Booker meets fundraising goal with free advertising along the way – Politico

Cory Booker met his self-imposed goal of raising $1.7 million, so he won’t be dropping out of the Democratic primary race. Should those of us in the press feel played?

I can’t speak to whether or not Booker really intended to drop out. And I can’t begrudge him a smart media strategy. And I think the initial fundraising appeal was newsworthy.

Story Continued Below

But it led to story after story about how much Booker periodically raised, and how close he was to his ten-day goal. That kind of thing would normally be reserved for annoying fundraising emails that few people read. But in this case the press was doing it for him.

Was this an ultra-transparent move by Booker and not a stunt, as his campaign said? Well, to be really transparent, maybe he could name every major donor? They’re going to be disclosed anyway. And say exactly how you’re spending the money each week with a breakdown — not just some vague goal? Now that would be interesting.

But if you want to congratulate savvy, props to the Booker people for getting the press to do its fundraising work for it.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The Moocher States targeted NJ and other blue states and have made off like bandits with our tax dollars. I’m working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to fully reinstate the SALT deduction and actually lower taxes for NJ. I’m sick and tired of paying the bills for these other states.” — U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th Dist.) on the SALT ruling (more on that below)

WHERE’S MURPHY? — At Rowan University for an 11 a.m. “armchair discussion” on his economic plan

HERE COME THE HARD QUESTIONS — Norcross plans to testify before Senate panel examining tax incentive programs, by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan: South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross will testify next month when the Senate select committee examining New Jersey’s tax incentive programs plans to meet again, a spokesman for Norcross said Monday. Senate Democrats announced Monday that the Senate Select Committee on Economic Growth Strategies will hold its next hearing sometime in November, and will hear from representatives of 15 companies, including Conner Strong & Buckelew, the insurance brokerage where Norcross serves as executive chairman, and Cooper University Hospital, where he serves as chairman. No date for the hearing has been set, but Norcross spokesman Dan Fee confirmed to POLITICO that Norcross would appear before the panel.

SALTING THE WOUND — Judge throws out states’ challenge to tax deduction cap, by POLITICO’s Toby Eckert: A federal judge Monday dismissed a suit by four states, including New York and New Jersey, that challenged a cap on state and local tax deductions Congress imposed as part of its 2017 tax overhaul. “The States have cited no constitutional principle that would bar Congress from exercising” its authority “to impose an income tax without a limitless SALT deduction,” U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken wrote in his opinion. The states, which also included Connecticut and Maryland, sued the Treasury Department and the IRS in July 2018, seeking to block the cap. They argued that the $10,000 limit on the amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted from someone’s federal tax liability is unconstitutional because it exceeds Congress’ taxing authority and was designed to “coerce” them to change their own tax policies.

WHO TO BELIEVE: AN ECONOMIST WHO STUDIES THIS ISSUE AND HAS NO CONFLICTS OF INTEREST OR A LAW FIRM THAT REPRESENTS THE COMPANIES THAT WILL BENEFIT? — “To bring more jobs, here’s what N.J. should do, economist says,” by Timothy J. Bartik for The Star-Ledger: “Voters and policymakers should recognize that incentives are not a free lunch. Research suggests that incentives tip the location or expansion decision less than 25% of the time. The other 75% of the time, these jobs would have been created in New Jersey anyway. Even when incentives do tip job creation decisions, there is no big financial windfall for state and local governments. New jobs bring in new people, who require more public services and infrastructure. Public spending needs eat up over 90% of any tax revenue gains. So, business tax incentives are costly. Is there any way to reduce their costs? Yes, by reducing long-term incentives. In the modern American economy, businesses making location and expansion decisions are focused on the short-term. An incentive provided 5 or 10 years from now has little effect.”

