Shulman on the Campaign

Folks have probably already seen this, but for those that haven't, Dennis Shulman wrote a very thoughtful post-mortem on the race here in the Fifth:

This was a remarkable year.

A year that was peopled by thousands.

A year that found me:

In countless county and neighborhood fairs;

In Capitol Hill offices and parties;

At high school football games;

Marching in parades on Memorial Day, July Fourth, and Halloween, surrounded by enthusiastic supporters and some not-so-well-wishers;

On the pages of the New York Times and the New Yorker, on Blue Jersey, the Huffington Post, and the Daily Kos;

In campaign caravans rushing from Alpine to Phillipsburg;

In a union hall speaking to a hundred or so sheet metal apprentices, after investing five years of their life mastering their trade, unsure now if there will be work when they graduate;

In spacious living rooms, sipping champagne and munching hors d'oeuvres with governors and senators;

In Ringwood, touring a desolate track of land poisoned by Ford, surrounded by the Ramapo Mountain Indians who were this land's owners, its victims, its defenders.

This was truly a remarkable year.

And what I heard wherever I traveled this year was that people, whether affluent or impoverished, young or the retired, Republican or Democrat, were worried -- worried about their children, worried about their future, worried about our country.

Political campaigns these days have a way, too often, of getting lost in the contest between the two individuals vying for the seat. They become something closer to a food fight than a comparison of ideas and issues and alternative visions for America'

s future. They become a competition about "Gotcha," and in the process the more personal accusations drown out the political differences that really do matter. There are many reasons why this happens in this political climate, many reasons why this happened in the congressional race between Scott Garrett and myself, but that analysis is for another time and another place.

This race for the United States House of Representatives in NJ-5 should not have been about Scott Garrett or Dennis Shulman. It should have been about the contrasting political ideology and moral vision of the opponents. It should have been about the future of America. It should have been about the soul of our country and of our district.

It should have been about global warming and alternatives to oil and gas -- whether we should support increases in fuel efficiency and investment in wind, solar, and bio fuels.

It should have been about stem cell research -- whether we should provide the scientific community an incentive and the freedom to do the research here in the United States that could offer hope and cure for people with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's, and spinal cord injuries.

It should have been about taxes -- whether any representative who voted for a war that is costing us ten billion dollars a month, who voted against the Alternative Minimum Tax every time it came to the House floor, and voted for every one of the Bush budgets could honestly claim to be a fiscal conservative and a tax cutter.

It should have been about healthcare for children -- whether there was any moral justification for a congressman or congresswoman who makes more than 165 thousand dollars a year accepting a premium healthcare plan paid fully by federal funds for his or her family, but votes to deny healthcare to a family of four who makes twenty-five thousand dollars a year living in Dumont or Cresskill or Newton.

It should have been about reproductive choice -- whether the people in this district agree with the incumbent that abortions should be illegal even when the pregnant woman was a victim of rape or of incest.

It should have been about our sacred responsibility to our young men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan -- whether we should support any congressman or congresswoman who would vote against medical benefits and other needed services for our disabled vets, and against tuition and housing benefits for those who returned to us able bodied.

Instead, sadly, incredibly, ridiculously, our election was about whether I was patriotic enough or in league with terrorists, and whether Scott Garrett had a farm or just a tax dodge.

Would the results on November 4th have been different if this election were about the comparative moral vision and political sensibilities of the candidates? I don't know.

But what I do know from this extraordinary year of my life is that everyone I met, irrespective of where they lived in the district and where they sat on the political spectrum, believed that the past eight years have been disastrous years -- that these have been years when our great and beloved nation has lost its way, and that we, as a nation, are certainly better than this.

Although I will not be taking a seat in Congress in January, I am hopeful about our country. I am hopeful that, with a new president and with Scott Garrett's positions becoming even more marginalized in the House, that our country will again find its way.

To all, in this past year, whom I have touched, and who have touched me:

Thank you.

