Dump Mike Ferguson (NJ7)

Well, I got verification from a friend at DCCC that they sent at least two mailings into NJ7. Chris Clizza of the Washington Post confirms it at well.

The first I have not seen but is commonly known as the "diaper" mailing, which I would like to see.

The second is called "Titanic," and you can download it in PDF because my graphics software won't allow me to convert it to a graphic file.

The front is the sinking Titanic superliner, and has the words, "Would you re-hire the captain of the Titanic?" The back is an unflattering pic of Ferguson with some of the lowlights of his past few years in the House.

Posted by admin at 01:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following clip is just one half of Mike Ferguson's opening statement from Sunday's debate. Every example of his "accomplishments" was intended to inflate or exaggerate his support for the district.

It's really kind of sad.

Call 908-322-1996 to assist Linda Stender, or contribute some needed GOTV money online.

Posted by admin at 06:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't know what this means, or how much in the way of resources they're sending to us, but Daily Kos reports that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is actually coming into NJ7 at the end of an election. They must think there's something winnable here, 'cause they don't send anything anywhere they don't think they can win.

Update II: The full list of late-breaking races in which the DCCC will air ads, send direct mail, and/or help out in other ways:
     WA-05 KY-02 NV-03
     PA-04 IL-10 NE-03
     FL-16 NY-26 NJ-07
     MN-01 NV-02 KY-03
     NY-25 NH-02 KS-02
     CA-11

You can help out to, by contributing a little scratch or calling the Stender for Congress campaign at 908-322-1996 to volunteer for one or more of the next 8 days until the election is over.

Posted by admin at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Someone says they heard Mike Ferguson after the event saying, "The Stender campaign had the audience coaxed."

No, Mike.  This is what happens when an event is open to the public and anyone can come.  It's not like when you controlled access to tickets to see the President last year, or any of your other events where you hide behind supporters.

And nobody can coax that spontaneous laugh (see video here) when you said you were independent.  This is actually how people feel.  And you are in trouble.

The whole closing statement from Linda will be up soon.

Posted by admin at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Check out Ferguson getting laughed at in this clip, and compare the reaction of the audience to Ferguson's close and Stender's close to see who won the debate.

Posted by admin at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since the new federal campaign finance laws came in place it's been pretty hard for the state parties to coordinate with House campaigns. They are limited in how much money they can spend for a federal campaign, and any poll worth taking would be far more than the limit. So while the State Democratic Committee might take polls on Linda Stender's campaign against Mike Ferguson (R-NJ7), they can't share the poll results with the Stender for Congress folks.

But that doesn't mean that the State Democratic Chair can't talk to the newspapers and throw out some hints to everyone. Assemblyman and State Democratic Chair Joe Cryan -- who represents part of the 7th -- talked to the Gannet chain the other day:

This year there is little drama in 12 of the 13 congressional races in New Jersey. Five Republicans and six Democrats are expected to win re-election. Democrat Albio Sires is expected to easily win the 13th District vacated by U.S. Senate candidate Robert Menendez.

According to Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, D-Union, chairman of the Democratic State Committee, Stender is within 3 percentage points of her opponent.

"Ferguson has never polled above 50 percent, and for an incumbent that's not good," said Cryan.

Ferguson can't break 50 percent in Stender's internal polls, the independent Consituent Dynamic poll, and the National Republican's own poll. And now maybe in another one? That's not good for a three term incumbent.

Put that together with a live audience laughing at Mike Ferguson spontaneously at a debate today, and Linda's crushing closing statement, and you have a race that needs people.

Call the Stender for Congress campaign today at 908-322-1996 to volunteer for some of the next 8 days.

Posted by admin at 07:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 27, 2006 Courier News.

Ferguson's Stender ads sophomoric

I drove through Bound Brook this morning and saw campaign lawn signs that have sprung up on my neighbor's lawn in the last few days. I found one campaign lawn sign to be particularly disturbing.

Right next to the Mike Ferguson signs on the lawns of the Republican faithful was a sign that read "Stender the Spender." Is there nothing positive that Mr. Ferguson and his supporters can spend his campaign contributions on that speaks about his accomplishments or his vision? Must he and his supporters resort to a childish rhyme about his opponent's name in order to further his candidacy?

Perhaps the Stender camp should retaliate with a sign highlighting Mr. Ferguson's reported indiscretions in a Georgetown bar? What would that sign read? "Ferguson the Philanderer"?

I am disappointed at the level to which Mr. Ferguson and his supporters have stooped. Perhaps Mr. Ferguson should himself be more of a spender as it relates to the Green Brook Flood Control project and spend less time in Georgetown.

MATT ANDERSON
Bound Brook

Posted by admin at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The following letter was published in the October 27, 2006 Courier News.

Ferguson bad for New Jersey

In the past six years, 87 percent of Rep. Mike Ferguson's voting record has been to take your rights away. Rights that our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles have shed blood or gave their life to uphold.

He does not go after projects that keep us safe. He does not take on projects that keep our elderly in their homes. He refused to help reform health care. He refuses to see advancements in medical sciences.

In short, Mike Ferguson is in Washington to improve his resume. He is not interested in your agenda. He is only interested in his own.

The ACLU, the Human Rights Campaign and New York Times all agree, and so do I. Mike Ferguson is not right for serving in office. Unseat Mike Ferguson.

RUSSELL ROGERS
Manville

Posted by admin at 01:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 27, 2006 Courier News.

Stender will help defend seniors

Women have run for public office and when elected they have done an exceptional job, you may or may not agree with them. We do need more women in office to work for Social programs, women's rights, etc.

Vote to send Linda Stender to Washington, D.C., as our New Jersey representative in the 7th Congressional District, by voting for her Nov. 7. Vote for Linda Stender to protect our Social Security and Medicare programs.

WALTER KALMAN

South Plainfield

Posted by admin at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 27, 2006 Courier News.

Stender is correct choice for Congress

I'm amazed when I see the ads on TV in which residents of Bound Brook have been scripted in their praise of Congressman Ferguson's actions during Hurricane Floyd.

To set the record straight, Congressman Ferguson was not our congressman when Hurricane Floyd devastated Manville and Bound Brook. Our congressman was Bob Franks, and he, together with Freeholder Coyle and then-Gov. Whitman, visited the flooded areas and did what was necessary to get us the aid needed to help in the recovery. Congressman Ferguson did, however, deliver the check that Sen. Torricelli and Congressmen Franks and Frelinghuysen had secured for us during those terrible times.

To exploit that disaster is unconscionable. We in Manville have applied for many grants through the congressman and his staff -- we did not receive any. It seems we are too far south in the Seventh District to matter. Perhaps if more had been accomplished during Congressman Ferguson's term of office, he would not have to reach into Congressman Franks' record to claim fame for himself.

