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Edited on Wed Nov-10-04 07:56 AM by Tandalayo_Scheisskop
A lot of you guys have two years to strategize, lick wounds, organize and generally recharge the old batteries.
We don't in New Jersey. We do it again next November.
Next November, we go to the polls again to elect a governor, assembly, state senate and county and local officials. And you better believe it is no time for complacency.
One point of danger is/was Jim McGreevey. Personally, I had great expectations for him, and he could have been a real keeper, but he just did not have the ability to face the demons that haunted him. At least not contructively. So, his demons caught up with him and now, he is Citizen McGreevey. In his wake, he left the rest of us Dems with a mess to deal with, from an electoral perspective.
Going down the "Route 1 Corridor", from north to south, it is strong with dems. Move out from that, and it starts getting soft. Get to the far north and west of the state and one could think they are in Northern Alabama. We got some real whackos out here. I know, I live with 'em.
Furthermore, the radio powerhouse that everyone listens to is NJ 101. You got it: wall to wall demogoguery all the time. Guess on whose side.
Unsaid in this is the fact that NJ is the clear loser in the amount of federal tax dollars that return to the state. 57 cents on the dollar. We are getting our pockets picked by Washington. They are gonna spin it at the Dems and it ain't the dems fault. That has to be communicated. People will understand this issue. Here.
We are going to get swamped with some real doozies running for the repugs. Real doozies indeed.
So, keep a weather eye on NJ. NJ Dems: keep doing your political kata. Don't think of the schedule as a political backbreaker. Think of it as opportunity, as "Kotekitai": the martial arts method of beating on yourself to learn to absorb pain, become desensitized and toughen up and return fire in good measure.
National Dems: do not ignore the NJ 2005 election cycle. Much can be learned from it and it will communicate a lot to you. If you can skip a lunch and send the money to us to fight the good fight, we really need it. We sure need the help, especially in the repug districts. McGreevey was a financial disaster for us.
In spite of what some will say, NJ is not some sink of urban depravity. I tell you that as The Delaware River makes its pristine way to the sea, nestled in rolling foothills, a quarter mile from my window. It's just another place in America, full of some pretty good folks who are indistinguishable from you and the people around you.
Keep an eye on us and give if you can. You can be sure the other side will be as well. NJ is a prize they want, and they will pull the chocks to get it.
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