Independent Conservatives NJ Style...

New Jersey has a primary coming up in June.  We had the opportunity to move our presidential primary up to February but Governor Christie decided that it was best to stay irrelevant on the national stage and keep our primary in June when the contest has already been decided.

I plan to write-in Sarah Palin for president in our June primary.  I'm not supporting Mitt Romney in the presidential primary and there are no candidates left actively campaigning.  If there is one thing I've learned by living in the RINOlicious state of New Jersey all my life, it's that the reigning RINOcracy of the GOP has to be dragged kicking and screaming to the conservative side by the grassroots folks.

In our own state, the GOP hierarchy looks more like the national DNC leadership than anything remotely considered conservative.  Former Governors Christine Todd Whitman and Tom Kean are great examples.  Both candidates gave lip service to fiscal conservatism during their campaigns only to slightly cut some taxes (which in turn raised others) and do nothing to reign in government spending or scale back the role of government in the lives of Jersey folks.  

Even current political rock star Chris Christie, while significantly more conservative than any previous New Jersey governor in decades, is no solid conservative.  His reputation for fiscal conservatism is largely hype.  He's cut spending because he had to, but hasn't done the restructuring necessary to institutionalize those cuts.  He's also offered no real significant tax cutting yet in a state that is leading the nation in families fleeing due to the oppressive taxation.  That's not to say that he hasn't accomplished anything.  His governorship is a marked improvement on the sleaze-filled tenure of our previous governor, menacing liberal overlord and money launderer Jon S. Corzine. Governor Christie has made some progress but not nearly as much as his popular YouTube videos would suggest.  While an improvement, Mr. Christie is not the conservative we've been waiting for.

There is hope folks.  

NJ Mama Grizzly Anna Little

In our congressional delegation, we have an opportunity to markedly improve our representation in congress.  In the 6th Congressional District, former Highlands Mayor  Anna Little is running again.  Little is an independent common sense conservative candidate that demonstrated fiscal responsibility as mayor by keeping spending under control and keeping tax rates from being raised.  (A major accomplishment in the tax-happy state of NJ!)  She has recently been spotlighted by the American Grizzlies United (formerly Organize 4 Palin) and endorsed by several tea party organizations including the Bayshore Tea Party group.  She's also been supported by local independent conservative Steve Lonegan, the political action group Smart Girl Politics, and plethora of other conservative groups.  

Little is a passionate defender of the Constitution, supporting the Enumerated Powers Act.   She also supports elimination of earmarks and the balancing of the federal budget as well as simplifying and cutting tax rates.  She understands the inherent link between energy independence, national security and our economy.  She is pro-life, pro-second amendment, and proposes a foreign policy based on Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin's view of "peace through strength."   Little won the nomination in 2010 and nearly toppled long-time Democratic congressman Frank Pallone.  She performed much better than expected in the general election and is within striking distance of taking out the permanent political class politician this time around.

Mike Assad takes on GOP establishment

Meanwhile, the Second Congressional District has been represented by RINO Frank LoBiondo for nearly two decades.  LoBiondo was elected on the basis of term  limits and has comfortably settled into his perch as a member of the permanent political class in Washington.  Having pledged to serve only six terms in congress, LoBiondo has decided that the gravy train of Washington is a delicious ride.  The Club for Growth ranked him 242 (the lowest ranking of any Republican in Congress) regarding economic growth policies scoring a paltry 34% rating for 2011 and 40% rating overall.  He co-sponsored card check legislation, voted to raise the debt ceiling 4 times, voted for Cap and Trade, and while claiming to be pro-life has gone so far as to propose that tax payer funds be used to provide abortions to "poor people."  He represents a relatively safe Republican district.  His primary challenger is newcomer Mike Assad.  Mike is a young independent conservative who has been serving on a local school board. His positions include cutting taxes and spending, enacting term limits, expanding energy independence (including supporting ANWR and the Keystone Pipeline) and governing without regard to special interests.  Mr. Assad is pro-life, pro-second amendment and willing to take on the permanent political class.  He is an underdog with a seemingly impossible task before him but an Assad victory in the primary would send a message to the reigning RINOcracy and put this safe Republican district into the hands of an actual conservative.

Bader Qarmout, common sense conservative for U.S. Senate

Finally, in the race for the U.S. Senate, we have an amazing opportunity with Bader Qarmout.  Mr. Qarmout is a Jordanian-American who grew up as a Christian in the Arab nation, giving him a unique perspective of the the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.  This is his first foray into elected politics, but he has served as both a college professor and a small business owner.  As a result, he understands the need to defend free market capitalism in order to revive the American economy. He is pro-Israel, pro-Constitution, and a proponent of common sense fiscal policy including a flat tax, balancing the budget, cutting wasteful spending, and cutting corporate taxes to kick-start the economy.  He's also pro-life and pro-Israel.  His opponent is the RINOcracy darling Joe Kyrillos.  Mr. Kyrillos is a member in good standing of the GOP establishment and is best described as the common New Jersey flavor of moderate Republican.  Mr. Qarmout has been very warmly received by many tea party groups earning the endorsements of key conservative groups like Bayshore Tea Party and has recently been spotlighted by American Grizzlies United.  

Expect to hear more about these and other common sense conservative candidates from New Jersey in the days to come. In the meantime, go their websites and help them get their message out!