A while back, there was a GeekPol entry about how GOP Congressional got more money on average in appropriations than did Democratic districts. One of the conclusions in the report was that it was done without increasing the pork projects to GOP districts. GeekPol was, shall I say, a bit skeptical.
Turns out the skepticism was warranted. TheHill.com reports that GOP legislators have been working behind the scenes to get loads of spending in their own districts. F'rinstance, heretofore obscure Congresscritter Robert Aderholt (R-Norquist's little boy) announced $25 million worth of new pork projects (42 of them) that will go to his district.
Raise your hands if you remember Harrison Williams. Former senator from New Jersey, popular at home, caught in Abscam, along with a boatload of Philadelphia politicians. (No, this blog entry isn't an obit, seeing as how late it is.) Anyway, when he resigned as a result of Abscam, he was replaced by GOP-governor-appointed Millicent Fenwick. The next election, which was in the regular year, was won by Frank Lautenberg.
The point? Lautenberg saved the Democratic party's bacon in New Jersey 20 years ago. And now history repeats itself.
With the Torch out in New Jersey, there appear to be two scenarios for what will happen. And the GOP lose in both of them, which is why they're bitching that an actual election might actually take place.
New Jersey election law is unlike Missouri law, in that it seems to try to short-circuit the possibility that dead people can be elected.
The rather shabby truth here is that Republicans understand that Forrester could only get elected in a state like New Jersey not simply if he were facing a bad candidate but essentially no candidate.
