Politicians lie.
Politicians spin.
Politicians also change their positions over time as circumstances (and polling) change the state of play. None of this is news to you, Save Jerseyans, or at least it shouldn’t be. If it is? You need to spend more time on this website!
But every now and then a politician takes it to the next level. This week, that politician is state Senator Vin Gopal (D-11), one of Election 2023’s most vulnerable Democrat incumbents. Earlier this month, Gopal appeared on Alex Zdan’s Power & Politics program on News12 and unambigiously rejected any possible link between offshore wind development and a spate of whale and dolphin deaths along the Jersey Shore beginning in December 2022. Gopal didn’t just reject the possibility, but he dismissed anyone suggesting otherwise as a “conspiracy theorist.”
You can watch the relevant excerpts here…
A dead whale washes up in Long Branch, home of @vingopal, and yet he still dismisses ANY POSSIBLE tie between sonar mapping + dead mammals. Here, he calls advocates and others “conspiracy theorists.” Non-expert, self-righteousness won’t help. Indep research + moratorium now!! pic.twitter.com/kTWgd3ogtz
— Steve Dnistrian (@sdnistrian) August 14, 2023
Obnoxious? Dishonest? Factually bankrupt? Yes, yes, and absolutely. Our own federal government has admitted to “knowledge gaps.”
Then, in the same month as his News12 appearance, one of these silly election year candidate “newsletters” (in this instance Gopal himself) hit mailboxes in the 11th Legislative District. In this newsletter, Gopal completely reverses himself, calling for a “comprehensive investigation” to make sure that “our marine life is protect.”
h/t Politico’s Matt Friedman:
From @vingopal’s newsletter pic.twitter.com/ZCFEatQ69G
— Matt Friedman (@MattFriedmanNJ) August 28, 2023
So which is it, Vin?
Are concerns about a link between marine mammal deaths and offshore wind born of conspiracy theories? Or worth probing?
Did you change your mind? Or are you a born against tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy peddler?
For a different perspective, check out my recent 1210 WPHT interview with Senator Gopal’s Republican opponent Steve Dnistrian who discussed not only this topic but also parental rights, property taxes, and much more:
In case you missed it…
Check out my @1210WPHT chat with @sdnistrian (R-11), the candidate who could flip control of the N.J. Senate and halt Gov. Phil Murphy's agenda: pic.twitter.com/46xzY7EKRi
— Matt Rooney (@MattRooneyNJ) August 28, 2023
