Mallett Turns Monmouth Blue

Congratulations go out to Monmouth County Freeholder-Elect Amy Mallet, her drawn out victory over Republican John Curley has turned Monmouth County blue after 23 years of republican domination.

Reports of her triumph started to be reported around 6 pm last night, PolitickerNJ was the first to report followed by Save the Jersey Blog and Blue Jersey.

What does this mean to me? It means that Democrats will clean house down in Freehold and the last remnants of ol' Club Monmouth will be gone and I invision Barbara McMorrow being named as Director of the Freeholders come January.

Here is a little excerpt from what Bob Jorden of the Asbury Park Press has to say this morning:

"...The change in power means a handful of well-paying county government jobs will be up for grabs, as well as control over which firms land contracts and work assignments under the county's $470 million annual budget...."

Stay tuned in the coming days, I'm sure that there will be a lot of crying, as well as cheering being done all around Monmouth County.  

Glenn Mason says "Thank You"

What an experience it has been for me to have had the privilege to run in the campaign for Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Immediate thanks go out to all the volunteers who gave their time and support to help Amy and myself through this election. There is no campaign without the tireless efforts of volunteers, and I cannot thank them enough. Thanks to my family and life long friends for their unconditional support, and to true and loyal friends like Lenny, Erv and Joe Caliendo who were always there to help organize, motivate and lend their experience. Their support was unwavering and constant. I would also like to thank the Municipal Chairs, the Mayors and Committee people and the Staff at the County office as well as all the Union’s which supported us.

If it were not for Chairman Scudiery, I would never have been given this tremendous opportunity and chance to serve the people of Monmouth County.

It was a pleasure and an honor to make a run for the Office of Freeholder, and without the support from both Freeholders John DAmico and Barbara McMorrow, I am not sure I would have learned as much or made it as far as I did.

A special thanks goes to my running mate and future Freeholder, Amy Mallet. The people of this County are going to see what a brilliant and compassionate person she is as she serves this County. Once again I appreciate the chance I was given, and my only regret is I will not be able to serve the people of this county.

I believe that in future elections, with people like Chairman Scudiery and Chairman Oxley (republican), you will see better run elections with less “DIRTY” politics and more attention on the issues.

In closing, all should know that if it was not for Mike Mangan, County Director who stepped up and tirelessly took over my campaign, I would not have been able to finish as well as I did. I thank you all. I will always remember what a life changing, memorable experience this has been, and the many great friends I have met along the way.

Respectfully,
Glenn Mason

Oregon Town Elects Nation's First Transgender Mayor

One of the more stranger outcomes of last weeks elections was the outcome of the mayor's race in the small town of Silverton, Oregon where the voters elected Stu Rasmussen Mayor. What makes Stu Rasmussen' s election a little odd is that he is a cross-dresser.

"In a week when America loudly chose its first African-American president, Silverton quietly made Rasmussen the country's first openly transgender mayor, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that works to help openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people win elected office.

Rasmussen unseated incumbent mayor Ken Hector, with whom he had long clashed — 1,988 votes to 1,512. Because Rasmussen's appearance is no secret, it was policy issues that dominated the campaign. "I've blackmail-proofed myself," said Rasmussen."

Click Here to read the story

Dems lower expectations

LEADING THE NEWS- The Hill

Democratic leaders are tamping down on expectations for rapid change and trying to signal they will place a calm hand on the nation’s tiller.

“The country must be governed from the middle,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday. Repeating themes from election night, she said she plans to emphasize “civility” and “fiscal responsibility.”

Her comments emphasized that after an election consistently referred to as “historic,” Democrats face the daunting task of dealing with the plunging economy and two wars.

Yet, they face massive expectations for change and deep-seated fears of overreaching. But senior aides say they’ve learned from the mistakes of the past. Nearly every member of the current Democratic leadership in the House served through the 1992 election, when Bill Clinton was elected president. Two years later, the GOP gained control of Congress.

More recently, they’ve watched Republicans go from complete dominance to minority status in the space of two elections.

“The difference is we have the benefit of experience in seeing what happens when you gain control,” said a senior Democratic aide. “I do not envision a scenario where we’d go off on an ideological mission in an undisciplined way.”

There are similar sentiments in the Senate.

Voter Turnout In Middletown Hit 77%

The best way to gage the impact of an election is to look at the voter turnout rate. In Middletown the turnout rate hit a record high 77%, approx. 32,475 voters came to the polls and this number does not count the provisional ballads that where cast. 

As of October 8th, 2008 there where 42,227 registered voters in Middletown.

10,337 Democrats

10,778 Republicans

21,112  Independents

This record turnout in Middletown is undoubtedly what swung the election, with the Independent votes largely voting Republican this year. 

