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| Governor Christie with Mayor Brian Stack in Union City at the opening of the Colin Powell Elementary School on February 7, 2013. Beth Mason showed up at the event but was not photographed by the press. credit: Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal |
So my friend, Nasty Cleopatra (Queen of the Vile), called me yesterday to discuss Al Sullivan's column.
"Fucking brilliant! Stack's a fucking genius!"GA had no idea what he was talking about.
"That fabulous fuck made Beth Mason an offer she could refuse!"Nasty-C read me this:
"Stack's problems filling his ticketWow.
Nearly everybody accepts the fact that any Assembly candidate who runs on the ticket of state Senator and Union City mayor Brian Stack will get swept into office without a problem. So why doesn't he seem to be able to get anyone to run with him? ...rumors say the Stacks offer to Hoboken council member Beth Mason has been rebuffed. Some claim Stack has made too many requirements of his candidates, including open support for the reelection of Republican Gov. Christopher Christie. Other reports suggest Stack wants to control his candidates too much for any of the more prominent figures to tolerate..."
"Endorse the whale! Not when she's got her eyeballs on Frank Lautenberg's seat! Hell-to-the-no, GA!"Senator Lautenberg? He'll be retiring in January 2015, at the age of 91. That's The Plan? GA had heard that both Masons believed the Mrs. would climb to the U.S. Senate some day.
"Oh honey, if she endorses Christie its back with them to the trailer park. There's no room in that double-wide for a fat man."Hmmm... Nasty-C's got a point. Nastily said, of course.
It is possible that Stack made his offer unpalatable by insisting that Beth Mason endorse Republican Governor Chris Christie. This way, he gets rid of Hoboken's most notorious whack-job amicably, with a face-saving exit that doesn't cut off his access to the Brinks Truck while shoring up her Democratic Party bona fides.
But GA doesn't believe it for a minute. Here's why.
On Thursday, February 7, 2013 Mason showed up the Stack-Christie event in Union City ostensibly to 'make nice' with the Governor, a Stack ally. It was a symbolic overture, a kiss-up, if you will. There was no reason to make that gesture, to meet the Governor on his visit, other than to show Stack that Mason was willing to cooperate, suck it up and be part of the 'coalition'. So there she was- but it appears from the photos that she was NOT allowed a seat on stage with the Governor.
Another contender for Assembly, Councilman Ravi Bhalla, did not show up in Union City on February 7. But then GA hears that Bhalla knows Christie personally and the two have a cordial and respectful relationship. Further, Bhalla never bought cable tv ad time to savage Christie, accuse him of "backroom deals" and sweetheart deals to developer contributors. Yikes.
So here's what I think.
The 'Mason-rebuffed-Stack' narrative is spin. It's the narrative she wants out there. This is my guess:
- Mason wanted the Assembly seat badly. She needs to advance her name state-wide. She needs a springboard at the state level to higher office.
- Stack did poison the deal- if one was even offered. Maybe he nixed her privately but agreed to let her spin it. If he did offer the seat, the conditions were tighter than a straitjacket.
- Mason was behind the 'Mason rebuffed Stack because of Christie' rumor via surrogates. Mason 'owns' the content in HR, and nothing gets to print that her operatives didn't plant or that wasn't vetted with her people. Mason wants the public to think she had the seat in the bag. She doesn't want the truth- that she's 'damaged goods' in Hudson County- out there.
- It is Sunday morning and the Hoboken Reporter is online- except for Al Sullivan's latest column. Where is it? GA's never seen that happen.
- Crossing party lines for an endorsement or simple praise - is not the Kiss of Death with your own party machine. A famous example, former NYC Mayor Giuliani. Daily Politics Blog- Dec 3, 2012:
America’s Mayor reached across party lines to praise Gov. Cuomo, predicting that his response to superstorm Sandy could help him if he seeks the White House in 2016.
Giuliani praised Cuomo for taking “proactive” measures like closing the mass transit system a day before Sandy made landfall, and then for being visible, and visiting communities, afterward.
He also extolled Cuomo for “staying on top” of utilities, such as Con Edison.
This was not the first time Giuliani praised a Cuomo. The former mayor roiled Republicans in 1994, when he endorsed the reelection of Cuomo’s father, three-term Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo, over GOPer George Pataki
So, while GA's commentary is not as spicy, I would agree with Nasty-C: that Stack's move (whatever it was) to avoid that train wreck was brilliant.