TITTEL CALLED FOR THE VETO OF THE PLASTIC BAG FEE — “Lead in NJ water: Of 31 ideas to address it, one came close. But Murphy vetoed it,” by The Record’s Stacey Barchenger and Dustin Racioppi: “A proposal last year would have implemented a 5-cent fee on paper and plastic bags and dedicated the revenue to schools and communities to remove lead pipes and paint. Lawmakers took steps to divert the money to the general fund, and ultimately Murphy vetoed the measure, saying it was ‘incomplete and insufficient’ because it applied only to certain stores and he favored an outright ban on plastic bags. … Of the 31 bills introduced since the beginning of Murphy’s administration in January 2018, more than half deal with lead that leaches from aging pipes into water. Another four address the more significant threat to children from lead in paint. Half of the bills were introduced in prior years but were not acted on. Two recently filed bills would aid efforts to replace lead pipes, the only way to fully remove the threat of lead. ‘The fact that these bills are stuck and the administration itself is not pushing anything, it undercuts the seriousness of the crisis,’ said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club. ‘My concern is once the headlines go away, the will to do anything goes away.’”

—Poll: 65 percent in New Jersey support plastic bag ban, but disagree on details

PURE COINCIDENCE THAT SWEENEY AND DONALD NORCROSS’ UNIONS MAXED OUT TO PETERS’ MAGA PRIMARY OPPONENT — “Peters criticizes his opponents for being instruments of ‘Camden Cartel’,” from InsiderNJ: “Running for reelection in LD8, a key legislative battleground, Assemblyman Ryan Peters (R-8) chastised his Democratic opponents for being beholden to what he described as “the Camden cartel,” and laughed at the ridiculousness of politically-connected donors funding his primary opponent to say he’s not Trump enough, only to have some of the same donors turn around and condemn him in the general for being too Trump.”

CHAIRMANSHIP — “Quiñones Perez organized breakfast that launched plot against Currie,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Hunterdon County Democratic Chair Arlene Quiñones Perez was the ringleader of a bid to find an alternative candidate for Democratic State Chairman, the New Jersey Globe has learned. Quiñones Perez proposed that Hudson County Democratic Chair Amy DeGise seek the post instead of incumbent John Currie during a meeting with other county chairs that she organized. DeGise, who participated in the meeting, declined, sources told the Globe.”

17.2 MASTROS — Baraka to announce $155M Port Authority deal to relieve city of lead-related debts, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on Tuesday will announce a new $155 million lease agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that will at least partially alleviate debts the city’s taken on to relieve its ongoing lead contamination crisis. The exact terms of the arrangement are unclear and city spokesperson Crystal Rosa declined to provide additional details. In August, Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo orchestrated a $120 million loan for Newark to replace some 18,000 lead service lines over the next three years.

NURSING OLD WOUNDS — From Ryan Hutchins: We’re three years past the great gas tax debate of 2016, with Chris Christie a dot in the rearview mirror, but some interest groups are still holding grudges against those who came down on the other side of the issue. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825, which represents heavy equipment operators, mechanics and surveyors in New Jersey, just released its list of Assembly endorsements and didn’t bother to make mention of any lawmakers who dared oppose the gas tax. “It took us 17 years to get it fixed, so no,” Greg Lalevee, business manager of IUOE 825, said. “There were places where we only endorsed one person of two incumbent because of where they may or may not have stood on that issue.” Just a reminder: The Transportation Trust Fund authorization runs out in five years. Will it mean raising taxes again?

— “Pension payments: Good news for local governments overshadowed by latest state data

—“Atlantic City Postscript: Currie, Jones, the ballroom, and the swamp”

—“Will N.J. public worker pension fund help tobacco farmworkers form a union?”

JEFFERSONIAN VAN DREW DEMOCRACY — “A tweet from Trump puts Van Drew in national spotlight,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Michelle Brunetti Post: “President Donald Trump’s tweet thanking Congressman Jeff Van Drew, D-2nd, for opposing impeachment may have put Van Drew in the crosshairs of leftists nationwide, but it isn’t likely to hurt him in his conservative-leaning Congressional district, said one political expert on Monday. ‘He’s in a district that Donald Trump won,’ said John Froonjian, interim executive director of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University. ‘If anybody knows the area it’s Jeff Van Drew. He goes to every barbecue and every fire hall. I’d have to guess his positions are very well informed from having talked to people throughout the district.’”

