We’ve just released another newsletter – this one featuring 7 pages of Congressman Garrett’s regressive ideas and policies. Here’s an excerpt illustrating Garrett’s unwillingness to admit fault despite leading the country into its current economic downturn:
“His political pronouncements and his voting record clearly show one of his very favorite ideologies to be that of anti-regulation: Regulation by the government is wrong and will lead to catastrophes even worse than global warming. He is one of those, like Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairperson, who believes that the market, that amorphous collection of buying and selling, will punish investors who invest unwisely, and is thus self-correcting – no need for government regulation. The major difference between Mr. Garrett and Mr. Greenspan is that Mr. Greenspan, in light of the great recession of 2008-9, admits he was wrong. Mr. Garrett has made no such concession to the facts; he soldiers on spouting his anti-regulation ideology in the face of the typhoon of evidence to the contrary.”
Read the rest of Marty’s spot-on analysis of Garrett by clicking on the link below.
“I am gravely concerned about the situation in Haiti. I am saddened over the tragic loss of life and I am remaining in close contact with the State Department regarding the state of the constituents from my district who were in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. My prayers are with their families and I will do everything I can to ensure their safe return home.”
Now, I’m not going to compare quotes or statements from others, but there is so much wrong with this statement, starting with the utter lack of compassion for the magnitude of this disaster. This “situation” in Haiti is something along the lines of 200,000 – 500,000 dead and a disaster “like no other in UN memory”.
Usually, one can tell a lot about someone by their initial thoughts or statements, or how they react to tragedy. In this case, I remember how Garrett was the only NJ Representative to vote AGAINST Katrina relief. Here, he makes no mention of the citizens of Haiti, the families of those who live in Haiti or anyone other than the people in his district who happened to be visiting at the time the earthquake struck.
Someone recently told me that Scott Garrett spends more on mailers to his district than any other Congressman or Congresswoman. And while I’d love to find out if that is actually true, I tend to ignore (probably foolishly) his 3 or 4 page glossy “newsletter” that I receive a few times each year. My reasoning is that I know his schtick – he routinely votes against bills that 400 other members of the House vote for because of some “technicality” and then tells his constituents that he is really in favor of the bill but couldn’t have it 100% his way so he has to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
So when I got his latest mailer, I tossed it with the rest of my recyclables (of course), but then had the fortune to come across this post by a former Goldwater conservative who hits fat cat CEO’s favorite Congressman right between the eyes with a brilliant takedown of the fluff, misdirection and outright twisting of the facts contained in Garrett’s latest mailer.
I won’t repeat all of Michael Fremer’s arguments, especially since we have made them here issue by issue, and there really is nothing new. He rails against the stimulus (which presumably would include the vote he cast against the largest middle class tax cut in history and scary teabagger talk about healthcare. That being said, it is refreshing to see someone say it so plainly when it comes to Garrett’s hypocrisy regarding unemployment:
“You offer no job creation plans in your email other than more tax cuts.“A job creation engine” was the supposed purpose of the Bush tax cuts for the rich back in 2001 that produced the weakest job growth out of a mild recession in recent history. All it produced was a deficit from what had been a projected surplus.
Had we allowed G.M. and other businesses to fail, the unemployment rate would now be catastrophic, yet that would have been your “solution.”
So I find your carping about unemployment churlish and dishonest.
Lest we forget that Garrett’s proposed solutions include his very own stimulus bill that he introducedconsisting entirely of corporate tax breaks. When Wall Street needs more tax breaks, they call on their “Hero” to champion a bill for them. And when AIG executives want to keep the bonuses they paid out from Government money, they call on “Wall Street Hero” Scott Garrett. But when families in his district are struggling, they get smacked in the face by his votes and his disingenuous rhetoric.
Thirty-nine congressional Republicans, including House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), have filed an amicus brief in D.C. Superior Court calling for a voter referendum on whether to legalize same-sex marriage in the District.
Just leave it to Republicans to think a public vote to strip away the rights of citizens is a good idea. Funny, in a hypocritical way, how Republicans are always bashing lawyers and lawsuits, but run to the courts when they can thwart equality.
A quicker and more effective solution was published here a few issues back by Congressman John Hostettler. It would use Congress’ Article I, Section 8 and Article III, Sections 1 and 2 powers to limit the jurisdiction of inferior federal courts and to set exceptions to the Supreme Court’s appellate jurisdiction. His bill, H.R. 3313 (co-sponsored by congressmen Mike Pence, Nick Smith, Scott Garrett, Virgil Goode, Todd Aikin, Gil Gutknecht, Dave Weldon, Walter Jones, Roscoe Bartlett, Michael Forbes and Ron Paul), would remove federal court jurisdiction over the issue of marriage. This goes directly to the root problem and sends a shot across the bow of judicial activism everywhere. Massachusetts legislators could follow the same path if inspired by national leaders and solve their problem now, whereas even a state constitutional amendment would come too late to stop the courts from legalizing same sex marriages. And the bill only needs a majority in the House and 60 votes in the Senate to go into effect.
