I am a partisan Democrat. But the following information comes from the non-partisan site called OntheIssues.org. For those following the key Senate race in New Jersey between Dem. Senator (appointed) Robert Menendez and Repub challenger Thomas Kean, Jr. (Emphasis on the Junior), this might be helpful in talking to your independent voters.
My major contribution here will be in presenting the results of Kean Jr.'s and Menendez's positions on several issues side by side.
Stick with me below the flip (jump!)
Kean Jr.; Menendez
The Economy No stance; Yes on restricting
Bankruptcy
laws
Civil Rights No stance; 67% favorable
ratingby ACLU
Corporations No stance; 37% favorable rating
by Chamber of Commerce
Drugs No stance; 3 votes
Environment No stance; 95% favorable by LCV
for pro-environment
stance
Families and
Children No stance; 15% favorable by
Christian Coalition
Technology No stance; 5 votes
Gun Control Rated F by
gun control
lobby
Apologies for formatting purists for the rough edges on the table, but this was the best I could manage tonight. But it is a little better on the update than the first pass, so thanks to the commenter who asked for a little more polish in the presentation.
Frankly, sports fans, you would think that a serious candidate would have made his positions known to all the non-partisan sites.
Kean Jr. is of course the Chairman of the NJ State Republican Committee, so his jibes at Menendez for being a Democratic Party "boss" ring especially hollow--because Kean Jr. is at least the nominal Repub boss in NJ. And, if NJ voters need reminding, Kean was NOT ELECTED but appointed to his two office-holding positions--2 years in the NJ state assembly, and 2 years in the NJ state senate. All this time while going to school out-of-state to pursue his PhD in international relations.
In other words, this is Kean Jr.'s first shot at elected office--and he's running for US Senator! Plus, it looks like this would be his first really full-time job! Imagine. Was your first entry-level job comparable to being US Senator?
The OntheIssues.org site goes into more issues. But my impression was that on more than half of the issues, Kean Jr has submitted NO POSITION. None. Nada. Simply amazing.
If there were such a thing as political malpractise, I think we would have a prima facie case here.
To be fair, Kean Jr. has later come out with a statement on the environment, basically saying that Menendez hadn't gotten enough money for the environment in NJ. But most voters understand that the Axis of Oil (Bush, Cheney and Halliburton) only want to make sure that drilling for oil takes place off the beautiful coast of NJ.
Does anyone seriously think that Thomas Kean, Jr., who can barely speak above a mumble, is going to be NJ's savior, and institute major reforms on the environment? Mild-mannered Kean Jr. against Bush-Cheney-Halliburton? I wouldn't exactly bet the mortgage on that happening.
A little something to pass along to your independent voter friends. Just tell 10 each by Nov. 7th, please.
P.S. Update based on reporting by WNJN's TV Political Correspondent, Jim Hooker, which aired on PBS channel 50 in Montclair, NJ.
Kean Jr reportedly has taken out a $1 million ad buy repeating headlines that Menendez is under federal investigation, which is true, on the 9 year old charges.
Menendez responded that Kean Jr. is engaging in politics of personal destruction, and is calling for the release of all documents between Kean Jr's campaign and alleged political dirty trickster Chris Lyon (sp?), who has been reportedly run out of another state by the attorney general for engaging in felony-level dirty tricks. Apparantly former Hudson County pol Janizewski(sp?) is in federal prison in Kentucky, serving time related to offenses in Hudson County, and fed the information (which is public record, anyway) on Menendez FROM PRISON to the Kean Jr. campaign. Menendez's campaign mentioned some other political dynamite, that Kean Jr.'s sort of squeaky-clean image dad, ex-gov Tom Kean, accepted some political contributions on the same day that important compensation bill was decided on. This raises the hot-potato issue in NJ of "Pay for Play," ie campaign contributions in return for some promised quid pro quo.
Thus the race escalates. Menendez is fighting, and it looks like Kean Jr. is using theFEDERAL prison system as part of his campaign machinery. Like wrestling pigs, isn't it?