Final sprint in Election 2013

Candidates for Virginia and New Jersey governor and New York City mayor on Monday sprinted toward the finish line of Election 2013, 

trotting out the big names to keep their voters from getting complacent in a trio of races with clear — if not prohibitive — frontrunners.

In Virginia, home to this year’s marquee gubernatorial race, Vice President Joe Biden warned Democratic voters that the only way Republican Ken Cuccinelli could beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe is if they don’t bother to show up at the polls on Tuesday. Stumping for Cuccinelli a few hours later, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) portrayed the election as a referendum on the troubled Democratic health care law.

Whatever dim hope Cuccinelli has of an upset rests on abysmal turnout among Democrats. For months polls have shown McAuliffe, a longtime Democratic Party fixer and businessman, leading Cuccinelli in the high single digits. So McAuliffe has had a series of high-profile surrogates vouch for him the past few weeks – President Barack Obama on Sunday, Bill and Hillary Clinton before that – to remind party that they need to finish the job.

In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie represents a starkly different face of the GOP. The Republican looked to be on the verge of a resounding victory in his reelection bid against Democratic opponent Barbara Buono, poised to win over independents and some Democrats in the deep-blue state.

Via: Politico

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Romney: Christie 'Could Easily Become Our Nominee and Save Our Party’

(CNSNews.com) - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who lost the 2012 election to President Barack Obama, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he believed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie could “easily” become the GOP presidential nominee in 2016 and “save our party.”

Christie most recently made national news when he decided to drop a legal challenge to rulings in New Jersey state courts that declared same-sex marriage legal there. And not long before that, he changed his position on the question of whether illegal aliens should get in-state tuition rates at New Jersey state colleges. Now he backs legislation that would give that privilege to illegal aliens.

These two moves won Christie a recent article from the Los Angeles Times that described him as having "staked his place near the political middle ground."

Romney’s statement that Christie could “save our party” came even as Time Magazine’s website published an excerpt from the upcoming book “Double Down: Game Change 2012” by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, that was featured above the masthead on the Drudge Report, and that describes a Republican vice presidential vetting process that resulted in Romney himself deciding not choosing Christie as his vice presidential running mate.

Via: CNS News

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Superstorm Sandy anniversary: One year later, thousands still not home

BREEZY POINT, N.Y. -- Thousands of New York and New Jersey residents displaced when Superstorm Sandy barreled ashore one year ago are still fighting with insurance companies, slogging through red tape and waiting for government aid – and many still aren’t home. 

The storm, which made landfall in the U.S. last Oct. 29, killed an estimated 160 people here and dozens more in the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center, and inflicted billions of dollars in damages, including some 366,000 structures in New York and New Jersey.

The state of rebuilding in the region varies. In some hard-hit neighborhoods, there are empty lots where homes once stood. Storm-wrecked residences stand vacant with “for sale” signs outside. Some families forge ahead with the often slow, costly construction process, with some living in their partially repaired homes. And others who lack the resources to rebuild, including those battling for insurance money or waiting for government aid, are still shacking up with relatives or living in temporary apartments. 

Kieran Burke, 41, is living with his family in an apartment in Yonkers, N.Y., about an hour’s drive from their home in Breezy Point. For much of the last year, Burke said he fought to obtain the building permits and insurance money necessary to rebuild his Breezy Point bungalow, one of nearly 130 that burned in fires sparked by Sandy’s floodwaters. Burke said he has received almost his entire insurance payout and expects to get the permits soon, but he is reeling from the frustration he experienced along the way. 

Via: NBC News

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President Obama on Hurricane Sandy anniversary: 'We leave nobody behind'

This week marks the one anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, a powerful storm that left behind damaged and destroyed buildings and killed nearly 200 people. 

In a statement Tuesday, President Barack Obama paid tribute to those who died, first responders who helped rescue people in the path of the storm and promised that the federal government will remain committed to helping New York and other states affected by the storm.

Here is President Obama's statement:

One year ago, Hurricane Sandy’s landfall devastated communities up and down the East Coast – a tragedy that demanded massive rescue, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. Today, we remember our fellow Americans who lost their lives to that storm, and we comfort the families who grieve them still. And while there are still homes to rebuild and businesses to reopen, the last year has also served as a reminder of the strength and resilience of the American people. We’ve seen first responders act with heroism, strangers lend a helping hand, and entire communities come together to heal. There’s more work to do, but that’s the spirit with which we’ll continue to do it for our fellow Americans who still need a hand.

