...from Melvin the blobfish.
Melvin swam all the way to Hoboken from the coast of Australia when he heard the news: that Bret Schundler, New Jersey Commissioner of Education, WARNED Nathan Brinkman (organizer of the Hoboken Republicans annual Lincoln Dinner held last night at Wild Ginger) NOT to endorse the Real Results slate of BoE candidates while he was attending the dinner as keynote speaker.
We're shocked that Mr. Brinkman and Real Results had planned to turn his non-partisan speech on education into a partisan endorsement party for a slate of School Board candidates.
Mr. Brinkman and Real Results' plan could have caused serious problems for Mr. Schundler; this ethical violation may even have risked his position with the state.
Enter Melvin, a Republican blobfish, who heard the news and decided to swim thousands of miles west to endorse the Real Results slate iin lieu of Mr. Brinkman.
Unfortunately for Melvin, he arrived late for the dinner and more unfortunately for him, he didn't know that Wild Ginger was an Asian fusion restaurant specializing in sashimi and well... the story does not have a happy ending for Melvin.
(Updated March 30, 1:45PM)
Reader hucheeks, I am guessing you sat on your response for at least 5 hours before posting as the piece was revised before 8AM, and the part which was indeed a "wild supposition" about the state of mind of Mr. Schundler was removed. I do own up to that. To the mind of Mr. Schundler: my regrets for breaking and entering.
Next, the event was NEVER referred to as a "fundraiser"- in either the original or revised piece, so where did you get that from?
Lastly, suggesting there was "defamation" in the notion that an endorsement was on the agenda must be refuted by fact.
I didn't bother posting this and wasn't going to, but since you deployed the 'd'-word, here it is: an email that went to more than one member of Kids First who had already bought a ticket to your Lincoln Dinner. The person who forwarded this to me had paid for the dinner via PayPal on March 12 and received this email on March 26, the Friday before the Sunday evening event.
Subject: Re: Lincoln Dinner Details
Ms. XXX,
Sincerely,
Now, you may have been unaware of this eleventh hour announcement which would explain your being peeved at my comment. But please note, an endorsement of a 'non-partisan' slate of School Board candidates by a partisan political group (The Hoboken Republicans) at a partisan dinner(Lincoln Dinner) WAS on the 'agenda' as noted by your own group.
Melvin swam all the way to Hoboken from the coast of Australia when he heard the news: that Bret Schundler, New Jersey Commissioner of Education, WARNED Nathan Brinkman (organizer of the Hoboken Republicans annual Lincoln Dinner held last night at Wild Ginger) NOT to endorse the Real Results slate of BoE candidates while he was attending the dinner as keynote speaker.
We're shocked that Mr. Brinkman and Real Results had planned to turn his non-partisan speech on education into a partisan endorsement party for a slate of School Board candidates.
Mr. Brinkman and Real Results' plan could have caused serious problems for Mr. Schundler; this ethical violation may even have risked his position with the state.
Enter Melvin, a Republican blobfish, who heard the news and decided to swim thousands of miles west to endorse the Real Results slate iin lieu of Mr. Brinkman.
Unfortunately for Melvin, he arrived late for the dinner and more unfortunately for him, he didn't know that Wild Ginger was an Asian fusion restaurant specializing in sashimi and well... the story does not have a happy ending for Melvin.
(Updated March 30, 1:45PM)
Reader hucheeks, I am guessing you sat on your response for at least 5 hours before posting as the piece was revised before 8AM, and the part which was indeed a "wild supposition" about the state of mind of Mr. Schundler was removed. I do own up to that. To the mind of Mr. Schundler: my regrets for breaking and entering.
Next, the event was NEVER referred to as a "fundraiser"- in either the original or revised piece, so where did you get that from?
Lastly, suggesting there was "defamation" in the notion that an endorsement was on the agenda must be refuted by fact.
I didn't bother posting this and wasn't going to, but since you deployed the 'd'-word, here it is: an email that went to more than one member of Kids First who had already bought a ticket to your Lincoln Dinner. The person who forwarded this to me had paid for the dinner via PayPal on March 12 and received this email on March 26, the Friday before the Sunday evening event.
Subject: Re: Lincoln Dinner Details
Date: 3/26/10 9:42:23 AM
From: "Hoboken Republican Club"
To:"XXXXXXXX"
Thanks for indicating your preference. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday. We feel that we should inform you, however, that our Lincoln Dinner is a partisan event. We do intend to express support for the "Real Results" slate of candidates for school board. You are still more than welcome to attend. We simply felt that we should provide a heads up, in case you didn't realize this. In the event that you'd rather not attend, we can provide a refund. Please let us know.
Sincerely,
The Hoboken Republicans
Now, you may have been unaware of this eleventh hour announcement which would explain your being peeved at my comment. But please note, an endorsement of a 'non-partisan' slate of School Board candidates by a partisan political group (The Hoboken Republicans) at a partisan dinner(Lincoln Dinner) WAS on the 'agenda' as noted by your own group.
