If you watched last night's debate (thank you, John Heinis for streaming!) you may have wondered why the panel of seven candidates kept looking upward all throughout the night. I did! Well, an audience member sent the above photo, explaining that a flying saucer was hovering over the debate stage poised to zap any candidate who was rude or dishonest. Guess what?
First Ward Council candidate Mike DeFusco got zapped 40 times! In fact, every time he opened his mouth... ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
Throughout the night, DeFusco made pointed, personal attacks on his opponent, Migdalia Pagan-Milano--even going after her job- lying that she was a mayoral aide-- and that her alleged male "boss" Ravi Bhalla told her what to do, a misogynistic arrow that strikes at all working women! Ladies, how many times has a man assumed that you have no mind of your own. Oh, the aliens did not like that. ZAP! ZAP!
Thank goodness, Mig corrected the perfidious twit, noting she was a clerk earning $43,000 and not a well-paid mayoral aide.
Thank goodness, Mig corrected the perfidious twit, noting she was a clerk earning $43,000 and not a well-paid mayoral aide.
Oh, but deceitful DeFusco was not done yet! Not satisfied with promoting her to a mayoral aide while demeaning her ability to think for herself, he mused openly whether Pagan-Milano would or would not quit her job if elected. That got him booed by the audience and ZAPPED by the hovering spacecraft.
But what really pissed off those interplanetary travelers? The worst kind of whopper: a lie by omission.
"I'm in full compliance with all relevant state and federal laws"
-Michael DeFusco, October 22, 2019
Yeah, but not relevant LOCAL pay-to-play law.
That's what you call an admission-against-interest. He can't claim ignorance of the law. Nor can his Dark Side co-conspirators who are covering his pay-to-playing tuchas by tabling Pay-to-Play enforcement.
That's what you call an admission-against-interest. He can't claim ignorance of the law. Nor can his Dark Side co-conspirators who are covering his pay-to-playing tuchas by tabling Pay-to-Play enforcement.
MIKE DEFUSCO'S LOCAL PAY-TO-PLAY VIOLATIONS
29-DAY PRE-ELECTION REPORT
click any image to enlarge
Per Hoboken LAW, Mendacious Michael MUST refund $23,600 in receipts above P2P limits to each respective donor PAC, then pay a FINE to the Hoboken City Clerk: $90, 400.
Well, you know what happened after Duplicitous DeFusco's lie-of-omission (he really has knowingly broken local Pay-to-Play law)...
ZAP!
On a much happier note, the other six candidates were extraordinarily civil to each other. The future looks bright if we can scrub the council of its current cast of petty, vendetta-driven incumbents. See below what civility can do to the bitter partisanship infecting our current council, provided by the grace of Tim Crowell, Phil Cohen and Nicola Maganuco.
The high road would be the politically wisest road for DeFusco but then he wouldn't be DeFusco and we'd have to ask those aliens what they had done with the real Mike.
ReplyDeleteThe crowing on the blogs putting down Mig's performance is pretty low and classless. But it's also what we've come to expect from Mike and his small minded surrogates.
I'm no defusco fan but you can't claim he was aggressive against Migdalia when you'll were ok with it when he did it to Terry 4 years ago. You can't have it both ways
ReplyDeleteNews flash - A person would have to be a DeFusco fan to even remember what was said at any debate he was a part of 4 years ago.
DeleteAnon,
DeleteAggressive is not the issue-- Ron. B was "aggressive" toward Russo at the debate, challenging him on issues and his record, all legit critique on his record and public policy. DeFusco was the ONLY candidate at the debate who was "aggressive" in a way that has no bearing on public policy in his ward. His attacks on Migdalia were relentlessly personal: misrepresentations about her livelihood, her "boss" and her future employment. His internet surrogates attack Mig's HOME, MVP- with nasty, FALSE claims that she and her wife are wealthy -- neither are.
Yes, 4 years ago I supported DeFusco against Terry. But he ran a very different race back then- he didn't attack her livelihood, her income, her home, her family-- he argued publicly that she had not connected with a new Hoboken demographic that he would with his #new energy. His arguments were about public service not Terry's livelihood, home or family income. Take a look-- see what DeFusco said about Terry in this 2015 interview: Hoboken Ward 1 Race: Six Questions For Michael DeFusco.
If he had a record to run on, his campaign would not be actively trying to destroy Migdalia personally, he would stick to public policy. As for me, I had other reasons for supporting MDF in 2015--we served together on the ZBA. Believe me when I say he did NOT comport himself then the way he does now, nor did he have a record back then. I don't recognize who MDF has become. That's the truth.
To the best of my recollection, he actually didn't attack Terry like that 4 years ago. He spoke respectfully about her years of service but made the case that after so many years it was time for fresh energy, fresh ideas etc. I will agree that there was always nastiness coming from his some of his supporters, but Mike himself was very careful to distance himself from it then.
DeleteThe nasty Mike emerged quickly after his election though, and that's the Mike we've seen ever since.
Watched the entire debate, if Migdalia is such a little flower and can't handle it , too F'n bad. NOWHERE NOWHERE on that debate does Defusco attack her job or her home. He cautioned us that she is a city employee who answers to the Mayor and that is a fact. Mike was good enough for Stan Grossbard and Dawn Zimmer to passionately defend when other reformers warned them. Now they like this one? Migdalia was awful last night. She's a complete joke!
DeleteWe saw a different debate- how many times did he talk about her job and her boss and did he or did he not muse on her future employment should she win. Moreover, perhaps you are one of his internet surrogates who have attacked Mig's personal income and residency at MVP- perhaps not.
DeleteBut you're entitled to your opinion, and to express it here, unlike Pravda Square View detention camp for the insane in the membrane. Right?
Look, watching DeFusco's debate performance brought back memories of Peter Cammarano, only Peter was much brighter, more deft but still... gave me the same feeling of a slick, unscrupulous snake-oil salesman.
Four years ago DeFusco was much less of a known commodity, and even many of those who were skeptical of what we now know was his "act" saw him as the lesser of two evils.
DeleteMike now has a four year record of his during which he has pulled off what many would have thought impossible - he's made folks reconsider whether it was Terry who in fact was the lesser of two evils.
Being a better choice than the DeFusco we've gotten to know over the last few years is a pretty low bar. I think Mig clears it pretty easily
A random drunk at just about any bar on their worst day is best than MDF on his best.
DeleteDeFuckup has no track record for his time in office, but he holds the record for the most meetings missed of any councilman.
DeleteWhen he's not attacking Pagan-Milano, which have a very misogynistic, some might say racist and homophobic tone, he's trying to excite his low-information base with renderings (that some mystery donor paid for), for unbuildable initiatives.
The rest of the time he's taking credit for the work of others. The PATH Ridership Council comes to mind...attend one meeting (if that), then claim that WiFi on the trains (it's only the platforms) was his doing.
Unless he harnesses the vote-harvesting techniques of the past, In 12 days, 4 hours and 38 minutes, his political career in Hoboken will be history.
Vote him out then lock him up!
ReplyDeleteCan't lock him up but I do fully support going after him financially for any and all campaign finance misdeeds to the fullest extent of the law possible.
Delete