Congressman Ferguson's campaign against Democratic candidate Linda Stender has been a tough one -- full of accusations. What the congressman has forgotten is that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

It's time to get some honest representation for all the people of the Seventh Congressional District. For this reason, I am casting my vote for Linda Stender, who is an independent thinker and is not going to rubber-stamp her vote as Congressman Ferguson does for whatever the president wants or what benefits his special-interest companies that pour thousands of dollars into his campaign.

The congressman is on the wrong side of the issues, from stem-cell research to sending our troops overseas without proper gear and with faulty equipment. His ad calls Linda Stender a spender, and yet, with his votes in Congress, he has created the largest deficit in the history of our nation. Who is the real spender?

Assemblywoman Stender is a good and caring person. A person who is on the right side of the issues, whether it is about stem-cell research, the war in Iraq, Social Security, prescription drugs for seniors, and the list goes on. The only special interest Linda will have when she is elected is her constituents in the Seventh District.

It is time for a change in our federal government's thinking, so join me in sending Linda Stender to Congress to be part of that change.

Vote for Linda Stender on Nov. 7. We deserve honest government, and it's about time we get it. Thank you.

ANGELO CORRADINO
Mayor, Manville

Posted by admin at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Over the last two weeks we've found out that Mike Ferguson told Carl Riccio's mother that her son would never walk again, and this week we learned that his staff refused to let 14 year old juvenile diabetes sufferer Lyndsey Rosethal talk to him [listen to her radio ad] about stem cell research.

Now we find that he is refusing to endorse a bill that would ensure drug safety and prevent adverse drug reactions in children solely because the bill was sponsored by Democrats. This is not hyperbole, and the witnesses to this have written the letter below.

“Congressman Mike Ferguson believes every child deserves the best quality health care.” This is what his campaign advertising claims. It might be true if it included the modifier, “in an election year.”

We are N.J. residents whose children’s lives have been threatened by adverse reactions to prescription drugs. We have been meeting with the congressman about drug safety for the last three years. It was only after a huge public outcry that the FDA has finally addressed the potential deadly adverse effects of antidepressants. This has resulted in a black box warning for these drugs as well as a required medication guide to be distributed to parents with each prescription. This guide is meant to fully inform parents of the risks of this category of drugs and their off-label, non-FDA approved use in children and teens. However, we have discovered that these medication guides are not being given to parents as the FDA directed.

We have met with Congressman Ferguson on numerous occasions regarding this matter. We have expressed our hope that he might intervene, as our elected representative, to ensure that this common sense and life-saving regulation is enforced. We have also asked him to sign on to existing bills that ensure and enhance drug safety. While he assured us that he cared about children’s safety, he informed us that he would not sign on to any bill that had been sponsored by a Democratic member of Congress. Apparently, partisan politics is more important than the well-being of the children of New Jersey.

He said this not only in our presence, but in the presence of our children who almost lost their lives.

Despite this setback, we have continued to speak with his staff on this issue; however, over the past year the congressman refused to meet with us personally. We have traveled to Washington multiple times to fight for the children of New Jersey with no response from the congressman. Amazingly, three months before the election we were invited to meet with his senior staff to discuss this issue. This meeting resulted in a letter from the congressman to the FDA demanding answers on this subject on August 31, 2006.

This is a full year after it was brought to his attention, two weeks prior to the Institute of Medicine’s scathing report on the inadequacies of the FDA, and just weeks before Election Day. This is simply too convenient to be coincidental!

To date the Congressman, the Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, has neither signed on nor initiated any legislation for drug safety.

Laurie Yorke
Lisa Van Syckel
Michelle Van Syckel
Ryan Yorke
Nicole Cumber-Teen victim
Dawn Jeronowitz

Mike Ferguson says he is pro-life, pro-family and supports moral values but his actions in refusing to help these parents of sick and injured children tell a completely different story.

Wrong choices. Wrong Congressman.

Contribute to Linda Stender today for a new House and a new future.

Posted by admin at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Home News Tribune on October 24, 2005.

Stender will fight for all women's health

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women ages 35 and older. It is also among the most treatable types of cancer if caught early enough through a mammogram. However, in minority and lower-class communities, mammograms are not readily accessible or affordable, leaving many women facing a higher risk of not being diagnosed in time for breast-cancer treatment to take effect. Yet, Rep. Michael Ferguson, R-7th Dist., refused to support measures brought before his committee in the House to require clinicians to provide equal access to mammograms regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status.

Ferguson's opponent, Assemblywoman Linda Stender, D-Union, believes the battle against breast cancer must be fought within all levels of the community. She will fight to pass legislation to provide free mammograms to those unable to afford them — thereby assuring women are not denied the opportunity for early breast-cancer detection.

Join me in sending Stender to Congress this November, a strong women looking out for us all.

Louise Reilly
BELLE MEAD

Posted by admin at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week a letter to the editor ran from a 14 year old girl named Lindsey Rosenthal from Belle Mead. Lindsey has juvenile diabetes, and tried to talk with Mike Ferguson about supporting embryonic stem cell research to find a cure. Ferguson's staff would not let her, saying that "we cannot even discuss this issue with him because it is against 'pro life.'"

That's right. He refused to talk with a 14 year old girl about finding a cure for her lifelong disease. Well, Lindsey recorded a radio ad for Linda Stender, and you can listen to it right now.

After you listen, remember that Ferguson is the same man who told Tricia Riccio that her paralyzed son would never walk again and refused to discuss embryonic stem cell research with her as well. This race is about a lot of things, but one of the biggest is that Mike Ferguson wants to prevent Lindsey Rosenthal and Carl Riccio from receiving cures to their ailments because of a theory. When we vote him out, we bring these two young people hope and maybe a cure.

And after you get sufficiently steamed about this, be sure to donate as much as you can to Linda Stender so she can run this ad on the radio as many times as possible between now and election day. She needs your help today, tomorrow and next week.

If you don't have the money to give -- and many of us don't -- please call Linda's office at 908-322-1996 and sign up to volunteer for an afternoon. They're paying $125 if you work the weekend before election day and on election day itself, and there's plenty work for volunteers before that!

And be sure to contribute if you can. $5 means a lot when a thousand people give it. We've got 1450 people on our mailing list, and all of you at Dump Mike. Just a little from everyone is that many more times the ad from Lindsey can run.

Posted by admin at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The following letter was published in the Home News Tribune on October 23, 2006:

Stender is best choice for 7th CD

Democrat Linda Stender is clearly the best choice for our state and our nation in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. She would provide needed checks and balances against the corruption of the Bush administration.

Stender disagreed with Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq, but supports our troops and would pressure Bush for an exit strategy that brings soldiers home safely. Incumbent Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-7th Dist., however, has repeatedly given the Bush administration a free pass on oversight and accountability when it comes to Iraq and even voted to keep the troops there indefinitely.

