Tag: New Jersey

Cross-posted at Blue Jersey

Chris Smith voted to double the cost of prescription drug co-pays for military families. In 2006, the Bush administration doubled the cost of prescription co-pays for military families under Tri-Care health coverage. Democrats introduced legislation restoring the original co-pays of $3 for generic drugs and $9 for brand name drugs, but Chris Smith and other Republicans voted to block the legislation. [HR 5122, vote #139, 5/11/06; Leadership document, “Democrats Are Fighting for Military Families,” 5/11/06]

According to research, many military families face difficult financial challenges. Over 20% of military families report having received WIC aid or food stamps from the government. While a few dollars saved might not mean much to Chris Smith, who has voted to raise his own salary by $32,600 since 1999, every dollar helps our military families afford basic necessities.[Washington Post/Kaiser Foundation Military Families Survey March 2004 CRS: Salaries of Members of Congress Updated January 8, 2008; 1999 Vote #300; 2000 Vote #419; 2001 House Vote #267; 2002 House Vote #322; 2003 House Vote #463; 2004 House Vote #451; 2005 House Vote #327; 2006 vote #261; 2007 Vote #580]

“Before veterans are veterans, they are servicemen and servicewomen. Military families deserve to know why Chris Smith voted to double their prescription drug co-pays,” said Josh Zeitz campaign manager Steve D’Amico.

This vote is another example of why I’m working to elect Josh Zeitz and bring Chris Smith back to New Jersey. I know you know want to turn the seat blue, so if you can volunteer, please email me at: ian_at_joshzeitz_dot_com. To learn more about Josh and his stance on the issues, please visit his website.

In 2004 and 2005 Smith voted against protecting our servicemen and servicewomen from bankruptcy. In 2005, George Bush signed into law harsher bankruptcy rules for American facing heavy levels of debt. Chris Smith voted against measures against extending special bankruptcy protections to deployed servicemen and servicewomen. [Vote # 107 2005, Vote #9 2004]

This year, roughly half of New Jersey’s National Guard is being actively deployed to Iraq. According to recent data, over forty percent of Guardsman and Reservists lose income when they leave their civilian jobs for active duty. Many reservists left thinking they would be deployed for 6 months and have ended up staying for a year or even longer and may be shipped out again. Additionally, many military families face difficult financial challenges. Over 20% of military families report having received WIC aid or food stamps from the government. [Los Angles Time 5/16/05; Washington Post/Kaiser Foundation Military Families Survey March 2004]

More after the jump.

Instead of offering reasonable protections to members of the military, Chris Smith voted to raise his salary by $32,600 since 1999. [CRS: Salaries of Members of Congress Updated January 8, 2008; 1999 Vote #300; 2000 Vote #419; 2001 House Vote #267; 2002 House Vote #322; 2003 House Vote #463; 2004 House Vote #451; 2005 House Vote #327; 2006 vote #261; 2007 Vote #580]

“While Chris Smith was busy raising his own salary he was also denying bankruptcy protection to servicemen and servicewomen who are taking a pay cut to fight for their country. They deserve an explanation,” said Josh Zeitz campaign manager Steve D’Amico.

This kind of vote is exactly why we need to elect Josh Zeitz and bring Chris Smith back to New Jersey. I know you know that already, so if you can volunteer, please email me at: ian_at_joshzeitz_dot_com. To learn more about Josh and his stance on the issues, please visit his website.

Cross-posted at Blue Jersey.

Below is a blog post from the Josh Zeitz for Congress campaign. Josh is a Democrat challenging Republican incumbent (and anti-choice caucus chair) Chris Smith in NJ-4.

With gas prices at $4/gallon, the last thing New Jersey drivers deserve is to get ripped off by gas station owners. I read recently about the inspections conducted by law enforcement of over 1000 gas stations in all 21 counties of our state. Any violations would be unacceptable, but over 350 station owners, more than one in three, were found in violation.

You know, this past weekend I walked through two precincts in Bordentown Township and attended the really amazing Florence Occasion in the Park. People told me they were fed up with the high cost of gas, and one specifically brought up how many gas stations were cited for cheating drivers at the pump.

