The Jaffe Briefing - January 12, 2021
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – We can peel off our “Steinhardt for Governor” bumper sticker, with word the state GOP chair is no longer seeking his party’s nomination after just a month of candidacy. Politico reports the reason is “unforeseen professional obligations,” which could be true. It could also be that Doug Steinhardt has been a huge Trump fan and defender, which doesn’t seem in vogue at the moment in our Blue state. That paves the way for an easy primary victory for former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who has also praised Trump, but not to the level of Steinhardt. Either way, Democrats will be sure to tie Trump to Ciattarelli in every possible talking point.
ATLANTIC CITY – You’re running out of time to place your bid to implode Trump Plaza. The online auction is holding steady at $175,000, with a deadline of Jan. 19. The winner will have the distinct honor of pressing the button that razes this 36-year-old eyesore, a reminder of 1980s arrogance and subsequent failure. Proceeds will fund the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, serving 2,500 city kids. Turn trash to cash by bidding here, and be prepared to press the button next month. Expect some last-minute competition, as others are fundraising for Stormy Daniels or Hillary Clinton to have this particular pleasure.
BRIEFING BREATHER
A cockroach can live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
TRENTON – It remains unclear how this lingering pandemic is affecting public education, but the latest news gives you a good idea: For the second straight spring, the state isn’t requiring seniors to pass a graduation assessment test to earn their high school diploma. For the large majority of teens, this is no big deal. But for those who did not master basic English and math through their senior year, well, good luck in your future endeavors.
LINWOOD – The fact that Trump supporter Lin Wood posted a message calling for Vice President Mike Pence to be executed by “firing squads” has not sat well with the good people of Linwood, N.J. In fact, a community page on Facebook wants to “clarify for new members that we have no association or desire for association” with Lin Wood. Those who joined the site thinking it was some sort of fan page for Mr. Wood will be sadly mistaken. But if, say, you want to learn about a terrific garage sale on West Poplar Avenue, this is the page for you.
EDISON – Let 'em eat cake. That’s the gimmick local Councilman Joe Coyle hopes will convince Middlesex County Democrats that he’s the guy to fill a vacant 18th District Assembly seat. Coyle, a former bakery owner-turned-politician, has been delivering pre-packaged cakes and campaign flyers to Democratic Committee members’ homes. He hopes they’ll swallow both. But, InsiderNJ says, Coyle is a hard-sell to fill Nancy Pinkin’s unexpired Assembly term since she became the County Clerk. This district’s seven towns are home to New Jersey’s largest percentage of Asian Americans and Coyle is facing a popular Asian Indian candidate, East Brunswick Councilman Sterley Stanley. And no one wants to support any half-baked candidacy, as the committee votes online tonight.
IN THE MEDIA
NEW BRUNSWICK – Every once in a rare moment, this morning newsletter may include just a dash of opinion. And here’s one: there’s no one more deserving of the “New Jersey Sportscaster of the Year” than Chris Carlin, the popular, scratchy-voiced Rutgers football play-by-play announcer. TAPInto New Brunswick reports that Carlin has won the award for the second time from the National Sports Media Association. Always the hometown voice of Rutgers football on WCTC-AM, there is no bigger cheerleader of the team, or anyone more knowledgeable of the ins and outs over 20 painful years in the booth. When Rutgers has a magic year, Carlin giddily reports the news. When they don’t, he has no problem blaming those damn refs.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
DICKINSON, TX — Picking the new mayor’s name out of a hat is how this Houston suburb settled an Election Day tie vote. This oddball process, perfectly legal in the Lone Star State, is refreshing in light of the national craziness we’ve witnessed. Mayoral candidates Sean Skipworth and Jennifer Lawrence each ended up with 1,010 votes after a recount and runoff race. So, these contenders wrote their names on ping pong balls that got tossed around in top hat on Friday. The winner ended up being Skipworth, now mayor of the 21,000-person town similar in size to Roselle or Hillside here in New Jersey. No drama. No protests. No accusations of fraud. Lawrence, the loser, tells the Galveston Daily News: “Unity is the way to go to get stuff done. Hopefully, that’s how it’s going to be in our country in the future going forward.” Our vote is with Lawrence when the mayor’s seat is up in 2024.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1971 that the very first toilet flush was heard on television, courtesy of “All in the Family,” premiering on CBS.
WORD OF THE DAY
Mimesis – [muh-MEE-sis] – noun
Definition: Imitation, mimicry
Example: I thought my little sister was my nemesis, but she’s more like a mimesis.
WIT OF THE DAY
“Politics is when you say you are going to do one thing while intending to do another. Then you do neither what you said, nor what you intended.”
-Saddam Hussein
BIDEN BLURB
“Our president is not above the law.”
-Joe Biden
WEATHER IN A WORD
Chill