If I’m following along correctly, Garrett wants to go to court to ask them to do something he wants to take away their power to do? So the moral of the story for Republicans like Scott Garrett is that activist judges are bad, bad, bad, unless they’re being active for things you believe in.
With unemployment still rising, and the unemployment rate well over 8% in each of the 4 counties represented by Scott Garrett (including over 11% in Passaic), you would think that for once, Garrett wouldn’t spit in the faces of his constituents. But if you think that, you would be wrong. Again.
After the Senate voted 98-0 to extend unemployment benefits, the House voted yesterday by a margin of 403-12 to extend unemployment benefits to those workers who (1) lost their jobs, (2) still can’t find another job and (3) have been out of work for so long that their unemployment benefits have run out. As usual, Scott Garrett was one of the 12 heartless Reps who would rather see tax cuts to corporations than help keep food on the plates of those who he claims to represent. This is far from the first time Garrett has done this – this year alone, he voted against the largest middle class tax cut in history as well as expanding unemployment benefits to a larger pool of people who are in need.
Yet, time and time again, he talks nonsense about “letting people keep more of their hard earned money” as he votes against pretty much every single bill that is supposed to help families in his district actually earn money or just get by. What Garrett fails to realize, or even worse – he does realize but just doesn’t care – is that when people have no job and no unemployment benefits, there is no money for them to keep more of.
It is votes like this that make me outraged and ashamed that someone this heartless or clueless is “representing” me.
REP. Scott Garrett was one of 12 House members to vote against an extension of unemployment benefits and homebuyer tax credits that got 403 “yes” votes on Thursday. The Senate unanimously approved the bill, HR3548, a day earlier.
Garrett did not issue any statement explaining his vote. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a news release attacking him for it.
The bill extends expired unemployment benefits another 14 weeks, and continues through April 30 the tax credit of up to $8,000 for new home buyers.
A surcharge on the employer unemployment tax that was due to expire next year was extended as well, so the Congressional Budget Office estimated that $2.6 billion bill would not increase the deficit.
The Republican Assembly candidates in the 39th District are up to their old tricks. Their most recent attack against their Democratic opponents, Mike McCarthy and John Shahdanian, came in the form of a disingenuous, misspelled, badly photo shopped mailer distributed throughout the 39th district. See it below.
The Republicans’ efforts continue to underscore the casual relationship with the truth that we have, unfortunately, come to expect from our elected officials.
The Republicans claim that McCarthy and Shahdanian will “reduce property tax relief”. Nothing could be further from the truth. Over the past four years a Democratic led statehouse has provided more than $7 billion dollars in property tax relief to New Jersey homeowners. If the Republicans had their way New Jersey residents would not have received the nearly $2 billion dollars in property tax rebates provided this year alone.
On this issue McCarthy and Shahdanian are ready and equipped to provide genuine leadership in uncertain times. They will push hard to address the structural issues that drive New Jersey residents property tax burdens. Their position advocating the consolidation of municipal services shows they are willing to adopt the bold thinking needed to improve the lives of New Jersey residents. Mike and John are serious about advocating for the average voter against the vested interests that have stood in the way of reform.
Additionally, the Republicans claim that McCarthy and Shahdanian have “continued to refuse to support the reopening” of Pascack Valley Hospital. This is a blatant falsehood.
As Democrats, Mike and John are strong believers that all New Jerseyans deserve access to high quality, affordable, health-care services. Their platform has long maintained that reopening Pascack Valley Hospital is central to achieving this goal. It is important, after all, for voters to remember that it was the Democrats who reduced the number of uninsured in our state by 11 percent. When it comes to demanding high-quality health care, voters can always depend on the Democrats.
The fact that the Vandervalk and Schroeder campaign feel it necessary to resort to such distortions belies the dearth of ideas that has long characterized their tenure as representatives of the 39th district.
The voters of the 39th deserve better; Mike McCarthy and John Shahdanian will do better.
"Desperate Republicans": Robert Schroeder Looks On
In typical Republican stronghold District 39, the two Republican candidates for Assembly are beginning to get scared that their long shot Democratic opponents, John Shahdanian and Mike McCarthy, are going to pull off an upset victory. Not only that but the Republican party at large is scared as well.
Just look at this recent post on the New Jersey Republican party’s mouthpiece blog Save Jersey. The Conservative bloggers derided the 39th’s Democratic campaign as, ”dispirited and desperate,” for posting a volunteer opportunity on craigslist, as if craigslist is a site reserved for the lowly, unwashed masses who cannot find anything better to do with their lives. (Ironically they included a link to volunteer on the 39th Republican Assembly campaign at the end of their post). The only problem with their logic is that without craigslist millions of people would be deprived of a place to look for jobs among many other crucial services the site offers.