 

More after the break.

 

Like most of you, I am outraged at these violations, which Attorney General Anne Milgram said are in all likelihood intentional attempts to deceive consumers. I’m glad that these inspections took place and that drivers can now be more confident that they are at least getting what they are paying four dollars a gallon for. I would suggest they mandate more frequent inspections.

It’s for reasons like this that I support strict criminal penalties for price gouging. The law has to protect drivers not only from gas station owners but also from the Big Oil companies who are making record profits and still receiving outrageous subsidies from our governments in Washington. We need measures that investigate price fixing by Oil Cartels like OPEC as well as unfair and ridiculous prices set by the biggest oil producers in the United States.

You can read more about where I stand on gas prices in my last post, available at: http://blog.joshzeitz.com/inde…

 

I’m going to stick around for comments. If you are interested in volunteering for the campaign, please contact me at ian_at_joshzeitz_com. I am a volunteer myself, and serve as Josh’s Netroots Outreach Coordinator.

 

Below is a blog post from the Josh Zeitz for Congress campaign. Josh is a Democrat challenging Republican incumbent (and anti-choice caucus chair) Chris Smith in NJ-4.

Today, I paid $3.88 per gallon to fill up my car. Accustomed as I am to living on a history teacher’s salary, I know how much these high gas prices hurt, and how they impact everything else we buy.

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with 5th grade students at the Leadership Academy Charter School in Trenton about the issues they feel are important in this year’s election. Nearly every student talked about how hard it was for their parents to afford the rising cost of gas. They also knew that when the price of gas goes up, so does the cost of food, clothing, and other basic necessities. The problem is so obvious that even fifth graders realize we’re in a crisis, yet our leaders in Washington have let this problem fester so long that it’s squeezing New Jersey families to the breaking point.

More after the jump.

 

Simply put, New Jersey families can no longer afford to get by in George Bush’s economy. The Republicans in Washington are under the influence of big oil, which is raking in huge profits thanks to those same high gas prices. Unfortunately, my opponent, Chris Smith, has been part of the problem. He has consistently voted for huge subsidies for energy corporations while also voting against tougher laws against price gouging at the pump. We need a change in Congress. We need to elect people who actually put the interests of Central Jersey’s families ahead of corporate profits.

Our government needs to help families deal with these high gas prices. We need to take direct action immediately.

We need to start by strengthening laws against price gouging. We should establish criminal penalties for CEOs who artificially inflate prices. Congress should also investigate price fixing by rich oil cartels like OPEC.

Second, we need to make new, fuel-efficient hybrid cars affordable for all American families. Currently, the tax credit for buying hybrids is too small, and there is a limit on the number of families who can receive it. We need to increase these tax breaks so that all families can afford a fuel-efficient vehicle for the cost of their current car payments. How do we pay for it? By eliminating the billions we give to oil companies that are already making record profits.

We simply can’t wait any longer. When the price of a gallon of gas goes up by a dollar, as it has in only the past year or so, it means that Americans are paying an extra $142 billion each year to fill up their tanks. See this New York Times article for details.

This is a serious problem that, as Trenton’s fifth graders rightly noted, hurts families – not only at the gas station, but at the supermarket and beyond. It’s also a national security problem. Americans have spent about $600 billion over the past twelve months on gasoline, and almost $400 billion of that has gone to foreign oil producers.

Sixteen gallons of gas at $4 per gallon. More than $60 to fill up a tank. By increasing the efficiency of our cars, we can help NJ families achieve the economic security they enjoyed before George Bush became president. In the long run, by developing new, innovative technologies we can create a green economy that provides high-paying jobs here in Central Jersey, while alleviating our pain at the pump. Together, we can create a more affordable and secure future.

I’m going to stick around for comments. If you are interested in volunteering for the campaign, please contact me at ian_at_joshzeitz_com. I am a volunteer myself, and serve as Josh’s Netroots Outreach Coordinator.