That Mason thinks she is remotely qualified to do more than write checks proves how delusional she is. State Assembly? U.S. Senate? Next stop - the white house (known as Federal Prison Camp Alderson). She should be running from the law, not running for higher office.
ReplyDeleteNow that it's almost over, it's nice of her to mention Black History Month in her page 3 weekly ad, but for the Mason's, that probably means reminiscing about nannies and housekeepers fired and gone.
Hudson is such an ongoing civil war, you can see why Stack would have to insist on a level of ticket discipline that someone who repeatedly sues her own taxpayers simply doesn't have.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad in a way. It means we are stuck with Mason until January 2015.
I'm with you, HL.
DeleteI'm getting really tired of BOSS Stack.
ReplyDeleteI resent having my Assembly representative "chosen for me" through insider machine politics.
And stop sending me birthday cards.
I don't want his stupid cards either. So tacky. Stick the cards up your ass.
ReplyDeleteStack's been going around calling Big Boy "the greatest governor ever," despite the fact that the state has among the highest unemployment rates in the nation. The $100 Million no bid contract to AshBritt is offensive to every honest and hardworking NJ resident that was denied the opportunity that was doled out to an out of state firm that lobbied for it by using his old pal Haley Barbour as one of its consultants.
ReplyDeleteIn Stack's self-involved world, Christie is the "greatest governor ever" because Krispy Kris keeps on sending welfare money to Union City. Even when Stack lied about having a play to pay ordinance--a prerequisite to receiving state aid--and the falsified information was reported to the DCA, Christie said and did nothing about it.
Stack wasn't deliberately offering Mason a poison pill. "Brian" wants his ticket to kiss the biggest ass in all of New Jersey in addition to following his every command.
Rumor has been going around that Union City Commissioner Chris Irizarry will soon be calling it quits and moving down to Florida.
For a fairly young person like Irizarry to want to give up $180,000 a year as the CEO of North Hudson Community Action Center, along with his position as Commissioner, there has to be a more compelling reason than a change of scenery.
Here are a few possible reasons that might be motivating his decision: 1) Irizarry is getting tired of "Boss Stack"; 2) He doesn't want to testify in the Stack assault case (where he has been named an involved party); 3) The FBI have raided City Hall twice in the last two years. A former attorney of the city's Housing Authority, has informed its board, that he was asked to testify before a grand jury back in November of 2012.
Bhalla already knows how to kiss Stack's ass. He knows all about pay to play. Back in 2009, he donated $3,000 to Union City First, one week before receiving a $150,000 contract as the city's Tenant Advocate. Same quid pro quo deal in Newark.
I'll concede that Bhalla is a better choice than Mason, but that guy will say and do anything to get on Stack's ticket, which is quite troubling.
Tell Bhalla to grow a pair and run on his own line.
Krispy Chris? Anon, you had me in stitches.
DeleteHere's a question.
How come last go-round Stack had no trouble filling the Assembly slots- like debutantes at a ball, the belles lined up waiting for their dance cards to be punched. If what you say is true, this time options are limited to those who'll kiss Christie's arse. Yet Mason showed up in UC to a Christie appearance with lips puckered. And Russo, Raia and Bhalla- to my knowledge are interested in the slot. I do think Mason got the big boot, given that between she and hubby, they've spread perhaps $250K to political campaigns around the state and nationwide in the past year. And the HR publishes her operatives' spin because she's been buying page 3 ads since April 2012.
No, Anon. She wanted it bad. Do you know the kind of conditions Stack might be placing on potential running mates? Aside from smooching Christie's ample buttocks.
One more question: are you pro or against birthday cards?
Nice to see you gals are backing Barbara Buono for governor.
ReplyDeletePolitical expediency, whats that?
Sell outs.
I'm confused. Other Anon - what on earth does Nancy's story have to do with Barbara Buono?
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should give Barbara the opportunity to decide if she wants your help since she has a difficult campaign ahead and the nastiness that spews from the corrupt and inept Hudson County political operative class is not going to help her.
With "friends" like you she will wind up the first democrat to lose Hudson County probably ever.
shhhhh.... Stack is on the FBI hitlist
ReplyDelete