Stender supports stem-cell research, which provides the best hope of curing many illnesses plaguing our nation. Ferguson, while claiming to be for stem-cell research, voted against it in Congress.

Stender supports a path toward energy independence. She would stand up to the big oil companies and would not allow price-gouging. She favors progress toward better and cleaner energy sources, which would reduce oil demand and reduce prices as well as protect the public.

I encourage voters to elect Stender. She would block the radical Bush agenda and help get our country back on course.

Charles Versfelt
RARITAN

Posted by admin at 07:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 23, 2006 Courier News.

Ilicit actions mar Ferguson's past

I wonder whether people know or remember that Mike Ferguson's parents illegally bought him his seat in Congress. Ignoring the $1,000 limit, they donated $525,000 to his 2000 election, resulting in the highest fine ever levied on a sitting congressman by the Federal Election Committee. Ferguson paid the $210,000 fine in 2003. I wonder whether he paid it with his $165,000 salary.

Why didn't Congress investigate and censure him? Because he was protected by Tom DeLay, disgraced former majority leader, who resigned over the Jack Abramoff influence peddling and money laundering scandals.

Ferguson and DeLay were joined at the hip -- Ferguson received more campaign contributions from DeLay than anyone else: $185,000 directly and indirectly from DeLay and his close associates, including DeLay's indicted co-defendant in the money laundering case.

In return, Ferguson's PAC, with the witty name MIKE PAC, donated $27,000 to Texas congressional candidates linked to DeLay. Why is our congressman contributing to Texas candidates? Because that's how one hand washes the other with hard cash. There has never been a more inbred and corrupt culture in Washington than there is right now, and it must end.

Do people also know that Mr. Ferguson first ran for Congress in 1998 in Monmouth County against Frank Pallone, and when soundly defeated, Ferguson went district shopping with his mom and dad? That's how we ended up with him in the Seventh District.

Mr. Ferguson declares that all life is sacred yet has voted to delay smog rules, grant the oil and gas industry exemptions from the Clean Water Act and slash the EPA's enforcement budget. Why is life in the womb sacred but the health of people in the environment up for bid to the highest campaign donor?

Enough with corruption; enough with hypocrisy. I am voting for Linda Stender for Congress.

ERIC ZWERLING
Readington

Posted by admin at 07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Newark Star Ledger today endorsed Assemblywoman Linda Stender in NJ7, dumping Mike Ferguson from their list.

Two years ago, we determined that incumbent Republican Mike Ferguson deserved re-election over a Democratic challenger who simply wasn't ready for Washington. That is not the case this time, with Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Stender providing a worthy alternative.

Posted by admin at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got a report from a Blue 7th member that the Ferguson for Congress signs in Warren Township were taken down last night and strewn around the grass and road. Our signs, Linda Stender's signs and others were left alone.

Frankly, that is not very cool. If we want the other side to respect our signs and leave them up then we have to do the same to theirs. If you are tempted to do something to the opposition's signs please do not do it.

Leaving aside the respect issue, this also ruins our counter-sign strategy of putting our message signs next to their signs, tying Ferguson to the Iraq War, privatizing Social Security and opposition to stem cell research. Taking down his signs sort of messes up that strategy.

If I had my way the only signs that go up would be on private property with the owner's permission, but as long as public rights of way are fair game then we should all respect each other's signs.

Posted by admin at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Three articles popped up re: the 7th Congressional Race today.

• The New York Times endorsed Linda Stender : "Mr. Ferguson, who is regarded as a backbencher in the House, has in the past opposed some of the administration's efforts to backtrack on environmental protection, but he has shifted recently to a more compliant position. To his credit, he continues to support gun controls.

  "Over all, however, we consider Ms. Stender, a member of the New Jersey Assembly since 2002, as someone who would better stand up to the Bush administration for the district's best interests. She wins our endorsement."

• The Courier News ran a puff piece on Mike Ferguson, including outright lies the reporter didn't bother to fact check: "I have been a very strong proponent of a clean environment," he said. "I've opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. That's something that our Republican leadership and the president have been very strongly trying to encourage. I've opposed it every step of the way." Every step of the way except the four times he voted for drilling in ANWR . Letters to the editor are appropriate!
• The Courier News ran a nice piece on Linda Stender, as well, including this line from a 911 mother: Diane Horning of Scotch Plains lost her 26-year-old son, Matthew, when the first tower of the World Trade Center tower collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001. She believes his remains ended up in the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, New York.

  Horning, with no money to hire an attorney to pursue the return of her son's remains, was approached by Stender with a plan to require the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to give Horning's family the chance to bury her son, Horning said.

  Their efforts were unsuccessful in New York, but thanks to Stender, a New Jersey law calls for a more dignified resolution to the cleanup -- which Horning calls "a scoop-and-dump operation."

  "When she sees an injustice, she works tirelessly to fix it," Horning said. "She's not confrontational. She can work with opposing entities in a reasonable way, in a measured way, without being confrontational, and looks for a solution that works for everyone. I don't see any hidden agendas with her. I really don't. I see her as one of the few people who really wants to be a public servant."

• Newsweek's Jonathan Alter wrote on the 7th District race: Neither candidate can afford broadcast TV time, but Ferguson, a 36-year-old Roman Catholic conservative with family money, will likely have twice as much cash on hand. Snail mail, the medium of choice in House races, gives him a chance to depict himself as a moderate, surrounded by children. Instead of defending his consistently pro-Bush voting record in Congress, he hammers Stender for her record in Trenton.

That's it for today! Be sure to donate to Linda Stender to help her beat Mike Ferguson this year!

Posted by admin at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wanna know why we haven't cured these diseases? Republicans like Mike Ferguson and Tom Kean Jr. block medical research needed to find the cures.

Posted by admin at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The majority of Mike Ferguson's (R-NJ7) campaign to date has been to say, "Stender is a Spender, Stender is a Spender, Stender is a Spender" over and over and over again. His campaign manager, who we assume is actually Dr. Seuss, appears to instruct his candidate to run away from President Bush, never talk about embryonic stem cell research and for goodness sake avoid the hell out of talking about abortion, contraceptives and women's rights.

After a long night of hard work and consideration, Campaign Manager Seuss has come up with yet another way to distract the public from Ferguson's right wing record. And we have a photo!

So here's the contest -- come up with a Dr. Seuss rhyme for Ferguson to chant in the last two weeks of the election. Winner gets a Dump Mike Ferguson t-shirt!

[Contest is being run by Blue 7th PAC on Dump Mike, Daily Kos, MyDD and Blue Jersey.]

