Reports: Dems polluting Tea Party in New Jersey
The Courier Post in my old home state of New Jersey has an intriguing investigative piece into the shady candidacy of a self-proclaimed “Tea Party” candidate — whose candidacy was sponsored and promoted by Democrats apparently in need of a spoiler.
Everyone wants to know “Who the hell is Peter DeStefano?” Some answers (hat tip: JWF)…
Peter DeStefano, the independent Tea Party candidate this fall, didn’t announce himself as a candidate. Rather, his name surfaced for the first time as a viable candidate in an internal poll commissioned by Rep. John Adler and released to several blogs.
DeStefano has been attacking the Republican challenger, John Runyan, and avoiding face-to-face meetings with local Tea Party activists and the media. The Dems’ (incomplete) release of the internal poll including DeStefano raised eyebrows among veteran political observers in Jersey.
Adler’s campaign would not release the complete poll to the Courier-Post, nor did the campaign respond to numerous attempts for information over the course of the week about the poll and why it was released.
“This poll is not reportable in terms of the numbers,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “Really the issue is why they released it.”
“Internal polls are notoriously unreliable, because often times, pollsters are going to skew data in favor of the candidate paying the bill,” said Brigid Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University.
Buried at the end of the Courier Post story, some tell-tale ties:
Republicans said it was troubling that longtime allies and donors to Adler had signed DeStefano’s petition. They include Marshall Spevak, who has worked for the Camden County Democratic Committee, pollster Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, Adler’s 2008 congressional campaign, and Adler’s state Senate office. He works on the campaign of Chris Coons, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Delaware.
sked through a Facebook message last Thursday about his signature on the petition, Spevak wrote: “Yes, I signed that petition. I did so with regret because I was very disappointed in the Congressman’s (Adler’s) vote on health care.”
Runyan campaign adviser Russell responded: “That’s the most ridiculous, dishonest political spin I’ve ever heard. Mr. Spevak is a professional political operative. He’s paid to run campaigns.”
Christy Gleason, Spevak’s boss on the Coons campaign, declined comment through a spokesman. Gleason also worked for the Camden County Democratic Committee last year.
Runyan aide Chris Russell has more:
“We always knew that career politician John Adler would literally say or do anything to salvage his career in Congress and keep feeding at the trough,” said Runyan General Consultant Chris Russell. “But for Adler associates to get caught propping up a fraudulent third-party candidate in an underhanded attempt to hijack the tea party movement and split the Republican vote takes the cake. The fact that the Adler campaign and leading Democrats refused to talk to the Courier Post about the evidence linking them to Peter DeStefano, and DeStefano himself cancelled all interviews, tells you all you need to know. This is nothing more than political dirty tricks, and it’s going to backfire on them in a big way.”
…“Marshall Spevak’s claim in the Courier Post, that he signed DeStefano’s petition because he was mad at Congressman Adler is preposterous,” said Russell, who pointed out that Spevak only recently deleted his facebook links to Adler and his LinkedIn profile detailing his many connections to Adler and South Jersey Dems, and that his family has close ties to Adler personally. “Mr. Spevak is a paid political operative who knew full well that a candidate running under the tea party banner in November could only help his old boss by splitting the Republican vote, not hurt him. Frankly, I wouldn’t doubt if his involvement in this petition drive didn’t go a lot further than just his signature. Given his grassroots campaign experience it’s more than plausible to believe that Mr. Spevak helped coordinate the petition drive itself. Don’t you have to wonder how Mr. DeStefano just magically wound up going door-to-door for signatures in Mr. Spevak’s neighborhood?”
* The Notaries who signed off on Mr. DeStefano’s petitions both appear to be politically active Democrats in Burlington and Ocean counties, respectively. Leonard Niedermayer contributed to Jon Corzine’s re-election campaign and is a perfect Democrat voter, while his facebook page contains numerous references bashing House Republicans. He certainly doesn’t sound much like someone with an active interest in or affinity for Tea Party candidates for Congress. The other lawyer was Harold Hensel of Toms River. Also a Democrat, he has contributed campaign funds locally to Democrats in Lakewood.
