(Cross-posted at BlueJersey.com)
Starting his 2006 campaign for U.S. Senate as the young, well-coifed namesake of New Jersey's most popular former Governor, many across the state had high hopes in Tom Kean jr. They saw in him the promise of a truly clean, moderate, barely-partisan Republican who could fill his father's impressive shoes. It wasn't long before he showed his true colors. The apple, sadly, had fallen far from the tree. Hurling relentlessly muddy attack upon attack, New Jersey voters began to see Tom Kean jr not as the second coming of his father, but rather a practitioner of the same old tired politics of smear and sleaze.
You're all familiar with the way he conducted himself last year. It was a campaign of lies and innuendo that relied on criminals and sketchy staffers for its research. One Star-Ledger columnist laid it out perfectly.
At 38, [Kean jr] still looks like a choir boy. But he knows he can't win this race on the issues. So he's hired a team of consultants and turned his campaign into a snarling machine that would make Karl Rove proud.
To troll for dirt on Menendez, Kean's campaign has enlisted Chris Lyon, a political hit-man who was last seen fleeing New Hampshire after the attorney general there deemed his tricks too sleazy for the Granite State.
It seems Lyon was spreading rumors that the wife of a gubernatorial candidate in New Hampshire was a member of a cult that worshipped orgasms. That is not a joke.
Lyon has become pen pals with Robert Janiszewski, the former Hudson County executive who is now in prison on corruption charges.
Yes, Janiszewski is a liar with a grudge against Menendez. But Kean needs dirt, and he's not real fussy about the source.
And the way he's conducted himself in office hasn't been much better. On at least one occasion, Kean jr blatantly traded a vote (two, in fact) for campaign cash. Again, here's the Star-Ledger on the matter.
The same day state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. voted twice to let Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey keep a $40 million tax exemption, he collected $13,300 in contributions for his U.S. Senate race from 17 company executives and their family members.
The Wall Street Journal even uncovered a scheme by which executives of UnitedHealth raised over $20,000 for Tom Kean jr's campaign on the same day Tom Kean Sr, then on the board of UnitedHealth, was to cast a crucial vote on the handling of a UnitedHealth stock backdating scandal. Joe Conason covered the story for Salon.com.
the Journal reported that several top United Health executives and their spouses donated more than $20,000 to Kean Jr.'s Senate campaign at a fundraiser in Minnesota last May -- held on the same day that Kean Sr. and the other company directors met to consider how they would handle the burgeoning backdating scandal.
Far from his squeaky-clean image, Tom Kean jr exposed himself as a politician for sale and a wallower in the politics of slime. The people of New Jersey's 21st Legislative District deserve better.
And now, instead of running to hold his State Senate seat, Junior has been busy locking up support to become the Minority Leader in the Senate. And that's the way it's always been for him. He moved to New Jersey's 7th Congressional District as a carpetbagger looking to get into the family business. He lost that race, but was appointed to the State Assembly in 2001, later to be appointed to his current State Senate seat in 2003. In other words, he has never won a truly competitive political race and has never won any race without considerable help. And at each step of the way, he's never focused on the task at hand or the people he's charged to represent. It's always about climbing the ladder. Even now, with his focus on becoming Senate Minority Leader, he's already entertaining talk about future races for Governor or US Senate.
This year, with New Jersey's state legislature up for election, we have a shot at ending Tom Kean jr's political career once and for all. I'm working on the campaign of Gina Genovese, who is challenging Junior for his State Senate seat. It's an uphill battle of course, but Genovese is an impressive, well-liked candidate with a track record of winning in this well-to-do, highly educated, barely-red district. The Democratic establishment in the state has invested time and resources in the race in a year when not a penny can be wasted. That speaks volumes about this race.
But we can't do this merely on support from the top. The Genovese campaign has been, right from the beginning, an inclusive one of grassroots energy and support. And the campaign would love to have your support. They are running an amazingly responsive volunteer outreach operation, so if you have the time and you're anywhere in the area, please visit us at GinaGenovese.com. With your support, we can deliver a serious blow to the Republican establishment in New Jersey.