NP Notes from Soprano-land

[Bandwraith at aol.com]

Interesting goings on in New Jersey, these days, where
Bob Torricelli, the boomer senator and ex-paramour of
Bianca Jagger, unsheathed and fell on his sword, recently,
in what can only be described as an heroic gesture to
avoid handing over the U.S. Senate to the republicans, 
and giving Bush control over both houses of congress.

The ethics charges which imperiled Torricelli's chances
for re-election, and prompting his dramatic resignation,
were fairly mundane as far as ethics charges go, and in
another time, Torricelli might have been able to ride 
out the storm, given the overwhelming advantages of
incumbency. But not this year, with the razor thin
margin of a single vote providing the only barrier between
at least a chance for reasonable debate, and, a Bush 
lockdown on the American political process. Huge
out of state dollars poured into NJ republican coffers
and were used to magnify Torricelli's ehtical problems
in the local media.

But a psychological profile of Torricelli's decision to
"take one for the team" couldn't fail to recall the way
he urged the popularly elected Gore to quit the legal
battle for the presidency and accept Bush's right to
steal it, back in December of 1999. Perhaps Torricelli
thought that such "maverick-like" behavior might buy
him some immunity from the hermaphroditic agents
of Ashcroft's DoJ. And that part of Torricelli's
calculation might have paid off. When the time came,
Justice declined to prosecute. 

But Torricelli's political fate was sealed. No amount
of wheeling and dealing could save him from the
republican ops salivating over the possibility of
control over both houses of congress.

There is a saying, probably not exclusive to but
popular, here, in Soprano-land- "What goes around 
comes around-" and Torricelli's time had come
around.

It is deeply ironic to me that the U.S. Supreme
Court will once again decide the most important
election in the land. In this case- if it is legal for
the NJ democrats to replace Torricelli with ex-
senator Lautenberg on the ballot, so close to
the election. Lautenberg should he be allowed
to run in Torricelli's stead, will surely defeat the
republican contender, Forrester, who would
have beaten Torricelli.

If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to hear the
case, and then overturns the NJ Supreme Court
ruling that the democrats can replace Torricelli
with Lautenberg- once again frustrating the
political will of the majority- it will take more than 
a foreign war to maintain domestic tranquillity.

I'm not sure which alternative the forces behind
Bush and Cheney find more attractive.

regards