That's it sushi is off the menu until the election is over and maybe a few days after just to be safe! Thank-you for your public service GA.
ReplyDeleteThe way things go around here - Shundler should be charged an ethics violation anyway. I mean, Nathan worked for Shundler in the past, didn't he? Nathan supports Real Results, doesn't he? So by the "ethics violations" standards in this town, that should equal Shundler was endorsing Real Results and a total conflict of interest!
ReplyDeleteMSV just consulted with "appearance of impropriety" Mikie Squared. He said Schundler breathes the air in Jersey City and has a son in Hoboken ergo, ipso facto a qualifying mere appearance of impropriety.
ReplyDeleteDon't believe Nathan has worked for Shundler. They did however clearly breath the same air in the SAME restaurant. That has to count for something.
Sadly, your blog is riddled with inaccuracies. I am compelled to remind you that there is a profound difference between opinion (or hyperbole) and defamation. Unless you were on the planning committee for the HRs, you did not have any means of knowing the agenda for the meeting. As the HRs noted during the dinner, no plan ever existed to have Bret endorse any candidate for school board and there was never any intent to have the dinner serve as a fundraiser (I can say this with certainty as I was a member of the planning committee). Also, don’t you think your readers would find it hard to believe that Schundler was “furious” with the HRs since, after all, he did appear at the event and stayed far longer than most to speak with attendees? In view of the foregoing, you should remove this post altogether or at least revise it to acknowledge that many of the statements are little more than wild suppositions.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Smarty, isn't it a possibility that Brinkman did that most disgusting of habits (a pet peeve of mine)-- sneezing into the air WITHOUT covering his nose and mouth!!!
ReplyDeleteEeeeeew.
IN WHICH CASE Commissioner Schundler must have inhaled millions and millions of microscopic critters from the innards of Mr. Brinkman! Well? What say you?
Talk about the impropriety of cross-contamination and snot-swapping! Disgusting and an impeachable offense. Even more of an impeachable offense than a presidential blowj*b administered by a nubile young intern.
Funny how so many Red Elephants got all worked up about that. I guess they were jealous.
hucheeks, please see update above for my response.
ReplyDeleteGive 'em hell Grafix Avenger. I guess they really don't think anyone is paying full attention to their antics which are as alarming as the lack of substance and misinformation in the RR campaign. Once again we see Sullivan&RR exposed for being in their own words "woefully short of realworld knowhow."
ReplyDeleteGrafix_Avenger, yes, I work for my pay, so I do not get to monitor blogs all day. In any event, I note that the HRs did intend to announce their endorsement for RR prior to Bret's arrival (you should note that the function started about a full hour before Bret's arrival) but subsequently determined that an endorsement after the event would be more appropriate. I only disputed claims that it was a fundraiser for RR (as the recipient of your above cited email had inquired) or that Bret was endorsing any candidate.
ReplyDeleteNice try, hucheeks. Get called out & retort with "I work for my pay...."
ReplyDeleteWhat was G.A. saying about snot...?
hucheeks, glad you are among the ranks of the employed instead of one of many unemployed and underemployed here in Hoboken (and everywhere else).
ReplyDeleteA couple of things w/respect to your response.
At first when you suggested 'defamation', one of your points was "and there was never any intent to have the dinner serve as a fundraiser"... NOW you say "I only disputed claims that it was a fundraiser for RR (as the recipient of your above cited email had inquired)". Well, I didn't post the email until AFTER your first response-- what "claims" it was a fundraiser in my piece, then? AND, this email went to MORE than one person, so which recipient are you talking about? Something seems 'off' here.
Next, IF the notion of having a partisan group (HR) endorse a slate of candidates for a non-partisan board (Hoboken School Board) at a partisan political dinner (Lincoln Dinner) was 'kosher', then WHY DIDN'T IT HAPPEN? What is better in your mind about this kind of endorsement happening at 'x' pm as opposed to 'y' pm?
It is no "wild supposition" to imagine that Commissioner Schundler didn't want ANY partisan political endorsement of any one BoE slate, either before or after he entered the building, otherwise IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. But it didn't.
In my view, it was quite a sneaky calculation to graft a partisan, political HR endorsement onto Mr. Schundler's appearance, and 'wild supposition' or not, I imagine he is grateful to those that warned him of these plans.
Thanks for your comments. All viewpoints are welcome, but as you can see I have mine.
Worse Nathan Brinkman worked for and supported The ULTRA Conservative Gubernatorial Candidate and Bogata Mayor Steve Lonegan.
ReplyDeleteThe very same Steve Lonegan who demanded all privately purchased Spanish Language Advertising banned from his town while at the same time gets snagged for employing illegal aliens as contractors on his home and not paying taxed wages!