“Based on their backgrounds, I don’t see any other logical reason for two politically active Democrat lawyers from opposite ends of the district to help an unknown, self-proclaimed tea party candidate secure a position on the November ballot unless they were intentionally trying to aid Congressman Adler’s campaign,” said Russell, pointing out that notarizing a few petitions isn’t profitable legal work and is largely done by attorneys with a personal and political connection to the candidate. “The questions I have are: Did someone instruct them to help Mr. DeStefano? Were they paid for their work? If not, then what was their motivation for helping him? How did Mr. Hensel in Ocean County even meet Mr. DeStefano? Our campaign, for one, would love to get an answer to these questions.”
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Is he the right’s Alvin Greene?
This is getting so out of control. How are we to know what to believe any more? Everyone is deceitful…EVERYONE!! I am so sick of this corruption…coming from both parties. And even the Tea Party is vulnerable to attacks and smears. How are we to sort this all out and know what is right? I am having a VERY hard time with this.
They are doing this in Michigan also; well, they’re doing it *everywhere*, actually.
The same way the left infiltrated the democrat party beginning at the Chicago convention in 1968, they are infiltrating the Tea Party protests to discredit the movement, and field their own candidates.
It’s why the GOP is so complacent, they’ve been neutralized by the media and by leadership cowed or sympathetic to the left.
(munching popcorn) More cheese Gromit!
rockhauler…
Where is this happening in Michigan? (curious Michigan resident)
They did this same thing in FL … A trend is forming. They are using false flag operations as the way to defocus the vote and the issues.
WOT and I apologize but with our government insisting that banks that are too big to manage, too big to regulate and “too big to fail”, with corrupt sanctuary city mayors, with both political parties prepared to grant blanket amnesty and insisting that they can’t control the borders, how did we miss this?
No one has been arrested or put in jail. Just a paltry fine and almost no press coverage.
Let’s kill the “conspiracy theorist” criticism okay. Our government is so corrupt, we dare not even ask the questions anymore.
Par for the course in progressive circles. The “Do and Say Anything to Get Elected” crowd are, by nature, dishonest, money-grubbing, and power hungry.
Can anyone name a Progressive that has run a campaign honestly, and on the agenda on which they believe, or is there always wriggle-room, and gray areas so vast, that their words could mean anything?
The Progressive left’s mantra is “always run right, govern left.” If progressive ideas were so great, they wouldn’t have to lie about their actual beliefs to get elected.
Isn’t this the second plant caught red-handed? It is hard to imagune the legakities of such a scheme
On July 20th, 2010 at 9:59 am, happyscrapper said:
Pull out of it scrapper. They have got you exactly where they want you. Angry, confused and unfocused. Wait until August is over and we will really see some fireworks. Stay alert all.
Alvin Greene isn’t a 3rd party candidate. So no.
We can beat this!
I have attended TP rallys and regular meetings etc…..for over a year now. I’ve watched the expected ebb and flow of people jockeying for position in a newly created organization. I know the groups/individuals to trust or challenge. For me, it’s all local. Those who didn’t join in from the get-go and care about TP values need to do research and get involved. We can beat this!!
Side note: I suppose this is a downside of not having one consolidated national Tea Party organization. That being said, I still like this Tea Party animal without a head. That way, the enemy has to go after a lot of targets.
True. One also suspects that DeStefano can form a complete sentence.
So it looks as if he’s a “Crash The Tea Party” candidate, hmmmm.
BTW, establishment Republicans are infiltrating the Tea Party too.
Know your candidates! Don’t do as I did and waste your vote on Ross Perot, know matter how much you like his message. If the candidate you love isn’t going to get elected, vote for the candidate you like, or the candidate you can tolerate. We need to win as many seats, and as many governorships, and as many state seats as possible if we stand a chance of turning this crap around. Constitutional amendments or conventions require 2/3 of the states.
Be careful casting yourself as the gatekeeper of the Tea Party. That’s not just to MM, but anyone trying to ‘define’ this movement.
Isn’t it wonderful when things are unanimous? You can’t have unanimity if you don’t hear everyone and include everyone (if for no reason but to persuade them).
