Joe Cryan

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark), and Piscataway grassroots organizer Nadia Brown: Politicker photo 

ROSELLE - It’s Garrett Smith country on a Saturday.

Emptying a chair alongside the young Roselle mayor, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark) stood in front of a microphone and gave Gov. Jon Corzine props for playing a role in discovering Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il) when Corzine chaired the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Obama’s romping here in Roselle by every indication, but Payne and Obama aren’t eyeball to eyeball on everything, including last week’s Wall Street bailout.

While Obama and his Republican rival in the presidential race on Wednesday quietly supported the $700 billion measure that its critics say falls disproportionately across the shoulders of American taxpayers, Payne twice vociferously bucked the controversial bill in the House.

Today he laid out his views before a cheering crowd in Roselle’s Warinanco Park, where several hundred people gathered in support of Obama on the front-end of a Union County voter registration drive days before the Oct. 14th registration deadline.

GOP Freeholder candidate John Curley: Politicker file photoIt’s been labor by slow degrees.

Aided by Bush fatigue nationally and the Operation Bid Rig scandal locally, Democrats chipped steadily away at the Freeholder Board in Monmouth, foregoing potential Assembly gains elsewhere to focus on trying to build a majority in this longtime Republican stronghold.

Relying heavily on state party funds, they elected Barbara McMorrow two years ago and John D’Amico last year to get them to within one seat of swinging control of Monmouth in their favor.

Now with newly registered voters bolstering their numbers beyond the GOP’s - 99,282 Democrats to 86,992 Republicans - Democrats hope Amy Mallet and Glen Mason are poised to become their party’s next freeholders here. Freeholder Barbara McMorrow, left, stands with fellow Democrats, candidates Amy Mallet and Glen Mason.: Politicker file photo

In arguably the most consequential freeholder showdown of the year, those two must get past veteran Freeholder Director Lillian Burry and her running mate, Red Bank Councilman John Curley.

"As far as I can tell, it’s the premiere down ballot race in the state," State Party Chair Joseph Cryan said.

Although Democrats gleefully claim momentum going into this one, it will be no walk over for them.

Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) and Josh Zeitz in Trenton this afternoon.: Politicker photo 

TRENTON - Wall Street is melting down while President George W. Bush fundraises in Colts Neck for candidates who will continue his failed policies, argued Democrats at a Statehouse press conference this afternoon.

State Democratic Chairman Joseph Cryan stood with congressional candidates, Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) and professor Joshua Zeitz of Bordentown. They all whiplashed Republicans for allowing Bush to come and raise money in a state where the latest Strategic Vision poll shows the president with a 20 percent job approval rating.

State Democratic Party Chairman Joseph Cryan address the crowd at Obama HQ on Saturday.: Politicker photo

WEST WINDSOR - The sense here on Saturday is the presidential race is no longer deadlocked nationally.

At this moment.

So when State Democratic Chairman Joseph Cryan asks the crowd of 260 Obama canvassers to demonstrate an upbeat mood, they respond with full-throated gusto in the packed headquarters of Obama’s campaign headquarters.

No one committed to a candidate in this cycle lets pass an opportunity to celebrate the good fortune of his or her presidential aspirant, be he Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) or Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

To hear the media tell the story, the fortunes appear too transient.

If this event occurred a week ago, the mood would have been borderline gloomy. But today Washington is mulling a $700 billion bail-out package for a flat-lining Wall Street and Sen. John McCain - longtime champion of deregulation in the private sector - also lugs a five-day old burden of suggesting that America’s economy is fundamentally sound.

Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson challenged Gov. Corzine and Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan to drop all support for Bergen County Democratic candidates unless or until Bergen Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero resigns. 

Corzine and Cryan have both said that Ferriero, who was indicted last week on eight counts of corruption, should resign.  But at a meeting this morning, leaders of the Democratic organization, including U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, said they would not seek Ferriero’s resignation.

“The true test of their commitment to rooting out corruption within the Democratic Party is whether their actions reflect their words.  Corzine and Cryan should make it clear to the Democratic candidates in Bergen that there will be no financial support for a slate that supports corrupt party leadership,” said Wilson in a statement.

Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan said that he doesn’t know much about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, but he doubts she’ll be able to draw in New Jersey Hillary Clinton supporters to John McCain’s ticket.

“I don’t know her well enough,” he said. “I haven’t seen much on her background, but it seems as if she’s a fundamentalist that’s out of touch with mainstream America.”

Gov. Jon Corzine at the convention.: Politicker photo 

DENVER - As he partied the night away at a downtown bar following Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) acceptance speech and the end of the Democratic National Convention, Gov. Jon. Corzine radiated happiness to everyone around him.

"I feel like a kid again," said a tie-less, beaming Corzine, inviting guests in to his celebration.

Energetic all week, getting up at 5 in the morning Rocky Mountain time for interviews, and all day networking, fundraising, speech-making and morale -boosting, the governor appeared more dynamic with each passing day, culminating with his appearance at this event.

The conflict-resolution New Jersey storyline of this convention involved whether or not the delegation could harness the undercurrent of hurt and anger among Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) holdouts and channel it to Obama.

By Thursday afternoon, after a week of parties and politics, most of the members of the delegation appeared to be significantly slowed. People’s answers to questions about speeches usually contained references to feelings of being tired.

DENVER - The perceived indignity of standing in a crush of bodies behind the Island of Guam in that gaping blue glow of the Pepsi Center, coupled with the ongoing grind of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) loss, didn’t do much to boost the spirits of the delegation, as coming in here they hung their last hopes on a podium appearance by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Union City).

"No comment," state Party chairman Joseph Cryan said when poked about Menendez’s chances of speaking.

When it finally didn’t happen, the bulk of Garden State Democrats looked again for sustenance in Senator Clinton, who won by nearly ten points in New Jersey, whose presence on stage could keep the painful tensions of every silently suffering delegate alive for a few more hours - building to some end that was as yet unknown.

And yet when she spoke on Tuesday, Clinton put a larger political conflict in very stark terms, attempting to uplift to battle stations a mood that could easily go straight to a meltdown with the wrong tone.

DENVER -- If there's any controversy involved with today's roll call vote, New Jersey will not be a part of it.

Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan made a motion this morning to endorse Barack Obama by universal acclimation. It passed, without any voices raised in opposition.

Cryan said that after listening to Hillary Clinton’s speech last night “I really think it would be mistake if the New Jersey delegation had a roll call,” he said before putting it up for a vote. “If there was some way, I ask that we by acclamation nominate Barack Obama and dispense with the roll call.”

Gov. Jon Corzine with Bill and Hillary Clinton at an Invesco Field party: Politicker PhotoDENVER - Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-N.Y.) speech was over, but the night wasn't done.

Invesco Field crowded the horizon like a set-piece out of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and State party Chairman Joe Cryan and West New York Mayor Sal Vega trudged under the crisscrossing Denver highways, leading a scattered contingent of the New Jersey delegation.

Inside they were greeted by the familiar strains of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer," and when the rest of the haggard-looking delegation finally arrived, either by foot or bus from the nearby Pepsi Center, they found a stage overcrowded with Gov. Jon Corzine, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, and New York Gov. David Patterson.

Joining the governors on stage were none other than the Clintons.