Posted 2:06 PM by Robert

New Jersey Democrats to Pick Pallone!

Wow! Who the heck is Pallone?

He's not Bradley, he's not Lautenberg, he's not any present or former state-wide office holder.

He is described as "the consensus choice" - but this must be a "consensus" of, say, twenty (?) ten (?) insider Democrats. Torricelli, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Gov. Jim McGreevey, Sen. Jon Corzine, and other powerful Democrats all weighed in. It was so nice of the Democrats to give the doomed-and-ethically-tainted Senator Torricelli a say in choosing his successor after the voters showed they don't trust the Senator - actually think he's a likely crook and a bribe taker. And it's especially generous that Senator Daschle - who isn't even from New Jersey - got a say.

But no actual, ordinary New Jersey voters or ordinary Democrats need trouble themselves, not even for a snap caucus! Other countries hold national elections on a few days' notice - but it was just too much for the Democrats to hold a caucus next week. Better let the big boys do it all.

Now they just need to get the New Jersey Supreme Court (another few Democrats) to tamper with the ballot to get rid of the name of that Torricelli guy the voters picked in the primary just a few weeks ago.

And the voters will have less than five weeks to get educated about a man most of them know nothing about! Wheeeee!

It only took six years in the Senate to show how bad Torricelli's ethics problems were - and he was a long-time congressman. In less than five weeks the voters will have about as much time as it takes to learn his middle name. Wheeeee!

And, best of all, there will be no time for those pesky media types and the Republicans to investigate what's-his-name with the level of scrutiny appropriate to a candidate for the United States Senate. Wheeeee! Wheeeee!