News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Declan O'Scanlon's harrowing 12-hour Twitter suspension

Monday, July 19, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Declan O'Scanlon's harrowing 12-hour Twitter suspension

Jul 19, 2021

Good Monday morning!

State Sen. Declan O'Scanlon saw his Twitter account suspended for 12 hours this weekend. Why? This tweet .

O'Scanlon, more than a lot of members of his party (and even the odd Democrat), has been a vaccine booster on social media. There are some legitimate issues with this tweet. It's hyperbolic to say that COVID has been "crushed," for instance. And the article it linked to is from a disreputable tabloid whose source is a scientist who claims to have invented mRNA vaccines, and it just takes his word for it.

But mainly his tweet disagreed with the idea of mandatory vaccinations and "vaccine passports." It may not be perfect, but every day you see politicians, radio personalities and a former New York Times reporter tweeting lies and misleading statistics to undermine confidence in vaccines that have proven to be effective at slowing the spread of COVID and lessening its severity. Yet these tweets are still online. You don't need me to direct you to them.

I'm guessing that O'Scanlon's tweet got him suspended because of the article it linked to . But it's an arbitrary decision when you look at the straight up lies published on that site every day. It drew backlash, most prominently in a statement from newly-minted state GOP Chair Bob Hugin, for censorship. Twitter is a private company, so 1st Amendment complaints don't really apply. But when you censor a tweet like that, it means the liars and frauds can pretend to be First Amendment martyrs if Twitter actually does something about the dangerous lies they spew.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I went to a senior center during a heat wave to bring seniors donuts and water, and within minutes, four, five, six police officers arrived in riot gear and asked me to leave. If I'd go to the park, they'd send sheriffs officers to say I wasn't allowed to hand out literature in the park." — Larry Wainstein, critic and erstwhile opponent of Nic Sacco

WHERE'S MURPHY? — In Trenton for a 1 p.m. coronavirus press conference

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Assemblymember Anthony McClellan, Green Party's Barry Bendar, Marcus Group's Tom O'Neil

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

NOT SINCE 'XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS' HAVE WE SEEN SUCH LAWLESSNESS — 'Lawlessness': This GOP candidate is testing a tough-on-crime message in New Jersey, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: New Jersey's Republican nominee for governor is leaning into a law and order message in the early days of the general election, capitalizing on crime incidents in pockets of the state and pinning them on Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. In recent weeks, former state lawmaker Jack Ciattarelli has blamed Murphy for "lawlessness" along the Jersey Shore, claiming that local police have been "disarmed" by Murphy and his former attorney general. A recent high profile endorsement from former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley warned of "rising crime" in the state. And last week, he released a new ad that claims Murphy is "anti-police" and that "it's Phil Murphy's fault" crime is happening in New Jersey. "Crime is up across the state," Ciattarelli said in an interview, overstating what has been a more localized issue. "All the progressive rhetoric of defunding, disbanding and reimagining police also contributes to what we're seeing in our communities throughout the state. Our local law enforcement need to know that the governor and attorney general have their back … The deployment of that approach against Murphy — the only governor facing reelection this year — offers another test of the strategy's effectiveness ahead of the 2022 midterms.

OFFICIAL CONDUCT — "How Nick Sacco uses politics to get rich," by The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran: "Sen. Nick Sacco has built a political fortress in Hudson County, and he knows that no one can dethrone him after three decades in power. So why not take advantage? Why not cast aside all shame and grab as much money as you can, pushing the legal boundaries to the limit? Sacco just cashed in his chips, taking $270,000 in unused sick time, on top of his $220,000 pension. He's 74 now, and for decades he's been engorging himself with three public salaries that brought him over $300,000 in combined pay at his peak – as mayor in North Bergen, as senator in District 32, and as a senior administrator in the public school system, the one job he finally quit … The superintendent of schools in North Bergen, George Solter, who was in theory Sacco's boss at the school job, says that Sacco's plunder in North Bergen is all by the book, part of a negotiated contract. 'It was part of the deal, and we have to live up to it,' says Solter. 'We've tried to work on that in collective bargaining, but the union asks, 'What are you going to give us in return for giving that up?'' Sacco is just playing by the same rules as everyone else, we're supposed to believe. Except that in those negotiations, Sacco sits on both sides of the table, as a member of the union and as the political boss whose slate of candidates won all the seats on the school board."

—"Friendly Fire: Sacco's jackpot, Kean's bedfellow, Booker's quest for justice"

I HAD CANCER, TOO, BUT ONLY SO I COULD MAKE JOKES ABOUT IT — "Murphy, Ciattarelli are in a bitter war in N.J. governor's race. But they have this very strong bond ," by NJ Advance Media's Brent Johnson: "Gov. Phil Murphy and former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli are adversaries in New Jersey's increasingly bitter race for governor, an election in which each candidate has painted the other as too extreme for the state. But for all their political differences, the Democratic incumbent and his Republican challenger have one very personal thing in common: Both are cancer survivors. Ciattarelli, 59, was diagnosed with throat cancer four years ago and Murphy, 63, with kidney cancer last year. Both got the news at a pivotal time in their political careers."

