SOME CAMPAIGN THOUGHTS

11 Months before Presidential Primary time in New Jersey. By that time there will be many contests and other modalities to select convention delegates in other states so the NJ primary may have little to do with the actual results.

At this point with about 16 announced or indicated candidates in the Republican fold and just 5 Democrats; former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee. Hillary Clinton. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and joined today by Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb with VP Joe Biden likely to join later this summer there will be a lot of verbiage splashed through internet sources as well as visual and printed media.

Clinton may not be a shoo in.

The Republican story will most likely depend on money for various candidates to last. Most of the 16 will be gone by the years end.

Both CNN and Fox have said that they will limit their debates to the 10 top in a consensus of the polls. There might be a selection problem since the veracity of many polls may be open to question. They can be manipulated by size, the phrasing of the questions and selection of participants; in other words a poll could be nothing more than a propaganda tool despite claims of impartiality’.

Should one believe the two most recent ones that place Trump 2nd to Bush? Since both put Christie as tied for #10, papers like the Star Ledger report with glee. One wonders where the pollsters found the clowns would have Trump as our leader.

Despite the Ledger’s constant anti Christie status I predict that going down the stretch the leading Republicans will be Bush, Rubio, and now Christie, who has picked up the endorsement of Maine’s Governor.

The Star Ledger position has reached a stage of paranoia with at least one editorial and/or columnist article every day and insertion of Christies name in a negative way in news articles. As an example; Wednesday’s editorial which attacks Christie for his “crusade against abortions” because he has line item vetoed funds designated for “Woman’s health and family planning centers”. The paper insinuates that his reason is that there are federal funding through mandated insurance and Medicaid is a “lie’. Apparently although both legislative houses are controlled by the Democrats there are not enough without some Republicans to override the veto. Therefore those horrible Republicans are “joining in his crusade”

After all what is bad with spending $7.5 million more for this state which has one of the highest tax loads in the nation and can’t meet all its obligations? Hasn’t Obamacare guaranteed the provision of such services?

A quote from that editorial: “We know Christie is entirely focused on his presidential fantasies” That he is “not popular” in New Jersey is not remarkable since the overwhelming number of voters are Democrats. Although supposedly the polls are limited to Republicans there is little proof that the respondents that are counted are really Republicans. The Ledger offers more proof that he has no chance by quoting three major betting sites which have his odds as 40:1.

Friday's Bon Mot:"In his announcement ----Gov.Chris Christie did not make any mention of faith in God or religion' Nowhere in Article II (about the Chief Executive) of the Constitution is  either a requirement for office and to demand such a statement should be a violation of the 1st Amendment.