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There's a difference between a community having a similar outlook, and people being talking points dittoheads. And then there's holding up Sarah Palin and Ted Cruz as the great crusaders for good gov't. I don't know what to call that.

Maybe not parrots per se, but prettay, prettay close. Predictably so.

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I'll accept that Brewster. Perhaps I misinterpreted your statement below...I thought it implied every JCLister other than Monroe and Gravey were Dem parrots. My bad ;)

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Now you're REALLY putting words in my mouth. I made no such statement. All I meant was that for most of us in JC our daily lives deal mostly with people who are on the blue end. It's a shock when we encounter someone really far right. The wife of one of my oldest friends was a big supporter of Bachmann, it felt like someone saying they really admired Kim Jong Il. We simply don't have many Tea Partiers here.

There's plenty of room for nuance, I'm not knee jerk nor do I expect anyone else to be. The reason so many D's in NJ voted for CC is that he appeared to not be knee jerk and party line either.

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...and fact is, not everyone on this site simply parrots and supports an R or D position, though you seem to view things through that lens.

Chris Christie met with VP of developer at center of Hoboken claims in September

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/ ... html#incart_river_default

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I'd say that there are few people that admire her political rise in Alaska. Her decision to address corruption is exceptionally noble. the problem seems to be that once she obtained that power, she became just as corrupt as those before her. You have the shady oil deals or the spiteful revenge against a state trooper (reminds me of someone...).

Palin's politics have since gone more extreme in order to appeal to a base of people that really aren't that smart. (People that favor flat taxes are about as a dumb as a box of rocks and that's just a fact.)

I'm not sure where you are going in all of this regarding Zimmer and Palin.

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Fact is a lot of D's might vote for a local R, who can't do too much damage and might stick it to the corrupt D machines, but would never, ever send an R to DC.

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Because we may live in a 2-party state and a 1-party county, doesn't mean that most people simply parrot the party lines. Buono didn't beat Christie by much in Hudson. I think that's a sign a lot of people vote on the issues.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... de_turnout_low_at_30.html

Buono won 52,915 votes in Hudson on Tuesday, compared to Christie?s 42,237

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No, that's pretty dead on balls accurate.

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C'mon, you know what I mean. In Hudson County there's not enough GOP to matter politically, and those that are here tend to be only on the fiscally conservative side and and socially moderate at least. Our battles tend to be for power between party factions that basically agree on national issues. You have to go pretty far afield to find an admirer of Sarah Palin.

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Quite insulting to JCListers. There's quite a broad spectrum of views expressed on this site. Might say more though about how you filter the posts.

You all know we live in a Democratic echo chamber, excepting Monroe & Gravey of course. Check this out from Dancarlin.com, gist is Zimmer is a shadow of the reformers that Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin are:

I don't know what the typical buzzword #bipartisan, #cometogether, #compromise, #crosstheaisle, undercover hacks think typical moderate go along to get along status quo politicians do, but this is it. You can't #getsomethingdone if you are unwilling to make seedy backroom deals and punish those that don't play along. Why is this Dawn Zimmer not an "uncompromising", "hostage holding", "extreme left wing", "partisan" like Ted Cruz? How comes when Republicans expose the corruption the name calling begins but when a Democrat does it, they become folk heroes?

If she doesn't accept the federal money and whatever that entails she is indeed taking down the government and economy because she is not getting her way. It has been demonstrated by me and others how Obamacare has been a corrupt endeavor from end to end, so refusing to give in to that corruption must be held in the same light as Zimmer's action. You keep trying to parse this but all you do is expose your partisan leanings. To sum up because Zimmer is a reformer democrat it is different than being a reformer republican. Shoot man change the names of the geography and you know who's bio matches Zimmer's? Sarah Palin.

Anything at anytime of suspect is something to question.

Political Insider: Hoboken mayor adding fuel to Bridgegate fire

By Agustin C. Torres/The Jersey Journal
January 20, 2014 at 9:13 PM

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer has tossed some gas on the fire that is Bridgegate.

Zimmer accused Gov. Chris Christie?s administration of threatening to withhold Super Storm Sandy funding to the Mile Square City if she didn?t fast track a Rockefeller Group multi-million dollar commercial development project. She said Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable and others of strong-arming her.

