In
recent campaign ads, US Senate incumbent Robert Menendez has been playing up his working- middle class roots while promoting the legislation the heauthored or supported on behalf of New Jersey voters: The Credit CARD Act of 2009 and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ObamaCare).
Despite
the warm rhetoric, the cold reality remains chilling enough to dissuade Garden
State voters, or at least give them pause, about electing Menendez to another
term. His inarticulate statements and his inarticulation with the truth suggest
that perhaps ‘Mendacious Menendez has some explaining to do, from his previous
run for the Senate, his role as leader of the Democratic Senatorial Selection
committee, and to his pretended fight for the middle class.
During
his contentious 2006 race with Tom Kean for the US Senate, Menendez had endorsed Ed Lamont in the Connecticut race at the same time, one which nearly knocked incumbent Joe Lieberman out of the race. PolitickerNJ reported that Menendez switched his endorsement to Lieberman, presumably just to shore up Jewish votes. Menendez pandered
for votes then, so what would prevent him from doing so again?
As
Chairman for the Democratic National Selection Committee, Menendez twice distorted
the opposition, first claiming that the grassroots rebellion against runaway debts, deficits, and entitlement spending constituted a “scary” trend
that was “out of the mainstream.” However, Menendez’ caucus lost six seats, driven by support for Obama’s stimulus, a trillion dollar payout littered with waste
and fraud, and ObamaCare, an immense government encroachment of tax hikes,
excessive regulations, and legislative confusion.
In
an interview with “This Week" anchor Christiane Amanpour, DNSC Chairman
Menendez tried to soften the
inevitable shellacking that the President's party would endure that
November. The Democrats lost the two-term majorities which they have cobbled
together from 2006 and 2008.
Failing
his party, Mr. Menendez has failed to represent or assist every New Jerseyan,
and not just one community. Yet portions of his book — "Growing American Roots: Why Our Nation Will Thrive As Our Largest Minority
Flourishes," suggest a posturing promotion of one community at the expense
of the rest of the country:
“By 2050, there will be 130 million Latinos in the United States,
a majority under thirty years old. We will be one-third of the U.S. population…
we will honor our shared heritage; we will recall our heroes – George
Washington and Simon Bolivar; Abraham Lincoln and Jose Marti… There is no
turning back.”
What
is Menendez' record, so far, on behalf of the Hispanic community in New Jersey?
11.3%unemployment , and Menendez commands a lesser degree
of support among Hispanics this term compared to 2006. Two reasons why may relate
to two legislative achievements which Menendez has played up in recent ads.
Menendez
claimed that ObamaCare
would save this country $250 million over the first ten years once the law is
fully implemented, then another $1.2 trillion afterwards. On one note, $250 million
is a drop in the bucket compared to the trillion dollar deficits and the
multi-trillion dollar national debt which is assaulting the country. Yet even
Politifact.com weighed in and declared this assertion
"mostly false".
Of
course, Mr. Menendez refuses to talk about the $716
billion raid on Medicare since the law was passed. The Huffington Post has
also reported that six
million Americans are projected to get hit with the massive mandate-tax. CNBC
has announced that small businesses are projected huge losses and cast offs because of this legislation. The New York Times also weighed in on the disastrous implications of ObamaCare, the law which is supposed to help the very middle
class families whom Menendez claims to champion. The IRS has construed key
portions of the law to exclude the family of working men and women who already
receive health insurance from their employers while taking in a comparable
salary to purchase health care. Unfortunately, most businesses cover the
employee, not the family. The IRS’ reading of the law will exclude the rest of
the family. Another source not only points out Menendez’ falsehood, but
establishes that ObamaCare will costs three times higher than calculated. So much for helping the middle class. . .
Menendez
has also claimed that he fought for the middle
class by attacking credit card abuse. Sadly, the law of unintended
consequences exploded the perceived benefits of this legislation, the
Credit CARD Acct of 2009, for in anticipation of Congressional regulations
embedded in the bill, banks and credit providers either raised fees, reduced
lines of credit, or dropped card carriers altogether. Regulations that were
supposed to ease the credit crunch for consumers only made it worse. I do not see how going after
“predatory” credit card companies with more regulations helps middle class
families, many of whom have lost credit or have their credit line reduced.
After
six years, including President Obama’s disastrous policies of debt and deficits, with no end in sight to the chronic unemployment eating away at this
nation’s economic recovery, can Mr. Menendez still stand by mendacious claims that
his party, his state, and this country are better off because of his tenure in
Congress?