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| A smaller number of homes on Clinton Place in Hackensack have been decorated for Halloween than in past years. Does the addition of a lawn sign suggest that this candidate's campaign is dead or that he wants the dead to vote for him? |
By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR
The Record keeps on quoting Governor Christie as saying he is doing his job, but his constituents are baffled by the claim.
On Wednesday, Christie bullied a former Asbury Park councilman who protested the glacial pace of Sandy recovery two years after the superstorm hit New Jersey.
On Thursday, the GOP bully said, "It's just another day at the ranch, the Rancho Christie, and so we'll keep doing our jobs" (A-3).
"Rancho Christie"? Is that the governor's way of trying to appeal to Hispanics in his quixotic bid for the White House?
Sloppy reporting
The Record's story on Thursday didn't mention that protester Jim Keady is a former councilman and part of a Sandy victims advocacy group called Finish the Job.
Nor did Staff Writer Melissa Hayes report how angry and unpresidential Christie was when Keady stood up and kept talking over the politician, as you could clearly see if you watched TV news on Thursday.
The Record's Christie-friendly filter is evident again today in an editorial noting that only half of the 8,800 homeowners approved for relief money have received it (A-20).
The editorial doesn't even come close to saying Christie bears some of the responsibility.
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| One of the trainers at 24 Hour Fitness in Paramus this morning. |
How is Christie doing?
Shouldn't the taxpayers dock Christie for the more than 65 days he has spent out of state this year to raise funds as head of the Republican Governors Association?
He's visited 36 states and Washington, D.C., according to what reads like one of the governor's press releases on The Record's A-3 today.
Besides hand jobs, has Christie done the job of expanding mass transit in one of the nation's most traffic-choked regions or cleaning up the environment?
Christie can't even figure out how to fix the bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund for infrastructure and mass-transit improvements.
What else has he accomplished besides vetoing numerous initiatives from the Democratic-controlled state Legislature -- from raising the minimum wage to open space preservation?
Election coverage
For the second day in a row, The Record questions the viability of a candidate based on how much he or she has raised in contributions (L-1).
The story makes no mention of the many Democrats who voted for Kathleen Donovan, a Republican who is seeking a second term as county executive on Nov. 4.
I am among those Democrats who split their vote and chose Donovan then and again on my mail-in ballot for this election, because I am repelled by the practices of the county and local Democratic organizations.
Are polls reliable?
Another story on the election appears on L-3, a poll that purports to show that Rep. Scott Garrett, the Tea Party icon from Wantage, is leading challenger Roy Cho by a wider margin than before.
With about 70 percent of the voters living in Bergen County, only widespread voter apathy could derail Cho's momentum in the 5th Congressional District.
Recall the polls that said the race between President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney was too close to call.
If fact, the president's resounding victory embarrassed the candidate of the 1 percent.
The rest of Local today is filled with an inordinate amount of Law & Order news.
Too sheepish
Despite the poor preparation of entrees and a dessert, Staff Writer Elisa Ung gives a rave, 3-star review to The Plum & Pear in Wyckoff (BL-1).
She again touts the "quality of the ingredients" and praises the restaurant's global focus, but doesn't say why the owner chose domestic chops over naturally raised Australian lamb in a $34 special.
And she was bowled over by three desserts, which many health conscious customers never eat.
Why didn't she report on the taste of the house-made whole wheat linguine or a popular "greens and grains" salad?
