Nathan Brinkman left a message on my answering machine yesterday.
Undaunted by the creepy electronic greeting (the one the machine came with) he expressed a wish to "correct a few errors" which he "was sure were inadvertent on my part" , regarding this blog's Monday entry, the one about a Real Results endorsement planned for the Hoboken Republicans' fifth annual Lincoln Dinner.
Here is what Mr. Brinkman had to say:
- He'd seen the "back and forth" between myself and one of the dinner organizers and wished to make himself available to "set the record straight".
- He never had a discussion with Bret Schundler in which he "warned or admonished me".
- He had a "brief conversation" with Mr. Schundler's office on Friday which was a "clarifying discussion to resolve concerns" raised by a School Board member concerning whether the event was a fundraiser.
- He himself never planned to endorse the Real Results slate; it was the MC, Peter Morgan who had "planned to recognize Republican candidates as had been done in years past".
The matter of being"warned" was my supposition based on the series of contacts with the Governor's office and the NJ. Department of Education as relayed to me and the 'real results' of those contacts (sorry). Complaints were made by more than the one person whom you cited; several folks made repeated calls to the state offices, and the Hoboken Republicans' email containing this line: "We do intend to express support for the "Real Results" slate of candidates for school board" was offered to substantiate their concerns. The issue of a partisan political endorsement for candidates to a non-partisan School Board was central to those callers. On this point, If you feel there has been a mischaracterization of any communication you received from either Mr. Schundler or his office, I will defer to you.
On the matter of whether "recognizing Republican candidates" and "intending to express support" is or is not "an endorsement", that sounds to me like Bill Clinton's parsing: "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is".
Not to beat a dead horse (sorry, Roman Brice) I will say it again: there is no place for political partisanship in our Board of Education. NONE.
To have a slate of School Board candidates representing 'a party' means their allegiance is to party doctrine, party platform, party principles, party ideology, and not to our children. Or: party first, not kids first. There is NO PLACE for this in our public school system leadership.
Thus, "recognizing Republican candidates" for the School Board at a partisan political function is highly inappropriate, and the fact that it DID NOT happen validates that point.
By the way, do you know if your MC planned on recognizing any Kids First Republican candidates, as well as the four Real Results candidates? Just curious. Kids First is a blend of donkeys and elephants. If not, I would say that constitutes an endorsement.
Well, I do appreciate your taking the time to address your issues with the piece, and want you to know that all viewpoints are welcome here. Thank you.
I spy with my little eye: a hack-wanna-be passing the buck.
ReplyDeleteNathan, I note that RR has decided to advertise in the sleaze-pit of Hoboken politics - 411.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to advertising they will also do dirty work for you. Not publish KF events, not publish actual school board news that may reflect positively on KF. Distort facts. Distort pictures. You name it.
This is YOUR advertiser. YOU are painted with the same brush now. 411, YOUR provider, spawned an entire web community in town of people who really care about Hoboken's future but were either banned or too disgusted with 411's practices and political biases to have anything further to do with them. The latest sleazy practice is giving out bloggers names; if you can't beat 'em, out 'em. Their cowardice and sleaze is now YOUR cowardice and sleaze.
Pay very close attention now. It is NOT POSSIBLE to align yourself with that outfit and be thought of as anything but a win-at-all-costs politician.
I assume you see yourself as charting a new course in Hoboken in alignment with republican principles. Believe me, you can NOT be thought of as new ANYthing if you entrust your brand to 411. You will instead be associated with the politics of bitterness and pathological hatred for Zimmer and anyone who supports her which is the center pole in that particular tent.
Get out of there now while you can claim you didn't know how they operated. Or become Beth Part II. The clock is ticking.
What a generously educational post, info.
ReplyDeleteInstead, I'm more about Mr. Brinkman's response to G.A., which seems loaded with unsophisticated obfuscation.
Crash & burn perhaps, Mr. Brinkman/RR.
Instead of slash & burn.
M.B.B., I was particularly charmed by the way Mr. Brinkman threw Peter Morgan under the bus. Was it a school bus? Or one of the fancy buses the RNC uses on their way to the bondage club?
ReplyDeleteA real Palin-esque 'rogue', that Morgan, you just NEVER KNOW what he'll say and do. Yep, that Petey's a loose cannon.
Someone told me this post failed to mention how the state officials that were contacted and read the Republican group's email THANKED the (multiple) callers for warning them of the impending Real Reults endorsement. Yes, Schundler's office THANKED the callers for the heads-up.
Info, on the money as always. Like the saying goes, 'lie down with dogs, wake up with ...'