ELECTRIC CAR DRIVERS SHOCKED — "N.J. drivers miss out on $5K rebate for electric cars if they bought them earlier this year," by NJ Advance Media's Payton Guion: "New Jersey last week restarted a program that offers up to $5,000 in rebates to people buying or leasing electric cars, part of Gov. Phil Murphy's plan to cut the state's dependence on fossil fuels. The program began last year, but the state ran out of money in December. The fund wasn't replenished until after the Legislature recently passed its budget, pouring another $30 million into the rebate program. New Jersey began handing out rebates again last week. But anyone who bought an electric vehicle between December and July will not be eligible for the rebate, state officials said this week."

THE LUMBERGH EFFECT — "N.J. has a new tax break program for companies, but no one wants more office space these days," by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman: "Last year, the Legislature approved a sweeping $14 billion corporate tax incentive plan to attract new jobs and business to New Jersey, revamping the state's troubled economic development program that was allowed to expire in the wake of disclosures of widespread abuses and lax oversight. Since then, though, the state has yet to award any incentives and only a few companies have even filled out preliminary applications, according to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority — attributing that to the pandemic. Indeed, a bill amending the new law was approved earlier this month by Gov. Phil Murphy just months after he signed the new law, sparked in part by changes brought to the workplace in the aftermath of COVID. That bill loosened eligibility requirements in the program allowing companies to count workers no matter where they are located even if they are working remotely out of state. Tim Sullivan, chief executive officer of the NJEDA, said it was not surprising that the new incentive program has yet to take hold. He pointed out the rules that governing the program were only recently put into place. But more importantly, he noted there remains much uncertainty over the future of the workplace itself."

THEY'LL BE GONE TIL NOVEMBER — "More Than 100 nominees await confirmation to state posts with little hope of votes before November,' by New Jersey Globe's Nikita Biryukov: "More than 100 nominees to a slew of state boards, commissions, authorities and other panels are awaiting confirmation that won't come until after November's general election, and an overwhelming majority will likely wait far longer. The nominees themselves range widely and include a number of notable figures in New Jersey politics. The positions they've been put up for share a similar breadth, ranging from panels with no rule-making powers to ones responsible for disbursing hundreds of millions of dollars in development projects. All told, there are 127 nominees awaiting confirmation before the upper chamber, according to a New Jersey Globe analysis of nominations data, though 25 of them are recent additions, having been named in May or June of 2021. Four of those nominees are awaiting confirmations to Superior Court, workers compensation or administrative law judgeships."

MEDIA MOVES: @NiitaBiryukov: "Joining in the wave of personal news, today's my last day at the Globe. It's been a rewarding and instructive, if occasionally exhausting, experience. Don't fret. I'll still be prowling the statehouse..."

—"There's more to NJ's labor shortage than unemployment benefits. Here's why"

—"NJ pumps $125M into special-ed programs to help schools that 'do the right thing'"

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BIDEN TIME

$ — "NJ, CT senators call on NY to drop fight over how to split $14B in transit aid," by The Record's Colleen WIlson: "Senators in New Jersey and Connecticut are calling on New York to follow traditional guidance from the Federal Transit Administration to split $14.2 billion in relief funds that the three states have been fighting over for six months. New York devised its own method to split the relief funds that would take away hundreds of millions from New Jersey and Connecticut. Its officials argued in a letter to the two states that New York's method for divvying up the funds 'carries forward the congressional intent to provide additional funding to public transportation agencies with the greatest need.' But U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, and Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, of New Jersey, are pushing back. The senators say their intent was for the states to distribute the money, which was awarded in the last two rounds of stimulus packages known as Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), using FTA guidance."

—"'Hate is Heavy, Love is Light': inaugural race honors legacy of judge's slain son"

LOCAL

CITY BUILT ON ENCOURAGING ONE ADDICTION WON'T DEAL WITH ANOTHER — "If officials end Atlantic City's needle exchange, program supporters say, 'People will die'," by The Press of Atlantic City' Molly Shelly: "After struggling with opioid addiction on and off for nearly a decade, things came to a head for Amanda Clinton last year. She was living in a car with her boyfriend when she found out she was pregnant. 'That's when I said, 'I'm tired of living like this,'' said Clinton, 34, of Galloway Township. 'It was horrible. I was so tired of being sick and tired.' Clinton turned to the Oasis Drop-In Center on Tennessee Avenue, where she had previously used the clean syringe access program, to help her get on medically assisted treatment for her addiction to heroin … Clinton said if it wasn't for the needle exchange program, she would have resorted to dangerous measures … When Clinton heard the needle exchange program was at risk of being repealed by City Council, she was shocked. 'If you get rid of this, where are these people going to go to get help?' Clinton said. 'People think it's a program that just allows people to keep using (drugs), but that's not true. It helps keep people safe, from spreading diseases.' Harm reduction experts, health care professionals and advocates have a grave prediction if the program is shuttered. 'People will die,' said Jenna Mellor, executive director of the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition. 'It really is that straightforward: People will die.'"

