A Democrat in 2008

I supported Paul Aronsohn in 2006. And I am a big fan of his. He is smart, he is energetic, and he demonstrated his tenacity in a campaign that was dogged by a lack of attention by the national party committees.

Paul is thinking about running again in 2008. I've discussed this with him and I think it's a good idea.

But I will not endorse a particular candidate in the Democratic primary until the various candidates prove themselves worthy of support. We should not blindly support any one candidate, and Governor Corzine and Chairman Cryan should be wary of throwing their support behind a candidate this early in the race.

I hope Paul runs. But there should be a vigorous Democratic primary that will encourage the candidates to hone their policy positions and become better candidates to face Garrett in 2008.

The one thing I will say here and now, I will not support any candidate who negatively attacks another Democrat in the race. So for those Democrats out there that think it's a smart idea to get nasty, forget it. Let's stay focused on the real opponent, extremist Scott Garrett.

I invite all the Democratic candidates to lay out their reasons for running here on Retire Garrett. And I hope our site can host a live Democratic primary debate, live blogged for every candidate to see free of charge.

So come one, come all, our minds are open.

What exactly does he stand for?

I'm not always on the same page as the US Chamber of Commerce, but you'd think "anti-tax" zealot Ernie Garrett would be, especially when it comes to tax relief legislation. Maybe it's only tax cuts for the wealthy that he supports and we're on our own. (Unless, of course we want to make a decision about how we live our lives. I digress...)

February 13, 2007

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OR REPRESENTATIVES:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, urges you to support H.R. 976, the “Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2007.” This legislation provides tax relief to assist small businesses’ job growth.

... and how did the NJ contingent vote?

New Jersey
Aye NJ-1 Andrews, Robert [D]
No Vote NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
Aye NJ-3 Saxton, H. [R]
Aye NJ-4 Smith, Christopher [R]
Nay NJ-5 Garrett, E. [R]
Aye NJ-6 Pallone, Frank [D]
Aye NJ-7 Ferguson, Michael [R]
Aye NJ-8 Pascrell, William [D]
Aye NJ-9 Rothman, Steven [D]
Aye NJ-10 Payne, Donald [D]
Aye NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney [R]
Aye NJ-12 Holt, Rush [D]
Aye NJ-13 Sires, Albio [D]

Surprise, surprise! What a hypocrite. So what exactly does Garrett stand for?

The DCCC is targeting Republican Seats in NJ - Garrett's one of them

I saw this over on Blue Jersey as reported in The Hill (http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Campaign/021407_van.html). The DCCC is targeting some Republican held seats, among them is Garrett's seat.

In the state’s 5th district, Republican Rep. Scott Garrett should, by all traditional measures, be in significant trouble heading into 2008.

Garrett won last year with 55 percent of the vote, and a consultant familiar with the district said he has continued to be successful largely because of historically Republican Bergen County, part of which Garrett represents.

The problem, or problems, for Garrett lie in a county GOP that was once consolidated and strong, but in recent years has fallen into near-total disarray — the Rothenberg Report recently noted the party’s county headquarters was padlocked earlier this year because of failure to pay rent.

The phones at the county headquarters are apparently disconnected; repeated calls to the number listed on its website were met with an operator’s message.

That “collapse,” as the consultant put it, could lead to a primary challenge for Garrett, opening the door to an early-funded Democrat riding the strength of a county Democratic Party that has grown in influence.

This is good news.

Garrett strikes again...

Holy hypocrite, Batman!

North Jersey Republicans said balancing the budget, which Bush and the Democrats have said is a goal, requires hard choices. Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, said the president's budget represents "a positive step" toward that goal, and warned against Democrats' raising taxes to afford more spending.

"Every family in America must set priorities and make difficult decisions when putting together a household budget, and the federal government should be no different," said Garrett, a member of the House Budget Committee. "I hope that my friends on the other side of the aisle will remember that ... every dollar that goes into the federal budget is a dollar that comes out of a family budget."

With all due respect, Mr. Garrett, hard choices? How dare you? How dare you preach fiscal discipline to us? Have I missed your outrage during your years in office, when you and your Republican colleagues spent like drunken sailors? Did I miss you speaking out against Bush's failure to veto a single spending bill? (His first veto, as you know, was against stem cell research.) Did I miss your press conference when you spoke out against waste and corruption in Iraq? War profiteering? No-bid contracts? Tax breaks for big oil?

It seems to me that a fiscal conservative would understand that all of that money would have gone a long way.

I guess it doesn't matter. No one in NJ5 is paying attention, right?

Simple Math:

This:

Exxon earnings top record
$39.5 billion is biggest annual profit in U.S.

Plus This:

For years, Congress and the White House have established an energy policy written by and for the benefit of Big Oil. Thursday’s vote signals a change: that lawmakers don’t want taxpayers to pay billions of dollars of subsidies to companies like ExxonMobil, and that this country will begin making the necessary investments in clean energy rather than relying on polluting energy sources.

***Nay NJ-5 Garrett, E. [R]***

Equals This:

Horrible, out of touch, representation. (No surprise for those of us watching.)

Garrett to NJ College Students: DROP DEAD

An extra $260 may help with college costs

Tens of thousands of North Jersey college students would get more financial aid this fall from a sweeping $463.5 billion spending bill approved Wednesday by the House.

The bill, which faces quick action in the Senate, provides the first increase in four years to the maximum Pell Grant, a program for needy college students.

...

"It really makes a big difference," said Steven M. Rose, president of Passaic County Community College. "Many of our students are making maybe $10,000 a year. A lot are working for minimum wage. If you have to pay $500 for books, you have to work a lot of hours to earn that."

Nearly half the students at the Passaic college get Pell Grants, while 1 in 5 attending Bergen Community College gets them. Among the state colleges, New Jersey City University has the highest proportion of students receiving Pell Grants, almost 1 in 3.

Wow. Talk about a no-brainer, huh?

Voting against it were Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Harding, and Scott Garrett, R-Wantage.

I guess it doesn't matter. No one in the 5th district is paying attention, right?