Marty, you're not at The Times anymore

Rush Limbaugh cartoon by Ian D. Marsden.

I can't imagine a front page that is more unfriendly to North Jersey readers than the one in The Record today.

Editor Marty Gottlieb spent many years at The New York Times, but in more than six weeks at the helm of The Record, he still doesn't seem to get New Jersey.

When the first black congressman from the state dies, his full obituary belongs on Page 1 -- not just a thumbnail photo and a few paragraphs referring readers to an inside page.

When the majority Democrats in the Legislature propose property tax credits that benefit the middle class, they should get at least as much A-1 play as did Governor Christie's income-tax cuts, which cater to millionaires.

Horse race or horse shit?

And North Jersey readers don't want to see a front page that leads with the endless GOP presidential primary contest. Super Tuesday does not make a super news day.

Animals seem to have a better chance than humans to get on Gottlieb's front page, judging from today's patch story and photos on the rescues of a one-legged turkey and an injured goose.

In view of the hunger problem, they belong in the oven.

What's the connection?
 

Am I missing something on A-10, where an editorial and cartoon mark the death of U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne, the African-American Democrat from Newark? 

In a bizarre pairing, Margulies the cartoonist shows Payne, an "NJ Trailblazer," with a "Chevy Trailblazer," a gas-guzzling SUV. What's Margulies smoking? How did Editorial Page Editor Alfred P. Doblin approve that cartoon?

Readers are familiar with the undue influence of car dealers' advertising dollars on the editorial product, especially in the Road Warrior column, which is devoted almost exclusively to drivers over mass-transit commuters.

But why would the editorial cartoonist compare a black congressman to an SUV?  

Cut the fat

Also on A-10, three letters to the editor condemn arch-conservative Rush Limbaugh for his harsh comments about a female college student, but head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes ordered a story that focuses on his supporters instead.

The story and photos on the Local news front seem out of place, and they are one of the few times in years North Jersey residents have been asked to comment on national news.

The Limbaugh story is so slanted, the photo of law student Sandra Fluke was botched and shows only part of her face and hair (L-1).

Lights out

Road Warrior John Cichowski's entire column is based on reader e-mails regarding burned-out light bulbs on roads and highways, surely not the first or last time the lazy, burned-out Cichowski tackles this issue (L-1).

The only Hackensack news today is another in a seemingly endless series of stories on officers' lawsuits against suspended Police Chief Ken Zisa, and a high-rise fire (L-3).

There is nothing on what happened Tuesday night at the City Council meeting.

Seeing the light

In recognition of healthy eating, Food Editor Susan Leigh Sherrill's weekly recipe in Better Living today is for macaroni and cheese with olive oil instead of butter and 1% low-fat milk.

How refreshing, though many readers won't touch even a light version of mac and cheese.