OPINION: So, Your Candidate Didn’t Get The Line. Stop Blaming The State Party. And, Stop With The RINO Bullshit!

We’re about a third of the way through the convention/screening season and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rik Mehta won three more county lines (Camden, Burlington and Monmouth) bringing him to 6 – 0.

What struck me is that supporters of every other candidate, and at least one candidate himself, have taken to social media screaming RINO, or worse and went so far as to accuse “some very influential people in the State Party” of “putting their hand on the scale…”

The exception to the above is Natalie Rivera – she and her supporters have conducted themselves with class and dignity throughout the process thus far.

To the others: Enough already! Just because your preferred candidate didn’t win any county lines does not mean the state party is working against your candidate. It certainly doesn’t make the winner a RINO.

I get it, Mehta is the frontrunner. He now has a target on his back. Blaming the party and calling the frontrunner “RINO” are the arguments of LOSING campaigns. We’ve all heard these arguments before.

What not winning county lines does mean is your candidate has failed to get their message to those who matter at this stage of the campaign – county committee members and/or elected officials in those counties, the people who happen to be on the screening committees and voting in the conventions. If you want to whine and cry that those folks are the “GOP establishment” go ahead. It does not change the fact that your candidate failed to get the job done!

I’ll say it again, so it sinks in – if your candidate isn’t winning any county lines your candidate failed to get the job done.

It’s not the “GOP establishment’s” fault your preferred candidate didn’t get the line. Seriously, does anyone reading this honestly believe that the “GOP establishment” wanted Murray Sabrin to win the county line in Gloucester County in the 2008 U.S. Senate primary? I promise you they didn’t want that to happen, but Sabrin’s campaign did the work and won the line.

Bottom line: If your candidate didn’t get the line it IS your candidate’s fault.

Please, just stop the bullshit attacks. We’ve all heard them before. If you want to launch an attack, launch one that matters. Screaming “RINO” isn’t an attack – it’s a loser argument. Switching political affiliation several years ago – not a good attack – as a party we actually try to get folks to come to our party. Our President just held a rally in South Jersey because Congressman Jeff Van Drew came to our party. President Trump was once a Democrat. Dumb attack!

Now, if a candidate wrote a max check to a Democratic party candidate for President in October of 2007 and has claimed it was her husband when he wrote a max check to the same Democratic party candidate for President on the same exact day, that’s a fair attack, she knows who she is and she is not Natalie Rivera.

If a candidate praised a candidate as recently as last year for winning a Democratic party primary for District Attorney in New York, that’s a legitimate attack, not strong, but legit, he knows who he is and he is not Rik Mehta or Hirsh Singh.

I’m not going to do your work for you. Go out and do some opposition research. Make your attacks legitimate. Just stop with the RINO bullshit and stop blaming everyone else because your preferred candidate hasn’t won a county line.

Finally, there are a lot of folks complaining about the process of awarding county lines. Knock it off! You’re making the exact same arguments the Progressives are making on the other side of the aisle.

If you want your candidate to get the line in a county that hasn’t held a screening or convention then do like the 2008 Murray Sabrin campaign and get to work, but please just stop the bullshit.

Good luck!

PRESS RELEASE: Camden County GOP Awards The Line To Mehta

Rik Mehta has been awarded the Camden County GOP line. The organizations’ press release follows:

Camden County Republican Chairman Rich Ambrosino announced today that after interviewing U.S. Senate candidates over two evenings the organization’s screening committee recommended the organization line be awarded to Rik Mehta. Ambrosino accepted that recommendation and has awarded the organization line to Mehta.

“CCGOP’s by-laws state the chairman has the authority to award the organization line to candidates, but I prefer to be more inclusive and have a screening committee interview candidates and make a recommendation. It’s a system that works well for us.” Rich Ambrosino said, “The screening committee chairman reported to me the recommendation was unanimous, Rik Mehta should be in the column with our candidates.”

“I thank the candidates for taking part in the process.” Ambrosino continued, “All live a considerable distance from our county, their willingness to make the drive shows they understand that with only eight counties having more registered Republicans than Camden County, our 55,000 plus Republicans are very important in a statewide primary.”

“I thank the screening committee for their work and for choosing an excellent U.S. Senate candidate.” Ambrosino said, “Rik Mehta is qualified, has a keen grasp of the issues voters care about, is raising money and has assembled a quality campaign team. Mehta in the column helps our down ballot candidates in November.”

PRESS RELEASE: Freeholder Candidate Andrew Parker leads the charge to support the Second Amendment in Egg Harbor Township

Atlantic County Freeholder candidate Andrew Parker backs the Second Amendment. Following is his campaign’s press release on the issue:

At the Egg Harbor Township Committee meeting held on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 Township Committeeman Andrew Parker successfully led the charge for support of a resolution backing the second amendment.

“As elected officials, we take an oath to uphold the constitution of the United States of America. Gun owners and the rights of gun owners are under attack, especially here in New Jersey.  The residents of Egg Harbor Township, and Atlantic County as a whole support the second amendment and we need to support them as elected officials.” Parker said.

Parker noted that he has successfully completed firearms training for recreational firearms users at the Atlantic County owned firing range in Egg Harbor Township and has spoken to his family frequently about the need to practice good firearm safety.  “I’m not in law enforcement, I’m a public school teacher in Atlantic City and a public servant here in E.H.T. With that said, I respect the job of law enforcement and the need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.” Parker noted “But that doesn't mean that I should not be able to legally own a gun to protect my family or take in a family day at the firing range.  As a committeeman and later when I’m elected to the Freeholder board people can count on me to support the rights of firearm owners.” Parker said.

Parker plans to continue his efforts to get more communities to pass resolutions supporting the second amendment like he has done in Egg Harbor Township, NJ.  “You're going to hear more from me on this issue; it’s important to me. I plan to work with other elected officials across Atlantic County to pass similar resolutions so we can send a message to those who want to take our legally owned firearms away.”