Dennis Shulman

Earnhardt Economics

Those looking to bolster the efforts of GM to get loans from the government to weather the economic crisis got a voice to raise expectations: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

The most popular driver in NASCAR had this to say:

Earnhardt doesn’t believe GM will go the way of failed banks.

“They’re too big,” he said. “The government won’t let them fail.”

For those that don't follow NASCAR, this would be akin to Derek Jeter saying something like that about NY politics. Earnhardt has a national following so large he runs his own social networking site.

If NASCAR nation is expecting the government to give the loans, it will be harder for those who depend on their support to reject the idea. Back when the bailouts began, Representative Scott Garrett often would ask how we define "too big to fail". Well, Earnhardt may have just defined that for Washington. It should be interesting to see how the debate plays out down there.

Shulman Letter on Election

Dear Friends,

Thank you for all you did to help bring change to our country over the course of this campaign. While we were not victorious in our race in the Fifth District, our work contributed to a national movement which helped bring important, much-needed change to our country. Our opponents poured millions of dollars into what was once considered a "safe" seat, taking resources from other races throughout the country, many of which we won.

This election was about more than me or you or Scott Garrett. It was about fixing our broken economy. Solving our energy crisis. Ending the disastrous war in Iraq. Caring for our veterans. Protecting a woman's right to choose. Offering hope to people in search of a cure. Offering support for America's working men and women and the middle class.

We did not win, but we remain right on all of these issues, and we will continue to fight for what we believe in.

While Scott Garrett will keep his seat in Congress for now, he will no doubt continue to be a marginal figure in the minority of his minority party. He will no doubt continue to take money from the special interests he is supposed to oversee. He will no doubt continue to hire former lobbyists into his taxpayer-funded office. He will no doubt continue to evade ethics laws and take tax breaks he is not entitled to. He will no doubt continue to pursue an aggressively extremist, right-wing agenda. And no doubt, the day will come when Scott Garrett will be defeated. His seat is "safe" no longer.

No one likes negative campaigning -- but we were right to take this fight aggressively to Scott Garrett, and we are right to continue highlighting the disturbing record of extremism and corruption he has amassed in Washington while he was supposed to be representing us. We have lost this battle, but this war is not yet over. Together, we will win this long-term struggle, we will beat back the special interests, and we will defeat corrupt politicians like Scott Garrett who hold us back from our nation's righteous course.

Thank you to each and every one of you who invested your time, energy, money, thoughts and prayers into this race. Our efforts were not in vain. We delivered our message to hundreds of thousands of people, and we helped bring about a wave of change that ushered President Barack Obama into office. It is a new morning in our country, and all of us should be proud that we helped make that happen.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the support you gave me during the past year. Thanks again, for everything, from the bottom of my heart.

Yours,
Dennis Shulman

Garrett's Statement on Re-Election

Rep. Scott Garrett won re-election in the race for NewJersey’s 5th congressional district with 57% -42% of the vote, adecisive 15-point spread.

This victory will mark Garrett’s fourth election tooffice, and will send him back to Washington to continue his work as a taxpayer hero.

“This election is confirmation that voters want solutions to the issues facing this country and they repudiate the negative tactics employed by the Shulman campaign,” said Garrett.

“I would like to thank my family for their love and support, and I thank the people of the 5th district for the honor of returning me to Congress to fight to lower taxes, rein in profligate government spending and keeping our homeland secure.”

“Our opponent had an overwhelming amount of out-of-district resources, including DCCC financial support, and hundreds ofout-of-state volunteers,” said Amanda Gasperino, Garrett’s campaign manager.“They threw everything but the kitchen sink at him and spent well over a million dollars, yet Garrett’s victory, in spite of these factors, is overpowering evidence that he represents the interests and values of the people of New Jersey’s 5th District.”

Goosebumps

President Barack Obama.

As I was hopeful after Iowa, now we can officially say, bring the change.

Garrett Wins

According to CNN and the AP, Representative Scott Garrett will be going back to Washington. With 80% of our Districts reporting, Garrett has a commanding 15 point lead.

Congratulations, Congressman.

What's With The Record?

