"He's Got to Go"

Even though 5th District residents voted against their own self-interest last night be re-electing Scott Garrett, who does Tom DeLay's bidding instead of that of his constituents, Anne Wolfe summed it up last night in thanking her many staffers and volunteers: "Nothing has changed. He's got to go. We didn't do it this time. Next time we will."







It's got to be hard to make a concession speech in front of the people who put their hearts and souls into your campaign. It's got to be difficult to take a night like last night and try to rekindle hope in nearly a hundred people when you must feel distraught yourself. But last night Anne Wolfe did just that. She reminded us that we proved you CAN run a credible campaign (and receive the endorsements of all the major regional newspapers) from the grassroots, and you can do it by speaking honestly to people. And you can do it when your own party organization cedes your seat to your opponent before you even have a chance to campaign. Scott Garrett had a five-to-one cash advantage, plus incumbency, which manifested in slick mailings he sent on nearly a weekly basis, abusing his franking privileges in the process. And he has the luxury of running in a highly-gerrymandered district.



But now he's going to be in a Republican house with a Republican president who it appears has been elected, this time with a popular vote majority, even if the electoral vote situation still looks a wee bit shady. So he's going to be responsible for his votes this time. If Anne Wolfe wants to run again in 2006, she can count me in.



And now a word about the Bergen County Democrats. If you listen to Air America radio in this area, you no doubt heard the radio spots for county offices -- ads that had more offensive stereotypes than any Republican can come up with -- Jewish mothers, shrewish wives, wimpy men, and a hippy-dippy portrayal of the current county Sheriff that was offensive to anyone practicing an eastern religion, and managed to confuse astronomy and astrology in the bargain. My votes reflected my disgust with these ads. Note to the BCDO: You want to know why people hate Democrats? This kind of crap is why.