PALLONE CAMPAIGN HITS OPPONENTS FOR LACK OF "TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY"

“Voters have simply been ignored by Cory Booker, Sheila Oliver and Rush Holt.”

LONG BRANCH ¬ Weeks after first Congressman Frank Pallone first signed the “People’s Pledge” and asked Cory Booker, Sheila Oliver and Rush Holt to join him, Pallone’s campaign today noted the request has been met with silence. While widely regarded for its ability to remove outside special interests and unnamed PAC money from the Massachusetts United States Senate race between Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren in 2012, the Congressman’s opponents have simply ignored the request for transparency and accountability. Congressman Pallone’s campaign today released the following statement:

“Fifteen days ago Congressman Pallone signed the ‘People’s Pledge’ in an effort to provide voters in this year’s special Democratic Primary campaign for U.S. Senate the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates, and he asked his opponents to do the same. Since that time, our campaign’s request for accountability and transparency has been met with silence.

In an expedited election sorely lacking in much needed direct voter contact as a result of multiple debate opportunities being turned down by Congressman Pallone’s opponents, the ‘People’s Pledge’ is the bare minimum the other three candidates can do to make sure Democratic voters aren’t encumbered by outside influence. Yet, Democratic voters have not even been give the courtesy of an answer in the negative and an acknowledgement that outside special interests and unnamed PAC’s with their own agendas will play an active role in this race. Instead, these voters have simply been ignored by Cory Booker, Sheila Oliver and Rush Holt.

The dismissive posture taken by all three of Congressman Pallone’s opponents with regard to accountability and transparency in this election is truly perplexing and should speak volumes to New Jersey’s Democratic primary voters on August 13. We will continue our call for Frank Pallone’s opponents to sign the ‘People’s Pledge’ in the coming days and weeks, just as we will continue to hold out hope they will agree to more debates to allow for a proper vetting of all four candidates previous records and future platforms in this campaign for United States Senate.”

PALLONE CALLS ON OPPONENTS TO SIGN “PEOPLE’S PLEDGE”

New Jersey’s Democratic voters deserve the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates


LONG BRANCH - Citing the widely acknowledged positive impact “The People’s Pledge” had on the tone and tenor of the 2012 Massachusetts United States Senate race between Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren, Congressman Frank Pallone today called on his opponents to join him in signing a similar pledge for this year’s campaign for the special Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate. The Pallone for Senate campaign sent the pledge to Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Congressman Rush Holt and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Congressman Pallone released the following statement:

“’The People’s Pledge’ had a tremendous impact on the Massachusetts Senate race in that it allowed for voters to hear directly from the candidates, as opposed to outside special interests and anonymously funded PAC’s. The Supreme Court made a terrible ruling in the Citizens United decision that opened the floodgates to special interests dominating elections without even having to disclose their donors. The true test of whether someone is a reformer is if they're willing to take personal responsibility and make a personal sacrifice.

In signing this pledge, it is my hope that the other three Democratic candidates in the special election will also decide that it is in the best interests of New Jerseyans to bar special interest third party interference in the campaign in all forms - television ads, radio ads, web ads, field programs and direct mail. The expedited time frame of this election makes this even more critical. With just over 7 weeks left before Election Day, voters should not be forced to sift through a bombardment of outside promotions and attacks. This campaign must be an opportunity for the candidates to engage in debates, talk about their records, and share their visions for our great state. With issues like immigration reform, gun safety, job creation, a minimum wage increase, marriage equality, climate change and school reform all looming, New Jersey’s Democratic voters deserve the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates. Cory Booker, Rush Holt and Sheila Oliver should immediately sign this pledge to ensure that is exactly what occurs.”

