Monday, October 8, 2012

Pallone was expert debate prep for Menendez, Nelson Not So Much


Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) may want to send a thank-you note to Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) for help with his performance at Thursday night’s debate. The Auditor was told Pallone played the role of Menendez’s challenger, state Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), in several prep sessions.

The selection of Pallone made a lot of sense, since both Pallone and Kyrillos live in Monmouth County, and the two squared off in a 1992 congressional race that Kyrillos lost by 10 percentage points.

The decision paid dividends for Menendez, who appeared confident and well-versed on the issues. Asked who was more difficult, Kyrillos or Pallone, Menendez’s campaign manager, Michael Soliman, offered a one-word answer: Pallone. 
Brian Nelson, a Republican operative, stood in for Menendez in Kyrillos’ practice sessions. Not to be outsniped, Meaghan Cronin, a spokeswoman for Kyrillos, said Nelson “was much better than Menendez turned out to be.”  - The Auditor/Star-Ledger

Kudos to Congressman Frank Pallone for doing such a superb job preparing Sen. Menendez to debate Joe Kyrillos last week. All the pundants agree, Menendez won the debate handily with little effort.

Which is more than can be said about Middletown's "Little Napoleon" and the unelected 6th member of the Township Committee, Brian Nelson. Nelson stood in for Menendez as he helped prep Joe Kyrillos for the debate.

For the next debate, Kyrillos might want to find someone else for his debate prep.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Although I am not a Pallone fan, I am even less of a fan of Brian Nelson. Kudos to Pallone on this one.