Barack Obama lost Monmouth County by 3.87%, 

Frank Lautenberg lost Monmouth County by 6.36%

Each lost Middletown by similar margins which no doubt contributed to the Democratic loss on the local ticket of Walsh and Grenafege.   

Obama Win Bitter-Sweet for Dems In Middletown

History was made last night, Democrat Presidential candidate Barack Obama, an African -American was elected President of the United States. This victory however is bitter-sweet for Democrats in Middletown.

While Obama was being declared the winner of the New Jersey presidential election, winning the State by 15% overall, his numbers and those of Frank Lautenberg in Monmouth County and Middletown were horrendous.

Obama lost Monmouth County by 12,000 votes while Lautenberg lost by over 18,000 votes. Both lost Middletown by similar margins which proved to be a drag on the local ticket of Pat Walsh and Jim Grenafege.

Presidential election years never bode well for Democrats in Middletown it seems, and while I was retrieving poll numbers from my district, it immediately became apparent that this year, unfortunately, would be no different.

Al Gore and John Kerry both lost in Monmouth County and Middletown by similar margins in 2000 and 2004 respectively, as Obama did and as a result the local Middletown tickets lost big as well.

Pat Walsh and Jim Grenafege ran a good, clean and above board campaign that focused on the issues that have effected Middletown like the 16% increase in property taxes over the last 3 years, the lack of transparency down at Town Hall and the cover up of the ground contamination at the Arts Center and Town Hall, that has already cost the Township $100,000 to date. 

I am proud of their efforts during this campaign, both are valuable and concerned citizens of Middletown that will not be going away any time soon. I am privliaged to have known and worked with both of them during this campaign. 

The Republicans on the other hand ran a negative, win at all costs campaign, slinging mud and making slanderous accusations against their opponents.

As mayor Scharfenberger said himself, at this past Monday night's Committee meeting when confronted by Democratic Committeemen Short and Brynes about the negative, win at all cost tactics. He said that the "Costs where to high" to play by the rules.

I would have expected nothing less from this sorry excuse that we have to call Mayor. 

While Democrats may have lost in Middletown this year they have gone on and won nationally. 

Next year in a non-presidential year, Democrats in Middletown will be looking to re-elected Patrick Short to the committee and make no mistake, if you think that this year was ugly locally, next year will be worse by far. 

Election Day Message from Middletown's Pat Walsh

Friends,

Election day has arrived and with it the opportunity for change for our country, our state, our county and my hometown, Middletown.

This campaign has been a great opportunity for me and I am grateful for every minute of it. In meeting and talking to the people, listening to their concerns and struggles, in just finding out that from every corner what a beautiful community Middletown is. I sincerely hope that when the day ends I, along with my running mate, Jim Grenafege will join Pat Short and Sean Byrnes on the committee and be given the opportunity to serve the residents of our community. To create for them a municipal government that is truly transparent, that operates with their best interests at heart and that eases their tax burden. I hope you take this opportunity for change to heart, cast your vpote and pray that we can work together to bring about the the goals we have talked about in this campaign.

Sincerely,

Pat Walsh
Democratic Candidate for Middletown Township Committee

Protect The Vote On Election Day

If you are heading to the polls tomorrow, please be sure to take this number with you: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683). This national, toll-free election protection hotline can help with any voting-related questions or problems you might encounter.

Before going to vote, please be sure to:

* Find out in advance where your polling place is. You can call 1-866-OUR-VOTE to find your polling place and confirm your registration, or look up your voting location here.
* Know what you need to bring to the polls. Check out our website for state-by-state voting information.
* Give yourself plenty of time to vote. Lines will likely be long in many places.

You can help Protect the Vote by passing the 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline number on to everyone you know who will be voting tomorrow. The national election protection coalition, which Common Cause is proud to be part of, is committed to making sure every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot, and every ballot is counted accurately. If there are problems on Election Day, we want to be able to get to the bottom of them as fast as possible.

Also, Common Cause will hold an hour-long briefing call on Election Day at 5:30pm eastern time for all members and activists to talk about what we're hearing and seeing around the country. We'll have representatives from our national office on the line to talk about big-picture trends, and our staff who are on the ground in states like Ohio, Florida, Colorado and North Carolina to give reports from the field.

Please RSVP now, and we'll send you the toll-free dial-in information. We will take questions at the end of the call; however, please do not wait for this briefing call if you have a problem to report. Call the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE to relay any problems in your area.

