PRESS RELEASE: You Said You Were Leaders; Now Lead

Camden County Republican Chairman Rich Ambrosino called out “South Jersey women leaders” today. The CCGOP press release follows:

HADDON HEIGHTS – Camden County Republican Chairman Rich Ambrosino said it’s time for the same “South Jersey women leaders” who “denounced” former U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin “for staying silent as allegations of sexual assault” were made against then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh break their silence over disgraced former Assemblyman Arthur Barclay landing a new county job.

“Assemblywomen Pam Lampitt and Pat Egan Jones and Freeholders Carmen Rodriguez and Susan Shin-Angulo were eager to complain about Justice Kavanaugh and President Trump over allegations. Now, when we find out one of their own, Arthur Barclay, got a new county job after admitting to punching a woman they sit silent,” CCGOP Chairman Rich Ambrosino said. “Apparently, outrage only exists at allegations against Republicans and not admitted facts when it comes to one of their fellow machine Democrats.”

“Lampitt, Egan Jones, Rodriguez and Shin-Angulo claimed to be ‘South Jersey women leaders’ with the fake outrage they directed at Bob Hugin a year ago. Now, with an opportunity to actually lead they sit silent,” Ambrosino remarked.

Ambrosino continued, “It’s disappointing that, after calling themselves ‘leaders,’ Lampitt and Rodriguez, both up for re-election, have remained silent about a confessed girlfriend beater getting a new job in county government. I’m especially disheartened that Shin-Angulo is silent on the issue because she’s now running for mayor in Cherry Hill, the community in which I live.”

“As freeholders, Rodriguez and Shin-Angulo, take part in personnel decisions.” Ambrosino added, “It’s time for them to tell voters and county taxpayers why they are okay with a man who admitted to punching his girlfriend getting a new position in county government.”

“Barclay punched his girlfriend, then resigned from the Assembly for ‘health reasons.’” These are facts, not just allegations,” Ambrosino said, “Despite the punching and the health issue, Barclay was transferred to a new job. It’s time for these self-proclaimed leaders to lead, especially Freeholders Rodriguez and Shin-Angulo who can start by explaining the part they took in the decision to transfer Barclay to a new job. Assemblywomen Lampitt and Egan Jones and Freeholders Rodriguez and Shin-Angulo can show some leadership and join me in calling for Barclay to be fired from county government, because no man willing to punch a woman should be working for this county’s government.”

Phil Murphy’s Rhetoric Doesn’t Match His Actions When It Comes To Women

Gov. Phil Murphy

Here at The Bob & Steve Show we’ve talked a lot about Governor Phil Murphy’s double-standard problem when it comes to his treatment of women.

More than 30 times, on this blog, we’ve mentioned the mistreatment of women on Murphy’s professional soccer team (forcing young women to live with a dirty old man, forcing players to live in a house with plastic bags for windows, reports that “Suburban recreation leagues for 8-year-olds have better accommodations” when it comes to the professional team’s practice facilities and the list goes on).

And, I can’t count how many times the mainstream press mentioned the piss poor way Murphy handled the Katie Brennan situation.

There was the much less covered Allison Kopicki who said she was resigning from her position in the Murphy administration because she alleged she has faced retaliation from Murphy’s administration. To refresh your memory about the Kopicki story here is an excerpt from an NJ.com article:

Shortly after Murphy was elected in November 2017, Kopicki told members of Murphy’s transition team about concerns that Kelley created a hostile work environment for women, according to the Journal report.

That included allegations that Kelley threw a chair while a female subordinate was in the room. NJ Advance Media later confirmed those accusations.

Kopicki was a deputy policy director to Murphy’s transition.

Murphy’s transition team hired an outside attorney to look into the complaints. The probe found that Kelley did throw the chair but did not find evidence that he treated women unequally, the Journal reported.

Kelley was later hired as a deputy chief of staff after Murphy became governor last January.

The women’s soccer, Katie Brennan and Allison Kopicki situations all add up to a track record of Phil Murphy not believing women. In fact, the only instance of Murphy believing women I could find was involving Brett Kavanaugh.

All this has had me wondering if “#MeToo” and “#BelieveWomen” are nothing more than political tools to Murphy.

If those three situations weren’t enough to cause anyone else to wonder if “#MeToo” and “#BelieveWomen” are nothing more than political tools to Murphy then yesterday’s Bob & Steve Show blog post should get you asking questions.

I wrote about the very kind words Murphy had for Nick Sacco at a recent Sacco campaign event. To refresh your memory Murphy said of Sacco:

“I talk about a stronger and fairer New Jersey all the time, and if you want to see an embodiment of strong and fair, look at the leadership we have on stage tonight,” Murphy said. “I know the mayor as a friend, supporter, and confidante when times are tough. I know him as one of the most senior, distinguished, and respected state senators in Trenton, and most importantly I know him as Mayor Nick Sacco of the great North Bergen.”

Governor Murphy said all these nice things about Sacco despite the fact that in 2010 North Bergen paid April Tricoli-Busset $90,000 because she sued over sexist remarks. Keep in mind those sexist remarks included Sacco allegedly discussing “boobs” with Tricoli-Busset.