Over the past year, my Administration has fought for these communities throughout the response, and the federal government will remain by their side as our fellow citizens rebuild. We’ve provided billions of dollars of assistance to hundreds of thousands of people and small business owners through direct aid, grants, and loans. We’ve helped thousands of families stay in their homes, communities cut through red tape and bureaucracy to receive the help they need, and worked with state and local officials to open 97% of public beaches before Memorial Day, sending a strong message to the country that the shore was open for business. Through a federal commitment to a long-term rebuilding effort, our roads, bridges, hospitals and businesses are coming back stronger than before. 

Via: Auburnpub.com

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Dem Rep. Jumps Out of Chair, Explodes at GOP’ers During Obamacare Hearing

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) rose from his seat on Tuesday during a congressional hearing into the Affordable Care Act’s problematic roll-out. He accused his Republican colleagues in the House of dishonestly seeking to identify the problems with the ACA because they would prefer to see it repealed entirely. 

Pascrell began by insisting that, even though Democrats opposed Medicare Part D in the Bush Era, they worked to make sure that the program was a success.

He became animated as he said that Democrats put aside their opposition to Bush in order to make a policy objective work for the good of the American public. “And how many of you stood up to do that,” Pascrell said exploding out of his chair. “None. Zero.”

“What are you going to do about the approximately 17 million children with preexisting conditions who can no longer be denied health insurance coverage,” Pascrell asked his Republican colleagues. “We want to go back and want to say you are no longer covered any longer. Are you going to tell the parents of those kids?”

Pascrell blew up at Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR) who insisted that the GOP has put forward a number of proposals to ensure that low-income people in need of care receive it.

“Are you really serious?” Pascrell shot back. “After what we’ve gone through and what we’ve gone through in the last three and a half years?”

“We’ve gone through 44 votes, 48 votes now of you trying to dismantle the legislation,” he concluded. “You call that cooperation?”

Watch the clip below via C-SPAN 3:

Via: Mediaite.com

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Christie Drops Opposition to Gay Marriage, Becomes Legal in Jersey

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Monday withdrew legal opposition to gay marriage, making same-sex nuptials the law in the state.
The move makes New Jersey the 14th state in the nation to legalize gay marriage.

On Friday, the state Supreme Court refused to delay a lower-court order for the state to begin recognizing same-sex marriages. On Monday morning, Christie said in a statement that he ordered an appeal dropped.

"Chief Justice Rabner left no ambiguity about the unanimous court's view on the ultimate decision in this matter when he wrote, 'same-sex couples who cannot marry are not treated equally under the law today," Christie said.

Urgent: Should the House Have Agreed to Debt Deal? Vote Here 

"Although the governor strongly disagrees with the Court substituting its judgment for the constitutional process of the elected branches or a vote of the people, the Court has now spoken clearly as to their view of the New Jersey Constitution and, therefore, same-sex marriage is the law.

"The governor will do his constitutional duty and ensure his Administration enforces the law as dictated by the New Jersey Supreme Court."

One second after midnight in Lambertville, a city of just under 4,000 people on the Delaware River, Beth Asaro and Joanne Schailey said "I do" in what they believed was the state's first such ceremony. Their union before Mayor David DelVecchio was held in a municipal meeting hall.

Via: Newsmax

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Obamacare: How affordable is health insurance after the Affordable Care Act?

Rich Sitko can’t wait to buy a new health insurance plan. Sitko, 64, from Essex Fells, now has an indemnity plan from Aetna for which he pays $1,178 per month with a $2,500 deductible.

He believes he will find a less costly option on the new health insurance exchange — the online marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act.

His new plan, he said, will still most likely cost close to $10,000 a year and won’t have any of his doctors in network. To get a plan similar to the one he has now, he’d actually have to pay more money.

Across New Jersey and throughout the country many people, especially those in their 50s and 60s, are experiencing a bit of "sticker shock" as they shop for insurance. Plans cost thousands of dollars per year and many come with deductibles that are a couple thousand more.

"The Affordable in the ACA is really a misnomer," Sitko said. "The name should be the ‘Slightly More Affordable Care Act.’ "

The word affordable means different things to different people and is often based on what else a person feels they must pay for, such as property taxes, mortgage and tuition.

