.  State debt has increased 700% under both Republican and Democratic administrations, and spending... more »
On January 11th New Jersey’s 213th Legislature ended its session, followed the next day by the commencement of the 214th Legislature, with newly elected officials being sworn into office,... more »
On January 6, 2010, several newspapers published articles with titles like “no more aid for struggling cities”, “Christie will cut state aid” and the like; furthermore, in the body... more »
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, you target teachers. That’s not a positive note to start your tenure. You forget that the Teachers’ Union makes decisions on its own, such... more »