Tonight, on The Colbert Report, tired, beat up, humiliated Michael Brown is going to get publicly skewered - again - and it's all his own doing.  Go figure...from The Eagle.com

Michael Brown, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is tired of being caricatured as an incompetent government appointee who stood by while Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.

During an appearance before a Senate committee last month, Brown refused to accept all the blame for the government's slow response, insisting that he had warned the White House of the storm's disastrous potential.

Now he's embarking on the next step of his rehabilitation tour: He's going on The Colbert Report.

On Tuesday, Brown is scheduled to sit down with Stephen Colbert - who plays the bombastic, preening cable anchor on Comedy Central's late night mock newscast - for an unpredictable interview in which the only thing the former federal official can count on is the likelihood of being embarrassed.

"It's not mean-spirited humor; it's just good satire," Brown said. "I go in with my eyes open that they will do whatever they can to make fun of me. But I hope people see I'm human and a decent guy."

March 28, 2006 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (4)

The online blog buzz for days has been that Robert Menendez, and not Nia Gill, would be tapped to fill Jon Corzine's senate seat. We'll update when the announcement is official, but here's more fuel to support the announcement, from the Star Ledger:

Gov.-elect Jon Corzine will appoint Rep. Robert Menendez to fill his U.S. Senate seat for the next year, with an official announcement coming as early as today, multiple sources said yesterday.

The move would make Menendez the first minority to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate.

Corzine's transition team, however, cautioned against party and congressional sources who, they said, don't speak for Corzine. "They are speculative," said Corzine spokeswoman Ivette Mendez.

December 8, 2005 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (7)

They get mentioned on Baristanet quite frequently, but when Corzine says their name, it makes them swoon. From the Star Ledger...

"They called me from their cell phones, 'Ooooo, he mentioned us!'" she said yesterday morning.

That was BlueWave's president Marcia Marley's reaction, after learning that Corzine thanked BlueWave during his acceptance speech.

Suzy Kass, a BlueWave operative, saw it all at the Hilton East Brunswick. "I thought he did say it with some gusto."

Many television viewers, if they even caught it, might have thought "Blue Who?" But the outfit, organizers say, has grown from an audience of 120 blue-state activists at its inaugural meeting at Montclair's Luna Stage in January to a roster of some 460.

Much of its upper echelon carry Montclair addresses: Union Street. Melrose Place. North Mountain Avenue, to name a few.

Not surprising, considering Montclair is New Jersey's most liberal town, the bluest of the blue, according to ePodunk, a New York-based demographic numbers-cruncher that analyzed political contributions and election results to come up with its rankings.

Baristanet sends props to BlueWave, formed just 10 months ago and already a bold-faced name. Now brace yourself for the Republican backlash...

November 10, 2005 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (14)

9:35 pm: With 48 percent of the vote in, the AP just called the race for Jon Corzine, 54-43.

9:15: With 33 percent in, Corzine leads Forrester 52.5 to 44.5. In Virginia, AP has called the election for Democrat Tim Kaine -- a key victory for the Democrats.

8:58: With 22 percent counted, Corzine now leads Forrester 52.5 to 44.4

8:55 pm. Lieutenant Governor Yes: 58,  No: 42, with 3 percent reporting.

8:45 pm. AP reports, with 6 percent reporting, 51.4 for Corzine to 45.9 for Forrester.

8:45 pm. And here's how Baristaville weighed in on today's state race.

8:37 pm. With 2 percent of the vote counted, Corzine leads Forrester 56-43.

November 8, 2005 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (2)

For all the former New Yorkers residing in Baristaville, especially recent immigrants (there's one every day I hear), does it feel odd not to be voting for Mike or Ferrer? Pretend you're back in a New York City voting booth and flip the switch here for mayor of NYC...

November 8, 2005 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (14)

In the past few days, we've heard from Hillary, Bill, Jon --and, just to add a little interest, a member of the local Republican party. Who's been jingling your bell? And do you think we'll get a little peace and quiet when today's over?

