Do you remember Tom Kean? He was the governor of New Jersey for eight long years, during which the size of state government exploded, the use of state cars was unrestrained, and tax money flowed like water. Then, after a Democrat was elected, Kean suddenly discovered that there was a MASSIVE budget deficit. Gee, what a surprise!
Now, his son is running one of the sleazier campaigns for office. First, an “independent polling agency” ran a series of phone calls where people were asked who they would vote for. Then, if they discovered that Senator Menendez was the biggest criminal on the planet, as alleged, who they would vote for. Then, reminding us what a patriot Tom Kean Sr. was (you remember his leadership of the “can’t get materials out of the White House” 9/11 Commission and subsequent distortion of fact in his role as “Path to 9/11″ movie man), asked us who we would vote for. The call, running 15 minutes before I hung up the phone, was very clever and left the impression that Tom Kean Sr. (not Jr.) was running against an organized crime figure who scoffed at the wrongdoings of Fat Tony.
Then came the TV ads. Lots of them, advertising some sort of phone call in which somebody we don’t know is whispering that they have to protect Senator Menendez.
And of course the initial accusations of wrongdoing against Senator Menendez. Yes, he’s probably guilty of a mildly sleazy deal himself, but it’s small beans by Senate standards, and nothing’s been proven. It is awfully interesting that a Republican partisan prosecutor made these accusations shortly before the election.
Frankly I don’t think Menendez is squeaky clean, but if you can judge a man by his campaign and his father, then Tom Kean, Jr., is one of the sleaziest politicians we’re likely to see. I didn’t appreciate his father’s abuse of the taxpayers of New Jersey, and I don’t appreciate his 100% negative campaign. He gets my vote – for Menendez – and I think we should “reward” all such sleaze-only campaigns with a vote for the other person.
(I’m not counting campaigns where the other person’s policies or record – real record, not some trumped-up list of charges based on no evidence – are brought up but these “whisper” campaigns where nothing true is used, with a lot of nasty stuff implied, and “independent” groups are hired to throw mud around.)
Update: looks like Tom Kean will win and become a US Senator. Polls show the “push polling” works. And here’s a great link explaining the method: http://www.patriotproject.com/2006/10/push_polling_wh.php
So why hasn’t the liberal media printed anything on push polling or the various swiftboat attacks? Could it be they’re NOT LIBERAL after all?