In another example of the Republicans desperation in the 39th they actually copied the format, style, and some of the script of the Democrats’ first and only YouTube web ad. With all the money, campaign experience, and connections from their years in Trenton the Republicans couldn’t even come up with their own streaming video, just an imitation of their underfunded Democratic opponents’ version.
The 39th is a very Republican district and has a good chance of staying that way in the Assembly this year. For that reason the Republican party should be walking the straight and narrow in their campaign. Unfortunately they have decided that ridiculing and ripping off their underdog Democratic opponents is the best way to ensure the 39th stays red.
Too bad for the Republicans the Democrats aren’t going to take their insults sitting down this year. They are going to fight until the very end of the campaign season making sure every 39th District resident knows who will represent them the best in Trenton – Mike McCarthy and John Shahdanian.
Help Mike and John fend of the shifty Republicans in the 39th and pull off one of the biggest upsets in New Jersey electoral history. Visit their website to learn more. You can also become a member of their facebook page. To directly contact the campaign contact Jack at 201-913-2947 or jackbgroakre@gmail.com.
Remember, vote Mike and John on November 3rd Election Day!
Election Day is almost a month away. Many New Jersey Democrats are fighting tooth and nail either to hold on to their seats or to win seats held by Republicans: Governor Corzine is in an epic battle for re-election. Seemingly entrenched Democratic Assemblymen and women are on their heels fighting off Republican challengers. And in some traditionally Republican Assembly Districts, upstart Democrats are defying the odds in attempting to defeat longtime incumbents…
In Assembly District 39, spanning from New Milford to Upper Saddle River and Waldwick to Alpine, Democrats John Shahdanian and Mike McCarthy are mounting the challenge of a lifetime. John and Mike are squaring off against incumbent Republican Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk and Robert Schroeder. District 39 is known as a Republican stronghold but John and Mike are proving Democrats have a place there too – watch their web ad to see what they stand for and what they’ll do when elected:
A Democratic victory in the 39th will help pave the way for a Democratic victory in the 5th District in 2010 over Rep. Scott Garrett. With John and Mike in office in the 39th a strong base of support can be built in the heart of the 5th, and through that base the entire district can become affected. By helping John and Mike get elected now you will essentially be helping Scott Garrett’s Democratic opponent get elected later.
If you have any available time from now until Election Day on November 3rd, please help John Shahdanian and Mike McCarthy in the 39th. Unfortunately John and Mike’s campaign lacks the financial war chest of their Republican opponents, that’s why they especially need your help – phone banking, canvassing, and generally disseminating John and Mike’s message across the district. Please call Campaign Manager Jack Groarke at 201-913-2947 or jackbgroarke@gmail.com to learn more and get involved. Again, any time you have to give before November 3rd will take John and Mike a long way towards triumphing on November 3rd and shocking the 39th.
Editor’s Note: The writer of this post, Michael Simonson, is Deputy Campaign Manager for John and Mike’s campaign.
One of the perplexing things about Representative Scott Garrett is that he chooses to advocate for practices that waste taxpayer money, while slamming waste in other programs. I’ve written before about Garrett’s affinity for Medicare Advantage, which has been documented to cost taxpayers more than it should. Yet Garrett gripes about Medicare costing too much.
Today, Garrett sent an e-mail defending his opposition to reforming Federal Student loans. Here’s part of his logic:
On Thursday, the House passed a bill (H.R. 3221) that will, if signed into law, eliminate private loans with federal guarantees, replacing such loans entirely with the government’s Direct Loan program – in other words, removing the optionality of the public option – at a cost of $1 trillion over the next ten years.
What Garrett conveniently fails to mention is that enacting this policy is actually saving taxpayers billions. From the CBO:
H.R. 3221 would make several changes to the federal student loan programs, including the Federal Perkins Loan Program. As shown in Table 2, CBO estimates that, on net, those changes would reduce federal costs by $40.7 billion over five years and $74.8 billion over 10 years.
So once again, we have Garrett defending taxpayer money flowing into private hands at a higher cost than we should be paying for the service we’re receiving.
Adding insult to the injury of honest debate, Garrett relates his argument to the health care debate and justifying his opposition to the public option.
The student loan public option should serve as a cautionary and instructional tale for Congress and the American people as we continue to discuss ways to reform the health care system.
Garrett’s right, the cautionary tale here is that without reform, we’re going to continue spending more than we should. That’s fine with Garrett, the question should be put to his constituents, is that okay with you?
We’ve just released another newsletter – this one featuring 7 pages of Congressman Garrett’s regressive ideas and policies. Here’s an excerpt illustrating Garrett’s unwillingness to admit fault despite leading the country into its current economic downturn:
With unemployment still rising, and the 
Election Day is almost a month away. Many New Jersey Democrats are fighting tooth and nail either to hold on to their seats or to win seats held by Republicans: Governor Corzine is in an epic battle for re-election. Seemingly entrenched Democratic Assemblymen and women are on their heels fighting off Republican challengers. And in some traditionally Republican Assembly Districts, upstart Democrats are defying the odds in attempting to defeat longtime incumbents…