November 8, 2005 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (20)

From the Corzine for Governor site, senior advisor Tom Shea anticipates negative ads (duh!) in the final two weeks in the campaign:

And we expect right-wing Republicans to do what they always do when they’re down: distort, smear, and lie. Doug Forrester was the first candidate to go negative in this race, both in the brutal Republican primary and against Jon Corzine.

Meanwhile, the sidebar on Corzine's site gives a plug to Baristanet (sort of), where it mentions:

New Jersey has some great local blogs written by citizens all over the state. Here’s a smattering of what New Jerseyans are talking about...

Checking the link they chose shows they're not following us all that closely. Irises in autumn?

November 4, 2005 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (64)

Scooter Libby, chief of staff for Vice President Cheney, was indicted today by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, and resigned. Karl Rove escaped indictment for the time being. News conference on the indictment is expected to begin at 2:15.

Already Baristaville congressman Bill Pascrell has issued a statement condemning the Bush administration:

PASCRELL QUESTIONS CREDIBILITY OF THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER SHAMEFUL INDICTMENT

WASHINGTON-U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8) expressed concern after learning that Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, threatened national security, obstructed justice, and perjured himself to a federal grand jury, in order to stifle opposition to the case President Bush made for going to war in Iraq.

"Five years ago, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney pledged to 'restore honor and dignity to the White House,'" stated Pascrell, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. "It is clear today that this insincere pledge has been utterly decimated. Exposing national security information to reap political revenge, and then obstructing a federal investigation, is not 'honorable or dignified' -- it is corrupt, shameful, immoral and a reason for national concern. With three years to go, this Administration has officially lost any remaining credibility."

"At the heart of this issue is an Administration that will stop at nothing to hide the truth from the American people. The indictment reveals that a top official in the United States government placed politics over national security. The President invaded Iraq under false pretenses; today we have learned that Mr. Libby perjured himself to defend those false pretenses that enabled the President to invade Iraq. This isn't a Republican or Democrat issue, this Administration has dishonored all Americans."

"President Bush is struggling with the economy at home and with war overseas. Now he will begin struggling to relieve himself of the burden he created within his own ranks.

AP coverage here.

October 28, 2005 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (34)

Forget his political views. What's really cutting edge about Sen. Jon Corzine is his desire to remain un-cut, at least in terms of facial hair. Does a beard really make a difference to voters? Would some rather he kick it up a notch with one of these looks? Or pull a Yul Brynner and get baby smooth. Seems Corzine and his facial hair have garnered maverick status. From NJ.com, folks weigh in ...

Corzine, who has resisted advisers' suggestions that he shave his graying beard, is currently the only member of the U.S. Senate to wear one. And he'll be the only U.S. governor with one if he beats Republican Doug Forrester in the Nov. 8 election. No sitting governors have beards, nor do any of the three candidates for the job in Virginia — the only other state where a new governor will be elected this year.

While facial hair hasn't been a problem for Corzine to date, some say it could still cost him points with voters. There are persistent, negative connotations underlying the taboo, according to political consultants, image experts and others.

"The problem with beards is the association with the '60s and '70s — the beatnik and hippie movement, the antiestablishment attitudes that were communicated by people in those years by people wearing beards. It's guilt by association, regardless of whether they were part of that," said Judith Rasband, a professional image management specialist.

"In terms of nonverbal communication, by not seeing the full face — whether it's bangs in the eyes of a woman or a man, or a beard — there can be some who perceive the individual is hiding something," Rasband added.

September 12, 2005 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (34)

We know it's a big day in New Jersey for Republicans, but it's hard to get all excited about internecine warfare of the "he said, he said" variety.

According to a Quinnipac poll released yesterday, Schundler's been gaining in the 11th hour, but it's still too close to call. We will tell you this. It's a ho hum day at the polls. When the Barista showed up to vote around 2:30 this afternoon, we were only the 56th person in Glen Ridge District 1 to vote -- and the only reason we did was to sneak a picture of the ballot. By the way, there is a Democratic primary, though there's no doubt that Corzine will get the Democratic nod. The only question is, what the heck is the "Now is the Time" Democratic slate? Rapture Democrats? More on the election from NJ.com here.

June 7, 2005 in Politics | Permalink | Comments (13)