For their Election Central '08, the Record seems to not count yours truly, Blue Jersey, CWA or Inside Bergen as part of the Blogosphere.

Most of us link to them, or at the very least to the excellent work of Herb Jackson, Charles Stile, and Alfred Dobson. Most of us were linked to by them in 2007. What changed?

I'd understand if I was knocked off the list for telling them they needed to do a better job of fact checking the campaigns and press statements from politicians. I could even understand a couple others, but all of us? Where's the Jersey love in their list of the Blogosphere? Here's their list, as of this afternoon:

Government-Watch
New
Jersey Public Interest Research Group
Non-Partisan
Factcheck
N.J. Elections
Vote-Smart
Bi-Partisan
Politico
Partisan
DailyKos
Huffington Post
Red State
Talking Points Memo
The Corner
Town Hall

Robo-calls for Shulman

President Bill Clinton and Mayor Mike Bloomberg are doing robo-calls for Dennis Shulman. I tried to post the audio, but for some reason it's not working.

In response to the Steve Forbes endorsement of Representative Scott Garrett, Shulman's campaign manager Jeff Hauser showed he still has some bite left in his remarks:

"Garrett's earth shattering endorsement from Steve Forbes, who almost but not quite earned a delegate per million dollars of his father's money he spent running for President, indicates that Garrett is seeking to shore up his base of support. What's Garrett's base? People like Forbes and Garrett who inherited millions upon millions of dollars in cash or fake farms.

On the other hand, Dennis is proud to have earned the endorsement of groups who don't always endorse members of his party -- the Firefighters, the nation's best respected Independent (Mayor Bloomberg), and of course the school children of Garrett's home town of Wantage. Yes, indeed, the Wantage Schools children voted last week, and in a landslide, Shulman beat Garrett 350-250. And while those school children are nowhere near as wealthy as Forbes, Mayor Bloomberg is actually wealthier -- and earned it himself."

Giuliani for Garrett

Rudy Giuliani has come out to endorse Representative Scott Garrett:

“Scott Garrett has been called a Hero of the Taxpayer – and rightfully so. He has been a true leader in the fight to lower taxes on New Jersey families, working diligently to ease the burden of the AMT and fighting to bring back more of the money New Jersey sends to Washington. Even when challenged by members of his own party,Scott stood up against wasteful spending. I know first-hand the determination it takes to make a stand on what you think is right, and Scott’s resolve in protecting the taxpayer should be commended."

“In these tough economic times, we need more principled leaders to fight against increased taxes and bloated government budgets. That’s why I am proud to support Scott Garrett’s campaign for re-election to Congress.”

Garrett Pressed My Flesh

It was a pleasant surprise to see Representative Scott Garrett shaking hands at my train station this morning. There were a few folks who came up to shake his hand in the couple of minutes we were there and wish him well. It was a little chaotic because NJ Transit switched tracks on us, but he took it in stride.

For those that would like to meet Garrett, or challenger Dennis Shulman, both will be in Hoboken this evening greeting evening commuters. Should be a zoo. People can buy popcorn from one of the vendors in the station to watch the festivities.

Record for Shulman, Slams Garrett

This was a bit of a foregone conclusion, as the NJ Herald was for Representative Scott Garrett, however, the Record's endorsement of Dennis Shulman was the most harshly worded attack on Garrett I've seen recently.

From the endorsement:

SCOTT GARRETT is afraid. And he wants voters to be afraid. But the only thing voters should fear is Garrett's reelection to the House of Representatives.

[snip]

There is much work to be done in Washington. Garrett is not the man for the job. He alienates Republicans and Democrats. That is not the bipartisan résumé for a federal legislator.

[snip]

We acknowledge Dennis Shulman is untested. We do not know how effective he would be as a legislator. But we do know that Garrett's fiscal extremism makes him an ineffective lawmaker. We know that Garrett will vote his personal ideology regardless of the impact on constituents. Voters can be sure that Garrett will represent himself, not them.

