David Brooks tries in his column today to do something I've warned about before. He tries to claim Theodore Roosevelt as a conservative, which he most definitely is not. TR was a liberal, period. I've written about the need to claim liberal Republicans as our own. This is crucial for us as we frame American history as a march, however uneven, toward the triumph of the progressive values we share, and progressivism as being rooted in American history going back two centuries (rather than simply being seen a deviation from 'traditional values' that cropped up in the oft-[unfairly] derided 1960s). Why is this important? Because progressivism has been a winner in the big picture since 1776, and we need to portray it as being a winner. Doing so makes it more likely that progressivism will continue winning. Winners win. Losers lose. It's that simple.

See more after the jump.

Cross-posted at Blue Jersey.

Below is a blog post from the Josh Zeitz for Congress campaign. Josh is a Democrat challenging Republican incumbent (and anti-choice caucus chair) Chris Smith in NJ-4.

With gas prices at $4/gallon, the last thing New Jersey drivers deserve is to get ripped off by gas station owners. I read recently about the inspections conducted by law enforcement of over 1000 gas stations in all 21 counties of our state. Any violations would be unacceptable, but over 350 station owners, more than one in three, were found in violation.

You know, this past weekend I walked through two precincts in Bordentown Township and attended the really amazing Florence Occasion in the Park. People told me they were fed up with the high cost of gas, and one specifically brought up how many gas stations were cited for cheating drivers at the pump.

More after the break.

Cross-posted at Blue Jersey.

The race in New Jersey's 4th District is heating up, and NJ Dems are rallying around Josh Zeitz.

I would like to call your attention to this article, and to the strong backing Josh Zeitz has received from Governor Corzine (and the New Jersey Democratic Party leadership in general). Josh is going to defeat antichoice caucus chair and Bush-backer Chris Smith, and the fact that Jon Corzine is working energetically on his behalf makes clear that leading NJ Dems think so as well. Here's just what the Gov. has been up to:

Corzine spearheaded a Zeitz fund-raising event at a Trenton restaurant last week, and plugged the professor's candidacy at his governor's gala for the State Democratic Committee last night.

While having his home state Governor's support is fabulous, Josh also needs help, and especially volunteers, from politically active Democrats. Please take a look at his website , and email me at ian_joshzeitz_dot_com if you'd like to volunteer.

Below is a blog post from the Josh Zeitz for Congress campaign. Josh is a Democrat challenging Republican incumbent (and anti-choice caucus chair) Chris Smith in NJ-4.

Today, I paid $3.88 per gallon to fill up my car. Accustomed as I am to living on a history teacher's salary, I know how much these high gas prices hurt, and how they impact everything else we buy.

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with 5th grade students at the Leadership Academy Charter School in Trenton about the issues they feel are important in this year's election. Nearly every student talked about how hard it was for their parents to afford the rising cost of gas. They also knew that when the price of gas goes up, so does the cost of food, clothing, and other basic necessities. The problem is so obvious that even fifth graders realize we're in a crisis, yet our leaders in Washington have let this problem fester so long that it's squeezing New Jersey families to the breaking point.

More after the jump.

Please take a listen at Blue Jersey Radio tonight at 8pm, where NJ-4 Democratic Candidate Josh Zeitz will be  a guest. The radio feed streams live

This is a district we can win, and we need to get behind Josh. We have some real opportunities in NJ to turn districts from red to blue.

Chris Smith is an extreme right-winger on social issues, especially relating to reproductive rights. He is the chair of the House anti-choice caucus who has, for example, introduced a constitutional amendment to ban oral contraception. He's also backed the Bush-McCain Iraq policy from day one.

We need to defeat him and turn NJ-4 blue! More after the jump.

Cross-posted at Blue Jersey

According to a new report at NJ Politicker.com, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ-4) rarely visits his district. This bit of information is not widely known, but it soon will be, and provides another opening for Democrat Josh Zeitz to make his case.

The article speaks for itself:

When Rep. Chris Smith was first elected to the House, he was brand new to the Washington scene. But after 27 years of representing New Jersey in Congress, Smith has spent almost half of his life living in Virginia. [snip]

In 2000, Smith spent 73 days and 41 nights in his district, according to Congressional spending reports. That's 20% of his days (including travel days) and 11.23% of his nights. Since then, records show the number of days Smith spent in New Jersey has decreased almost every year.

More after the jump.

Cross posted at Blue Jersey.

Each week between now and Election Day, we will reveal one more surprising fact about Chris Smith's record in Congress.

Fact # 33: Chris Smith voted against expanding the child tax credit to 250,000 low income military families. Nearly one in five children of active-duty U.S. military families would have benefited from the proposed tax credit. Military families would have received an immediate check for $400 per child and a $1,000 tax credit per child each year. [Vote #275 6/12/2003, Vote #370 7/16/03, USA Today 6/4/2003]

More after the jump.

Cross posted at Blue Jersey.

Over the 35 weeks before Election Day we are counting down the 35 facts Chris Smith doesn't want you to know about his record. We'll be compiling the facts on our website.

Fact #34: Chris Smith Voted Against Additional Dwell Time for our Troops

"Voters deserve to know why Chris Smith opposed granting our over-deployed troops adequate dwell time to rest with their friends and family."

Chris Smith says that he wants to run on his record in Congress. Unfortunately, there are parts of his record that voters may find less than appealing.

More after the jump.