By Mike Donohue
Life is crazy. #2020. In 2016, I became a New Jersey Superior Court Judge. It was an incredible experience. At the beginning of 2020, I decided that I had a lot I wanted to do in my life that I could not do within the restrictive limitations that a Judge must follow. At the end of February, I left the bench and returned to open society. (Well, besides Covid. SMH). Like so many of us, my plans went out the window and my professional life has taken inconceivable twists and turns.
I emerged into a very different political world as well. Our former Republican State Committeeman, Brendan Sciarra, is now the Chairman of the Democrats in Cape May County. (SMH again). And he is running for Freeholder.
He and I have always had a nice relationship. I used to put together a party every year at one of his restaurants for my fellow volunteer firefighters. I can’t possibly imagine why he would want to be a leader in the radical, hard-left Democratic Party of 2020.
Right now, his Democratic Party requires a litmus test on everything: race, sexual orientation, gender(s), wokeness, support for partial birth abortion, and for confiscating guns. His Democrat leadership refuses to condemn the violence in our streets. Worst, his Democrat Party leadership has unleashed relentless attacks against the brave men and women of law enforcement.
Many Democratic friends of mine feel their party leadership has lost touch with America. The party that used to look out for “the little guy” now stands by and watches as paid fascists burn down his business. Democrats used to be the party that demanded a color-blind society. Now they are pathologically obsessed with identity politics. Brendan’s Democratic Party is dedicated to turning America into a bleak, violent, socialist nightmare while most of us still believe America is a shining city on a hill welcoming people to freedom and prosperity.
My old friend is now trying to convince voters he is not a Democrat. But that’s not true. He runs the Democratic Party in Cape May County but it seems he is ashamed of it. And keeping with the Life is Crazy #2020 theme, I’m back as Republican Chairman, a post I left in 2016.
I look forward to mixing it up with my old, misguided friend. But these should be honest campaigns focused on the issues. (Though the people around Brendan have a long history of smear campaigns, like last year when they darkened the skin of Assemblyman McClellan in a racist mail piece).
Let’s stick to the issues. He can tell voters why they should elect Democrats and I will do my best to convince them that Republican leadership is better. He can try to convince folks that we should defund the police, while I stand with the men and women of law enforcement. He can argue that rioting, looting, and burning is appropriate, while I argue that non-violence is a better way. He can explain how the erosion of the right to bear arms is a good idea, while I stand proudly in support of the Second Amendment. He can tell us that only identity politics matter, while I will present the voters of Cape May County with the most diverse, positive, and welcoming Republican Party we have ever had.
Life is indeed crazy. The Democrat Governor won’t even let us go into a voting booth. But we must all make sure we vote. So when Sciarra’s friend Phil Murphy sends you your ballot, Vote Republican. Mail it in!
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