November 18, 2007 - 2:56pm
Cardinale says Cryan is a racist
By EditorState Sen. Gerald Cardinale says comments condemning his re-election campaign as divisive are “vile trash” and labeled Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan a “racist.” During the fall campaign, Cardinale said his Democratic opponent, Joseph Ariyan, was backed by "those who support terrorism."
“I partially agree with Cryin’ Cryan,” Cardinale told PolitickerNJ.com in an e-mail. “Inflammatory rhetoric that demonizes any ethnic, racial or religious group has no place in a political campaign. That's why I was very careful with the content of my ads. We identified a particular group, ADC, as being supportive of Hamas, Hezbollah etc. Those are recognized as terrorist organizations. We cited numerous Internet references including the ADL's web site reference to a Washington DC rally for Hezbolla on 8/12/06.”
Cardinale, who defeated Ariyan by a 55%-45% margin, took aim at Cryan.
“It’s Joe Cryan who is the racist here. He apparently equates terrorist with Arab. I do not. I recognize that most Americans,of every ethnic or religious derivation, are appalled at terrorism,” said Cardinale. “Joe seems to have a problem with that, or is he just so disappointed that the sleazy ads his state committee sent out on Aryian's behalf were so over the top that they backfired. One of those ads accused me and my running mates of '
pocketing three million dollars of taxpayer money’”Cryan issued a statement on Sunday night responding to Cardinale.
"The comments by Senator Cardinale do nothing more than show that the criticism of his political rhetoric - including strongly-worded columns by the Bergen Record columnists Al Doblin and Charles Stiles, as well as myself, - are more than justified," Cryan said. "His false accusation against me diminishes himself and the office of New Jersey State Senator. I would encourage him to put an end to his divisive, repulsive comments before he reaches a new low in New Jersey politics."
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Cardinale may not be racist, but he's an idiot
n/t
...
Day 2 of Gerry Cardinale's FOR GOD SAKE PLEASE RETIRE tour!
woah woah
hold on. i have no horse here nor do i care. but don't think for a second if the situation were reversed that cryan wouldnt have sanctioned the Dem state committee to bash cardinale on the very same issue using the exact same language. cryan is a total hack
No Legitimate Justification for Cardinale's Sleaze
It sounds like the real bottom line for Cardinale is that he thinks he's justified in using sleazy tactics because he believes that they were used against him.
I would love to see Cardinale and Cryan go at it in a public debate on the general question of how/whether Republicans have abused "the terrorist/9-11" card in this last NJ campaign.
Cardinale seems to think that simplistic name calling is the same thing as a rational informed argument. I doubt that line would hold up for two hours in a public forum focused on getting to the truth.
The real bottom line as I see it is that Republicans from Bush/Cheney on down are using the 9-11 attacks the same way Joe McCarthy used Communism in the 50's.
It's a rotten technique that poisons our whole nation just for the political and economic gain of a few pols and contractors raking in billions of bucks in war profiteering.
Meanwhile, most congressional Democrats are indeed still cowed by these dirty tactics. If they weren't they would be voting articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives.
The fact of the matter is that Bush/Cheney's policies have played directly into the hands of Al Qaeda.
Bush/Cheney have conned us into a war that is infinitely self perpetuating in that, if allowed to continue unabated, it will continue to serve as a vehicle for recruiting more and more hate filled enraged individuals into the arms of Al Qaeda and its clones.
Bush couldn't have done "better" if he were taking orders from Osama himself.
The time has come to ask of Republicans towing the Bush Cheney line, "Have you no shame?"
And to ask the cowed Democrats still cringing in fear of being labled as "unpatriotic" or "soft on terror", "Have you no balls"?
Meanwhile, the trillion dollar gravy train that is our "war on terror" stays on a track that leads us all to hell.
If you're Halliburton or Blackwater the worse things get; the more "profits" you stand to make. Talk about perverse incentives.
It will take at least a generation to begin to fully repair the damage that Republicans like George Bush and Cardinale are doing to the social/economic/political/moral fabric of the USA; the sooner we stop the bleeding, the better.
From Frederick Douglass
Gerry, you won.
Stop wasting your time responding to these idiots.
How about...
stop chasing tornadoes, now that's nuts.
Ridiculous
I can't believe the people in Bergen County actually elect this guy time and time again. Amazing.
Message to Gerry...
Before you totally discredit conservatism in New Jersey, can you please hire a decent press person? It sounds like the LaRouche Youth has been writing your pieces as of late. Or did Pascoe get a job with you after destroying Nick Asselta's chances?
Cardinale is overdozed
Cardinale is in for a rude awakening. Rumors have it that the Arab ADC is seriously looking into filing a defamation suite against this old fart. He keeps digging deeper into the dirt he has amassed. He should just shut up because the more he opens up his mouth the, the more insane he appears: the more illiterate he comes across. Since when, the Internet was the arbiter of what constitutes a terrorist organization? Why do we need the Jewish Defense League, which is by default anit-Arab to judge for us who is a good or bad Arab American organization? What evidence does Cardinale have that ADC supports terroism? If he is so sure of his facts, why does not the FBI investigates ADC's leadership?
The reality is that Cardinale was afraid for his politcal life in hte last days of the election. He would have just as easily prostituted his wife to get reelected. Short of that, why not play the terror card?
Nice try but to accuse Cryan of being a racist because Cryan exposed Cardinal’s racism is truly a despicably low blow. Cardinale is past his usefulness to Bergen and to the Republicans. Time to send him to pasture.
By why no one has heared from the ADC?