This all comes out in the midst of the Bridgegate scandal that accuses Christie operatives in the state and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey of shutting down George Washington Bridge lanes, creating traffic jams for, gasp, political reasons. If you are to believe the Christie involvement in the GWB mess, the Hoboken accusation pretty much follows the narrative of the governor?s alleged bully-persona.

How do we know Christie and company were playing ?On the Waterfront? ? for real?

The Hoboken mayor announced she wrote everything down in her diary. She also tells us she turned over her personal tell-all to federal prosecutors. The fact the alleged quid pro quo offer came in May is somewhat troubling. If there was no Bridgegate, would anyone have ever known what allegedly happened?

Eight months later, Zimmer said she was afraid complaining would somehow jeopardize Hoboken?s Sandy funds. We can argue this point, but I?m sorry, local voters thought they were getting a lioness and instead, when a defining moment came, they got a scaredy-cat. Keeping quiet was not protecting her constituents.

While acknowledging the delay in coming forward is problematic, Zimmer is putting her reputation on the line which is no small thing, Senate President Steve Sweeney told me yesterday. He asks that everyone should wait until the facts come out. ?I believe in a process,? Sweeny said, noting that Zimmer will come under constant attack and as to point out how grave the situation has become, he added, ?(Christie?s) whole administration has been subpoenaed.?

The Senate President said it is not a good time for New Jersey and the investigations cannot interfere with the peoples' business. Although it is hard to fathom what business that may be because, as of last month, Sweeney says there's there's a $350 million hole in the state budget and this suggests not much will happen this year.

INSIDER NOTES:

-- The most interesting thing about this story is that a Port Authority-financed study concluded that only three Hoboken blocks out of the 19 reviewed should be developed -- those parcels belong to the Rockefeller Group, which just so happens to be represented by Port Authority Chairman David Samson's law firm, Wolff & Samson. It must have been dubbed the Chutzpah Report. Hoboken discarded the PA study.

-- Everyone in Hoboken seems to have something to say. Councilwoman Beth Mason wants Zimmer to go before the City Council and rehash the accusations. Below is a portion of Mason's statements that is pertinent.

" ... Meanwhile, the City is on the hook for well over a million dollars because our former Public Safety Director recently won his discrimination lawsuit against the Zimmer Administration. During her testimony in that matter the Mayor claimed she fired him in part because he failed to inform law enforcement that he was offered a bribe in return for supporting a development project. At this point, it's difficult to see the difference in what reportedly happened here ..."


Mile Square City Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia says he is concerned about Zimmer?s comments. Below are some of his released statements:

"I am deeply concerned about Mayor Zimmer's allegations and the possibility Hoboken residents were adversely impacted, but I have reservations about Zimmer?s comments.

"These are serious accusations that require scrutiny, but I also question Mayor Zimmer's long silence, her failure to immediately inform authorities and the timing of her accusations.

"It's no secret that I have had long-standing disagreements with Mayor Zimmer, and I remain concerned about her local political practices, but the most important thing for Hoboken residents at this moment is finding out the truth of what happened here ..."

If only Garcia was nearby when the alleged Guadagno comments were made to Zimmer, then there would have been no need for a diary ;)

-- Use of a diary to prove a point is highly unusual. The facetious question is how far back does the diary go?

Will we read such possible entries as, "Dear Diary, someone should tell Beth Mason that she needs a fashion consultant"?

Wll we come to the date and page when we read, "Dear Diary, I've decided 'Stick' Romano has got to go. I can't stand his jumping into all my photo-ops?"

Coupled with the entry: "Dear Diary, is it possible Mike Russo isn't such a bad guy, There's a James Taylor quality about him. Should I call him, ' freeholder?' "

And a highly possible posting, "Dear Diary, why shouldn't Hudson County have a congresswoman and why can't it be me?"

Perhaps Jon Stewart can supply some more.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... en_mayo.html#incart_river

Lt Gov. Guadagno is
probably not the most credible
person to attack Mayor Zimmer's
credibility






CHRISTIE KEEPS PENSION PROBE RECORDS FROM PUBLIC VIEW AS GOVERNOR EYES SECOND TERM & 2016 RACE FOR WHITE HOUSE
Investigative Report by Mark Lagerkvist
September 23, 2013

As Chris Christie aims for a landslide win in the November election ? with an eye towards the White House in 2016 ? there?s a criminal investigation
the New Jersey governor wants to keep from public view.