The Obama Video

I didn't get to see Barack Obama's infomercial until tonight, but thanks to YouTube, it doesn't matter I was on the train. This is pretty much the best political video I've ever seen. If you missed it, here you go:

Garrett's Camp Has Some "Fun"

The campaign of Representative Scott Garrett had some "fun" today by releasing bitingly sarcastic press release. Garrett is calling on Dennis Shulman to return money roughly $168K from a particular donor: Dennis Shulman.

From the release:

This donor heads a long list of questionable donors to the Shulman for Congress campaign, many of whom represent interests outside of New Jersey’s 5th District:

* Playboy Enterprises CEO Christie Hefner
* Ethically-challenged Congressman Charlie Rangel
* Fannie/Freddie Patron Saint Barney Frank
* Scandal-ridden Clinton fundraiser Beth Dozoretz
* Pro-amnesty businessman Roger Berkley
* Eliot Spitzer devotee Marsha Laufer
* Illegal-immigration activist and basement couch surfer Jeffrey M. Hauser

In reality, Dennis Shulman should be thankful he’s not in Congress, because if the tax plan he supports went through, he’d have less money to loan to his own campaign.

It is kind of an amusing way for them to raise the fact that Shulman's raised far less in state money than Garrett, and take a poke at Hauser who has been the chief antagonist of Garrett's people.

Shulman Makes Me Famous

Well, not really.

The campaign for Dennis Shulman put out a very nice video today. I happen to be in a background shot talking with Dennis after the debate in Woodcliff Lake. Take a look:

The Rabbi and the Mayor

The endorsement of Dennis Shulman by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take on Representative Scott Garrett is old news. Here's how they've covered it:

PolitickerNJ

Blue Jersey

Star Ledger

The Record

Garrett Claims Victory

Surprisingly, I didn't get a press release from the Dennis Shulman campaign after last night's heated debate. However, as one would expect, Representative Scott Garrett has claimed victory.

Congressman Scott Garrett was at the top of his game on Wednesday night in his second debate against Dennis Shulman, hosted by the New Jersey Herald at Sussex County Community College.

Garrett was again able to tout his strong record as a taxpayer advocate, highlighting that he has received the Americans for Tax Reform “Hero of the Taxpayer” award every year he has been in Congress. Additionally, Garrett discussed his commitment to the ideals espoused by Citizens Against Government Waste, as well as the National Taxpayers Union.

Garrett also referenced the negative campaign tactics employed by his opponent, urging audience members to participate in an active listening exercise. “Every time my opponent makes an attack against me put a check in one column,” Garrett said. “And every time you hear my opponent offer a solution, put a check in the other column. I thinkyou are going to hear a lot of attacks but not a lot of solutions from my opponent on important issues that affect all of our families; solutions to thehigh cost of energy, or solutions to high taxes or solutions to end wasteful spending. Tonight, I will provide you with solutions because for the past six years I have been your Congressman I have fought for these important issues.”

True to Garrett’spredictions, Garrett stuck to the issues, Shulman hurled wild accusations. After 60 minutes of debate this evening, voters still do not know where Shulman stands on solutions to high taxes, illegal immigration, the energy crisis, healthcare, or any other number of issues.

Republicans Worried About Garrett

The Politico scoops again (bolding mine):

The National Republican Congressional Committee just put out a calling-all-Republicans E-mail to solicit volunteers to man a phone bank on behalf of ten endangered incumbents.

[snip]

The following “Top 10 Phone-Banking” campaigns have done a great job of recruiting volunteers, and have collectively made nearly 30,000 connections with voters from the phone-banks in the basement of the RNC:
1) Robin Hayes (R-N.C) – 5,643 calls
2) Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) – 4,922 calls
3) Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.) - 4,459 calls
4) Don Young (R-Alaska) – 3,583 calls
5) Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) – 3,437 calls
6) Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) - 3,014 calls
7) Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) – 1,483 calls
8) Jon Porter (R-Nev.) – 935 calls
9) Phil English (R-Penn.) – 868 calls
10) Randy Kuhl (R-N.Y.) – 338 calls

Not Surprising, Both Claim Victory

One has to love press releases. Not a surprise, both the campaigns of Representative Scott Garrett and Dennis Shulman both claimed victory in last night's debate.

