Hank Kalet

The South Brunswick Post and The Cranbury Press will not be endorsing for the U.S. House of Representatives (we never do). But I want to pass along the endorsement in the 12th District race from our sister paper, The Princeton Packet, because it pretty much sums up my thinking on the race:

Eight years ago, when Rush Holt was first elected to Congress, he was a wet-behind-the-ears scientist-turned-politician better known for his mastery of physics than of policy, more adept at thinking deep thoughts than at speaking in public, who had the good fortune to run against an incumbent whose 15 minutes of fame consisted of singing “Twinkle, twinkle, Kenneth Starr” on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Rep. Holt has come a long way.

Today, he is a knowledgeable, articulate, savvy congressman who has built a reputation not only for constituent service, but for his commitment to progressive causes — election reform, smart growth, sustainable energy, stem-cell research. His leadership in the effort to require all electronic voting machines to produce a verifiable paper trail has garnered national attention. His background in science, and his devotion to the scientific method in researching and analyzing complex public issues, has earned him widespread respect among his colleagues in Washington.

Rep. Holt has also benefited greatly from the redrawing of his 12th Congressional District — which includes the Princetons, West Windsor and Plainsboro — following the 2000 Census; what was once a Republican bastion has morphed into what some observers now consider a fairly safe Democratic seat. This, in part, may explain why his Republican challenger this year is little-known former Helmetta Borough Councilman Joseph Sinagra.

Mr. Sinagra’s campaign is built largely on a platform supporting President George W. Bush — “stay the course” in Iraq, cut taxes, outlaw abortion (except when the health of the mother is in danger), ban embryonic stem-cell research. On two issues — illegal immigration and the minimum wage — he moves well to the right of the president, railing against “amnesty” for undocumented aliens and calling for abolition of minimum-wage laws.

Rep. Holt is the clear choice in this race.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

I sometimes think the folks who do the people’s business in Trenton are really nothing more than 8-year-old boys (and girls). Evidence the absurd behavior of the members of an allegedly bipartisan special ethics committee that met this morning. First, the committee breaks down along partisan lines in unnecessary bickering over who will chair it, and then it fails to agree on whether it should consider the plight of state Sen. Wayne Bryant, the former budget committee chairman and powerful South Jersey Democrat.

According to the dailies, the meeting turned into a free-for-all with Republicans attacking Democrats for the way they have used their majority status to control the leadership. The committee, part of the ethics reform package unveiled by then Gov. Richard Codey last year, has been dormant for much of its existence, leaving a boatload of complaints unresolved.

This morning’s ugliness defeats the purpose of the committee, which was set up to battle the state’s well-earned image as an ethical cesspool.

According to the Star-Ledger, “the morning’s fireworks left non-Legislative members of the committee frustrated.”

One, Thomas C. Brown, declined a request to be considered as a compromise candidate for chairman.

“After what has been demonstrated here for the last two hours, I really am not interested in having my name put in,” Brown said.

Another, William Kersey, said the bickering between Republicans and Democrats had wasted the time of the public volunteers on the committee.

“You’ve had the debates; you’ve had the name calling back and forth,” he said. “I think the seven or eight of you need to get your acts together.”

All of this occured as the committee prepared to discuss accusations surrounding state Sen. Wayne Bryant. As the Associated Press reports, Democrats want a federal probe in to allegations that the Camden legislator “brought $4.7 million in new state funding to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey after he was given a no-work job at the state school” to run its course. Republican members, however, said the committee needs to demonstrate that it is serious about the issue.

“It seems like a perfectly reasonable thing for this committee to do,” said Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Bergen. “It would go a long way toward re-establishing in the public mind that this committee is serious.”

In the end, the best the committee could do was agree to talk about it next time, after it has an opportunity to determine whether committee hearings might jeopardize an alleged federal probe — essentially postponing the question and ensuring further squabbles.

