South Jersey Progressive Democrats Complain About The Problem They Helped Create

There was a guest column in yesterday’s Star-ledger and because it was about the Norcross political machine I made sure I read it. I laughed out loud throughout my reading of the guest column – not necessarily because I disagreed with the content – I laughed because the author has no one to blame for the issues she complains about but herself and the rest of the organization she represents - Progressive Democrats.

No where in her guest column does the author bother to write that the reason local governments are “run by loyal cogs in the Norcross machine” is because she, and those she represents, have voted year after year after year for those loyal cogs.

They created the problem!

Even now, when the “Progressive” Democrats are publicly fighting with the machine Democrats in Camden County come election day every single one of them will vote straight Democrat. It doesn’t matter. There could be a three-legged blind dog on the November ballot in the Democratic column and the “Progressive” Democrats would vote for that dog.

But, isn’t the enemy of my enemy my friend? Nope!

The “Progressive” Democrats are not our friends. Do NOT be fooled. Let’s look at some examples:

• Camden County moves to take over Camden City police. Camden residents oppose. Camco Republicans come out strong against the union busting tactic. Election day they vote Democrat.

• A law allowing Cooper Hospital to take over paramedic (and BLS ambulance) service in Camden City is rammed through the legislature. Camden residents (and many others) oppose. Camco Republicans lead the charge against the new law. Election day, Camden votes Democrat.

• Camden residents support a ballot question enabling residents to elect the school board. Political machine opposes. Camden County Republicans come out strong in support of residents. Residents win the ballot question and still vote straight Democrat.

The list goes on. There was even that time in Gloucester Township that Republicans ran a “fusion ticket” with “independent” Democrats and Republicans in the column together. I argued against it. I told the GT Republicans that it was one of the dumbest ideas I ever heard. They did it anyway. Guess what? In the last Democratic primary one of the candidates on that ticket was running with the “Progressive” Democrats. They are not our friends!

Anyway, back to the guest column. As I said I don’t necessarily disagree with the entire guest column. For years I’ve said the joint insurance fund is just another part of the old boys club. Unfortunately, there are other parts of the guest column that are garbage. For example, the author writes:

Many residents were horrified to discover that companies connected to George Norcross may have misrepresented themselves on applications to the state Economic Development Authority worth hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits. This raised the specter of whether these companies are bilking taxpayers out of funds desperately needed in areas such as Camden.

Many residents? Did she take a poll? And, if she did, the poll was obviously flawed. Her “progressives” challenged the Norcross machine and got crushed. They lost everywhere except for Collingswood. Then, to add insult to injury, in November they went and did what they always do and voted straight Democrat, the very machine she complains about in her guest column.

“Bilking taxpayers out of funds desperately needed in areas such as Camden.” If she, and her fellow “progressives” truly cared about Camden wouldn’t they move there?

Back in my Young Republican days, when I was Vice Chairman of the Philly YRs I cared about the Badlands in Philly, so-much-so that I put my money where my mouth was and moved from Center City to B and Cambria. Along with a few other YRs we shut down a drug corner, got drug dealers off the steps of a neighborhood church and cleaned some neighborhoods. And, we didn’t do it for publicity like some folks are doing in cities today.

Is the author of the guest column doing anything like that? Her fellow “progressives?” No! They choose to live in their ivory towers in Collingswood and Cherry Hill and claim to care about Camden.

The author of the guest column goes on to write:

The unfolding EDA scandal is only the tip of the iceberg, leaving obscured much of the daily corruption that plagues our state. Now, Jersey residents are ready to confront the many other ways the machine might be ripping taxpayers’ off.

“Jersey residents are ready to confront the many other ways the machine might be ripping people off.”  Where the hell has she been? The Republicans have been fighting this stuff for years.

I know where she and her fellow progressives have been – they’ve been voting for the very machine she’s complaining about. These so-called “progressives” helped create the problem.

Remember Arthur Barclay? He’s the Assemblyman who resigned in disgrace for “health reasons” after he punched his girlfriend. He confessed to a reporter that he did it. Barclay still has a job with Camden County. Have these so-called “progressives” said a word about Barclay still having a job? No! Not one word. So much for #MeToo and #BelieveWomen that “progressives” claim to support.

Bottom line: Don’t buy the BS the “Progressive” Democrats are selling. The are still part of the problem. They aren’t the enemy of our enemy and continue to prove that every November.