First, from Garrett's campaign:

Congressman Scott Garrett scored a decisive victory in Sunday night’s debate against challenger Dennis Shulman at Temple Emanuel. In the first of three debates, Garrett was afforded the opportunity to share his message of fiscal responsibility and limited government, as well as to refute attack claims made from his opponent.

“I am probably bestknown for my fight against higher taxes and my efforts to control wasteful spending,” said Garrett in his opening statement. “Frankly, I don’t think the government can make better decisions about how to spend your money than you can.”

The debate centered around questions relating to Israel, Iran, healthcare, and the economy.

Fresh from his endorsement by the Express-Times newspaper, Garrett seemed at ease in his role as the favorite to win re-election in the race for the 5th Congressional District.

“As I travel around NewJersey, I meet with families who are concerned about our nation’s economy and future,” Garrett said. “People are worried about their retirement accounts and funding their children’s college funds. I share your concerns and havebeen fighting against the Washington establishment. We need to find new solutions to the problems that face our nation, not the continued failed policies that helped to cause the problem.” Garrett closed with observations about what makes the United States unique.

“This is what makes America different from the rest of the world. We fully embrace the rights of all Americans to pursue happiness and to succeed. It does not matter if you are Joe the Plumber or Joe Kennedy—all Americans have limitless opportunities.”

The second debate in this series will be held at Sussex County Community College on Wednesday,October 22 at 7pm.

And now the Shulman camp:

In the first of three debates, Democratic challenger Dennis Shulman kept incumbent Republican Scott Garrett on defense while scoring the most memorable lines of the evening. Here are some of the highlights from last night and some questions that remain unanswered:

Garrett continued to stonewall on the investigation into whether he is improperly taking a farmland assessment meant for real farmers. Garrett clearly said that his property is used as a "Christmas tree farm." However, Garrett has had to swear to an oath on his official New Jersey farmland assessment papers concerning what he farmed, and he swore that his farm is a "tree and shrub" farm, rather than selecting the "Christmas tree farm" category.

If Garrett is farming Christmas trees over the required 5.20 acres, why will he not invite reporters to visit the estate? Why does he classify the property under the more vague "tree and shrub" label when "Christmas trees" is a clear option on the form? Is it because the casual observer can more easily identify whether 5.20 acres are in fact being used to farm Christmas trees? Most critically -- why hasn't Garrett filed the environmental impact statement legally required for a "tree and shrub farm?"

Garrett refused Dennis' invitation to pledge not to take contributions from the industries he is charged with overseeing in Congress. As a member of the House Financial Services committee, Garrett has taken more than $1,000,000 from banks, insurers, and other special interests he is supposed to be regulating. Why won't he join Dennis in taking this pledge?

In a rare moment of honesty, Garrett defended massive tax breaks for Exxon-Mobile while talking about energy policy. Garrett has taken tens of thousands of dollars from Big Oil, and he has been one of their best friends in Congress. Garrett thinks it is just and appropriate to heap massive tax breaks on Exxon Mobile and the rest of Big Oil despite the record profits these companies are making at the expense of American taxpayers and consumers. Why should Fifth District voters trust a Big Oil crony like Scott Garrett to lower gas prices and invest in a sensible energy plan?

Remarkably, Garrett accused Dennis Shulman of misquoting scripture. During an exchange about healthcare, Dennis accurately recited from Matthew 10(http://kingjbible.com/matthew/10.htm) when he said, "Even your scripture, Scott, says heal the sick and cleanse the leper." Why does Scott Garrett think that the government should guarantee healthcare for his family but not yours?

Garrett discussed his radical, out-of-step opposition to embryonic stem cell research. In contrast, Dennis Shulman discussed his dedication to funding all potential cures for disease, invoking his first-hand experiences with patients and congregants. Shulman also chided Garrett for his anti-science views and dismissal of research. How can voters trust Scott Garrett to represent them responsibly when he dismisses unbiased research in favor of extreme ideology? Why won't he support federal funding of stem cell research?