— "Drugs, supermarkets and economic revival: Why Atlantic City leaders are moving to shutter needle exchange," POLITICO's Sam Sutton

KUGLER TO HOST FUNERAL FOR BERGEN GOP TICKET — "Saddle Brook PD had 'serious deficiencies' under Chief Kugler, prosecutor's report says," by The Record's Steve Janoski: "The Saddle Brook Police Department is understaffed, poorly led and using outdated equipment and policies, according to a scathing new report issued by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. Though township officials dispute some of the report's findings, the document detailed what county Prosecutor Mark Musella called 'serious deficiencies in the leadership and operations, as well as in the oversight of the department by civilian authorities.' Musella laid the blame for many of the departmental ills squarely at the feet of suspended Police Chief Robert Kugler, who is also the Republican candidate for Bergen County sheriff. The prosecutor seized control of the township police in March after the state Attorney General's Office charged Kugler with misconduct and corruption for allegedly ordering his on-duty officers to provide police escorts for processions leaving his privately owned funeral home."

KILN CITY — "This N.J. city is boiling. What's being done to cool off its 'heat island'?" by NJ Advance Media's Michael Sol Warren: "But Newark isn't any heat island — it's the second-worst in America, according to new research published Wednesday by Climate Central, a Princeton-based nonprofit research organization … So, what constitutes a heat island, exactly? Climate Central created an urban heat island intensity index, which accounts for five contributing factors to the problem: Percentage of greenery, population density, building height, the average width of streets and irregularity in a city, and albedo, which refers to how reflective a surface is. Darker surfaces have low albedo and tend to absorb heat rather than reflect it. Researchers applied the index to 158 cities around the nation. New Orleans and Newark took the top two spots, with New York City in third. Houston and San Francisco rounded out the top five. In Newark, researchers found the city's overwhelming coverage of impermeable surfaces, like roads and parking lots, combined with tall buildings to amplify heat."

IF THE SIGN SAID 'HUMP BIDEN' IT WOULD BE OK — "N.J. woman must remove anti-Biden F-bomb signs or face $250-a-day fines, judge rules," by NJ Advance Media's Rebecca Panico: "A municipal judge on Thursday ruled that a Roselle Park homeowner's owner's anti- President Biden flags including the F-bomb on her fence were obscene and must be removed because they violated a borough ordinance. Roselle Park Municipal Court Judge Gary Bundy ordered the Willow Avenue homeowner to remove the signs with profanity within a week or face a $250-a-day fine. Patricia Dilascio is the property owner but her daughter, Andrea Dick, had the signs, three of which include the F-word, on display. 'This is not a case about politics. It is a case, pure and simple, about language,' Bundy said. 'This ordinance does not restrict political speech. Neither this town or its laws may abridge or eliminate Ms. Dilascio's freedom of speech. However, freedom of speech is not simply an absolute right. It is clear from state law and statutes that we cannot simply put up the umbrella of the First Amendment and say everything and anything is protected speech.' … Not all the signs on the fence used profanity. The judge only ordered the homeowner to remove three signs with the f-word, and others, like the one that said 'Socialism sucks. Biden blows' could remain."

R.I.P. — " Marie Villani, Newark city councilwoman for 20 years, dies at 100"

—"Monroe mayor proposes solution for landfill odors seeping into township homes"

EVERYTHING ELSE

TO BE OR NOT TO BE? — "Why hasn't this medical weed dispensary opened? Inside the drama and disputes keeping it closed," by NJ Advance Media's Amanda Hoover: "The medical marijuana storefront was supposed to start doing business last year, the second of two dueling medical dispensaries in Atlantic City. But MPX NJ's 'Be' hasn't opened its doors off the Boardwalk as planned. The company's relationship with its investor iAnthus has soured, and some former leaders at MPX NJ are out. The two companies have argued over which has rights to build out the property and are wrestling now for control over the license. It's one of only 12 the state has awarded. As the property languishes, New Jersey's 113,000 medical marijuana patients struggle to find affordable and accessible cannabis. Many have reported long lines and commutes only to encounter product shortages."

GREAT ADVENTURE RENAMES RIDE 'THE HEAD CUTTER' THEN DECLARES IN 'PROPER WORKING ORDER' — "Child hospitalized after injury on Joker ride at Six Flags Great Adventure," by The Asbury Park Press' Nicolas Fernandes and Ken Serrano: "A child was hospitalized after being injured on The Joker rollercoaster at Six Flags Great Adventure on Wednesday, prompting the ride to be shut down overnight, spokeswoman Kristin Fitzgerald said. Six Flags would not comment on the cause of the injury or the child's condition. Lisa Ryan, spokeswoman for the Department of Community Affairs, which oversees amusement park rides, said in an email that the boy cut his head. DCA staff and park officials inspected the Joker Wednesday and concluded that it was in 'proper working order,' Fitzgerald said."

—"Did NJ anti-whip rule help cause Haskell incident? Hot Rod Charlie jockey says it did"

—"[Rider University's] 'junk' bond status downgraded again as money concerns grow"

—"N.J. battleship museum scrambles to save hundreds of pieces of history"

—"Edgewater-based Mariner's Bank, founded by Fred Daibes, to be sold"

—" Flash flooding walloped N.J. See the photos and the highest rainfall totals"

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