In our view, the governor-elect could find no better qualified individual for the Senate seat than Rush Holt. His integrity and reputation are unquestioned. Smart and hard-working, he takes a studious approach to public policy, examining pros and cons of issues with the intensity he brought to the problems of nuclear fusion during his days as assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Like Sen. Corzine, he had the courage to vote against the congressional resolution to authorize President Bush to invade Iraq because he didn't believe the evidence supporting invasion was compelling enough; that decision looks more prescient with each passing day. He favors an "immediate, incremental withdrawal" of U.S. forces from Iraq coupled with a phased turnover of security responsibilities to the Iraqi government and a clear declaration by the administration that the U.S. has no intention of building permanent U.S. military bases in that country - steps that he believes would help the new Iraqi regime gain legitimacy in the eyes of the public. He has attracted national attention as the leading congressional spokesman for mandating that electronic voting devices be equipped to provide a verifiable paper trail. He's a dedicated environmentalist and a strong advocate of the improvements in science and mathematics education that will be essential if the United States is to compete in the global economy.
Rep. Holt is the primary sponsor of HR 550, the mentioned bill to require verified voting with a paper trail. If you haven't signed the petition yet, go now, then write your representatives so they know how important it is to you.
Rep. Holt is not actively campaigning for the seat, as are Rep. Bob Menendez, Rep. Frank Pallone, and Rep. Rob Andrews. I doubt that Gov-elect Corzine is much impressed with active campaigning, anyway; I'm sure he's done his own research into the records and political implications of all possible choices on his list. I feel Rep. Holt would be an excellent choice for the seat and have hope for his chances; apparently, I'm not alone in that. Holt was the winner of the New Jersey for Democracy online poll, more or less (Codey had the numbers and Holt was second, but since Codey removed himself from list...) , and the winner of the BlueJersey.net online poll.
Besides the Congressman's myriad qualifications, important political positions and integrity, aren't you just dying to have one of those cool bumper stickers that would say, "My Senator IS a Rocket Scientist"?
(cross-posted at BlueJersey.net)
No comments:
Post a Comment