The federal government, however, provides a specific definition. Under the new law, individuals must pay a penalty if they do not have health insurance unless the cheapest available plan would cost more than 8 percent of their modified adjusted gross income. The federal government deems any plan that costs more than that "unaffordable."

Via: True Jersey

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CORY BOOKER WINS NEW JERSEY SENATE ELECTION

Newark's Democratic mayor, Cory Booker, won the special election to succeed the late Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in the United States Senate on Wednesday when Booker's Republican opponent, Steve Lonegan, conceded at 9:50 pm.

The Associated Press called the race for Booker at 9:32 pm eastern.

With 52% of precincts reporting, the Star-Ledger showed Booker had a 56% to 43% lead over Lonegan.

Via: Breitbart

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Decision day in accelerated New Jersey Senate race

TRENTON, N.J. –  In a race for U.S. Senate that that touched upon a candidate's tweets with a stripper and a political strategist's profanity-laced rant, perhaps it's only fitting that the outcome will be decided on a Wednesday in October.

The two-month campaign in New Jersey between Democrat Cory Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan ends amid a lingering federal government shutdown, underscoring the different approaches each would take as a senator.

Booker, Newark's high-profile mayor, circulated a petition to end the shutdown and accused Congress of failing voters by not finding a way to work together.

Lonegan supports the shutdown fight, arguing that the Affordable Care Act should be delayed a year and objecting to the concept of government-directed health insurance.

The campaign has played out under a compressed schedule for the seat held by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a liberal Democrat, until his death in June.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie appointed a GOP caretaker and ordered the election held Oct. 16, the soonest date the law allowed following an unprecedented August primary.

Via: Fox News

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Neighbors: Cory Booker never lived in Newark

As Cory Booker looks set to win the junior Senate seat in New Jersey Wednesday, his supposed neighbors in Newark say Mayor Booker doesn’t live in the Gateway City.

Multiple residents of Newark told The Daily Caller that the longtime mayor doesn’t live at any of the addresses he has claimed as home. The mayor is believed to live in New York even though he is registered to run for New Jersey’s special senate election.

Booker, who filed to run for the U.S. Senate from a P.O. Box in Newark, is registered to vote at 435 Hawthorne Avenue but his next door neighbors told this reporter and filmmaker Joel Gilbert on camera that they haven’t seen Booker in years and that he doesn’t live there.

“Does he still live here?” Gilbert asked Booker’s neighbor, Tashay Thomas.

“He never did,” she replied. “His security guards live here.”

Why did he claim to live there while sending police to be quartered in a private home?

“Because he is a liar.” Thomas replied.

Thomas yelled out to someone across the street: “They’re looking for that fake mayor who says he live here. He does not live here!”

Via: The Daily Caller

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[VIDEO] Watch Mark Levin at Steve Lonegan's Campaign Rally In New Jersey

Mark Levin gave a great speech today in support of Steve Lonegan who is running for US Senate in New Jersey. You can watch the full speech below:

Via: The Right Scoop

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Watch Sarah Palin Bring Down the House at Steve Lonegan's Campaign Rally

Sarah Palin delivered another one of her great campaign speeches for Steve Lonegan today at his campaign rally. You can watch the full speech below:

Via: The Right Scoop

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Obamacare causes insurance companies to scrap some plans, create new ones - 800,000 to lose coverage in NJ

Hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans opened the mail last week to find their health insurance plan would no longer exist in 2014 because it does not cover all the essential benefits required by the Affordable Care Act.

The news surprised some who were unaware that provisions in the new law known as “Obamacare” were forcing insurance companies to scrap some plans they had previously offered.

“The Affordable Care Act is driving many changes to products and pricing,” said Thomas Vincz, a spokesman for Horizon. “Horizon BCBSNJ is actively working to help our members find new insurance plans that meet their needs and budget.”

The changes will impact more than 800,000 people in New Jersey who purchase insurance on the individual and small-employer markets, according to Ward Sanders, president of the New Jersey Association of Health Plans.

Horizon, Aetna and others have had to create new plans to meet the requirements mandated by the law.

“Aetna has updated its product portfolio for individuals as well as small group customers to ensure our plans were in compliance with the Affordable Care Act and state laws and regulations for 2014,” said Susan Millerick, a spokeswoman from Aetna. “Generally speaking, the products will dock to a similar product that will be available in 2014, but there will be some difference in benefits and price.”