It’s going to be a problem if people start wanting to kick people out for whatever reason. The Tea Party is the party of the American People. The power in the peoples’ hands instead of the governments’.
For example. . . are you going to want Ron Paul to join the Tea Party caucus? He’ll likely be the Tea Party candidate for President. Apart from that, he probably was influential in getting the red tape cleared for this caucus.
You might not agree with everyone on everything. In fact you might not agree with them on much. But if they agree with limited government, they are in.
So the Republican party still wants to have it’s first primaries and caucuses in New Hampshire & Iowa? This is how they ended up with John McCain. The first primary should be in Colorado, a state much more representative of the national electorate.
What’s that supposed to mean? Alvin gave a 6.5 minute speech this week. The guy could win.
I learn as much as I can about anyone running I can vote for. I do not care if the TP or whoever is behind them if these people don’t have my views for our Republic. Only those who have my views get funds from me also. It is really hard sometimes because those running will say whatever they think the voters want to hear to get elected. We see this in dc and even in state elections by those running. I am just hoping for everything it is worth that Nov. we can do something to stop this bho and team.
L
Nothing new here. Politicians cheat and game the system. What has changed is that the public is more sensitive to the wheeling and dealing. The old ways of political advancement and the concept of career political families have lasted too long. These self-proclaimed political elites are wallowing in their own stupidity. This country was build by creative thinking and hard work done by ordinary Americans. It will be rebuilt by those same principles and not by the “we’re better than you” crowd in DC. If the DC crowd really had a plan, the economy would not be this far in the dumper. They made this bed and we should all see that they pay dearly for the gross mismanagement of this country. It’s follow the Constitution or you’re out.
From what I heard, he sounded like a bumbling fool.
So give the man a teleprompter, just like the Obamessiah. He can’t even pee without a teleprompter.
More than the average liberal?
I think this guy has a contract pending with Mattel.
If Obama wants to be a part of the Tea Party, consider it a good thing.
“…establishment Republicans are infiltrating the Tea Party too.”
In my best Mr. Bill voice…
“Oh no!”
Much like Our Dear Leader.
“The guy could win.”
Yep. And he’ll win precisely because of who he is. Talk about powerful message to send to Washington. Here’s what we think of this mess. We’re going to vote for Alvin. His best chance is to not try and become a “serious” candidate.
Scary but true.
Indeed. But still less than Palin. So he has that going for him.
Them wascally Wepublicans. Infiltrating MY Tea Party. I’ve been told I could shoot wepulbicans and goats and pigeons and mongooses and dirty skunks and ducks. Could you tell me what season it weawwy is?
“But still less than Palin.”
Oh now.
Elmer Fudd: Got you, you wabbit stew, you.
Bugs Bunny: Look, Doc. Are you looking for trouble? I’m not a stewing wepublican. I’m a fricasseeing wepublican.
Elmer Fudd: Fwicasseeing wepublican?
Bugs Bunny: Have you got a fricasseeing wepublican license?
Elmer Fudd: Well, no. I…
Bugs Bunny: Do you happen to know what the penalty is for shooting a fricasseeing wepublican without a fricasseeing wepublican license?
WTF? Who he is? Who exactly is he? Please tell us oh wise one.
That’s why we can’t take you seriously. If Greene beats Jim Demint or even makes a race out of it, then South Carolinians are the dumbest voters on the planet.
If the corruption becomes so bad that voters no longer trust any political candidate, then the public might put all of their faith into the military. Our times only become more dangerous.
Ha ha. Good save.
All this is predictable and predicted.
Stay calm…keep your powder dry, watch and work.
That may be true, but that does not mean js is wrong.
Why was Kagan such an appealing choice for Obama? Because her lack of record makes it very hard to attack her. It is entirely advantageous for candidates to be running from a clean slate, spout nonspecific platitutdes and hope that anti-incumbency will sweep you into office.
“South Carolinians are the dumbest voters on the planet.”
Or just really pissed off.
Donks understand well that the best way to win in close contests will be to split the opposition. Winning by plurality in a three-way race may be “winning ugly,” but it’s still winning.
