By Matt Rooney
I’ve been a practicing New Jersey attorney for 15 years, Save Jerseyans, representing mostly private litigation clients.
Would it surprise you to know that I’ve yet to see a prospective client walk into my office, pay an initial consultation fee, and insist that I be “as reasonable as possible” with the person they’re suing? Or that’s suing them? For big money, custody, whatever? Sure, they generally don’t want to pay good money for a lawyer to theatrically throw things at the wall to see what sticks with no connection to an actual strategy. What they’re paying for is a zealous advocate. Someone who they’re convinced is going to FIGHT for them, win, lose or draw. It’s actually not unusual for the client who loses to be the most grateful because they witnessed what you did for them in the trenches of the legal system.
Why can’t a Republican establishment full of licensed attorneys figure that out? It’s a question that’s vexed me for the nearly 18 years this website has been in continuous operation.
The Assembly GOP caucus gathered this week for a post-mortem dinner in Middletown, home of former Governor Phil Murphy but otherwise a solidly-red Jersey Shore county outpost. There were mostly Assembly members in attendance, and the wide-ranging conversation covered polling, campaign investment, and of course messaging. There was consensus on some topics and less-than-unanimity on others.
Can we keep this simple? I believe we can:
Fight.
Pick 10 major policy points. Make every member sign off on them. Hang them on the wall of every Assembly office. Put them in every member’s pocket right next to where the pocket Constitution should also reside. If there are some district-specific issues beyond the list? Cool, provided they don’t conflict with the list. And then eat, sleep and breathe the damn list for the next two years right through the 2027 legislative elections. In fact, if a bill doesn’t in some way align with the spirit of those 10 points? Then every member should vote “no” or abstain en masse. The Democrats won’t vote for your road renaming bill or pet issue project as a result? Fine. Fuck’em. Just about every GOP member left represents an objectively “safe” district. You have little-to-nothing left to lose, guys and gals, provided a majority is your true aim as it should be.
Contrary to what some compromised or deluded Republicans choose to believe? This is the only way forward.
The NJGOP brand is presently a junk stock, a point which I’m told was implicated but not directly explored at the post-mortem meeting. Trump, Sherrill, and the Democrats generally are all more popular than you guys. The reason: they’re all perceived as fighters by their respective bases. You are not. No one thinks you’re serious. There are undeniably some quality legislators on our side of the aisle who say and do most of the right stuff (I highlight them regularly), but this is a team sport whether you want to accept it or not. If enough of your teammates continue to shit the bed? Your individual efforts will never be enough towards building a true statewide movement and, eventually, a majority.
Inevitably a few legislators will complain about this post. That’s fine. I’ve heard it all before. Despite how you choose to manifest your butt hurt, I’m sincerely trying to help you TO HELP US, and there’s no time like the present for a course correction. In fact, the next couple of years may be your last chance to change it before we all begin to contemplate the need for something new as a vehicle for our struggle to Save Jersey.
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MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com’s founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of ‘The Matt Rooney Show’ on 1210 WPHT every Saturday evening from 7-9 PM EST.