—“Democrats keep talking tough on Silicon Valley. This week, they can’t stop taking money from it”

DIDN’T AN ‘UNLAWFUL RELEASE’ GET HIM IN TROUBLE TO BEGIN WITH?— “Judge dismisses mugshot lawsuit filed by ex-N.J. superintendent who admitted pooping at HS track,” by NJ Advance Media’s Chris Sheridan: “The former superintendent of the Kenilworth School District, who admitted last year to pooping under the bleachers of a Monmouth County high school athletic field near his home, has lost a round in court. A federal judge has dismissed his lawsuit alleging the unlawful release of his mugshot by police. In April, Thomas Tramaglini filed a lawsuit claiming the Holmdel Police Department illegally took his mugshot and maliciously leaked it to the media, sparking media coverage ‘around the world.’ Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Anne E. Thompson, in Trenton, granted the town’s defense attorney’s motion to dismiss the suit.”

DR. DRE SAID IT BEST — “Englewood employees allege racial bias, detail ‘hostile’ work environment in lawsuit,” by The Record’s Katie Sobko: “The city is facing a discrimination lawsuit from two court employees who say they have endured harassment for years. Debbian Barr and Jacqueline Bland filed the suit last week in Superior Court in Bergen County alleging that they faced harassment and discrimination based on their race and ethnicity. Both women are of Jamaican ancestry, according to court documents. The suit names the city, the Police Department, former City Manager Edward Hynes and Human Resources Director Daria Trumpet. It alleges that Barr and Bland faced ‘severe and pervasive behavior, discrimination and retaliation to the point that they are hostile work environment victims.’”

BERGEN COUNTY — “Fawn with slit throat, garage of pit bulls: When an animal shelter and the county clashed,” by The Record’s Jean Rimbach: “It was chaotic. That’s the only detail most people agree on when they describe how Bergen County effectively shuttered a small animal shelter in Cliffside Park. Cars screeched to a stop out front. Police arrived to keep the peace. Tearful volunteers made frantic calls to find foster homes for cats and dogs they didn’t want to hand over to county officials. The shelter manager told police the situation brought on an asthma attack. The volunteer who oversaw the shelter’s cats called it a raid. Beyond that, opinions diverge in a strange saga that involves accusations of lies and a setup, a fawn whose throat was slit, corruption and misconduct, a distressed baby squirrel, falsifying records, an urgent email about a ‘garage full of pit bulls,’ and shelter volunteers who felt threatened by “hostile” county officials.”

SHE KNOWS MOST OF THEM CAN’T VOTE YET, RIGHT? — “Councilwoman says Hamilton school district cancelled GALRE speakers after Mayor Kelly Yaede’s ‘psychotic’ visit,” by The Trentonian’s Isaac Avilucea: “The ‘psychotic’ mayor ruined it for everybody, a councilwoman said Monday, after learning the township school district canceled her scheduled visit with GALRE students at Steinert High School.The decision was made to suspend guest speaker visits for at least a week following Mayor Kelly Yaede’s vicious political takedown of opponents during a speech she gave students of Anthony Tessein’s class last week at Hamilton High School West.The Trentonian obtained and published a recording of Yaede’s comments week, and the backlash was swift … Yaede, after decrying the ‘ugliest politics Hamilton Township has ever seen’ went on to bash vanquished GOP challenger Henderson as a ‘racist, misogynistic, anti-Muslim individual’ and alleged police visited his home multiple times over the years on domestic violence calls. aede also took shots at her opponent in the November election.”

—“Sheriffs: Plan to end cooperation with ICE ‘absurd,’ and we’ll fight it”

—“NJ Dem LGTBQ caucus deems anti-DeFusco Hoboken blog post ‘homophobic’”

—“ICE after Vineland resident in underage sexual assault case”

—“[Branchburg] plans for 1,000 affordable housing units but hopes they won’t be built”

—“Lawsuit: South Korea says Bergen couple hiding money from $75M in faulty defense equipment”

—“Judge orders Keegan Landfill in Meadowlands to stay closed due to dangerous fumes”

AFTER CHEATING THOSE EMISSION TESTS, THE CASINOS SHOULD BE A BREEZE — “Volkswagen and Audi car show finds unique home in Atlantic City,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Lauren Carroll: “This was the second year for the car show in Atlantic City. For many of the Volkswagen and Audi owners, the cars they bring to show are not just display cars. “This is my all-around car,” said Anthony Rodriquez, of Union City, said about his suped-up 2012 Audi, “I take it to the shows. I take it to the drag track. I have groceries in the back. and I drive my kid around. It has 124,00 miles, so this is my every day car.””

—“Suicide took mom, grandmother; for Miss NJ USA contestant, this cause is personal”