Garden Party

Garden Party
by Ted Lang, Associate Editor

October 2, 2002

Columnist Ted Lang Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) (AP) Garden State politics continues to illuminate the weed of crime-infested path of unlimited success in New Jersey, at least until someone recognizes the infestation and "capitalizes" on it like senatorial hopeful Doug Forrester. And don't look for the Garden State leftist media monopoly to expose government and political corruption - they're too busy enjoying their First Amendment rights stumping for liberals and Republican "moderates."

As far as illuminating corruption, no one did that better than "The Torch," Senator Robert G. Torricelli (right). Even as the Gannett conglomerate reported thoroughly on the recently-released federal prosecutors' letter that Torricelli tried to keep under wraps and confidential, their local flack, the Morris County Daily Record Opinion Editor, whined: "Now, rather than talk about such issues as Medicare, health insurance and foreign policy, Torricelli will be forced to spend time defending his character." How awful!

The biased New Jersey papers were bucking their similarly biased establishment leader; namely, the "Gray Lady" - The New York Times. Why would The Times be so opposed to the re-election of Robert Torricelli? Isn't he liberal enough? Isn't he enough of a collectivist, a socialist? Although these concepts are way over the heads of voters, especially New Jersey voters, the political winds within the Democratic Party are what need to be considered.

The Torch, although a great fund-raiser and supporter of the Democratic Party's devotion to anti-American socialism, didn't keep his place. He was impulsive, loud-mouthed, arrogant, and spoke out of turn. He offended and embarrassed his seniors, especially former senior Senator Frank Lautenberg. And he really ticked off members of the New Jersey Democratic establishment when he tried to horn in on Jim McGreevey's claim to the Governorship when Republican "moderate" [defined "liberal"] Donald Di Francesco also proclaimed nolo contendere withdrawing from the gubernatorial race due to non-prosecuted charges of corruption. Add to that roster Republican Jim Treffinger.

It was clearly for these reasons that The New York Times led the way in persisting that the federal prosecutors' memo, the one acknowledging David Chang's credibility as regards his allegations of Torricelli's bribe-taking, be released and made public. The memo was the coup de grace regarding Torricelli's fading hopes for re-election.

Of course, Torricelli's farewell address was a tearjerker. Why wouldn't it be? Here's a guy just like Clinton that never held a real job, a job in the private sector where one's efforts directly affect the outcome and success of one's employer. The guy's got $6 million in his campaign war chest. And contrary to the staged tragedy, he hasn't resigned from the Senate.

So Democratic Governor Jim McGreevey cannot appoint another Democrat to his seat. But neither can the Democratic Party place in nomination another candidate. The time period of 51 days prior to an election for doing this is over. But why should this bother Democrats? Isn't it the central platform of the Democratic Party to attack and destroy everything constitutional? And isn't the Constitution the law of the land?

Didn't Clinton raise Democrat campaign cash by selling missile secrets to the Communist Chinese military? Isn't that treason and usually punishable by death upon conviction? So who cares if Congressman McDermott is attacking Bush's policies while in Baghdad? Who cares if Janet Reno used government to gas and burn to death 81 Americans, 26 of whom were children? Who cares if she kidnapped a six year-old whose mother gave her life to give him a chance in America, and sent him back to Communist Devil's Island? Who cares about Condit and Chandra? Just shut-up and pull the little levers, and continue to vote for the lesser of two evils!

We're havin' a party! So don't stop thinking about tomorrow - it'll soon be here! And the only drawback is that the jackass party will have to put Fleetwood Mac in yesterday's files, and resurrect Rick Nelson's ode to Madison Square Garden. Rick went down in flames allegedly freebasing drugs in his old DC-3. And "The Torch" has been snuffed out somewhere between Bayonne and Battery Park! ***

Photo of Columnist Ted Lang courtesy of the author
Photo of Senator Robert Torricelli courtesy of the Associated Press