In the end, this kind of childish behavior does little more than confirm the public’s worst thoughts. Republicans are standing on far firmer ground right now, though it seems pretty clear to me that the argument is more about politics than it is about anything else (the GOP no doubt sees the ethics issue as a way of regaining control of the Legislature and are therefore willing to press it for partisan advantage — not exactly the most ethical of responses to Sen. Bryant’s alleged ethical lapse.

The only right thing to do here is to place Sen. Bryant under the committee’s microscope with the Democrats leading the charge. This would give the hearings a much greater sense of legitimacy because it removes the taint of partisanship from the process.

If it continues to break down along party lines, however, the committee might as well close up shop. It becomes a useless exercize that does little more than reinforce the status quo.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

The situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, the violence growing daily, the divisions deepening and yet the president and his supporters are unwilling to admit just how horribly bad things have gotten.

Even The Washington Post — which had pushed for the war and has been a supporter of continued American presence — is now calling for a change in tactics, though it still refuses to commit to the only logical approach: getting out.

The president, however, not so much:

“Our goal is clear and unchanging: Our goal is victory. What is changing are the tactics we use to achieve that goal. Our commanders on the ground are constantly adjusting their approach to stay ahead of the enemy, particularly in Baghdad.” (Boston Globe)

The unwillingness of the GOP to face up to reality has allowed the mess to escalate, to mestastasize — with the death toll of both Iraqis and Americans rising, rising, rising.

This isn’t leadership. This is bullheaded foolishness. And they all deserve to find themselves out of work come January.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

It is shortly after midnight, Oct. 22, my 44th birthday, 16 days before the election and four days before we will endorse candidates for the Township Council race in South Brunswick and five days before we endorse in Cranbury for its Township Committee race. I won’t say who will get the nod, but I want to offer some thoughts on what goes into an endorsement and into the choice more generally of the candidates who will get my own vote on Nov. 7.

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of people say things like “It’s the person, not the party” or tell me they look at a person’s qualifications (whatever that might mean). On some level, I guess, I agree. I have endorsed candidates from both major parties, as well as independents and members of third parties. Each decision is treated independently, with the particular circumstances and candidates factored in.

For instance, I’ll be voting for Bob Menendez for U.S. Senate — not because I find him a particularly compelling candidate, but because it is important that his party take control of the Senate to end conservative control of the Senate and because he has been opposed to the war since 2003.

I voted Nader in 1996 and 2000 because I was fed up with the major parties and because I felt that a Nader vote in a blue state like New Jersey was a safe bet — unlike Florida, where a vote for Nader was a vote taken from the Democrats in a borderline state that ended up officially going red.

I voted for Bill Baroni last time out because he is a reformer and independent and a voice that is needed in the state Assembly. I also voted for Mike Paquette, another Republican, in what was a difficult decision (I also like Linda Greenstein as a candidate and Assemblywoman).

At the local level, you have to take into account several things:

1. Vision and philosophy. What do the candidates believe and what are their longterm hopes for the community? How do the answers to those questions match the community’s values ad the values of the editorial page that I run?

2. Competence (as opposed to qualifications) and past record. Do the candidates seem to know the community? Do they know the issues? Have they done their homework? What have they done while in office (or on other boards and commissions)?

3. Circumstances. What is the composition of the governing body and are their any dissenting or contrary voices (these do not have to be from other parties, but generally are)? Would a particular outcome shift partisan control and would that affect policy for the good or ill (See Senate race comments above)?

All of this is tossed into the mix and shaken (not stirred) and an endorsement is made. Most times, we are satisfied with the decision, though occasionally we endorse with reservations.

So stay tuned until Thursday and Friday for our decisions.

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick

How about at ticket of Russ Feingold and Barack Obama for 2008? Doesn’t matter who takes which spot — I think I could make a case for voting for such a tandem.

If not, maybe I’ll run. Slogan: “After eight years of Bush, why not vote for someone who’s up a tree.”

South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick