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JustAnotherGen

(31,683 posts)
Wed Jun 12, 2013, 05:53 PM Jun 2013

Watchdog groups support effort to stop Christie from holding October election for U.S. Senate

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/06/watchdog_groups_support_effort_to_block_christie_from_holding_special_election_for_us_senate.html
TRENTON — A coalition of government watchdog groups and left-leaning organizations today filed briefs in support of a lawsuit seeking to block Gov. Chris Christie from holding an Oct. 16 special election for the seat left vacant by the death of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

NJ Citizen Action and NJ Communities United said Christie's decision to spend $12 million on a special election just three weeks before the November general election was a waste of taxpayer dollars and could disenfranchise voters. Christie has said it's worth whatever it costs to install a new Senator quickly.

On Friday, the chairwoman of the Somerset County Democrats, Peg Schaffer, challenged Christie’s authority to call for the election, calling it illegal and an attempt to suppress the vote. Schaffer said her law firm asked for and was granted permission by the state appellate division to file a motion for emergent relief.

“As New Jersey’s largest citizen watchdog organization, we felt it was important to do what we can to ensure our members and the public have a voice and real opportunity to participate in a fair election for the open US Senate seat,” Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, executive director of New Jersey Citizen Action, said in a statement. "The governor’s decision to hold the special election less than three weeks before the regularly scheduled general election could cause voter confusion and disenfranchise newly registered voters as their registrations might not make it into the voting rolls by October 16."


Another article/commentary:

http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine/2013/06/christie_may_be_underhanded_bu.html
Christie may be underhanded but he ain't playing beanbag

But here’s where the game gets underhanded. A special election for a single seat held on a Wednesday in October represents a recipe for low turnout. That’s good for Republicans. A putative candidate Booker would likely have to mount a major turnout effort almost three weeks before the general election. Many of those Democrats won’t turn out twice. The statewide Republicans’ expected Nov. 5 landslide remains on schedule.

The Democrats are crying foul. Somerset County Democratic chair Peg Schaffer is suing to halt the election on the grounds that Christie’s goal in calling it was to suppress turnout.

She certainly got that right. But Christie is a smart lawyer who has a whole lot of other smart lawyers working for him. They had that angle covered before they called the election. If turnout turns out to be low, that’s politics.
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Watchdog groups support effort to stop Christie from holding October election for U.S. Senate (Original Post) JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 OP
Thanks, I didn't really know what the October election was about. I thought perhaps early voting... freshwest Jun 2013 #1
Definitely not early voting JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #4
You know the area. I want Booker to win and go farther (dial-up warning, video, large pic): freshwest Jun 2013 #5
He is very interesting davidpdx Jun 2013 #10
Isn't it at his whim? MrSlayer Jun 2013 #2
Look at the second article JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #3
You should see if you can vote in your old precinct if that is an issue. LiberalFighter Jun 2013 #6
Jon Stewart showed "an old clip of Christie condemning a special election for $10 million"... jenmito Jun 2013 #7
That deserves JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #8
OK... jenmito Jun 2013 #9
Put the link here so we can push it up and point out the crazy. freshwest Jun 2013 #12
Here ya go: jenmito Jun 2013 #14
I gave it a kick and rec! freshwest Jun 2013 #15
Thanks, freshwest! n/t jenmito Jun 2013 #16
Christie is going to appoint a Republican to the seat davidpdx Jun 2013 #11
He already did tabbycat31 Jun 2013 #13
K&R thanks Gen Cha Jun 2013 #17
K&R! And thanks for kicking this! Rhiannon12866 Jun 2013 #18
Oh those fiscal conservatives sheshe2 Jun 2013 #19

freshwest

(53,661 posts)
1. Thanks, I didn't really know what the October election was about. I thought perhaps early voting...
Wed Jun 12, 2013, 06:10 PM
Jun 2013
I should have known better. This is dirty.



JustAnotherGen

(31,683 posts)
4. Definitely not early voting
Wed Jun 12, 2013, 06:37 PM
Jun 2013

Im voting Pallone in the primary as his voting record is stellar. But Booker will win. And Booker will also get people to the polls in October or November.

Bouno is getting zero recognition by Democrats at the National level.

Booker is and will.

It's much easier to press the button right down the D Section of the ballot if Booker is on it. The way this is going right now? It's just Republucan shenanigans.

freshwest

(53,661 posts)
5. You know the area. I want Booker to win and go farther (dial-up warning, video, large pic):
Wed Jun 12, 2013, 06:52 PM
Jun 2013


From Mother Jones:

...Meanwhile, another politician is mastering earned media (yes, same thing, but bear with us). Cory Booker, a Rhodes Scholar and Stanford football star, first gained notoriety when he moved into Newark's notorious Brick Towers after becoming a city council member. Then, in 2002, he tried to oust Sharpe James from his 16-year perch as mayor. Booker, derided as a carpetbagger and "not black enough" by James and his supporters, lost that race, but an Oscar-nominated documentary, Street Fight, brought him wider attention and guaranteed a rematch with the James machine. Still living in Brick Towers, he became mayor in 2006 and quickly lowered the homicide rate by an astonishing 36 percent, and doubled the number of affordable housing units, all while slashing the deficit and raising the salaries of many city workers.

This is remarkable stuff. But what propels Booker into the once-in-a-generation stratum of leaders is how he has enlisted his constituents to fight for a better city—and how he has used social media to do so.

Booker keeps up an awe-inspiring Twitter feed. He fields -and acts upon- complaints about broken streetlights and fire hydrants. He quotes philosophy and Scripture. He reminds Newarkians how to report landlords who don't turn on the heat. When Jersey Shore "star" Snooki tweeted "Ugh stuck in Nwk traffic is no fun," he replied, "Snooki! I'm the mayor where R U so I can give u a ticket 4 texting & driving we needs revenue!" He's also got the city—and followers from around the world—joining his weight-loss efforts via the #letsmove hashtag.


http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/cory-booker-twitter-sarah-palin

I was impressed with him at the DNC:



He sounds like what we need in the Senate. Open-minded, not afraid to do new things while keeping to principles. It's the big picture he's into and making everyone's lives better. A little bit more from him about his life and sense of humor:

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/june/transcript-cory-booker-061912.html?view=print

I also liked this I found:

Don't speak to me about your religion by Corey Booker


Don't speak to me about your religion;
first show it to me in how you treat other people.

Don't tell me how much you love your God;
show me in how much you love all God's children.

Don't preach to me your passion for your faith;
teach me through your compassion for your neighbors.

In the end, I'm not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as I am in how you choose to live and give.


~ Corey Booker

I feel like I've got a grasp on this man now, and I'm impressed at what I'm reading and hearing. I hope that New Jersey will feel the same way and give him a chance to be their Senator.

davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
10. He is very interesting
Thu Jun 13, 2013, 02:19 PM
Jun 2013

The timing is right, but it sucks that he'll have to run a campaign this year and next

JustAnotherGen

(31,683 posts)
3. Look at the second article
Wed Jun 12, 2013, 06:33 PM
Jun 2013

Not a fan of Mulshine's commentary in general but it's perfectly legal. Unless all of these organizations working together can show it will disenfranchise people.

Truthfully - I could be one. We are trying to buy a house. I could get frozen out due to registration rules.

jenmito

(37,326 posts)
7. Jon Stewart showed "an old clip of Christie condemning a special election for $10 million"...
Wed Jun 12, 2013, 09:24 PM
Jun 2013

"then an updated one with Christie proposing a special election costing an estimated $12 million.":
http://blogs.app.com/politicspatrol/2013/06/06/27420/

davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
11. Christie is going to appoint a Republican to the seat
Thu Jun 13, 2013, 02:22 PM
Jun 2013

Might as well wait until the November election is certified which would be mid-November to swear him in. Until then NJ are going to be stuck with some pompous jackass in the seat for 5 months.

sheshe2

(83,354 posts)
19. Oh those fiscal conservatives
Tue Jun 25, 2013, 11:44 PM
Jun 2013
Christie's decision to spend $12 million on a special election just three weeks before the November general election was a waste of taxpayer dollars and could disenfranchise voters.


Christie sure is following the party line~ voter suppression! Surprise surprise!



Kicking!
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