Please take a listen at Blue Jersey Radio tonight at 8pm, where NJ-4 Democratic Candidate Josh Zeitz will be  a guest. The radio feed streams live

This is a district we can win, and we need to get behind Josh. We have some real opportunities in NJ to turn districts from red to blue.

Chris Smith is an extreme right-winger on social issues, especially relating to reproductive rights. He is the chair of the House anti-choice caucus who has, for example, introduced a constitutional amendment to ban oral contraception. He’s also backed the Bush-McCain Iraq policy from day one.

We need to defeat him and turn NJ-4 blue! More after the jump.

Josh is a career educator, born and raised in the district, who will bring fresh ideas to Congress.

Please take a listen tonight, have a question or two to call in with at (646) 652-2773 and I know you’ll like what you hear. For more on Josh’s appearance, check out the diary on Blue Jersey.

To volunteer for the campaign, please get in touch with me: ian_at_joshzeitz_dot_com. I am a volunteer myself, and serve as Josh’s Netroots Outreach Coordinator.

Cross-posted at Blue Jersey

According to a new report at NJ Politicker.com, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ-4) rarely visits his district. This bit of information is not widely known, but it soon will be, and provides another opening for Democrat Josh Zeitz to make his case.

The article speaks for itself:

When Rep. Chris Smith was first elected to the House, he was brand new to the Washington scene. But after 27 years of representing New Jersey in Congress, Smith has spent almost half of his life living in Virginia. [snip]

In 2000, Smith spent 73 days and 41 nights in his district, according to Congressional spending reports. That’s 20% of his days (including travel days) and 11.23% of his nights. Since then, records show the number of days Smith spent in New Jersey has decreased almost every year.

More details after the jump.  

Here are the raw numbers of Smith’s time in his home district:

2001- 59 days, 31 nights

2002 -56 days, 26 nights

2003- 47 days, 23 nights

2004 -43 days, 19 nights

2005 – 40 days, 15 nights

2006 – 29 days, 7 nights

2007 – 48 days, 22 nights

Over the last eight years, Smith has spent a total of 395 days and 184 nights in New Jersey while on official business.

Smith was interviewed for the piece and does not dispute the numbers. I’ll leave it to you all to decide what you think of this, but I don’t doubt that the residents of NJ-4 will be interested and that it can’t make them think more positively of their veteran Congressman.

On the more humorous side, the reporter interviewed Smith’s ‘neighbors’ (he has a small rental in Hamilton Township and is the only member of the NJ congressional delegation who does not own a home in New Jersey), and found the following:

Most of Smith’s neighbors in the quaint, middle-class townhouse complex that he lists as his New Jersey residence were surprised – and sometimes elated — to hear that their Congressman was also neighbor. PolitickerNJ.com knocked on all of the doors of the units that adjoin Smith’s apartment, and of the six neighbors who answered, only one had ever seen Smith. Only two had any idea that he lived there.

Chris Smith is ripe for defeat, and Josh Zeitz needs your help to make that happen. Smith, the House ‘pro-life’ caucus chair, is a radical on reproductive rights (and not in a good way) who, for example, sponsored a constitutional amendment to criminalize the birth control pill. Furthermore, he has stood with George Bush on Iraq down the line as a senior Republican on the House International Relations Committee.

Josh is a common sense progressive who will represent the values of Central Jersey. Furthermore, his victory will strengthen the Democratic majority in Congress. Please help him out check out his website and do what you can to support him. If you can volunteer, please email me at:

ian_at_joshzeitz_dot_com

I am a volunteer and Josh’s Netroots Outreach Coordinator

A new study by Ernest Reock, Jr. of Rutgers University concludes that New Jersey will retain all 13 of its congressional districts after the 2010 census, despite the Garden State’s loss of 72,500 residents in 2006.  However, districts in South and Central Jersey are set to shrink.

That doesn’t quite jibe with Polidata’s projection which pegged New Jersey as losing a seat in the next re-apportionment.  Election Data Services also projects NJ to lose a district.

New Jersey currently has a 7 Dem, 6 GOP congressional delegation, but that could easily be pushed into a 9D-4R split with the retirements of Reps. Ferguson and Saxton.

