Murray Sabrin and New Jersey. Perfect Together.

By Alan Caruba

My friend, Murray Sabrin, PhD is running for U.S. Senator from New Jersey. Some might argue that anyone with any sense should be running as far away from New Jersey as possible, but they simply have no appreciation for the joys of high property taxes, high sales taxes, a state income tax, and spending as much to drive its toll roads as it costs to fly first class anywhere in the United States of America.

I received a call from him the other day—fund raising of course, but I had to disappoint him because, from my days as a fulltime journalist, I have resisted donating to politicians in order to remain “independent”, “unbiased”, and, as always, reluctant to part with my money when it comes to politics. The proof of this are the endless dunning letters and calls I receive from the Republican National Committee.

You can learn all about Murray by visiting his campaign website at http://www.murraysabrin.com.

Suffice it to say Murray is running as a Republican candidate, though he is at heart a Libertarian. These are people who are besotted with the Constitution. They actually believe it means what it says and that it doesn’t take a Supreme Court justice to explain it to you. Imagine that? They also believe in small government and the smaller the better. They are all about individual liberty, but also about individual responsibility.

Libertarians would be Republicans if they could only climb down off of Cloud Nine and join the rest of us skeptics and cynics. At last count, there were at least seven Libertarians living in New Jersey. There are at least twice that number of registered Republicans.

Murray will be running against Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat. The other Senator is Robert Menendez, also a Democrat. Neither one of these two gentlemen ever saw a loony liberal piece of legislation he would not instantly embrace.

Sen. Lautenberg is old. I mean he’s so old that old people look at him and say he’s old.
I don’t recall all the circumstances but Lautenberg, then already retired from public office, was put on the ticket about two hours after a smarmy New Jersey politician named James Torricelli had to resign under a cloud of suspicion for something. In practice, all New Jersey politicians are under suspicion for something. Or should be.

It was as if Dr. Frankenstein had hooked up Lautenberg to his machine, Igor pulled the switch, and the entire New Jersey Democrat Party shouted, “He’s alive! He’s alive!” The New Jersey Supreme Court, after whom several characters of The Sopranos are rumored to have been modeled, blessed the circumstances of Lautenberg’s resuscitation.

When he informed me of his decision to run a few weeks ago I said, “Have you lost your mind?” but he replied, “Somebody has to.” When it comes to the Garden State, this is irrefutable logic.

The Republican Party is rumored to exist here, but it is a weak thing. The chances of its candidate’s election to any office are slim to none in a state that votes for people like former Governor Jim McGreevey who had to resign due to an acute case of homosexuality or the current Governor, Jon Corzine, who’s planning to solve the State’s budget crisis by putting tolls on one-way streets, cul-de-sacs, and bicycle paths. A zillionaire, he has lost any connection to people who actually have to work for a living.

Murray, when not running for office, is a distinguished professor at Ramapo College. A prolific writer on all things political and economic, his credentials are impressive.

The State motto used to be “New Jersey and You. Perfect Together.” We can amend it to say that New Jersey and Murray Sabrin would be perfect together.