The Jaffe Briefing - November 3, 2021
TRENTON – Well, wow. New Jersey is knocked over with a feather this morning, with word that GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli is slightly behind in a gubernatorial election that is still too close to call. The latest numbers, at 9:18 a.m., show the former Republican assemblyman is trailing by 5,729 votes, which is probably woefully outdated by the time you are reading this. There are more votes to count out there, and many of them are in the Democratic-leaning cities, which can always seem to find a handful of extra votes under a couch cushion. Gov. Phil Murphy, it appears, will need every mail-in ballot, as not one legitimate poll got this one right. Another reminder of the obvious: Republicans win in New Jersey when Democrats don’t vote.
TRENTON – The governor is not the only powerful Democrat on his back, wondering what the heck happened in all the haze. Senate President Steve Sweeney, who usually cruises to easy victories in the 3rd Legislative District, is in the fight of his life against an unknown Republican who, according to his latest filing, barely raised $10,000 for the campaign. New Jersey Globe originally called the race in favor of the senate president, but then yanked it back, as challenger Edward Durr – whoever the heck that is – was up by a couple thousand votes last night. No one – anywhere – expected this. Other senate Democrats are now wondering: “Hmm, maybe I can be senate president…”
TRENTON – For a fleeting moment, New Jersey’s political apple cart looks wobbly. If the Republicans score this massive upset, some things will immediately occur. First, we will need to learn how to spell “Ciattarelli,” properly pronounce it, and then imagine an entirely new cabinet of state leaders. Many assumed the Democrats would be running all the state departments for eight years and many initiatives are now in the mid-term, assuming a breezy re-election. Now imagine an entirely new state government to be formed over the next three months, with completely different goals. The hope is the election mess gets settled quickly, so someone can prepare for 2022.
BRIEFING BREATHER
Footprints made on the moon will be there for 100 million years.
STATEWIDE – Not only was there drama at the polls; there was drama with the polls. New Jersey was using those new-fangled electronic poll books yesterday, as part of the whole early voting thing, and there were plenty of glitches. It got to the point where some groups were racing to court to see if voting could extend until 9:30 p.m. last night – a request a Mercer County judge promptly denied, as it would all rightfully create “enormous disarray.” The big problem: some election workers couldn’t connect through the internet to the state’s database, causing long lines, some ticked-off voters leaving and others being turned away. Most of the 3,400 polling locations worked perfectly fine. But with razor-thin margins, every single voting place will now be analyzed and overanalyzed. Who was turned away? Where? When? Why?
NEW BRUNSWICK – With New Jersey leading the nation in revenue from legalized sports betting, it seemed voters would have no problem also allowing us to vote on in-state sports, like Rutgers or Seton Hall. Yet, more than 56% of voters opposed an amendment to the state constitution that would allow wagering on in-state college sports. Perhaps this ballot question will resurface in time for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2025, with the East Region playing at the Prudential Center in Newark. Gobs of money at play there.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Halloween is over, of course. But people in this South Florida town are still arguing over the local woman who was banned by police from wearing her chosen Halloween costume. She was warned by a local police officer not to wear a Halloween costume that is designed like a condo building project that she opposes. Why? Because it would be considered a protest. And you need a permit for that. The woman told the Sun-Sentinel that she’s been a leading critic of a developer’s plan to build a 30-story condo on taxpayer-owned beachfront land. The land is currently home to a park with a community center. Cops still claim they were in their right to enforce the city ordinance, apparently protecting the public from out-of-control protest, as the debate rages on. Others, like us, argue that free speech under the First Amendment is much more important.
WORD OF THE DAY
Passel – [PASS-ul] – noun
Definition – A large number or amount of something.
Example: There’s a huge passel of absentee votes to count.
WIT OF THE DAY
“If you can’t be kind, at least be vague.”
-Judith Martin
BIDEN BLURB
“You know, there’s a uh, during World War II, uh, you know, where Roosevelt came up with a thing uh, that uh, you know, was totally different than a, than the, the, it’s called, he called it the, you know, the World War II, he had the war – the War Production Board.”
-Joe Biden, during CNN interview about the pandemic response
WEATHER IN A WORD
Brrr.