By Prihatha Narasimmaraj '14When I saw the words “Holt is a true friend of Israel” splashed all over the leaflets handed out at Democratic Congressman Rush Holt’s visit today, I was confused. Sure, Israel is an international issue, but is it really the sort of thing politicians advocate on election platforms? Wondering if I had accidentally stumbled into some CJL event, I anticipated an hour-and-half of discussion on something that I knew absolutely nothing about.
Turns out, Holt only brings up the issue because his opposition (Republican Congressman Scott Sipprelle) attacked him on it in the past. Makes slightly more sense. But Holt’s visit to Whig Senate Chamber—and Holt himself—turned out to be a lot more interesting than I expected.
For a politician, he’s remarkably straightforward.
For a politician, he’s remarkably straightforward.
When one of the audience members, a graduate student, stood up and asked Holt to look into granting immigration rights for same-sex partners of American citizens, Holt launched into a long-winded rant about how we need to give rights to LGBT individuals, etc. (all nice things, but so typical of an ideological politician). But when a lady in the audience asked him why he hadn’t really answered the question, he immediately explained that he would help the man and vowed to talk with him after the meeting. Cool, right?
He’s also very small-townsy in a Mr. Smith-Goes-To-Washington way. He keeps a Constitution in his pocket and refused to talk at the podium during the meeting. He admits to going door-to-door and talking to cute old ladies about ObamaCare. I even shook hands with him before the meeting when he introduced himself to random crowd members. Call me gullible, but I was impressed.
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Although this post clearly lacks any attempt at investigative journalism (e.g. the reasons why Holt and Sipprelle were hosted on campus, whether Holt has demonstrated any support of Israel during his tenure in congress), I wanted to point out that Scott Sipprelle is not (yet) a congressman.
Retire Rush
RUSH HOLT: THE GREAT PRETENDER
by Carl J. Mayer
Having been elected as an Independent to the Princeton Township Committee, I am asked frequently by independent-minded voters who to vote for in the upcoming elections.
For Congress, the answer is clear: vote to retire Rush Holt.
Holt is the prototypical career politician; he has been in office longer than the time period of any war in American history, including the nation’s longest conflict in Iraq. As a classic entrenched professional politician he has not adequately represented the voters of Central New Jersey.
More importantly, Holt simply deceives the voters, repeatedly, about his record and sources of support.
Here are only a few examples:
Holt actually gives out bumper stickers saying “My Congressman IS a Rocket Scientist.” Actually, he is not. Holt has a degree in physics but worked as an assistant administrator and never worked on rockets. Rocket scientists actually make rockets that work. Holt spent his entire career working on a failed program to generate energy from nuclear fusion. He has helped spend tens of billions of taxpayer dollar on a nuclear energy program that hasn’t lit a light-bulb despite fifty years of promises. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that fusion is a waste of our tax dollars.
RUSH HOLT: THE GREAT PRETENDER (CONT.)
Holt claims to be a liberal but he is not a member of the Progressive caucus where the real liberals and progressives in Congress do their work. This allows Holt to have his campaigns funded the by nuclear, drug, military and lobbying industries.
Holt sends negative attack literature excoriating his opponent for favoring Wall Street, big banks and insurance companies, when Holt’s campaigns are paid for by Wall Street, big banks and insurance companies. Holt voted for the Wall Street bailout that wasted billions more of tax dollars with nothing in return.
Holt claims to be a supporter of animal rights, but he himself is a hunter.
Holt claims to be an environmentalist, but his campaigns are funded by polluters and the nuclear power industry.
Holt will take money from any source, including the liquor industry and a lobbying firm that works on behalf of tobacco companies.
All of the sources of Holt’s funding are available at OpenSecrets.org. But focusing on just one of the top five financial backers of Holt’s campaign demonstrates how he deceives constituents. Holt passes himself off as a man of peace and of the environment, but one of the five largest contributors to his campaign is Honeywell International Corporation, a giant defense contractor. (Holt also takes money from defense contractor Northrop Grumman)
In September 2007, Honeywell pled guilty and was sentenced criminally in a case involving a fatal chemical leak at its Baton Rouge, Louisiana plant. Honeywell pleaded guilty to negligently causing the release of hazardous air pollutants, and to negligently placing another person in imminent danger of death.
Holt never gave back the Honeywell money and never came clean with the voters about his ties to the Defense and nuclear industries.
For Central New Jersey Voters, it’s time to Retire Rush.
Carl J. Mayer
609-462-7979.
The writer is an attorney and author and wrote the classic book on New Jersey Corruption: Shakedown: The Fleecing of the Garden State. He can be reached at carlmayer.com.
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