When Shulman discussed Garrett's corrupt ties to special interests like Countrywide Financial, Garrett changed the subject by discussing Senator Chris Dodd's personal mortgage with Countrywide. Garrett has taken thousands of dollars from Countrywide Financial alone, his taxpayer-funded chief of staff is a former lobbyist for Countrywide, and Garrett's economic plan would have expanded the role of disgraced lenders like Countrywide prior to the economic crash that Countrywide caused. Why won't Garrett release a copy of his own personal Countrywide mortgage?

Garrett/Shulman Debate Summary

I'll do a more comprehensive write-up in a little bit of tonight's debate between Representative Scott Garrett and Dennis Shulman, but here's a summary of how I saw things.

Garrett's Best Moment:

Talking about the bailout. This is Garrett's sweet spot and he hit a home run with it. Garrett brought up the fact that we were told the sky would fall if the bailout didn't happen, the bailout happened, and the sky fell anyway. Even when Shulman introduced the idea that AMT relief wouldn't have happened, which is a bit misleading, Garrett handled that as well.

Shulman's Best Moment:

Shulman attacked Garrett's use of "support" toward alternative energy, saying he hadn't voted for it. As I noted in an earlier post, Garrett is the only Congressman from NJ to oppose every effort to increase alternative energy tax credits and funding during the 110th Congress. It couldn't have surprising one vote didn't pop in Garrett's head. Garrett did vote for the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which gave tacit support to alternatives, while handing $14.5 billion in tax breaks to big oil.

Garrett's Worst Moment:

See above. In a campaign that's been way too personal, the Shulman camp now has the policy video they need to flood the Internet and the airwaves.

Shulman's Worst Moment:

Saying we should expect government waste. Garrett's other sweet spot is railing against waste, that's what people come to expect, and Shulman defending waste won't sit well with those who are furious about waste and what it costs taxpayers. Now the Garrett camp has their video (but I don't know if they had a camera there like Shulman).

Notable appearances, Councilman Paul Aronsohn and former BCRO Chairman Guy Talarico.

It's Getting Ugly

How bad can the internal polling of Representative Scott Garrett be? In his latest press release, Garrett's camp is bringing ACORN into their attacks against Dennis Shulman. I've thought for a while the McCain campaign has been listening a little too closely to the talk radio blowhards. But for Garrett to descend the desperation path, one really has to wonder what the heck is going on.

The Shulman campaign posted Garrett's release on DailyKos, which then prompted them to get nominated for a fundraising drive. From the release:

Top aide Hauser's work as a lobbyist for ACORN interests has manifested in Shulman's campaign as Hauser actively pulls the strings. It hasn't gone unnoticed that Shulman rarely speaks directly to the press; his campaign message is communicated by Hauser, who cut his teeth as the mouthpiece for ACORN interests.

[snip]

As a result of Hauser's puppeteering, Shulman has been silent about the concerns raised by ACORN voter fraud during this election. Even as concerns are raised about ACORN's influence in New Jersey, Shulman has not condemned ACORN for their efforts to manufacture voter registrations.

One had to expect this kind of attack, and the Shulman campaign seemed to want this fight over who is employing the worst lobbyist, but come on. ACORN? Really? Personally, Mickey Mouse can sign up to vote all he wants (he wins votes every election), it's up to the County Clerk to validate a registration. The people signing him up should be prosecuted, but if they make it onto the rolls and into the polls that's on the County Clerk.

Where was Garrett's outrage over the voter roll purges of legit voters? Or the fact you can hack the machines we're required to vote on by law? There wasn't any. We've seriously watched this campaign go into the gutter on both sides; but Garrett's camp claiming he's a champion of transparency and accountability in the voting process is ridiculous.

The man voted against re-authorization of the Voting Rights Act; actively supported unconstitutional disenfranchisement efforts while standing silent while the Administration actively sought to disenfranchise voters; and joined a group to argue that hackable voting machines weren't a problem.

Please, Garrett, get off your short horse.