Posted by admin at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Home News Tribune on October 20, 2006:

Ferguson's ethics make Stender the one

Congressman Mike Ferguson has ethical issues many people may not be aware of. In 2003, the FEC found Ferguson guilty of illegally using $525,000 in 2000 during his first congressional run from the 7th district (after losing to Frank Pallone in the 6th), from a trust fund set up by his parents. The FEC fined Ferguson one of the largest fines ever for an individual, $210,000.

Without this significant unfair boost in a close race rated as toss-up, it is conceivable he may never have won. By the time the ruling was rendered in 2003, Ferguson was ensconced as Congressman for three years. Activities during the Republican primary earlier that same year involving Ferguson's illegal collusion with a 527 group prompted his challenger, Tom Kean Jr., to sue the 527 group, and Kean won, resulting in an FEC fine of $5,500 rendered in 2005.

This activity was something Ferguson was familiar with, having sued Maryann Connelly for the very same thing and losing. Therefore, Ferguson won both the 2000 primary and general election with illegal assistance, or as some may charge, by cheating.

Disgraced former majority leader Tom DeLay gave more campaign contributions to Ferguson than any other sitting member of Congress, $54,000 since 1998. Why would DeLay give so much money to a relatively new congressman with faint legislative achievement? Ferguson in turn gave $27,000 in campaign contributions to Texas congressional candidates in 2004, much more than any other state including New Jersey ($1,000). Why was he so interested in Texas candidates in DeLay's home state?

Ferguson is enmeshed in the network of corrupt and unethical congressmen and lobbyists from Jack Abramoff, Bob Ney, Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay, Mark Foley, Bob Sherwood and many others not commonly known, having received contributions from all of them and returning only a small amount, even from PACs such as DeLay's which was already cited for illegal activity. In an April 3, 2003, Washington Post article, a young woman named Michelle Mezoe stated that a married and inebriated Ferguson crudely asked her go somewhere for a drink with him and gave her his Congressional pin in an attempt to impress her. She refused to return it until he apologized for his behavior, and his staffers had to call the police to resolve the matter. Soon after, Ferguson's family moved to live with him in a D.C. suburb, Bethesda, MD, the family's primary residence since. In fact, Ferguson has barely lived in our district at all, raised in Ridgewood and residing briefly in both Red Bank and Warren to run for Congress.

There has been no report of scandal surrounding Linda Stender. Linda Stender is far superior on the issue of ethics, and her integrity, dedication and intelligence make her a far superior choice for Congress.

Sherry Truss
CLARK

Posted by admin at 07:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michael J. Fox did this ad for Claire McCaskill of Missouri regarding stem cell research and how her opponent -- Jim Talent -- is trying to block Americans like him from being cured of their maladies. Fox is suffering from Parkinson's disease, one of many conditions such as leukemia, spinal cord injuries, organ failure and diabetes which could be eradicated if not for politicians like Talent -- and Mike Ferguson.

As you watch this ad, swap "LInda Stender" for "Claire McCaskill," "Mike Ferguson" for "Jim Talent," and "New Jersey" for "Missouri."

Posted by admin at 07:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 18, 2006 Cranford Chronicle:

Ferguson called an 'obedient lapdog'

To The Chronicle:

On Oct. 4, the National Jewish Democratic Council (njdc.org) announced its "Backwards 18," its list of the 18 worst members of the U.S. House and Senate who are running for re-election this year.

Representative Mike Ferguson was chosen for this exclusive list. According to NJDC, Ferguson "is a voice for the extreme right. Despite representing a moderate district, he has voted against every single issue involving the separation of Church and State on which NJDC has spoken out ... and supports a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe vs. Wade. He opposes stem-cell research and supports permitting religious organizations to employ discriminatory practices when making hiring decisions."

Does Ferguson's philosophy of forcing his conservative Christian philosophy upon all Americans through legislation accurately reflect the desires of his congressional district? Does America want a theocracy led by holier-than-thou Republican ayatollahs? Do you want to re-elect an obedient Bush/Cheney lapdog and "rubber stamp"? Have you seen enough incompetent and corrupt Republican leadership since 2001?

For more information about Ferguson, visit the Web sites dumpmike.com, whymikewhy.com, and bluejersey.com.

JOHN CANTILLI
Cranford

Posted by admin at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A month ago Linda Stender challenged Mike Ferguson to four debates, one in each county of the district.  Ferguson had successfully ducked these debates, but now has agreed to one debate.

Be sure to come and watch Linda whoop Ferguson's butt!

Save the date --  DEBATE BETWEEN LINDA AND MIKE, October 29th at 2 at Raritan Valley Community College.  It's the only debate Ferguson has agreed to.  Please come and support Linda

Posted by admin at 07:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 19, 2006 Independent Press:

Elect Stender to Congress

To the editor:

George W. Bush won't be on the ballot Nov. 7, but there is a way for us to register our anger over his administration's policies and principles. We can reject one of the individuals who has been a Bush Administration enabler, Republican Congressman Michael Ferguson.

For those who are appalled by the invasion and occupation of Iraq, abuses of human rights and civil liberties and countless other actions of this imperial president, we must take the only opportunity we have in the 2006 election and return Mike Ferguson to private life.

Linda Stender, the Democrat candidate in the Seventh Congressional District is an excellent choice to replace Ferguson. She believes in an orderly ending of our tragic adventure in Iraq, supports stem cell research, overturning tax breaks for the wealthy and the end of warrantless wiretapping of American citizens.

It's time to elect Linda Stender and a Democratic Congress.

Paul C. O'Shea
Summit

Posted by admin at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

And, just to note, this is the best commercial in the history of commercials 'cause of the incredibly hot chick in the last frame.  Amazingly, she married me!

Posted by admin at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Linda Stender was interviewed on WNYC radio (NPR) today and really kicked butt. You can click to listen to the mp3 or right click to download.

Posted by admin at 06:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The following letter was published in the Home News Tribune, October 16 2006.

Mike Ferguson's votes show anti-senior bias

Agroup called the Retired Seniors Coalition recently checked the voting record of congressmen and U.S. senators. They picked out 10 ills that directly affect seniors. They classified them as "pro-retiree," "anti-retiree" and "did not vote." The bills were voted on during the period that former N.J. Sen. Jon Corzine became Gov. Corzine, so that his record only covered four of the bills. The results of the votes cast by Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-7th District, and U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., show: Ferguson — zero votes pro-retiree, 10 anti-retiree; Lautenberg — 10 votes pro-retiree, zero anti-retiree; Corzine — four votes pro-retiree, zero anti-retiree.

It seems to me the old cliche "vote the person, not the party" holds no water in this case. The Republican Party takes care of the corporations. The Democratic Party looks out for the working person and retirees.

I believe all retired seniors should be aware of these facts when they enter the voting booth next month.

