Joe Biden

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), center, in the crowd today with Assemblyman Joe Egan (D-New Brunswick), left, and Middlesex County Freeholder H. James Polos.

EDISON - Against a landscape of Middlesex County Democratic Party strife, Vice President Joe Biden this afternoon stumped for Gov. Jon Corzine, arguing the international context of the recession, which he said Republican candidate Chris Christie has tried to pin solely on Corzine.

"Jon has said he governed in tough times," said the vice president. "Let's give him the chance to govern in good times."

Deadlocked with Christie, according to most polls, Corzine's handlers want him to repeat a double-barrel message from here until Election Day two weeks from now: remind people that he acted early to blunt the impact of the recession, and that the pro-unon, pro-choice, anti-gun incumbent shares the values of most New Jersey voters. 

Biden was here to amplify that two-pronged argument.

"Isn't it great we have Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the White House?" Corzine asked the crowd. "Their values are our values, right?"

State Party Chairman Joe Cryan (center) at last week's LG debate at Monmouth University.

Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan today amplified news about next week's rally with President Barack Obama and a Monday appearance in Middlesex by Vice President Joe Biden by announcing an incoming procession of party leaders for Gov. Jon Corzine, including former President William J. Clinton, United States Congressional members Michael Honda (D-CA) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and Caroline Kennedy.

Clinton will attend a rally with state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) next Tuesday afternoon at the Collingswood Ballroom in Collingswood; and a rally with Corzine at Rutgers University in New Brunswick on Tuesday evening.

Honda is scheduled to bond with voters at a Saturday, Oct. 17 Filipino American Heritage Month Rally in Old Bridge, a Chinese Americans’ Moon Festival Rally in Princeton, and a Korean Americans’ Harvest Moon Festival Rally in Engelwood.

On Monday, Vice President Joe Biden will make his third campaign visit to New Jersey on behalf of Governor Corzine.

An 11am rally is planned for Middlesex Community College in Edison.  The Corzine campaign will release more details later on.

The campaign announced yesterday that President Obama will make his second visit for Corzine on Wednesday in Hackensack.  

Biden stumped for Corzine at the New Jersey AFL-CIO’s Atlantic City convention last Thursday, and came to Essex County to rally with him on primary night, June 2.  

ATLANTIC CITY - Gov. Jon Corzine never forgot how to pronounce the word "union," Vice President Joe Biden told leaders of the New Jersey AFL-CIO this morning in an impassioned speech with less than a month to go before Election Day as Corzine runs neck-and-neck with Republican challenger Chris Christie, according to the latest Fairleigh Dickinson University poll. 

"I'm here for two reasons," said Biden. "First and foremost is to support my friend, Barack's friend, Jon Corzine. We made a decision that the first guy we committed to do anything we could do is Jon Corzine."

The other reason is to say thank you, said Biden, who laid the groundwork early in the speech for an old friends, shared values atmosphere to contrast sharply with what he identified as an intentionally vague GOP in the aftermath of the Bush era.

"I'm proud to stand here today, as I have year after year for the last 37 years with New Jersey labor, campaigning with you and for you, and also, with you campaigning with me," the vice president said. "I would not be standing here today without many of you in this room. You've been my second home. You've literally had my back."

To labor chants of "Yes, we can" and a howling standing ovation, a smiling Biden arrived out of the rain at the Borgata Casino on the second day of a two-day labor conference to gin up the ground game captains for what Corzine hopes will be GOTV dynamite.

"Today is 27 days out, and we need to have for the next four weekends, 1,200 volunteers out on weekends, that's our goal," said AFL-CIO President Charlie Wowkanech. "It's because of your efforts so far that this thing has gotten so close. ...This Nov. 3rd, we are going to put our best foot and exceed the Jim McGreevey 1.2 million members on votes for Jon Corzine. That's what it's all about."

Vice President Joe Biden has confirmed to rally with union members in support of Gov. Jon Corzine at the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Legislative/COPE conference at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City on Oct. 6-7, according to a release issued by the AFL-CIO. 

The conference will mark the last stage of labor’s re-elect push for Corzine and 70 labor candidates.

The legislature’s two top Republicans criticized Gov. Corzine for allegedly making concessions to a public workers’ union for fear that their protest of his campaign kickoff would force Vice President Joe Biden to cancel his appearance there.

The Star-Ledger reported yesterday that the Corzine Administration, fearing Biden would not cross the picket line, made a tentative agreement with the Communications Workers that they would take 10 additional furlough days in exchange for “bankable” personal days they can use in the future.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Westfield) accused Corzine of using taxpayer money for political gain.

Vice President Joe Biden will help launch Gov Jon Corzine’s general re-election campaign at a rally scheduled for June 2 at the Richard J. Codey Arena at South Mountain in West Orange.

Vice-President Joe Biden will join Gov. Corzine and U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) in New Jersey on Thursday, The Star-Ledger reports.  

Biden will be in Lodi to inaugurate a road project paid for with federal stimulus funds.

Corzine emphasized that the purpose of the visit was to discuss how stimulus funds are being used, and not to aid his reelection campaign.  He noted that Biden was recently in Minnesota for a similar event.  

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) in Paterson this afternoon.

PATERSON – There’s an old boast in Hudson County that if you take a politician out of there and put him anywhere else in the country, he’ll soon be running the place.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-Hoboken) didn’t gloat today as he faced the cameras and took questions on the day Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) named him to succeed U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

But the former mayor of Union City was Hudson County-cryptic when asked how his helmsman-ship would differ from that of his predecessor across the river.

“In terms of style, he has his, and I have mine, and that’s it,” Menendez said.

Speaking at a press conference in Paterson City Hall on the issue of federal foreclosure aid with Gov. Jon Corzine, who served in the U.S. Senate as DSCC chairman when President-elect Barack Obama’s came of age as a statewide candidate, Menendez later fielded several questions about his new role.

Joe Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens, and her daughter Missy Owens, are scheduled to co-host an Obama campaign rally at Rider University on Tuesday, Oct. 14, according to campaign spokesman Andrew Poag.

The Biden family members will be joined by Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, Poag said.