MONROE – The Sue Tisiker resurected Middlesex County Republican Women’s Club paid jellybean contest homage to Ronald Reagan this afternoon by bringing in the 12th Congressional District GOP candidates, each of whom attempted to outdo the other in adding platinum sponsor luster to the Gipper’s inevitable gleam among party standard-bearers.
“We won the governor’s race in Middlesex and we won 22 local races,” said Don Katz, counsel to the Middlesex County Republican Organization, by way of explaining why on this happy, Gov. Chris Christie-era occasion he felt no compunction about showing pictures of himself sporting a 1976 hairdo alongside then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan.
“In terms of the congressional contest, it appears right now as though it’s the considerable funding of Sipprelle versus Halfacre’s early presence in the race and his grassroots support,” Katz added.
Bracketed between a mournful middle-aged white male William Carlos Williams rant extolling the foundational virtues of Reagan, Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre and Princeton businessman Scott Sipprelle tried to prove their deftness in handling the Reagan nimbus in a strangely distributed main event that logistically appeared to favor Sipprelle, who spoke first.
“If I have anything to do with it, Ronald Reagan will be even greater if I win this election,” Sipprelle told a restaurant room packed with Middlesex Republicans, including Assemblyman Sam Thompson (favored to become the next county party chairman), sheriff’s candidate Brian Hackett (a former state police captain), numerous other sheriff’s candidates, and local committee people.
It’s a party whose county control remained staunchly in the “D” column even during the Reagan era, whose more cobwebby veterans now have some new blood glimmerings in their midst in the persons of Keith Hackett (run over last year in his 14th District bid) and Candice Greaux (23 years old and running for 2010 freeholder), seeking traction with Republican Christie’s three-point Middlesex victory over Jon Corzine last year.
“Ronald Reagan is my hero,” declared Sipprelle, speaking in front of a screen where the life of the 40th president spooled endlessly, some of the images trapped by people in the packed room who blocked the projecter, creating Brezhnev and Reagan patterns on the sedate backs of the crowd.
Sipprelle broad-stroked this one, praising Reagan for “reawakening us to the values we knew we had but that we had moved away from, and reminding us what it means to be an American.”
“He said there is a virtue in self-reliance and dependence on government should be a last resort,” added the candidate, an author in his spare time, injecting shades of Emerson into his treatment. “How did we get to a point where self-reliance is a dirty word, where the Holt-Pelosi-Obama trio promote a life that forsakes the great American ideal of self reliance?”
Apparently treating Sipprelle’s remarks as a buildup, Paul Danielczyk of Perth Amboy, president of the New Jersey Conservative GOP, then pushed back his chair, appeared at the front of the room, and went on a GOP jag heavy on Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly references that must have had Halfacre’s allies fidgeting at the 20-minute mark, wondering if the notion of a congressional contest were fast receding in the minds of a captive audience.
In the uncomfortable position of having to play the heavy, Halfacre campaign manager Tom Fitzsimmons after a half an hour of Danielczyk could be seen whispering in the ear of Middlesex County GOP Women’s Club Prez Mary Chyb as Sipprelle sat calmly near the front of the room and the voluble speaker plunged into yet another hot button subject, this time denouncing “that gasbag windbag Wisniewski.”
Finally, it was over, and Halfacre went amiably to the proffered mic.
This second half of the featured card faced the challenge of having to reacquaint a potentially deadened – or even satisfied – crowd with the understanding of a congressional primary contest that is very much alive and that Halfacre – not as financially connected as his venture capitalist opponent – wants very much to win.
“What made Ronald Reagan great was not just his ability as a communicator but that he had the courage of his conviction,” said the small town mayor and attorney.
Smaller government. Less Taxes. Those were the Reagan principles.
“When Rush Holt was in Congress voting to spend more, as mayor I was in Fair Haven working and voting to spend less, voting to cut taxes, like a Republican should,” said Halfacre, who while striking the contrast with Holt simultaneously took a mild but unmistakable slap at Sipprelle, the newcomer in the race, who still sat – a slight and perfectly groomed presence at the table reserved for special guests and speakers.
“While I was here in Monroe last year talking about traditional Republican conservative principles” – and that was Halfacre’s reminder that he’s been in the contest for sixth months now, building relationships, compared to Sipprelle, who launched just last month – “Rush Holt was voting for cap and trade and stimulus bills.”
That bit of oratorical chest thumping over, Halfacre then acknowledged the family owners of the restaurant where the GOP gathered: Garvey’s Restaurant and Pub.
“The Garvey family thanks you for your support,” he said, working in a note of praise for the private sector sacrifices of business owners who are also family.
In closing, Halfacre returned to Reagan, quoting the late president’s plea to the Soviet premier: ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” as an example of the prez having the courage of his convictions, before tucking one last GOP primary candidate’s self-reference into his speech as he closed, lauding Reagan the crusader against communism, while ending, “Ironically, so am I,” a shout-out to the Obama’s agenda is socialism crowd.
From a table at the fringe of the event, Pastor Shannon Wright of Plainfield explained her presence to a shower of applause.
“I’m running for the 6th Congressional seat,” announced Franklin Mayor Brian Levine’s former gubernatorial campaign manager who last year dumped Levine, then pulled the trigger on her own independent Democrat campaign for governor – then surfaced a few weeks ago as a Republican Primary challenger to U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch).