Philip Peck
WOODBRIDGE

Posted by admin at 07:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Ferguson's campaign set up a photo-op to promote his alleged support for flooding victims in New Jersey's 7th district, but it appears that the advance team needs to do a better job of picking their stooges.

Over the past year the 7th has had quite a few floods from the Raritan to the Delaware Rivers, and the damage has been amazing. In 1999, the Raritan river overtopped during Hurricane Floyd and devastated the communities of Bound Brook and Manville and seriously damaged others such as South Bound Brook, North Plainfield and Greenbrook. Ferguson has tried to portray himself as a hero for these communities, but in fact has done little to get federal help to ameliorate the problem.

And, unfortunately for him, Evelyn York of Woodbridge was selected to be his photo partner. Why unfortunately? Because she has his number:

Ferguson, who is running against Democratic state Assemblywoman Linda Stender, appeared with Woodbridge Republican mayoral candidate Chris Struben.

"He's coming out here to get a vote," said Evelyn York, who met with Ferguson outside her flood-prone home on Vesper Avenue. "He was at a meeting in January, and what has he done since then? Now it's three weeks before an election, and he's going to knock on doors?"

Ouch!

York lives in Middlesex County which has flooding problems. Ferguson has also tried to portray himself as a hero for bringing $5 million for the Green Brook Flood Control program. He's run TV ads and sent mailings into the area touting his success.

Yet $5 million for the 35 year old Green Brook Flood Control Project is just a drop in the bucket. The Army Corps of Engineers estimate that the project will cost $430 million to complete in today's dollars, meaning that at Ferguson's current success rate he would have to serve in office for 86 years to get full funding to complete the protection for these communities.

Photo ops are nice, but when it comes to really making a difference on flooding in the 7th district Evelyn York has Mike Ferguson's number.

Wrong choices. Wrong Congressman.

Posted by admin at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Courier News, October 10, 2006:

Stender deserves endorsement

When the Sierra Club endorsed the election of Assemblywoman Linda Stender to represent the 7th Congressional District, the Sierra Club noted that she has supported environmental and quality-of-life issues throughout her career in public service.

In comparison, her opponent in the election has attempted to create the illusion of an environmental legacy based upon a single instance in which he became involved in the government's movement of sealed containers of stored chemicals.

In the real world, Mike Ferguson worked to protect manufacturers of polluting chemicals. He gave tax breaks to Big Oil so that oil companies could post record-breaking profits as our gasoline and heating bills skyrocketed. Is anyone foolish enough to think that a pre-election price drop will last?

Based upon my own personal experience and the experience of her many friends and neighbors over these many years, Linda Stender has established a record of responding favorably when it comes to preserving open space, maintaining tree cover, protecting historic resources and supporting quality of life.

Simply put, Linda Stender understands how we live our lives. She is our best bet in the 7th Congressional District.

WILLIAM T. FIDURSKI
Clark

Posted by admin at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 14, 2006 Home News Tribune.

Congressman says he's for life; what about mine?

I am 14 years old and, like most kids my age, I have dreams. Most kids dream of being an astronaut, actor or sports star. I dream of a cure for juvenile diabetes, a disease I have had since I was 6 years old. For the last eight years of my life, I have spoken out about juvenile diabetes, how it has robbed me of my carefree childhood. I have raised both awareness and funds. I have petitioned politicians to support medical research for a cure. One of the best avenues for a cure is embryonic stem-cell research. I personally have met with Rep. Michael Ferguson, R-7th Dist., three times over the past four years, and his aides told our family that we cannot even discuss this issue with him because it is against "pro life."

Am I not a life?

These embryos that scientists want to use get thrown away if they are not used for research. How is that pro life, Congressman Ferguson? When I recently met with Linda Stender, his Democratic Party opponent in this fall's election, she told me that she would help me achieve my dream, that my dream could actually become a reality. Stender has the ability to change my dreams, and the dreams of everyone who has a disease; you just have to give her a chance.

Vote for Stender. Vote for life.

Lindsey Rosenthal
BELLE MEAD

Posted by admin at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This letter was published in the October 14, 2006 Home News Tribune:

Stem-cell research must be election issue

It is astonishing to learn that New Jersey congressmen Ferguson, Garrett, Lo Biondo, Saxton, and Smith recently voted to kill a measure to provide federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. Study of these stem cells has great potential for discovering the basics of cellular function and holds out significant promise for control of chronic diseases.

The proposal was carefully constructed to address moral and ethical concerns by specifically limiting research to excess embryos that are scheduled to be discarded, and only with the written confirmation and informed consent of the donors. These embryos are left over from in vitro fertilization — a process that fertilizes a number of eggs to produce embryos for implantation and then destroys the extras. Therefore, not one embryo used for stem-cell research would otherwise have become a child.

It is most difficult to justify a logic that assigns a higher moral priority to precluding utilization of about to be discarded 5-day-old, frozen blastulas over the ethical and moral imperative to humanely attempt to relieve significant medical suffering among our living population.

There is hardly a single New Jersey family that has not experienced the suffering from diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, cancer and diabetes by a member or dear friend. These chronic, degenerative and often fatal diseases could someday be treated or prevented as a result of embryonic stem-cell research.

When voters go to the polls on Nov. 7, they should carefully consider the merit of returning these congressmen to Washington.

Arthur L. Yeager
EDISON

Posted by admin at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here are some pictures of signs for and against Mike Ferguson -- right next to each other -- in Manville. The strategy is to place our message signs right next to his campaign signs to make the connection even clearer.

    

Posted by admin at 08:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The following letter was published in the Friday the 14th, October 2006 Home News Tribune.

Vote Stender, not Ferguson, this election

Every year at election time, I've noticed an ever growing, dangerous trend. People on all sides of the political ferris wheel arguing about abortion, gun control, saving the environment, saving and stopping everything and anything that the current owners of this great country of ours want us all to fight with each other about. I kind of noticed that one important battle was missing.

This secret battle that has slipped off the radar is the one for the American working families in this country. Now I'm going to guarantee you that there will be some Republican supporters who will almost definitely write a counter-letter to mine, but I promise that everything I'm about to write is fact.

Let's start with Rep. Mike Ferguson, D—7th Dist. During his recent term, there have been serious key votes directly affecting working families, 39 to be exact. Our beloved congressman, on these important issues, has voted exactly eight times in favor of working-family issues. One of my favorites is when he voted against an extension of unemployment benefits. You see, once your unemployment benefits run out, you're not counted as out of work anymore, so, in a nice underhanded move, the current administration can say such untruthful things like "we are creating more quality jobs and there are less people out of work.'

The numbers definitely don't lie though. You know the jobs I'm talking about, minimum wage like Wal-Mart and Burger King. Does anybody in New Jersey believe you can live and support your family on minimum wage? Mike Ferguson does because he also voted against raising the minimum wage.

