Devious Democrats in Jersey
It’s official. Toricelli is out. This is starting to look increasingly like a brilliant tactical move by the NJ dems. Here’s how it works:
1) Toricelli announces he will serve out his term, but kill his reelection effort.
2) The Democratic Party names a succesor, then requests a ballot change. Even though the law required such a change by September 16, the Democratic State Attorney General grants a waiver.
3) The state GOP can’t win on Forrester’s strength alone. His entire election strategy was based on “I’m not Toricelli”. So, the state GOP files suit to prevent the ballot change.
4) If the GOP loses, then the election proceeds with the Democrats’ chances greatly improved.
5) If the GOP wins, then Toricelli resigns his Senate seat, now within the 30-day window, and by law, there’s no election. Toricelli’s replacement (a Democrat!) serves two years before a special election in 2004.
Well that’s all admirably Machiavellian and deeply cynical, but I got just one question. Do the VOTERS get to choose their Senator, or are they just some kind of irrelevant afterthought after the power thugs manipulate the system?
Let’s see, we got a crooked Senator forced to drop out, so now his pals will pull barely (if that) legal tricks to make sure another Democrat follows him into office. Screw the voters! What an inspiring message for the youth of America.
I tell ya, the ethics of these folks would make a crack whore blush with embarassment. Whoops, there I go, wheezing about quaint old concepts like “ethics”, I don’t know what got into me…