I reside in the Congressional District that is not currently represented by anyone. When Jon Corzine became NJ Governor, he appointed Congressman Menendez to fill his place as Senator leaving the Congressional seat vacant.
Recently there have been a slew of commercials for Joe Vas who's running to fill that congressional seat. His ads paint him to be the underdog so I wanted to see who the presumed frontrunner was in this race. After a laborious search of the internets, I found that Albio Sires is the establishment candidate. He's gotten the endorsements of:
- Governor Corzine,
- Essex-West Hudson Central Labor Council,
- New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters,
- New Jersey State Association of Pipe Trades,
- Hudson County Puerto Rican Leaders,
- Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Wilfredo Caraballo,
- Essex County Democrats,
- Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage,
- Union County Democrats,
- The Communications Workers of America,
- The NJ Firemen's Mutual Benevolent Association,
- Hudson County Democrats,
you get the picture....
The problem lies beneath...
On his
issues site, Sires doesn't list
anything of national importance. So I decided to inquire about where he stands via the useful
Contact us button:
On your issues site, you don't address Iraq or immigration or other "hot" national issues that you would face as a member of Congress. Can you please post your positions on these issues?
The response:
Thank you for your email. There are many issues facing the residents of our Congressional district, among them are the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afganistan as well as the national debate about immigration. Many residents, like yourself, have spoken to us about these issues and we have listened to all view points. Immigration reform is a foremost concern in this district and we agree that we should have a sensible, comprehensive plan for all of our residents. Furthermore, we need a solid road map and plan regarding the wars in Iraq and Afganistan to ensure our troops have the best equipment and to make sure they come home safely to their families and friends.
Once again, thank you for email.
Albio Sires for Congress
I found that to be an absolutely shocking NON-answer. I confess that I haven't followed this race AT ALL, but IMO this kind of response is unacceptable from a candidate for the United States Congress.