...And Big Government

In a recent, self-pitying statement released to the press, Mayor Dawn Zimmer expresses her frustration that Mayor Brian Stack and other Hudson Dem politicos seldom return her phone calls nowadays.

Our mayor is particularly upset that her preferred candidates for Democrat Party committee seats were not awarded the HCDO (aka "the machine") line. Zimmer, who readily accepted the machine's "help" in past election cycles (and only last year ran her committee slate on the HCDO line), is now positioning herself as the sworn enemy of crooked Hudson County "political machinery." And of course, only after the machine failed to endorse her friends in the upcoming Democrat primary.

Another layer of irony: Zimmer then lavishes praise on Sen. Robert Menendez (the very embodiment of Hudson County bossism):

"I had the pleasure of hearing Senator Menendez speak directly from the front lines regarding our Country’s budget negotiations. During his briefing he highlighted the fact that while the debate may appear on the surface to be about money, it is really about our commitment to women’s issues, senior and children’s issues, environmental issues and other core Democratic values. His talk sparked a commitment in me to work as hard as I can to support him on women's and environmental issues in particular."

This head-in-the-sand response to mounting deficit spending is especially disheartening, as the mayor has often paid lip service to fiscal prudence on a state and municipal level. Zimmer should keep in mind that she can't save the city while bankrupting the nation.