I may have missed it, but I’ve seen surprisingly little discussion, pro or con, of the NJ Dems mounting a write-in campaign for Lautenberg. True, there has been at least one recommendation:
“Bill Clinton is suggesting Bruce Springsteen,” the Hotline’s Craig Crawford told a stunned John Batchelor and Paul Alexander on their nightly WABC Radio broadcast.
“Bill Clinton is pushing New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen,” he repeated, adding, “particularly if they have to do a write-in ballot.”
But I mean suggestions from serious people. (Oh strike that; we’re supposed to be moving on.)
There have been a few other references. One of Forrester’s lawyers suggested a write-in campaign to the Dems. And another:
Vincent Panvini, a lobbyist for the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association, a major Democratic donor, said he believed Lautenberg is popular enough with organized labor and other crucial voting blocs to win the seat even if Democrats have to start a write-in campaign for him
Still, you’d a thunk there would be more discussion of this obvious solution to providing poor NJ voters with a “choice.” My goodness, even Washington, D.C., voters were able to deal with Mayor Anthony Williams failing to be listed as the Democratic nominee in the recent election, and he managed to mount a write-in campaign and win.
The NJ Dem leadership, in short, had and has it within its own power to provide a “choice” to NJ voters on November 5 without asking a court to ignore statutes and grant them special favors. But Democrats feel more at home in courts these days.
