Tonight at 8pm Eastern, Senator Bob Menendez and Republican challenger Tom Kean, Jr., will debate. For those of you who are not in New Jersey, or are in New Jersey but like me have only poor UHF reception, it is available live on the Internet at
NJN US Senate Debate link.
This is the second debate: You can get an account of yesterday's debate
here. As you may know, Bob Menendez, at great personal risk, went against corrupt political boss William Musto in the early 1980s. Kean Jr. has shamelessly attacked Menendez for this, but both the
New York Times and
Star-Ledger have shown that Kean Jr.'s claims are
false. The candidates also discussed Iraq and illegal immigration.
I'm posting this early because although we could use this diary as an open thread, I'd like to suggest you consider going to bluejersey where Representatives Pallone and Holt will be blogging live with Scott Shields. I'll update with the direct link when it becomes available. Bluejersey's 600th member signed up today, so if you have ever regretted your 5 digit dailykos UID, here is your chance to get a three digit UID! It's also a blast from the past, as SoapBlox looks a lot like the pre-Ajax dailykos comment system. You'll find great coverage of the US races and local New Jersey issues. I think you are allowed to comment right away.
I expect a good debate. Menendez is not the type to sit passively and let Republicans lie about him, and New Jersey is known for nasty poltical campaigns. This is a crucial race since we must win it to have any chance to retake the senate; Bush is extremely unpopular here. Holt has live-blogged at New Jersey before and he does a great job.