Post by BrianSullivan on May 3, 2010 10:03:21 GMT -5
Well -- you certainly haven't been demonized by my hypothesis on why you and several posters friendly to the Mayor decided -- each on your own -- at the same time -- to stop posting on he site. Frankly, that hypothesis is not that outrageous.
In addition, I later modified my stand on that to state that your decision may have been either the result of a friendly request, or the sense of obligation from your appointment. Either way -- the effect would be the same, of course.
Is it your position that no member of the democrat party in Freehold suggested you stop posting, or hinted that posting on the site was bad for the election? (Suggested ranging from, "hey Marc why do you give those guys credibility" to "Marc, this probably doesn't help us -- and everything in between)?
I don't think the myth of the Machine is a myth at all. How it operates is just old fashion politics. That happens in every single town.
Just think -- If you were an outside political observer -- what would you think about the following facts:
1. Mayor and Council hold meeting and make presentations of good service and give awards to high profile -- well-deserving citizens in the October Council Meeting
2. An issue is raised about the residency, both legal and Borough residency on appointments to a controversial committee.
3. The Borough does not hold a public meeting in the Mid-October period -- height of campaign season.
4. The only member of the counsel that posts on the Board where the tough issue is raised decides not to post any more.
5. That person -- a former Republican gets his council seat by appointment of the Mayor and Council -- all dems, two up for election.
6. Other posters friendly to and with direct access to the Mayor also decide to stop posting to the site.
7. A poster on the site who had been silent re-emerges and begins a scorched earth posting binge personally attacking the site, its credibility, its moderators, and their credentials.
8. That poster is a political activist, a PR specialist, and the son of the Democrat Councilman who has stopped posting and who was appointed by the Mayor.
9. The democrat Mayor regularly monitors the site and that site monitoring had increased dramatically.
Would you believe -- under those facts -- that some coordination, influence, discussion, or political efforts had been set in motion by a Mayor who has been in office for 22 years?
Is that really an outrageous set of assumptions?
It's politics. Plain and simple. Call it a machine -- call it what you want -- but that is how the game gets played at every level -- and you know it. All that happened was someone took the time to point it out to people who don't think about it that often.
I definitely agree that this is not exactly the the Mayor Daily Chicago machine here. This is small time. And, frankly, as I have written before -- the Council in many ways lacks some political sophistication. But this is classic group politics.
The goal is to ride out the storm -- use the party voting advantage -- and avoid any major negative coverage in an off year election. I get that.
I am just saying that it strains credulity for anyone to suggest that posters on this site are somehow playing politics -- and the politicians are not playing politics at all. They are using every political experience and advantage they can to get re-elected.
Speaking of that -- when is the first debate between the incumbents and the challenger?
I thought this thread was worth bumping -- big-time.
Notice -- this thread asked the Reyes question 2 years ago! Out of the wood-work appeared every friend of the Mayor on a scorched earth mission. In fact, it was this thread and this subject that led the Machine into a foaming at the mouth, all out assault on the participants of this site.
Since this thread -- one of the people giving advice and consent to the Mayor has been voted out. Another participant, a dem appointee and relative of a Council member was banned, for the third time.
Posters left under pressure from the Machine -- and yet today the site is busy on a daily basis than it every has been before -- ever.
The only thing still un-answered from this thread is, "did the mayor know Mr. Reyes was undocumented at the time he and the dems appointed him?
If you want to read what really happened when the machine was challenged, start with this thread from the first post, and watch the vicious attacks and misdirection. AND -- the funniest thing about all this is, it was the site admin who said he actually didn't have a problem with appointing an illegal. Yet, by the middle of the thread, we were all anti-gay, anti-Hispanic, right-wing republicans out to destroy a mythical machine.
So -- I ask the question again -- who appointed Reyes, and what did they know about Mr. Reyes besides the fact that he was a radical leftist open-borders advocate?
Oh -- and its only May - so this is not the "silly season."
Wow! This thread you brought up is a blast from the past.
here is another one. The first post is mine with a nice backround on the topic....
freeholdvoice.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=humanrelation&action=display&thread=2662