And, obviously, Donks are not above trying to foment that split if it won’t manifest itself in its own.
Expect more of this. A lot more.
Give the current climate and feelings in general about politicians, one only has to go as far as Phil’s post about we wascally wepublicans, even us fricasseeing wepublicans, to see that a candidate like Alvin, the non-candidate, has a real chance in this horse race. However his best chance is to not try to be anything other than a non-candidate. If he tries to put on something he isn’t, he’ll be as effective as David would have not been against the giant wearing Saul’s armor.
Alvin has a shot. The non-candidate candidate.
“Expect more of this. A lot more.”
The more effective the tea dudes and dudettes appear to be the more of it we’ll see too.
Given that Republicans appear to be the greatest recipient of the tea party hard to understand Phil’s paranoia about wascually wepublican infiltrators. Do “true” tea party folks when seeing an infiltrator make that kind of noise Donald Sutherland made at the end of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”?
The trick is to kind of walk around looking purposeful, but vacuous. That way you blend right in. That is how I survived attending that Tea Party rally at the Capitol last fall.
Maybe Phil can record the sound on You Tube for us?
See you later. Off to job interview. Attempting to join the dark side. Given the need to manage the payor side of health care is going to increase with or without Obamacare I’m trying to move back into the insurance side of health care/case management.
Which is exactly how we got strapped with Obama.
It also helps to lie a lot, and have willing repeaters in the press.
“but vacuous.”
That didn’t work for Donald although we thought just maybe it had…..
But NO, they got Donald too!
People were just being polite. Which is what you would have noted, had you ever actually been to a TEA Party rally.
Tea Party I attended here is AZ was a great bunch of folks. Chap would have been welcomed I’m sure. Very nice folks.
Not one grumpy libertarian Phil type that I noticed.
Of course here in AZ I’d guess 99% were Republicans.
Ouch….
At the several I’ve attended here in Texas, they were the embodiment of the “town square”, with people all over the political spectrum, united by a recognition that our central government is out of control. All races…all sexual orientations…just people.
I absolutely was. Here are my thoughts upon immediately returning.
Oh, a method actor, eh?
How do you know that you don’t normally look vacuous?
Heh. Good one.
I think that the biggest problem that the ruling elites have with the Tea Party groups is that these groups don’t want a top down organization. I see the Tea party groups as an energy of ordinary principles people, who are moving around in the background. It’s like watching mercury. The metal has a cohesion which it allows it to move about smoothly. Smack it and it scatters and then slowly reforms. The left needs a leader to attack. By resisting the need for a leader, the Tea party groups have greater strength. Unite behind the Constitution. Unite behind the founding principles. Unite behind the Declaration of Independence. The ruling elites will have to attack the entire group and that they do at their own peril.
I knew it! The Tea Party is really here to destroy John Connor!
I think the Tea Party has bigger fish to fry.
I knew the Dems would not go down without a fight. They lied, cheated and stole their way into power. They will not go quietly into the dark night. I think they have a lot more dirty tricks up their sleeve to pull out in October.
I still wonder if Obama is going to spend the other half of the stimulus money on “creating” jobs in districts they need to win. In October, you go into the tough district (like Harry Reids) and you hire a bunch of people to work at a sham solar energy plant propped up with stimulus money. Thousands of people are hired, the unemployment rate drops and presto chango, Obamas policies are working! All is forgiven and Harry is a hero who came from behind and won on the strength of the economy which his policies helped bring back from the brink of destruction that the Republicans did to our country. All hail the conquering heroes!
Obama for life. He and the Dem party saved our country. How could we repay him? By allowing him more power to do more of what he is doing. We finally found someone intelligent enough and powerful enough to save our country. We need to make sure he is around for a long time.
No, he’s the left’s Alvin Greene.
Guys…
remember what I’ve always said about the TEA Party movement.
Power has rules that describe it.
The TEA Party movement is potential…that is ALL it is.
To exert power, that potential has to be focused by some means.
People who know power will ALWAYS try to exploit potential to their advantage.
We just have to be aware of that, and smarter than they. That is not hard.