His running mate, Lt. Gov. Kim
Guadagno, is a central figure in a hush-hush pension fraud probe that began more than two years ago. Now the Christie Administration is arguing in
court that the outcome, findings and all other records of the investigation should remain state secrets.

In a quest for those records, a New Jersey Watchdog reporter is suing the state Division of Criminal Justice. A hearing is scheduled for October 3 in
Mercer County Superior Court.

DCJ began its investigation in May 2011 at the behest of a pension board, according to a sworn statement by a state official. Christie, Guadagno and
DCJ officials have declined comment. In court papers, the state refuses to acknowledge whether the case is open or closed.

The inquiry followed an investigative report by New Jersey Watchdog detailing how false statements by Guadagno enabled one of her top aides
to improperly collect and keep
$245,000 from the Police and Firemen?s Retirement System.

More: http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2013/09 ... lic-view-as-he-eyes-2016/

Binky, that was the first thing I thought of.

Totally believe her and she has it in her journal.
And if she's lying, she lied to the Feds. Did the Lt.Gov make her denial under oath to the US Attorney? Mayor Zimmer will be vindicated, mark my words.

Bret Schundler called Christie out as a liar years ago, and he proved it. That got Schundler fired. Somehow, people seem to have forgotten that.

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Bullies get away with bullying because no one wants to be the first (and possibly only) one to stand up to them. Bridgegate made it safe for Zimmer to speak out. I don't fault her for not doing so earlier, when so much Sandy dough was on the line.

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It?s called a pattern of behavior. Let?s look at some examples that we know are facts?

1. Jersey City mayor has meetings setup to discuss Sandy funds, Port Authority issues, and dozens of other items. Fulop declines to endorse Christie and suddenly those meetings are cancelled with no new date set.

2. Union City has absolutely zero Port Authority projects. The mayor endorses Christie and somehow the city lands a bunch of Port Authority money. (As an aside, I wonder how much money it costs to run the PATH train faster by 10 minutes over the weekend and how it compares to the funds just handed a town without a single PA connection.)

3. Fort Lee mayor chooses to decline endorsing the governor (or some other political motive based on some perceived slight) and Fort Lee is shutdown with traffic.

Now, if Zimmer is just piling on, maybe so. Maybe she sees that now is a safe time to do so. Maybe she thought if she did it before that she?d face political retribution, something the office of Christie is takes complete joy in (?Why feel bad for the children on a school bus? They are just the children of Buono supporters.?)

There is a benefit-of-the-doubt afforded people in situations that are one-off scenarios uncharacteristic of their general behavior. Christi received that benefit-of-the-doubt on the bridge scandal when he was screaming about how it couldn?t possibly have come from his office and that anyone saying otherwise was full of it. Well, now we know who really is full of it...

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Not sure I agree. Zimmer's allegations, if true, also make her look bad for not coming forward earlier. Either way, it pretty much kills Christie's presidential aspirations. NJ Dems are going to be fighting to prove they not Christie puppets, and Christie isn't going to turn around the NJ economy without Dem help. Without the "bipartisan" tag, Christie has nothing to offer.

Oh stop it already. Pebs, as someone who prides himself on making points with facts and logic, this thread surprised me. Nothing has been proved yet except Dawn is an opportunistic leech of a politician. Lt gov responded today saying this whole bullsh*t is false.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/ ... rised_by_allegations.html

Everyone's jumping on the gravy train now. Funny how that works.

Thank you, good people of Hoboken, for electing Dawn Zimmer.

I mentioned it before, but it bears repeating... Christie is nothing more than a pay-to-play politician. Kiss his ring and he'll make it rain.

The man is a scumbag.

mayor zimmer has turned over her journal to federal investigators.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/18/politic ... unds/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

I appreciate Mayor Zimmerman's courage in stepping forward. Maybe some don't mind corruption, but I do. Isn't transparency great! And still I ask what exactly has Christie done for NJ? Almost nada

Dawn Zimmer
@dawnzimmernj
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Thanks to everyone for
expressing your support. This
was one of the hardest things
I have ever done.
4:00 PM - 18 Jan 2014
http://twitter.com/dawnzimmernj/statuses/424692820411432960