The rest of the list is interesting too, from making sweetheart trade deals with other countries around the world, sending free aid to other countries around the world and fast-tracking trade clauses with other countries. How about the one where he gave big tax breaks to a company to stay in the U.S.? If you didn't see that one, it's because it never happened.

With all this in mind, and after careful thought, I'm throwing my hat into Linda Stender's campaign. And I ask every hard-working American citizen to do the same. I'm sure you have all heard the brilliant commercial by Congressman Ferguson that states, "Stender the spender." OK, will somebody tell me which politician doesn't spend money? Does Mike Ferguson really think the average Joe in this state is that stupid?

Joe Lukac
MANVILLE

Posted by admin at 09:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Bernardsville News is the first paper to give an endorsement in the NJ7 Congressional race between Mike Ferguson and Linda Stender. The nod went to Linda Stender. The paper is not too big and a weekly, but it is in extremely red territory and hopefully this kind of thing can make a difference there.

[UPDATE: The Hunterdon Review, also owned by Recorder, used the same editorial last week. Deep in the heart of redness!]

Vote for Linda Stender for Congress from the Seventh District.

She is articulate and bright. She has had local, county and state government experiences. Most importantly, she represents an end to the status quo acceptance of the failed policies of the Bush Administration, so unquestionably accepted by her opponent, Republican incumbent Michael Ferguson.

His response to the surprisingly strong Stender campaign is to blast Stender as a tax and spend Democrat.

Yet Stender, as a state Assemblywoman, voted against the Corzine budget and increased sales tax. Meanwhile, Ferguson, as member of the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, has presided over a federal budget that has gone from a surplus position to a massive deficit.

It is ironic he complains about doings as the state level, yet he has never served in any state or locally elected office in his career. In fact, he only moved to the Seventh Congressional district so he could run for Congress after he lost his bid for a Sixth District Congressional seat in Monmouth County in 1998.

Nearly 60 percent of the district considers themselves Independent and we think Stender will more accurately reflect their philosophies than Ferguson.

We support Stender’s call for a re-examination of how we are conducting the war in Iraq, a position also called for by many retired Army generals and the majority of the nation. Ferguson is unquestioning of the Bush Administration’s handling of the war.

We support Stender’s call for embryonic stem cell research, so those whose loved ones are suffering from anything from Parkinson’s to Alzheimer’s to diabetes to paralysis may have hope for a cure. Ferguson staunchly opposes embryonic stem cell research and as such has earned the disfavor of Tricia Riccio, a crusader from Warren Township whose son Carl Riccio was paralyzed in a Watchung Hills Regional High School wrestling match in 2003.

Stender favors a woman’s right to choose on abortion, developing alternative energy supplies, and protecting the environment.

None of those issues carry much weight with Ferguson. He is anti-choice to the point of wanting to amend the Constitution to make abortion a crime even in the cases of rape and incest.

He garnered a pitiful 17 percent approval rating from the League of Conservation Voters, the political voice of the national environmental movement whose ratings reflect Ferguson’s voting record on key environmental and public health votes. Ferguson’s environmental rating is the lowest of the 13 members of the New Jersey congressional delegation, Democrats and Republicans alike.

Environmental issues are part of the core values of Somerset and Hunterdon county residents and those values should be represented in the halls of Congress by the person they elect to represent them.

Indeed, poll after poll shows Stender’s positions on the core issues this district thinks are important, from the Bush Administration’s handling of the war in Iraq, to stem cell research, to the environment, are more reflective of the majority of voters in this district than Mr. Ferguson’s. People in the 7th Congressional District should vote for the candidate who best reflects their values on Tuesday, Nov. 7 and that is Linda Stender.

Vote for Stender for Congress from the 7th District.

Posted by admin at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published on Friday the 13th in October, 2006:

Where's Ferguson stand on Foley?

Rep. Mike Ferguson sends a glossy colored mailer to my home nearly daily. The current theme is "Mike Ferguson works hard every day for our children." And it continues, "That's why we need him in Congress."

Lately, I have read on the front pages of several newspapers the story of Rep. Mark Foley's sexually explicit e-mails to congressional teenage pages. Much comment has been attributed to Republican congressional leaders. Interviews indicate that the parents of these young men are very concerned.

Where does Congressman Ferguson stand?

TERRY ROE
Martinsville

Posted by admin at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Courier News on Friday the 13th in October, 2006:

Lawmakers blind to stem cells

It is astonishing to learn that New Jersey Congressmen LoBiondo, Saxton, Smith, Ferguson and Garrett recently voted to kill a measure to provide federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. Study of these stem cells has great potential for discovering the basics of cellular function and holds significant promise for control of chronic diseases.

The proposal was carefully constructed to address moral and ethical concerns by specifically limiting research to excess embryos that are scheduled to be discarded, and only with the written confirmation and informed consent of the donors. These embryos are left over from in vitro fertilization -- a process that fertilizes a number of eggs to produce embryos for implantation and then destroys the extras. Therefore, not one embryo used for stem-cell research would otherwise have become a child.

It is most difficult to justify a logic that assigns a higher moral priority to precluding utilization of about-to-be-discarded, five-day-old frozen blastulas over the ethical and moral imperative to humanely attempt to relieve significant medical suffering among our living population.

There is hardly a single New Jersey family that has not experienced the suffering from diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, cancer and diabetes by a member or dear friend. These chronic, degenerative and often fatal diseases could someday be treated or prevented as a result of embryonic stem-cell research.

When voters go to the polls Nov. 7, they should carefully consider the merit of returning these congressmen to Washington.

ARTHUR L. YEAGER
Edison

Posted by admin at 07:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Constituent Dynamics released polls for a bunch of Congressional races around the country. Among these races is NJ7 between incumbent Mike Ferguson (R-NJ7) and Linda Stender (D-NJ), which is a virtual tie at 49/46 respectively among likely voters.

With the margin of error of 3.1 percent that is a tie.

Constituent Dynamics does their polling via robocalls that people respond to via push buttons and that method is not too common. Still, with a sample of 1022 likely voters from October 8-10 it's gotta be close.

Reasons this poll may be more accurate today than the internal Stender poll that had the race at 47/40:

• This poll was taken after the Mark Foley revelations, whereas the internal was mostly before the revelations;
• The internal Stender poll also had less than half the sample, and a margin of error higher than five percent according to reports;
• No disparaging either the Stender or their pollsters, but this is an independent poll.

There's some interesting and unexpected numbers -- beyond the two point spread -- in here if you go through them.