Following is a link to an article detailing the Pledge’s value, and below is the pledge which was sent to the other three Democratic candidates.


http://atlasproject.net/daily-blog/the-peopleâ??s-pledge-and-positivity-in-a-post-citizens-united-world/

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The People’s Pledge

Because outside third party organizations – including but not limited to individuals, corporations, 527 organizations, 501c organization, SuperPAC’s, and national and state party committees – may make independent expenditures and issue advertisements either supporting or attacking Congressman Frank Pallone, Congressman Rush Holt, Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver and Mayor Cory Booker (individually the “Candidate” and collectively the “Candidates”); and

Because these groups function as independent expenditure organizations that are outside the direct control of any of the Candidates; and

Because the Candidates agree that they do not approve of such independent expenditures, and want those expenditures to immediately cease and desist for the duration of the 2013 special primary election cycle; and

Because the Candidates recognize that in order to make New Jersey a national example, and provide the citizens of New Jersey with an election free of third party independent expenditures, they must be willing to include an enforcement mechanism that runs not to the third party organizations but instead to the Candidates’ own campaigns:

The Candidates on behalf of their respective campaigns hereby agree to the following:

In the event that a third party organization makes any independent expenditures including television ads, radio ads, web ads, field programs, and direct mail in support of a named, referenced (including by title) or otherwise identified Candidate, that Candidate’s campaigns shall, within three (3) days of discovery of the expenditure total cost, duration, and source, pay 50% of the cost of that expenditure to a charity of the opposing Candidates’ choice.


In the event that a third party organization makes any independent expenditure including television ads, radio ads, web ads, field programs, and direct mail in opposition to a named, referenced (including by title) or otherwise identified Candidate, the opposing Candidate’s campaign shall, within three (3) days of discovery of the expenditure’s total cost, duration, and source, pay 50% of the cost of that expenditure to a charity, of the opposed Candidate’s choice.

In the event that a third party organization makes any independent expenditure including television ads, radio ads, web ads, field programs, and direct mail that promotes or supports a named, referenced (including by title) or otherwise identified Candidate, that Candidate’s campaign shall, within three (3) days of discovery of the expenditure’s total cost, duration, and source, pay 50% of the cost of that expenditure buy to a charity of the opposing Candidate’s choice.

In the event that a third party organization makes any independent expenditure including television ads, radio ads, web ads, field programs, and direct mail that attacks or opposes a named, referenced (including by title) or otherwise identified Candidate, the opposing Candidate’s campaign shall, within three (3) days of discovery of the expenditure’s total cost, duration, and source, pay 50% of the cost of that expenditure to a charity of the opposed Candidate’s choice.

The Candidates and their campaigns agree that neither they nor anyone acting on their behalf shall coordinate with any third party on any paid advertising for the duration of the 2013 primary election cycle. In the event that any Candidate or their campaign or anyone acting on their behalf coordinates any paid advertisement with a third party organization that Candidate’s campaign shall pay 50% of the cost of the ad buy to a charity of the opposing Candidates’ choice

The Candidates and their campaigns agree to continue to work together to limit the influence of third party advertisements and to close any loopholes (including coverage of sham ads) that arise in this agreement during the course of the campaign.

SIGNED:



_ ____ 6/25/13
Frank Pallone, Jr., Congressman                         Date

_______________________________________________
Rush Holt, Congressman                                     Date



_______________________________________________
Sheila Oliver, Assemblywoman                           Date



_______________________________________________
Cory Booker, Mayor                                            Date

Cory Booker: the inexorable rise of Newark's neoliberal egomaniac

A scathing and rather unflattering portrayal of Newark's Mayor Cory Booker, written by Jason Farago of the Guardian, appeared online earlier this week. This critical critique of Booker is pretty harsh and not at all off-base.

 "..it seems far more likely that the next senator from New Jersey will be the anti-Lautenberg: a neoliberal egomaniac who sees government as nothing more than a charity for billionaires and corporations to support as they please. There may be no stopping the rise and rise of Cory Booker. But let's at least recognize his impending triumph for what it is: another victory for the men in the glass towers, enabled by a nonstop publicity campaign waged 140 characters at a time."

Once you dig beneath Booker's superhero, social media persona, the true Cory Booker starts to emerge. His real record in Newark, I'm sorry to say, isn't that impressive and his critics are many. Rush Holt and Frank Pallone, his opponents for the open US Senate seat, are already knocking his record on education, something that Jason Farago also pointed out when asking whatever happened to the $100M Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg gave the city of Newark for improvements to its school system.

