WHY BOOKER WINNING BIG IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR REPUBLICANS

In politics momentum can be everything.  Looking at New Jersey’s current special election for US senator it has become very clear that the Tea Party endorsed Republican, Steve Lonegan,  has been gaining momentum on Democratic favorite, Newark Mayor Cory Booker.  Whether that momentum results in an upset or if it was too little, too late in a race designed to be too short will all sorted out by 8 PM tonight.

At a moment when our federal government is at its height of dysfunctional absurdity, a Lonegan win or even a Lonegan close call in this consistently blue Garden State would send electoral shockwaves across the nation.  It would embolden conservative advocates in every corner of America and induce mass pants-wetting by moderate, establishment republicans still shell shocked from Romney’s presidential debacle.  It would open up the primary challenger floodgates for  the 2014 mid-term elections creating expensive intra-party fighting on the right while absolving the left of any responsibility of running for anything specific other than running against purported extremists.   

In the immediate aftermath, a Lonegan win, or let’s call it a Booker poor showing, could make the already uphill battle for New Jersey republicans to regain control of one or both of the legislative houses that much more impossible.   Despite the grossly uneven match up between current Governor Christie verses perennial unfavorable Barbara Buono, conventional wisdom has Democrats holding their majority in the Legislature.  Wisdom aside, there is real concern among the Majority though that a Christie win of 20 or more points would inevitably sweep in unexpected republican victories down ticket presenting a scenario that republicans, suffering under an unfairly slanted legislative map, have been dreaming of for over a decade now.

But momentum being what it is, if it favors Lonegan and results in the very least Booker not winning by double digit numbers, you can expect to find it will almost immediately change course and gather very rapidly in the form of newly energized and repurposed democratic ground operations leading up to the real election day in November.  A Lonegan victory would still mean a Christie victory as the two are fairly mutually exclusive, again by design.  However, having been sufficiently embarrassed by a Lonegan win or Booker poor showing, New Jersey’s democrat machines statewide would undoubtedly kick into high gear to protect their advantage.  The effect of which would drive Christie’s victory spread downward to the mid-teens and squashing any tiny inkling of republican upsets at the legislative level this year or any subsequent election cycle through 2021. 

As painful as it is for many of us on the right to suggest, Booker needs to win big tonight or Republicans could be looking at a generation of minority irrelevance.

A Letter to My Son

       A few weeks back, my son begrudgingly brought home a school assignment for his parents to do.  He  knows my feelings on projects that require parental participation.  I don’t do homework anymore and I dislike teachers who think assigning it to parents  "will be fun" or "a really great opportunity" for the parents to get involved.   His mother and I have been involved since P-K and at this stage in his academic life, he needs to be well on his way to self-sufficiency.

      His Lit class was reading Hamlet and they were dissecting Polonius’ advice to his departing son, Laertes.  You know it: “Never a beggar or borrower be” and “to thine own self be true" yada, yada, yada.  Our task was to craft advice to our son, as he prepared to graduate and start the next stage of his life.  The assignment was do the next day. He waited nearly a week to present it to us – that is how much he knows my feelings on the matter.

      Here is the 11^th hour homework we completed for our son so that he could maintain his GPA:

Dear Garrett,

      You are about to enter into the next stage of your life and you are probably both excited and nervous.   That’s alright, you are not alone.  All of your friends are feeling the same way and long ago your mother and I did, too.  You may be anxious thinking you are rudderless as you find your ship moving in to stronger currents.  You might feel a sense of urgency as if you need to have every aspect of your life figured out and a course plotted to get you some definitive endpoint.  You need to solve for the ultimate X.  That is hardly the case.

 

• We want to tell you to relax.  Breathe.   Always walk.  Don’t run.  What’s rush?  It isn’t a race you are about to start.  There is no discernible winner and the finish line is different for everyone.  There are no judges and those who will judge you are usually those least qualified to do so.
• Savor every bite you take.  Life is a buffet.  Take a little bit of everything, go for seconds, and leave room for dessert.   Better yet, try dessert first every now and then.
• Put necessity before luxury.  If you pay for what you want only to have to beg for what you need, you will never be more than a beggar.
• Pennies are not worthless.  If they were, homeless guys wouldn’t stop to pick them up. Spare change quickly adds up to a few bucks.  Money is worth more than the paper it is printed and should be handled with care.  Debt is credit past due plus interest.   Pay your bills on time.
• Shoes bought online are always returned.  There are certain things in life you need to try on for size before committing to them, like hats, glasses, cars, and love. 
• Words uttered in haste are like fog.  They cloud the moment but dissipate in time.  Words emailed in haste are a permanent record.   Type it once and then delete.  Type it again differently and then delete that, too.  Type it and delete over and over until the frustration dissipates like the fog.  After all of that, if you still have an overwhelming urge to send it, seek counseling.  You have anger management issues.
• Always stand up to be seen. Speak up to be heard and sit down to be appreciated.  When you stand well, stand still.  Saying more than you need weakens your position.
• Always wear clean underwear.  You never know when you will get in an accident.  If the accident happens to be in your underwear, take them off and clean yourself up and go without underwear.  Someone going commando is intriguing. Someone with dirty underwear is just nasty.
• There is a first time for everything but there is never second first time.  Recognize and appreciate novelty.
• Tip well when warranted.  People who serve you well deserve to be rewarded.  Tip less to discourage poor service.  But always tip.  Servers are trying to make a living just like the rest of us.
• No single raindrop believes it is responsible for the flood.  You do not act alone.  Every action you take has an impact on someone else so be mindful where you step.
• Read the instructions first. Review them after you are done.  It will probably explain why you have spare parts.
• World peace doesn’t sound so great to a career soldier.  If finding a solution will put you out of work, you would be better served to prolong the problem until you have another job lined up.
• Someone else gave you your name but only you can make a name for yourself. 
• Try laughing out loud once a day. 
• Don’t go to bed angry.  You will sleep better.
• Smile often.
• Love your Mom and Dad.

Love,

Your Mom and Dad.