Via: NJ.com

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[VIDEO] Dem congressman: GOP may be on 'hallucinetic drugs'

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), in fiery remarks on the House floor Tuesday, suggested that Republicans might be under the influence of “hallucinetic drugs.”

“We’re dealing with dangerous people,” Pascrell said. “Either they’re on hallucinetic drugs or they just lost their minds. This is what we’re dealing with.”

(“Hallucinetic” is used by some as an synonym for “hallucinogenic.” The remark occurs around the 9:00 mark of the video below.)

Pascrell added that Republicans are negotiating with a gun to Democrats’ heads — echoing language used by the White House.

“I’m from Paterson, New Jersey,” Pascrell said. “You never put a gun to my head; I got news for ya.”

Via: Washington Post

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Plastic bag ban leads to nationwide increase in shoplifting rates

This was not a good idea after all

On Friday, New Jersey Democratic operative James Devine was arrested for attempting to snatch $22 worth of merchandise from a local ShopRite pharmacy. Devine tried to smuggle lettuce, shampoo and protein powder out of the store, perhaps trying to hide the fact that he was about to make the world’s most disgusting salad.  To avoid detection, he stashed the goods in a reusable grocery bag.

What seems to be just another edition of Democrats doing dumb deeds actually represents a nationwide problem.  Thanks to laws in several major cities banning the use of plastic carryout bags in retail stores, there has been a spike in shoplifting incidents over the past couple years, a trend that business owners, law enforcement officials and customers have duly noted.

In 2011, Washington D.C. enforced a reusable bag tax and officials became steadily more suspicious of shoppers’ activities.

 

Via: The Daily Caller

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NEW JERSEY AN 'APOCALYPTIC VISION' TWO DAYS AFTER OBAMA PHOTO OP

Two days after President Obama flew into storm-ravaged New Jersey on Wednesday for a 90 minute photo op with Governor Christie, parts of the state have descended into what one local resident calls "an apocalyptic vision." On Friday, in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, this New Jersey resident described the situation there:

New Jersey right now is experiencing an apocalyptic vision. Gas lines are a mile long. Hundreds are standing in line with gas cans. Fights are breaking out. Police and national guard have been called out. I've not had power or taken a shower since Sunday. Pray for us here.

FEMA reps are meeting with people in their residences to assess how recovery assistance can be provided to them.

While FEMA representatives had finally arrived on the ground by Friday, most of them appear to be focused on providing financial assistance to victims of Hurricane Sandy at some point in the future. There is no indication yet that any FEMA representatives on the ground are actually doing anything to aid in the distribution of food, supplies, gas, or restoring electricity.

On Wednesday, President Obama promised to deliver a far rosier outcome to New Jersey residents over the next several days. In fact, the President made a specific promise that he would make sure supplies were delivered, as CNN reported. Two days later, he's failed to deliver on that promise, though he has been able to campaign in key swing states across the country during that time:

Many people across the region are still in need of basic supplies. President Barack Obama visited a shelter Wednesday in the hard-hit town of Brigantine, New Jersey, where he said he met a woman with an 8-month-old who has run out of diapers and formula.

"Those are the kinds of basic supplies and help that we can provide," he said. [emphasis added]

Obama promised the federal government "will not quit" until communities are cleaned up.

"We are not going to tolerate red tape, we are not going to tolerate bureaucracy," Obama said. "And I've instituted a 15-minute rule, essentially, on my team. You return everybody's phone calls in 15 minutes, whether it's the mayor's, the governor's, county officials.

"If they need something, we figure out a way to say yes."

The President may be right. The Obama administration has found a way to "say yes to something needed," by New Jersey victims of Hurricane Sandy, but it's not yet found a way to "do that something needed."

Via: Breitbart

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LIVE UPDATES - NY/NJ GAS SHORTAGES: MILE-LONG LINES, RATIONING, FIGHTS, POLICE DRAW GUNS

On Twitter, there are widespread reports about fistfights and people bringing guns to gas stations, thanks to gas shortages in New York and New Jersey. Some on Twitter are also reporting that law enforcement has been stationed around many gas stations to prevent incidents:

Via: Breitbart

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Obama Twice Uses MSNBC Slogan ‘Lean Forward’ While Addressing Disaster Relief

President Obama on Tuesday twice used MSNBC’s slogan “lean forward” while addressing Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C., about relief for Sandy victims.