Great news from NJ-03 (GOP Rep. Saxton’s open seat): John Adler, the Democratic candidate for Congress announced that he raised almost $1.2 million dollars this cycle, including a whopping $530,000 this quarter alone. (75% of the donations came from local NJ donors.) In fact, Adler did so well, one of his GOP opponents campaigns called it “impressive.”

Besides the great fundraising success – Adler has picked up major endorsements from other prominent groups and has been knocking on hundreds of doors.

In the meantime, Adler has been knocking on doors in neighborhoods as far southeast as Little Egg Harbor Township and the age-restricted communities that pepper the area three to five days each week.

And he recently introduced legislation that would protect senior insurance citizens from predatory brokers. The move was prompted by constituent concerns, not scoring points with the electorate.

More after the jump…

And today, even PolitickerNJ’s Wally Edge, was impressed with Adler:

John Adler’s fundraising numbers are impressive: he’s brought in nearly $1.2 million so far as the Democratic candidate for an open congressional seat that has been held by the Republicans since 1882. This kind of early fundraising success will help Adler grow his warchest exponentially as he competes in one of the nation’s premier House races – the fight for Jim Saxton’s seat. Adler is expected to be unopposed in the Democratic primary.

There are a lot of seats in play, but NJ-03 is ready for a “take-over”. Let’s end the failed Bush Republican policies and elect a real Democrat who will bring change to Washington!

Earlier in the cycle, Democrats had hoped to target three House Republican incumbents in New Jersey: NJ-07’s Mike Ferguson, NJ-03’s Jim Saxton, and NJ-02’s Frank LoBiondo.  With the retirements of Ferguson and Saxton, Democrats have a solid shot of picking up both seats with the candidacies of Linda Stender and John Adler.  For a while, it looked possible that state Senator Jeff Van Drew would round out the trio by challenging the entrenched LoBiondo in his D+4 district.  Alas, that wasn’t meant to be:

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew won’t challenge incumbent Frank LoBiondo for a congressional seat in November, Van Drew said this afternoon.

Van Drew was elected to the Senate in November after serving three terms in the state Assembly. […]

“We are approaching the most complex and challenging budget in the state’s history and for that reason, I’m going to stay where I am for now, although I will clearly say I look forward to the day when I will run for the United States Congress,” Van Drew said in a telephone interview this afternoon.

Van Drew said it’s possible he could challenge LoBiondo in 2010.

This is the safer move for Van Drew — fresh from beating an incumbent GOP state Senator last November, another bid against an incumbent so soon after his last race might have rubbed some voters the wrong way.  However, it does look promising that Van Drew will be willing to make a real race of this seat in 2010.  I look forward to his candidacy.

Meanwhile, the promising campaign of Rabbi Dennis Shulman against NJ-05’s ultra-conservative Scott Garrett leaves me hopeful that we could see three pick-up opportunities in the Garden State, after all.

This is pretty big news.  After Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) shocked us all by announcing his retirement earlier this month, the GOP felt pretty good about holding his seat.  They had well-liked state Senator Diane Allen on hand, who was very interested in making a race of it.  The only problem?  Allen, a former broadcaster with a moderate reputation, wanted assurance from the NRCC that her bid would be well-funded.  With potential primary challengers nipping at her heels and the NRCC coffers empty, I guess it didn’t take long for Allen to reach a final decision:

State Sen. Diane Allen says she will not be a candidate for Jim Saxton’s open House seat next year.

“Now is not the time in my life that I feel prepared to again fight a Democrat opponent as well as a rouge faction of the Burlington County Republican Party simultaneously,” Allen said.

Allen, a longtime legislator and former CBS news anchor in Philadelphia,  had been expected to seek the 3rd district seat, and her sudden departure amidst a major intra-party battle in Burlington extends the turmoil of the Republican campaign to hold Saxton’s seat in 2008.  It also enhances the chances of an Ocean County Republican winning the GOP nod.

Ouch!  So in addition to losing a good deal of incumbents, the GOP is having great difficulty recruiting top tier challengers to replace them.  Could the picture get any clearer?