Thanks for all you do,

Susannah Goodman
and the rest of the team at Common Cause

P.S. Here are a few more ways that you can help Protect the Vote tomorrow:

* TwitterVoteReport.com: Use your Twitter account, cell phone or any touch-tone phone to report on your voting experience. It's easy -- click here for more information about how to "Tweet Your Vote".
* MyFairElection.com: Rate your polling place and your experience of voting. Your rating and those of other voters will produce a real-time map of voting conditions throughout the country on November 4.
* Video the Vote: Shoot a video of your experience on Election Day and share it with the world. Some states have laws restricting when and where you can take pictures or video at voting sites – so be sure to check out the rules in your state before taking out your camera.

John Adler, a South Jersey story

While strolling through the Cranberry Festival a few weeks ago down in Chatsworth NJ, I come upon John Adler the Democratic Candidate for the 3rd Congression District.

Adler is in a very close race against Chris Myers to succed Republican Jim Saxton in Congress.

He was very cordial and polite, we talked for several minutes and he mentioned how he was in Middletown a few weeks earlier to see Barack Obama at the home of Philip Murphy.

Below is a short bio that tells you a little bit about John Adler

Dem Victory '08 Visibility Rally (Drive for Change)

Dem Victory '08 Visibility Rally (Drive for Change)

Meet the Bus for Change at the Red Bank Train Station

Sunday, November 2nd at noon time

Put on your Blue Jeans, and as much blue as you can bear to wear. Grab your lawn sign or make a banner to hang from the bus or to waive in the air as we create a buzz at major intersections all over Red Bank. This isn't a red town, it's BLUE! Turn Red Bank into Blue Bank for a day to support Obama, Lautenberg, Pallone, Mallet, Mason and Lewis & Zipprich.

Let's take America back!
Time: Sunday, November 2 from 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Host: Edward Zipprich
Location:
Red Bank Train Station (Red Bank, NJ)
Bridge Ave. at Oakland Street.
Red Bank, NJ 07701

Matthew Cohen: Candidate for Fair Haven Borough Council

The following is from the Fair Haven Dems website:

The following statement (platform) is a forward looking document. It is the result of conversations with my friends and neighbors and a series of one on one meetings I had with a number of long term residents over the past few months. It evolved out of a series of conversations with my friends and neighbors, some of whom have lived in the Borough for many decades. I found a wealth of knowledge throughout our community and I believe that through better communication with all our residents and active planning for the future, we can improve the quality of life while lowering our taxes in our Borough.

Over the past eight years, I have attended many meetings, questioned our elected officials and spoken both in favor and against various proposals. When I have spoken out, I did so respectfully, without questioning the motives of our representatives or other residents. I have donated my time and legal services to local organizations and I have also volunteered to serve on town committees and boards. I filled out the volunteer forms when available and, several years ago, I wrote a personal letter of introduction to each of the Council members and Mayor, reciting my experience as both as a lawyer and as a member of local Boards (in Teaneck). Without explanation, my efforts to volunteer have been met with silence. Your voices can now be heard. I am now running for Council to serve the Borough and I am asking for your vote.

To read more about Matthew Cohen and where the Fair Haven Democrats stand on the issues click HERE

Kids' Vote Announced: Obama wins Scholastic News election poll

It's official. At least for the kids!
The Scholastic Presidential Election Poll results are in: Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama won with 57 percent of the vote, to 39 percent for Republican nominee Senator John McCain.

The poll was open to kids from grades 1 to 12 in Scholastic News and Junior Scholastic magazines. Almost 250,000 (a quarter of a million) kids voted by paper ballot or online at www.scholastic.com/news. The poll closed on October 10.

Since 1940, the results of the student vote have mirrored the outcome of the general election all but twice: In 1948, kids voted for Thomas E. Dewey over Harry S. Truman. In 1960, more students voted for Richard M. Nixon than for John F. Kennedy. In 2000, a majority of student voters chose George W. Bush, mirroring the Electoral College result, but not the result of the popular vote....

Bush's clone wears a skirt Pt.II

Gallup Daily: Obama 50%, McCain 44%

Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Wednesday through Friday finds Barack Obama maintaining his lead over John McCain among registered voters, by a 50% to 44% margin.

Obama's current 50% rating matches his 50% record high reached just after the Democratic National Convention. (That came in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Aug. 30-Sept. 1.)

It's Not Even Close: Obama Should Pick Clinton for VP

RealClearPolitics's Bob Beckel wrote an opinion piece that was posted on Yahoo, that lays out his reasoning as to why Hillary Clinton should be Barrack Obama's choice as a running mate this fall.

It is a well reasoned article and I happen to agree with it.

I feel that the Democrats should field the strongest possible team, by including Clinton on the ticket it would accomplish just that.

Click on the headline to read the article.