And, there’s the voicemail messages left on Lydia Coleman’s phone allegedly by Sacco. An expert said the recordings were authentic. Coleman said the alleged voicemail messages came after she rejected Sacco’s sexual advances in a bar in 2003.

All this adds up to one big question: Does Phil Murphy really believe women?

I say the answer is no. Even if you want to believe in Phil Murphy and give him a pass on the women’s soccer, Katie Brennan and Allison Kopicki situations, at the very least the fact that Murphy had no problem standing with and supporting Nick Sacco even though Sacco has been accused of sexual harassment and/or sexist remarks at least twice and his town settled one of those instances for $90,000 you have to wonder if Murphy really believes women.

Murphy is always ready with the rhetoric to make it appear he supports women, like the time during the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings when Murphy said Kavanaugh "ought to just pack up and leave town." Unfortunately for Democrats, the reality is Murphy’s rhetoric doesn’t match his actions.

If Murphy’s rhetoric truly matched his actions he wouldn’t have stood with Sacco and instead said “he ought to just pack up and leave town.”

The only question left is will Murphy follow his own advice and pack up and leave town since his record on women doesn’t match his rhetoric?

Aren’t We Supposed To #BelieveWomen? Apparently, Phil Murphy Doesn’t, Not When It Comes To Nick Sacco

Nick Sacco

Elections in New Jersey are tough, no one denies that. In Hudson County the race for mayor of North Bergen between Larry Wainstein and Mayor/state Senator Nick Sacco is especially tough, and for those of us who like watching slug fests this is the one to watch. As a Republican, this one is especially fun because they’re both Democrats. The Hudson Reporter did a good job capturing some of the fun back in March.

One particular part of the Hudson Reporter piece caught my attention:

At the March 11 rally, Gov. Phil Murphy was one of many high-ranking officials to turn out and sing Sacco’s praises.

“I talk about a stronger and fairer New Jersey all the time, and if you want to see an embodiment of strong and fair, look at the leadership we have on stage tonight,” Murphy said. “I know the mayor as a friend, supporter, and confidante when times are tough. I know him as one of the most senior, distinguished, and respected state senators in Trenton, and most importantly I know him as Mayor Nick Sacco of the great North Bergen.”

The reason that jumped out at me is reading about what a great guy Governor Phil Murphy thinks Nick Sacco is reminded me there was once some sort of issue with a woman and Sacco. I didn’t remember exactly what that issue was until last week when Wainstein came with an online ad that includes alleged “actual voicemail recordings of Nicholas Sacco.” They were recordings allegedly left on Lydia Coleman’s phone by Sacco.

To be fair, Sacco, through a spokesman, claimed the recordings were “doctored.” From a Star-Ledger article.

Paul Swibinski, a spokesman for Sacco (D-Hudson), said the recordings appear "doctored," and that there were other issues, including financial difficulties, that called into question Coleman's credibility.

The spokesman did his job making the claim the recordings were doctored, but then launching into an attack on Coleman was classless.

Now, to continue with being fair, in an Observer article an expert concluded the recordings were authentic. From the Observer article:

Attorney Mario Blanch said he received a letter from Professional Audio Laboratories of Park Ridge, Inc. President Paul Ginsberg.

“After some experimentation to optimize intelligibility, I produced an enhanced copy, and proceeded to do a preliminary examination,” said Ginsberg, referring to a copy of the tapes he received from the Star-Ledger.

“My conclusion was that the recordings were authentic, but with the caveat that in order to make a definitive finding I would need to examine the original recording or have access to the voicemails.”

I’m going to have to believe the expert because the Lydia Coleman incident is not the only sexist incident involving Sacco and a woman.

In 2010 North Bergen paid April Tricoli-Busset $90,000 because she sued over sexist remarks. According to the Jersey Journal:

In the suit, she said she endured a series of sexist taunts, including an occasion in June 2006 when Mayor Nicholas Sacco, chatting at the North Bergen Flag Day Parade with township commissioners, asked, "Don't you think we should have a big boobs page on the website?"

The thing is I don’t remember any outrage at Sacco during or after either of these incidents. It’s almost as if Trenton Democrats thought it was okay for Sacco to allegedly make sexist remarks and allegedly leave threatening messages.

Two incidents involving two different women makes a pattern. Sacco has a track record of mistreating women. Yet, Phil Murphy still felt it was important to stand with Sacco.

Someone needs to ask Murphy if with Sacco’s record he still believes Sacco is “a friend, supporter, and confidante when times are tough.” And, if Murphy still believes that then he needs to explain if he still knows Sacco “as one of the most senior, distinguished, and respected state senators in Trenton.”

One may argue these incidents involving women and Nick Sacco are old, but don’t forget allegations against Brett Kavanaugh were even older and Phil Murphy made his opinion on that known when he said Kavanaugh "ought to just pack up and leave town."

Now that new light has been shed on Nick Sacco’s treatment of women Phil Murphy should be calling on him to just pack up and leave town. He did it for Kavanaugh and Sacco should be no different.