• In perhaps the best news, Stender is leading with likely voting independents, carrying 47 percent to Ferguson's 45 percent;
• In perhaps the worst news, Ferguson is leading with likely voting women, carrying 49 percent to Stender's 46 percent;
• Democrats like Stender better than Republicans like Ferguson. She gets 83 percent of the Dems and Ferguson gets just 78 percent from the GOP.
• Stender also does better with Republicans than Ferguson does with Demcorats. She gets 17 percent of the GOP vote while Ferguson gets 14 percent of the Democratic vote.
• Stender crushes Ferguson among people aged 45 to 64 (52%/43%), but does poorly for voters 44 and under (41%/51%), 65 to 74 (43%/57%) and 74 an above (46%/53%);
• Bush has a 40 percent approval, 50 percent disapproval.

I think the place where Stender needs to improve most is with women under 44. Choice and the Iraq should be a big mover in this population, and that can make the difference.

What do you think?

Posted by admin at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 12 Cranford Chronicle:

Mayor: Town sought federal flood funding

To The Chronicle:

I am disappointed and have begun developing an outrage at the comments made recently by both Congressman Ferguson's assistant and then thelocal Republican candidate for Township Committee regarding Cranford not applying for funding from the federal government forthe township'sflood control project. Both of these people were untruthful.

When I was mayor in 2003, I filled out an application form that Congressman Ferguson provides to communities for federal funding of projects. I never got a response to the request. I have a copyof the letter if anyone would like to review it. We did not get even a denial letter. In March 2006, as mayor, I again wrote a letter with a six-page needs assessment and got the package to the congressman for submission to the House Appropriations Committee. I did get a form letter response but have heard nothing since. I have a copy of my letter to the congressman on behalf of Cranford.

I do not understand why there has been no response. I have not been a critic of the congressman. Cranford needs all the friends it can get. That is how I have approached local government.

Cranford sends an enormous amount of personal income tax dollars to Washington, D.C. and the flood control programis one of our community's highest priorities. That is what I wrote to the congressman. I got no response.

I have recently listened to Assemblywoman Linda Stender's comments about how Congressman Ferguson supports spending $1 billion a week in Iraq in a war that has little to do with fighting terrorism. I have listened to Congressman Ferguson suggesting we need to cut back spending and lower taxes. God,the cost of about five minutes of what we spend in Iraq would keep the Rahway in its banks for every storm that is possible! We need to rebuild the dikes, and the congressmanhas not responded in three years to Cranford's request.

The lack of response may be, I think, because I am a Democratic mayor. Matt Rinaldo would not have served Cranford that way. We have stated our need many times.I wrote a letter to Assemblywoman Linda Stender, and she stated she would make our request a priority. That is encouraging.

Maybe we should send a message.

That message is we need to provide public safety in Cranford. Cranford wants responsiveness.

I appreciate the attendance of Congressman Ferguson'sassistant at the recent planning meeting on how Cranford can get our state, county and federal levels of government to get on the same page on this project. Maybe it is a newfound vigor to help. The problem is the slow response has been draining local officials' efforts at getting this critical project done.The untruthfulness is bothersome.

DAN ASCHENBACH
Cranford

Posted by admin at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Independent Press on October 11, 2006:

Leaders should avoid conflicts

To the editor:

If it looks and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. Yet all too frequently it seems some politicians can't see a conflict of interest unless it hits them over the head.
Take Congressman Mike Ferguson. Last month he participated in a hearing in Congress where Hewlett Packard's lawyers defended it against alleged criminal violations. That law firm's political action committee contributed $6,500 to Mr. Ferguson's campaign committee. Even when the NY Post pointed this out to Mr. Ferguson, he went ahead and sat in judgment. You would think that Mr. Ferguson (who received the largest fine ever levied by the FEC for $500,000 of illegal contributions to his first campaign for Congress), would know better.

Closer to home and just this past June, we have Andy Lark, a voting member of Summit's Youth Services Task Force, pressing that committee to award an important contract to Boys and Girls Club of Union County, an affiliate of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). Guess what? Andy Lark is a National Trustee of BGCA. I'm sure BGCA is a wonderful group, but Andy Lark should have done what Mike Ferguson should have done -- sit out the meeting so there would be no conflict or appearance of conflict of interest.

When questioned before his vote, Andy said he didn't see any conflict because the national body is a different legal entity than the local body. He then voted against a competing bid from another non-profit.

Don't we deserve leaders who recuse themselves from situations that involve such glaring conflicts of interest?

Alan Dickey
Summit

Posted by admin at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Independent Press on October 11, 2006:

Ferguson is the real spender

To the editor:

Recently, I saw an ad, put out by Republican Congressman Mike Ferguson that accused Linda Stender, the Democratic challenger, of being a spender.
However, it is the current Republican administration that has spent more money than all previous administrations put together and it is the Republican majority in Congress which has approved those expenditures. As a Republican Congressman who strongly supports his President, Mike Ferguson is the spender.

Barbara Babcock
New Providence

Posted by admin at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congressman Mike Ferguson says he wants to stay the course with the Bush administration's policies in the Iraq War, as opposed to finding a new strategy that could lead to victory and fewer American and Iraqi deaths. Here's what Stay The Course gets us:

Nearly one in five soldiers leaving the military after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan has been at least partly disabled as a result of service, according to documents of the Department of Veterans Affairs obtained by a Washington research group. ...

"The trend is ominous," said Paul Sullivan, director of programs for Veterans for America, an advocacy group, and a former V.A. analyst. Mr. Sullivan said that if the current proportions held up over time, 400,000 returning service members could eventually apply for disability benefits when they retired.

Supporting the troops means protecting them, and a 20 percent disabled rate is outragous.

Posted by admin at 06:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Home News Tribune on October 11, 2006:

Stender a protector of N.J.'s environment

When the Sierra Club endorsed the election of state Assemblywoman Linda Stender, D-Union, to represent the 7th Congressional District, the Sierra Club noted that she has supported environmental and quality-of-life issues throughout her career in public service.

By comparison, her opponent in the election has attempted to create the illusion of an environmental legacy based upon a single instance in which he became involved in the government's movement of sealed containers of stored chemicals. In the real world, Mike Ferguson worked to protect manufacturers of polluting chemicals. He gave tax breaks to Big Oil so that oil companies could post record-breaking profits as our gasoline and heating bills skyrocketed. Is anyone foolish enough to think that a pre-election price drop will last?

Based upon my own personal experience and the experience of her many friends and neighbors over these many years, Stender has established a record of responding favorably when it comes to preserving open space, maintaining tree cover, protecting historic resources and supporting quality of life.

Simply put, Stender understands how we live our lives. She is our best bet in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.