First he said this (video follows with transcript and commentary):

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We are going to continue to push as hard as we can to make sure that power is up throughout the region and obviously this is mostly a local responsibility and the private utilities are going to have to lean forward. But we are doing everything we can to provide them additional resources so that we can expedite getting power up and running in many of these communities. There are places like Newark, New Jersey, for example, where you have 80 percent, 90 percent of the people without power.

Later in his remarks he said this: 

OBAMA: We can't have a situation where that lasts for days on end. And so my instructions to the federal agency has been do not figure out why we can't do something. I want you to figure out how we do something. I want you to cut through red tape, cut through bureaucracy. There is no excuse for inaction at this point. I want every agency to lean forwardand to make sure we are getting the resources where they need -- where they're need as quickly as possible. I want to repeat, my message to the federal government, no bureaucracy, no red tape, get resources where they're needed as fast as possible, as hard as possible.

Via: Newsbusters

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Death Toll from Sandy's Destruction Rises, Millions Face Life Without Power, Mass Transit for Days

For the latest developments on Sandy click here and here! 

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At least 39 dead, millions without power in Sandy's aftermath

Published October 30, 2012 | Associated Press

NEW YORK –  Millions of people from Maine to the Carolinas awoke Tuesday without electricity, and an eerily quiet New York City was all but closed off by car, train and air as superstorm Sandy steamed inland, still delivering punishing wind and rain. The U.S. death toll climbed to 39, many of the victims killed by falling trees.

The full extent of the damage in New Jersey, where the storm roared ashore Monday night with hurricane-force winds of 80 mph, was unclear. Police and fire officials, some with their own departments flooded, fanned out to rescue hundreds.

"We are in the midst of urban search and rescue. Our teams are moving as fast as they can," Gov. Chris Christie said. "The devastation on the Jersey Shore is some of the worst we've ever seen. The cost of the storm is incalculable at this point."

More than 8.2 million people across the East were without power. Airlines canceled more than 15,000 flights around the world, and it could be days before the mess is untangled and passengers can get where they're going.

The storm also disrupted the presidential campaign with just a week to go before Election Day.

Via: Fox News

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Breaking: Sandy Prompts NYC, Other Coastal Evacuations

Hurricane Sandy remains on track to become a historical storm for the mid-Atlantic and southern New England with New Jersey and New York City bracing for very dangerous conditions and catastrophic damage.

The impact from Sandy will reach hundreds of miles from the center of landfall, including areas well inland and well ahead of the storm's landfall Monday night.

An overview of the catastrophic impacts that await the mid-Atlantic and southern New England can be found in this news story, while below are more detailed impact stories for specific cities and communities.

Updates on Sandy:

2:00 p.m. EDT: Wind gusts were reaching 52 mph in Norfolk, Va. and 58 mph on the North Carolina Outer Banks.

12:00 noon EDT: New York Governor Cuomo announced that the orderly suspension of all subway, bus and commuter railroad service will begin at 7 p.m. EDT, Sunday.

12:00 noon EDT: New York Mayor Bloomberg announced city schools are closed on Monday and ordered evacuations of some low-lying areas in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens.

11:00 a.m. EDT: A storm surge of up to 5.5 feet was flooding neighborhoods on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Multiple roads were under water.

10:30 a..m. EDT: Moderate coastal flooding was occurring near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in the Norfolk, Virginia area. Minor coastal flooding was already occurring along portions of the New Jersey coast at time of high tide.

9:30 a.m. EDT: Seas of 30 feet continue off the coast of the Carolinas. Seas were between 10 and 15 feet off the coast of New Jersey and Long Island and building.

9:24 a.m. EDT: Winds were gusting to 48 mph in Virginia Beach, Va., to 40 mph in Ocean City, Md., and to 36 mph in Atlantic City, N.J. with Sandy still hundreds of miles away.

9:00 a.m. EDT: Sandy is racking up rainfall. So far, Hatteras, N.C. has received 5.19 inches with 1.76 inches in Newport News, Va. A zone of heavy rain was developing farther north from the Maryland eastern shore to eastern Pennsylvania.

6:00 a.m. EDT: Sandy is a truly massive storm on satellite. One of, if not the largest tropical cyclone to ever develop in the Atlantic basin.