Donald Cresitello

With Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello complaining about two lawmakers who have had 22 Lautenberg(Lautenberg) and 18 (Andrews) years respectively and little to show in both cases, 101.5 moderator Eric Scott broaches the age issue.

The moderator asks U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews about his campaign ad dredging up the1982 war between U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and the late U.S. Rep. Millicent Fenwick. Lautenberg questioned Fenwick’s advanced age then and now Andrews is taking the same tack and Scott wants to know if Andrews believes Lautenberg is too old to serve.

The congressman twists the issue away from age.

"He’s not effective in the Untied State Senate," he says.

Lautenberg jumps all over him.

Andrews"He doesn’t recognize effectiveness when he see it," he says. "He hasn’t had any in the United States Congress."

Lautenberg proceeds to criticize Andrews for missing work to hit the campaign trail, suggesting that "maybe he’s running for the Guinness Book of Records for handshaking."

"You’ve been there 18 years and you have nothing to show for it," he adds. "It’s quite incredible."

But given the chance moments later, Andrews cites 15 legislative successes he’s had in this Congress alone. He includes in his answer his successful passage of a bill protecting soldiers against terrorist attacks on military bases, and another which closes an Enron loophole.

The candidates get a chance to discuss wages and wealth, and when Morristown Mayor Donald CresitelloEric Scott asks U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg what the minimum wage should be, the senator responds, "One can’t place a dollar figure on it."

Pressed by Scott, U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews says the minimum wage should be between $15 - $16 an hour, and Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello marks it at $15-$20.

The congressman tries to distinguish himself from Lautenberg on taxes. He says he would repeal taxes for people making over $350,000 annually.

"The senator said he would ‘examine’ tax cuts," Andrews notes.

Moderator Eric Scott interrogates U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews on his support for Gov. Jon Corzine’s plan to Andrewsincrease tolls over a number of years by 800%. Does he still support it?, the debate moderator wants to know.

Lautenberg"No, because now the governor doesn’t support it either," says Andrews.

The congressman goes on to say that the state has a whining problem. Politicians whine about problems but don’t do anything to solve them.

"The governor stood up and attacked the problem, my friend the senator sounded like Republicans who whined about the problem," says Andrews.

AndrewsU.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg blasts away at U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, urging him to tell the truth about his involvement in the Iraq War, but with the help of Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello, Andrews flips the issue back on the senator by the end of the exchange.

Lautenberg was not in the Senate in 2002, and Andrews helped craft the resolution authorizing Bush to take America to war.

Lautenberg"I didn’t vote for it," Lautenberg says. "At the time I said I might consider voting for it. I didn’t have the benefit of the briefing. I never would I have voted for that war. Congressman Andrews went right to it."

Proud of his opposition to the war from the beginning, Cresitello says, "The senator is misleading the people of New Jersey. They are both responsible for a war costing us $12 billion a month."

Now Andrews heads straight at Lautenberg.

"The senator has just completely misrepresented his position," says the congressman."He said Colin Powell has laid to rest any doubts

The New Jersey 101.5 U.S. Senate debate is now underway in the station's Ewing studio.

Eric Scott, vice-president of news, hosts the showdown featuring U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and his challengers U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1) and Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello taking phone calls from New Jersey voters.

Lautenberg gives his opening statement, hitting four broad ambitions: ending the Iraq War, improving the economy, attacking global warning and working to achieve energy independence.

Impressed by the senator’s political perspective and his work to secure greater federal commitment to mass transit and Amtrak, The New York Times today endorsed U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) for re-election over U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1) and Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello.

"What really matters is that he has not lost his enthusiasm for sensible, progressive causes," the editorial notes of the 84-year old senator, also citing Lautenberg’s work to protect chemical plants from terrorist attacks.

Writing Cresitello off as not a serious candidate, The Times criticizes Lautenberg and Andrews for voting in favor of the 2006 law that suspended habeas corpus for "illegal enemy combatants," which both lawmakers now admit was a mistake.

But the newspaper is pointedly critical of Andrews regarding his work leading up to the Iraq War.

NEWARK - In Essex County as in other northern Democratic PartyEssex County Primary Ballot strongholds, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg has the organizational line on the ballot in his primary fight with U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1).

Copies of the ballot landed in mailboxes this week, and this is what voters will see when they close the curtain on June 3.

As has been reported, Andrews has the advantage of possessing line "A," but Lautenberg’s line "B" placement gives him the advantage of all of the Essex County Democratic Committee’s candidates, including U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-10), incumbent freeholders and county committee district leader candidates.

Against that, Andrews - and Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello on line "C" - stand alone.

Donald Cresitello goes straight to the the people with a new tv commercial about real issues while Lautenberg and Andrews continue the "Campaign about Nothing".

Take a look at what has everybody talking:

http://www.nj.com/morristown/index.ssf/2008/05/mayor_c_rolls_out_a_tv_ad.html

Political observers knew it was coming, but maybe not so blatantly. Democratic Senate primary challenger Rep. Rob Andrews has hit incumbent Frank Lautenberg, 84, directly on his age.

In the Democratic Senate race so far, Andrews has couched the sticky issue of Lautenberg’s age in other language, using terminology like “energy” and lamenting what he called Lautenberg’s “stale, tired, old politics.”

But with two weeks to go before primary day, a new television ad from the Andrews camp skips the euphemisms altogether.

The 30-second spot begins by mentioning Lautenberg’s 1982 campaign against Millicent Fenwick, who was 72 at the time. Lautenberg was 58, and made Fenwick’s senior citizen status an issue in that campaign. The ad called the race “one of the low points in New Jersey political history” and insinuates that Lautenberg holds a double standard with men and women with regard to their age.

U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1). 

In a conference call today with reporters, U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1) again accused U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) of hiding, and bewailed the incumbent’s decision to accept just two debates, despite Andrews’s repeated requests to debate seven times.

"Pathetic," said the congressman. "This is a job application. We’re talking about issues of life and death and he is unwilling to engage the issues. He’s hiding from them."