- Quit Crying Over Spilt Tea

Dianne Gooch's primary skill seems to be in marrying well. The photogenic Rumson millionaire was the anointed Republican candidate for my local congressional district, but since the primary there is a little wrench in the works. That wrench is Highlands mayor Anna Little, who wore the moniker 'Tea Party Approved' and who managed to eak out a razor thin 80 vote victory over Gooch, in spite of the fact that the all powerful Republican machine had already thrown their support behind her.

This unexpected turn triggered all the usual nonsense about recounts and declarations of 'voting irregularities' from Gooch's supporters. But while that sort of thing is common in places like Elizabeth or Jersey City, it's unlikely in the extreme that there were any real voter problems in the Republican primary of my upscale NJ suburb. What's more likely is that the Republican machine decided that they would rather have a charismatic and attractive candidate than someone who was actually saying what the people wanted to hear, and they're crying over the result not coming out how they expected.

I don't know Little. She may be nothing more than another lawyer with no character just like everyone else in congress. But the bar would have to go pretty low before she'd be worse for NJ than Frank Pallone, the 6th district's current congressman. Pallone has been the very model of a 'tax and spend', 'shut up and do what we tell you' liberal. Judging by how he acted during the town hall dust ups, he apparently believes that we idiot taxpayers should keep our opinions to ourselves and simply obey our betters when they tell us how to live our lives. He makes Obama look humble and self deprecating.

The local Republican 'leadership' (and I use that word with as much sarcasm as I can muster) should quit crying and support Little as well. she may not be as pretty as Gooch, but she seems more substantial to me, and that will go over well this election cycle. Unseating Pallone isn't going to be an easy trick, and that's the prize you should keep your eyes on.