Booker's campaign to become the Junior Senator of New Jersey isn't going to be an easy one, he is going to have to answer some very tough questions from Holt, Pallone and Sheila Oliver, all of whom wanting to succeed Frank Lautenberg for his open seat.

Assembly Speaker Oliver To Seek U.S. Senate Seat

The race to succeed the late Frank Lautenberg for the U.S. Senate just got a little more crowded last night according to PolitickerNJ, when NJ Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver announced in East Brunswick that she will be a candidate to succeed Lautenberg and would file petitions in Trenton later today seeking his open seat.

Oliver has been playing coy by not saying whether or not she intended to run in this years special election even though she has been quietly gathering signatures this past week.

When Speaker Oliver makes it official by dropping off her petitions, she will join Congressmen Rush Holt and Frank Pallone and Newark Mayor Cory Booker as declared candidates who will face off against each other during an August primary that will determine who will face an as of yet, unnamed Republican challenger.  

Resolution asking for Amendment to Overturn Citizens United passes NJ Senate!

by guest blogger Linda Baum

I am passing along this good news.  Now is the time to contact Speaker Oliver (973-395-1166, aswoliver@njleg.org) to ask her to put AR86 on the Assembly’s agenda for Oct. 18 and to call our Assemblypersons to ask them to support the resolution.  You can find contact information for your Assemblypersons at:  http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/municipalities.asp

As always, thank you for your activism.

***

Your persistance did it - SR47 PASSED!  This is the NJ Senate Resolution that calls on Congress to get money out of politics by overturning the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision with a Constitutional Amendment. SR47 will now go to Washington and represent NJ as the 8th state FOR an amendment-to-overturn.

Our NJ Coalition for the Overturn of Citizens United has grown and includes to date: The American Dream Movement of Cape May County, Food and Water Watch, Free Speech For People, International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 877, New Jersey Common Cause, New Jersey American Federation of Teachers, New Jersey Communications Workers of America, New Jersey Citizen Action, MoveOn Councils (Mid-Jersey,Essex, Hudson), New Jersey Main Street Alliance, New Jersey Public Interest Research Group, New Jersey Sierra Club, New Jersey Work Environment Council, New Jersey Working Families Alliance, People for the American Way, Public Citizen, United Steelworkers District 4, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey.

This Coalition has presented 17,000 NJ petitions to our NJ legislators, yours included, and reached out to all their members. THIS IS PEOPLE POWER.

The sister resolution in the NJ Assembly (AR86) comes up for a floor vote soon - probably Thurs. Oct. 18th.

We need to call/email Speaker Sheila Oliver (Dist. 34, (973) 395-1166, aswoliver@njleg.org) to ask her to put AR86 on the agenda for Oct.18th. We need to contact our Assemblypersons (Republican and Democrat) and remind them all that the majority of small businesses, registered Republicans, Democrats, and Independents want money out of politics by Constitutional Amendment. We need to write letters-to-the-editor calling attention to SR47's passage and the pending passage of AR86.

Next, we will be passing all the local resolutions-to-overturn that are in progress around NJ and working to get all of our representatives in Congress on the record for the amendment process. Our snow ball is rolling down hill, gathering momentum and scale as it goes. Ask all the current candidates if they support this movement to give us government of, by and for the people; not of, by and for the money.

Thank you again for your staying power!

Susannah Newman

Coordinator NJ for the Overturn of Citizens United

snewman@brockport.edu

(609) 972-9192

OVERRIDE THE VETO! BAN FRACKING WASTE DUMPING

by guest blogger Linda Baum

If you are a regular on Mike’s blog, you know I’ve been posting updates on the progress of bill A575/S253, which would prevent dangerous fracking waste from coming to New Jersey. On Friday I learned that Governor Christie vetoed the bill.

So now it’s time for our legislative leaders to step up and override the veto, and for all of us to make sure they know we expect them to do so to safeguard our water.

