...or why else would his people be busting out the race card already? True, some in New Jersey were pushing that meme a few weeks back, but here come the heavy hitters - via Enlighten New Jersey:
Jon Corzine’s former campaign blogger and “progressive” political gadfly is blaming recent revelations about Bob Menendez on racism:
"NJ Press in a Feeding Frenzy (Matt Stoller) - The NJ press and political establishment is simply racist. That's why Menendez is constantly painted as 'perceived as corrupt' without proof, and Kean is considered a man with integrity, despite clear dishonesty and shaking down corporate executives for campaign cash. Way to go gossip mongers!Stoller offers no proof for his outrageous claim, other than the fact that the press has just begun to scratch the surface of corruption cases involving Bob Menendez. "
Back in December when Governor Corzine appointed Menendez to the Senate the New York Times wrote: "There have been 75 corruption indictments in New Jersey over the last four years. The public has a right to yearn for a break from the past, and Mr. Menendez does not represent a clean slate."
Are we to believe the editors of the New York Times are racist too?
Well, I'll be shocked if they endorse Kean, but certainly the Times realized when Corzine made this ill-advised appointment that there could be trouble down the road for Menendez. Seems like Stoller is desperate to protect the judgement of his old boss, and if that means crying "racism", then Stoller has no problem with it - hey, when's the last time the Democrats actually tried to win an election by bringing people together instead of underscoring their differences, anyway?
And speaking of lies, and Menendez, I picked up this beauty of a letter to a local New Jersey paper the other day (although it is dated June 23rd 2006):
MENENDEZ VOTES AGAINST HEALTH BENEFITS PACKAGE FOR NEW JERSEY SMALL BUSINESS
As a small business owner suffering with double digit health insurance premium increases for my employees, I contacted Senator Menendez to seek his support of the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act (S.1955) which would have allowed small business to form groups to purchase insurance at the discounted rates that large corporations enjoy.
I was not surprised when the Senator voted with the rest of his party to prevent the bill from becoming law, even though it had majority support. However I was appalled when I received a letter from the Senator espousing the benefits of the bill as if he supported it.
In his letter he said, “As you may know there are an estimated 1.2 million New Jerseyans – and 46 million Americans – who are uninsured and those numbers continue to rise. Most people in the Untied States who have health insurance obtain it through their own and a family member’s employer as a workplace benefit. Unfortunately, small business owners are far less likely to provide health insurance to their workers, and almost half of the uninsured in America are employed by small businesses. This is a serious problem facing our health care system and I believe Congress has a responsibility to support small businesses, the engine or our economy, so that they can afford to offer the health insurance their employees need.”
Well, I do know that. What I don’t understand is why since the Senator apparently also knows it too, why he would vote against the bill. Why would he vote against it and then try to lead me to believe that he supported it?
I was disappointed that the Senator did not support me and thousands or other New Jersey small business owners in providing better and more affordable health insurance to our employees. Worse, I am deeply offended by his duplicity and his distain for the intelligence of his constituents.
Art Gallagher Gallco Enterprises Inc. Belford, NJ
Attached is a pdf copy of the Senator’s letter.
And the poll numbers continue to drop for Menendez; with Kean showing some of his largest gains to date...
What more of Menedez's sleaze? Check out Trochilus Tales ; where the latest scandel involving influence peddling on contracts for psychiatric work with jail inmates (is every aspect of New Jersey public life touched by sleaze??) is dissected quite carefully - Trochilus has links to audio of taped conversations where we can hear:
...lifetime Menendez pal and highly politically connected attorney, Donald Scarinci, verbally muscling a psychiatrist and former FBI informant, Dr. Oscar Sandoval, into rehiring another psychiatrist, Dr. Vincente Ruiz (who Sandoval had previously fired) to be a full partner with him in working on Hudson County contracts for psychiatric care.
On the tape, Scarinci is clearly heard requested this all as a favor to Bob Menendez. The implication of Scarcini’s "request" was that if Sandoval didn’t go along, he ran the risk of losing those Hudson County contracts....
Although Menedez has now "severed ties" with Scarinci; it seems like even he knows it is just a matter of time before the next "shoe" drops. Trochilus notes with disdain this New York Times story which basically hands the Senate to the Democrats (stay home, likely Republican voters! No need to cast your vote!!); seems like they are ignoring the Menendez story, as well as the meltdown of Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Gateway Pundit reports, linking to local blogger Pubdef:
Black Businessmen Raise Funds for Talent, Give McCaskill "F" on Issues
Republican Sen. Jim Talent continues his push to make inroads with black voters. A group of African-American business leaders held a breakfast fundraiser for Talent this morning at the offices of Midwestern Construction Company in old north St. Louis.
While Talent made only a couple of indirect mentions of his Democratic challenger, State Auditor Claire McCaskill, his supporters took a more direct approach. Darryl Jones held up a glossy poster which read: "...Let's See Claire's Report Card", an answer to the NAACP's report card which is often referenced by McCaskill supporters.
On this report card, paid for by Jones and Kirkwood, McCaskill scored F's in three categories relating to black St. Louis and an F minus in the more general "Fighting for Our Communities" category (click here to see the card).
It's hard to tell if these black businessmen are actually in agreement with the Republican agenda or just have a sense which way the political winds are blowing, and are staying tight with present and future Senator Talent.
But if McCaskill cannot even drum up strong support within what is supposed to be her "natural" base, then the candidacy is doomed, as is Menedez's, as is the liberal fantasy of retaking the Senate come this November...
UPDATE: Looks like the Times knows its place; here's a puff-piece on Menendez (the Cuban angle; it's always about race...sigh...) that paints him as heroic and his Republican opposition as simpleminded conservative racists (gee, that's a new twist...). One interesting nugget, however:
...the money raised in Florida for his current campaign amounts to almost as much as Mr. Kean has raised over all from political action committees in this race.
The Times tells us this is not important, because -
Yet the star power of Mr. Menendez, 52, cannot be measured by dollars alone...
Yuk.
But imagine - exchange the word "Cuban" with "Jewish"...I wonder how the left, and the media, would feel about his out-of-state funding under those circumstances...
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