William T. Fidurski
CLARK

Posted by admin at 06:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Thursday, October 05, 2006 Cranford Chronicle:

Ferguson's 'independence' is a pose

To The Chronicle:

Linda Stender has a continuing "campaign of relentless attacks on Congressman Mike Ferguson"? Where did you get this impression, Mr. Fred Blum? Have you been covertly stalking the challenger every time she speaks? I follow the local media no less than the average voter, and I haven't heard a peep of negative campaigning by Ms. Stender. I guess the campaign has been too clean and quiet for the Republican taste. You must make a pre-emptive strike with a phony, straw man complaint of distortion and lies.

You say Mr. Ferguson is being attacked as a radical conservative? Mr. Blum, what have you been smoking to dream up such fanciful notions? No, our incumbent is a strategic centrist Republican artfully striking a pose of "independence," as you say, on issues of little local controversy. But Ferguson continues to toe the neo-conservative line on the big controversial issues of Iraq and the erosion of our civil liberties.

Your statement that Ferguson is an independent leader is a sad joke. I predict he will desert the burning Bush ship when he finds his own seat getting too hot. We need a fresh approach in Iraq and in the fight against terrorism. Let the candidates speak out on their own over the next month before the election. We don't need sneaky negative campaigning by surrogates.

TOM HARTMAN
Cranford

Posted by admin at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the October 4, 2006 Independent Press:

Ferguson a 'craven Bushman'

To the editor:

Sooner or later the country will wake up, even in the red states, and realize that a gang of Texas billionaires hijacked the true Republican GOP - the true Grand Old Party -and turned it into the Gas and Oil Party. Then there will be a major backlash, which will not be good for the country either.

The time has come for Republicans in our district to put country ahead of party, and replace Mike Ferguson with a Democrat, if only until the red states come to their senses. Then our district can elect a true Republican we can all be proud of - not a craven Bushman.

J.C. Phillips
Summit

Posted by admin at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week we learned that Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-NJ7) had taken $3,000 in campaign cash from Rep. Mark Foley, a Congressman who used his power and authority to engage in cybersex with underage teenage boys.

Of course, just taking money from one sexual deviant doesn't mean anything. I mean, Foley gave money to a lot of different people.

What if it is two?

Last November Rep. Don Sherwood settled a $5.5 million lawsuit filed against him by the woman he was cheating on his wife with. Sherwood's mistress claimed the following:

The suit alleges that on June 24, 2004, "without any reason or justification, Defendant Sherwood repeatedly struck the Plaintiff's face, neck, chest and back with a closed fist, and began violently choking her." The suit adds that on numerous occasions prior to and subsequent to June 24, Ore was "violently physically assailed."

The lawsuit continues, "Following each unprovoked and vicious attack, Defendant Sherwood reaffirmed his romantic intentions and promised the Plaintiff that he would not assault her in the future, and pleaded for her to remain in the relationship."

Ferguson donated to charity $2,000 of the $3,000 he received from Foley.

But to date Ferguson has kept the $2000 he has received from Sherwood's Doing Our Nation's Service PAC.

Ferguson won't keep money from a guy who preys on teenage boys, but as long as there is no publicity he is more than happy to keep money from a guy who cheats on his wife and beats his mistress.

The fact is that Mike Ferguson is willing to take money from anyone no matter how corrupt their politics or personal behavior. All four members of Congress leaving office in disgrace – Republicans Duke Cunningham (convicted), Tom DeLay (indicted), Bob Ney (convicted) and Mark Foley (admitted) – have given a combined $65,000 plus to Ferguson over the years, and so far only $3,000 of it has been donated to charity or returned.

Ferguson should be giving the money he received from corrupt politicians because it is the right thing to do, not because of the publicity. But it is the publicity Ferguson cares about.

Wrong choices, wrong Congressman.

Posted by admin at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You could say that Mike Ferguson doesn't know his district given his positions on embryonic stem cell research, abortion, contraception, the Iraq War, President Bush, Tom DeLay, etc. etc. etc. And you'd be right.

But at the very least he should know which towns are in the district and which aren't.

Yes, campaign signs can clutter an intersection, but we think it's important to tell people there is an election upcoming and who is running in it. Many people who are apathetic about politics need that reminder. And as we have noted previously, campaign signs are a hallmark of democracy and free elections.

Then again, it would be nice if those putting up signs knew something about geography. There are signs along Route 10 in Parsippany urging a vote for Rep. Michael Ferguson, R-Warren Township. No one living in Morris County can vote for Ferguson, whose district covers Somerset, Hunterdon and Union counties.

Last week his campaign staffer -- from Texas! -- was stealing Linda Stender's signs and this week they're putting them up in the wrong towns. What a joke.

Posted by admin at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have maintained over time that Mike Ferguson is not such a bad guy or father, but an incompetent and weak Congressman who makes wrong choices for his district and our country. The guy is, I've said, a lightweight who has been propelled forward by rich parents, powerful forces from the religous right, and corrupt DC Republicans like Tom DeLay, Bob Ney and Jack Abramoff.

But sometimes you have to wonder if he is a lightweight or just meanspirited like the rest of the DC Republican leadership. Check out this from Tom Moran's column in the Star Ledger:

If you were to design a weapon against Republican Congressman Mike Ferguson, you could not do much better than Tricia Riccio. ...

She is an articulate soccer mom whose son, Carl, broke his neck during a high school wrestling match in 2003.

Since then, she has become a crusader for embryonic stem cell research, on the reasonable grounds that it presents the only chance her son will ever lift himself out of his wheelchair and walk. ...

But Riccio had something more. She made it personal. She made Ferguson sound cruel.

In a meeting in his office last year, she said, Ferguson flat-out told her that her son's case was hopeless.

"He said, 'Mrs. Riccio, your son is not going to walk in his lifetime.'"

Not only is this an unbelievably cruel thing to say, and unbelievable stupid considering Ferguson has absolutely no training in medicine, but it is also unbelievable obtuse. Ferguson voted to block funding for embryonic stem cell research, the very teatment that could allow Mrs. Riccio's son to walk again!

If that treatment doesn't arrive in time for her son to benefit, it will be Congressmen like Mike Ferguson's fault. Yet he has the gall to stand there and tell a grieving mother that her son will never walk again without taking any responsibility for that reality.

Worse still, Ferguson constantly hides his opposition to embryonic stem cell research by claiming that adult stem cell research is just as beneficial. But his statement to Mrs. Ricci proves that he doesn't believe that! He clearly told her that there is no medicine -- including the adult stem cell research he pushes and an alternative -- that will help her son even though real scientists with real training and real research say that embryonic stem cell research can help.

It's shocking that Ferguson is allowed to pretend to have family values and care about children. He doesn't have either.

Wrong choices, wrong Congressman. And just downright mean.

Posted by admin at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In a sign of desperation, Mike Ferguson has staffers running around stealing campaign signs from Linda Stender.

The interesting part is that the staffer do