Consumer advocacy organization Food & Water Watch is calling on everyone to flood the State House this week with calls to Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver.

As always, thank you for your activism.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Food & Water Watch:

Waste from drilling and fracking for shale gas has been shown to contain radioactive material and other known carcinogens. In Pennsylvania, radioactive fracking wastewater has reportedly been discharged into waterways. To prevent this from happening in New Jersey, we need to act now!

Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection is reporting that facilities in Kearny, Carteret, and Elizabeth have been shipped fracking waste.

Governor Christie vetoed the fracking waste ban, which was passed by the Senate and Assembly with bipartisan support. With your help, we have a real chance to make sure that fracking, and the ill effects associated with it, are never allowed in our state.

PLEASE CALL THESE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS:
Senate President Sweeney: (856) 251-9801
Assembly Speaker Oliver: (973) 395-1166

TALKING POINTS
• As legislative leaders we need you to lead on protecting NJ’s waterways from fracking waste by calling a vote to override the Governor’s veto of A575/S253 and making sure it passes.
• Fracking waste treatment is a threat to our drinking water and should be banned.
• Radioactive fracking waste has been discharged into Pennsylvania’s waterways and we can’t allow it here.

Contact Karina Wilkinson kwilkinson@fwwatch.org 732.839.0862
www.foodandwaterwatch.org

Hypocrite Handlin Is Wrong On "Right-To-Work"

Republican Assemblywoman Amy "the Hypocrite" Handlin (LD13), has a guest column appearing in print and online in this weeks edition of the Independent, in which she states that she will be introducing a bill that will essentially strip all workers of their right to collective bargaining.

This guest column of her's first appeared online at newjerseynewsroom.com back on May 31st and does not seem to have been updated since.

Since the first publication of Handlin's column appeared over at the newsroom, I would be remised if I didn't point out that her proposed legislation, which just so happened to be co-sponsored by her running mate in this years election Declan O'Scanlon, was dead on arrival. Good reporting and follow-up to Handlin's commentary piece was done by Newjerseynewsroom reporter Tom Hester Jr.

In his follow-up which appeared July 8th, Hester spoke to NJ Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and is quoted as stating:

“This legislation is dead on arrival. It’s that simple. Dead on arrival.

Radical conservative ideology such as this has no place in New Jersey. This type of move may play elsewhere, but, quite simply, this anti-worker bill will never see the light of day.

Not only is this legislation an atrocious assault on worker rights, but it’s terrible economic policy, it would set back any chance we have under Gov. Christie of a strong recovery."...

“Democrats and Republicans can work together for the common good and when appropriate to improve our economy and protect worker benefits, but this wage-cutting, anti-business bill is a line in the sand that cannot be crossed,”

Hester also quoted New Jersey AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech who stated, “The deceptively named “right to work” policy is currently law in 22 states and is considered one of the most anti-union policies in the nation,” about Handlin and O'Scanlan's proposed bill (A-4223).

So what is the purpose of having this old and out of date commentary printed in the Independent other than to mislead and misinform readers of her district, many of whom are hard working members of unions in both public and private unions? It is obviously a play at gaining support from the more conservative residents in the district and members of the TEA Party, who feel that she is out of touch and a "do-nothing".

If this legislation ever where to be signed into law here in New Jersey it would undermined the livelihoods of not only union members, but all workers, white collared as well as blue collared.

Wages would remain stagnant and pension and health benefits would slowly dwindle away anytime a employer was concerned that his bottom-line was no longer big enough to support his mansion or yacht club membership.

