The Bergen Record: Scott Garrett Takes the Low Road

October 27th, 2008

Monday, October 27, 2008

By Alfred Doblin, Record Editorial Columnist

THE CONGRESSMAN does not hate poor people. But he cares for his ideology more.” I wrote that about Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, in an Oct. 19, 2007, column. I was referring to a vote Garrett made to uphold President Bush’s veto on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

I had it wrong. Garrett cares more about being reelected than his ideology or poor people. In a nasty campaign season, Garrett hasn’t just crossed a line; he climbed in a tank and rolled over most levels of decency.

Last week, Garrett mailed a campaign piece tying his Democratic challenger, Dennis Shulman, to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Shulman is a rabbi. To suggest that a rabbi is going to walk hand in hand with someone who would advocate for the destruction of Israel is shameless and despicable. It’s also desperate.

Shulman has been no Boy Scout in his campaign to become the representative for the 5th Congressional District. He has been trying to connect dots between Garrett and a mortgage lending company that don’t exactly match. Garrett, like most people in America, has a mortgage with a bank that has needed congressional support. If Shulman’s standards for conflicts of interest were set for all members of Congress, there would be virtually no one left on Capitol Hill. It’s an impractical view. And Garrett isn’t getting rich on the public dime.

The congressman has long espoused rigid fiscal ideals. He wants smaller government. If voters want to count on at least one reliable “no” vote on federal spending, Garrett’s their representative. And if enough people in the 5th District agree with Garrett’s voting record, that’s democracy in action.

Throwing mud during a campaign is pretty common in our democracy. It may not be what we want to see candidates do, but it’s part of the game. But Garrett is throwing something nastier than mud.

It has become too easy for some politicians to shout “anti-American” or “terrorist supporter” when faced with honest disagreement over foreign policy and fiscal priorities.

I’m not sure what Garrett advocates. Is he saying it is irresponsible for the United States to conduct any level of diplomacy with Iran or other nations that wish us harm? What are the alternatives? Ignore them while they build nuclear weapons? Start another war?

Diplomacy is not akin to aiding and abetting terrorists. It is one tool that governments use to avoid military action. If the tool fails, then military action may be warranted. To suggest that Rabbi Shulman is less pro-Israel than Scott Garrett is almost comic. Almost.

Where is former Gov. Tom Kean when we need him? Kean, a moderate Republican, was an eloquent voice preaching the politics of inclusion. Divisiveness is counterproductive to good government, according to Kean. On a global level, it is downright dangerous.

We do not need to paint fellow Americans who disagree with us as un-American. Garrett can make a compelling case that he is a true fiscal conservative and Shulman is not. But let’s keep terrorism off the table. Shulman is not just a Jew, he is a rabbi. Faith is not a campaign issue for Shulman. It’s who he is regardless of whether he is elected to Congress.

Sowing hatred has consequences. These are dangerous times. People are losing their homes, their jobs and their savings. This is exactly when desperate people look for an easy answer for their anguish, an easy target for their problems.

There are no easy answers. Voting “no” in Congress doesn’t help people who are facing eviction. Garrett wants to stand on principle while many Americans are standing out in the cold. They need food, shelter and security. They do not require a plateful of hate.

The 5th District was drawn to elect a Republican. That may not change until the district is redrawn after the 2010 Census. Garrett is facing a serious challenger in 2008 because many voters want change. Even a safe Republican district is no longer safe.

In a Garrett commercial I watched on the Internet, the congressman claims Shulman is too extreme for New Jersey, showing images of Ahmadinejad and Shulman simultaneously. Garrett asks, “What do voters know about Dennis Shulman?”

Maybe not enough.

But based on this hate campaign, voters also should ask what they know about Scott Garrett.

Maybe too much.

Alfred P. Doblin is the editorial page editor of The Record. Contact him at doblin@northjersey.com.

http://www.northjersey.com/opinion/33345069.html

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