Below are a few reader responses to Handlin's commentary posted on the NewJerseyNewsroom, it seems that they also have a problem with her proposed and non existent, dead on arrival typically hypocritical legislation that is meant to pander instead of providing serious answers to her district's problems:

"Right to Work"is a misnomer. It's really the opportunity for any company to pay any employee any amount the company wants. Just what we need: more people earning less than a living wage and without any access to health care other than visits to the emergency rooms. So good for NJ! The assemblywoman cannot be so naive that she believes employers would care about safe working conditions. After all, money spent on safe working conditions would be better off lining the pockets of the wealthy. And, by law, union dues cannot be used for political purposes. Members must choose to donate into a separate fund. Now, if members are too scared to tell the union bosses they won't donate, shame on the members. (Sarah H)

"Unions need a balance" - For the most part I agree with Ms. Handlin. I don't think it's an all or nothing deal though, unions are good things to have in otherwise unsustainably-low paying situations, but for professionals it makes less sense. Let the legislation you craft not try to swing the pendulum so far that it undermines the good side of unions, or it will surely fail.
( Ashley_)

" Handlin comments" - According to Handlin:“Right to Work would also quicken New Jersey’s economic revival. Right-to-Work states had 497,000 new businesses from 1993 to 2009, compared with 340,000 in forced union states, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently cited by the Wall Street Journal. That’s remarkable because just 40 percent of American workers live in Right-to-Work states."

It's hard to believe so many people fall for statements like this of Handlin's, and support radical legislation like this. The truth is, what's really remarkable is that ALL of the businesses she cites to being created from 1993 to 2009 weren't created in Right-to-Work states...after all, in their pursuit of profits, businesses will do anything to keep the costs of labor down. Why is all the greatest economic growth now going on in China, India, etc? Because people will work 16 hour days for $12. Handlin sees that success spreading to the south, and now wants to bring it here to NJ. If it's been so great for those 22 states, why is our per-capita income and standard of living so much higher here?

Thanks but no thanks, Amy Handlin, you're just a rich legislator who wants to be even richer like all the others in your party. Some of us can still see right through all your party's BS. (Richard W)

Fine Print: Senate Bill No. 2937 Proposed legislation would dictate sweeping changes to public employees' pensions and healthcare benefits

By John Mooney - NJSPOTLIGHT.com

Synopsis: "An act concerning public employee pension and health care benefits, and amending and supplementing various parts of the statutory law and repealing P.L.1999, c.96 and P.L.1985, c.414. Makes various changes to pension and healthcare benefits for public employees"

Related Links
Senate Bill No. 2937

Primary sponsor: Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester)

What it means: The 120-page bill makes sweeping changes to public employees' contributions to their pension and health benefit plans, and to the rules that dictate those benefits. Pensions and benefits have been at the center of debate between Gov. Chris Christie and the legislature since Christie took office, and the apparent agreement on this bill -- at least for now -- has consumed Trenton for much of the last week and likely for the next.

It's all in the details: The new bill, introduced yesterday, would require public employees pay up to an additional 2.5 percent of their salaries toward their pensions, and up to 30 percent of their healthcare premiums. But how the law meets those thresholds represents the key differences between what Christie has sought and what Sweeney now proposes, with the Democratic leader phasing in some of the increases and also scaling the healthcare contribution, depending on salary. Low-paid public workers will barely make any contribution at all.

Riding off into the sunset clause: Sweeney struck a deal with Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) in introducing the bill to also include Oliver’s proposal that the health benefits changes would have a "sunset clause" and revert to being a subject of collective bargaining in 2014. Christie has not yet commented on the proposed sunset, but has appeared reluctant to back any reforms that have a limited shelf life.

What’s next: The Senate budget committee is set to hold a hearing on the bill tomorrow, with the Assembly budget committee slated to hold its own hearing on the companion bill on Monday.

The reaction: Needless to say, public employees unions aren't taking too well to the ideas, and have big protests planned tomorrow for the Statehouse and maybe legislators’ homes. The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) is also holding a press conference today to point out what it calls the false assumptions and savings in the proposals.

Will it pass? That of course, is the bottom line. It's as close as ever to passage, to be sure, but it faces lots of questions both in substance and politics. Sweeney has said he will push it through, even if it means defying some of his Democratic caucus. Oliver has been less willing, and has indicated she may not post it for final vote without consent of her members.

In the end, it will require what was once unfathomable: a sizable number of Democrats going against organized labor during an election year. But these are remarkable times, with similar measures passing in other states with Democratic support.