Fulop v. Platkin: Whom would You Support in 2025?
Insiders absorbed the public political contributions of Matt Platkin and Steve Fulop this week with an admixture of disgust, and self-regret and recrimination.
They couldn’t help but see the pair of callow youths through a political prism, and they blandly added Platkin, the state’s Attorney General, to the growing heap of 2025 gubernatorial aspirants, which includes Fulop.
Why else would Platkin, they argued, plunge a dagger into the back of Caesar, no less his own governor, leaving Phil Murphy in a heap at the base of a bust of Pompei?
Platkin, of course, on his volition and in defiance of the interests of the U.S. Senate candidacy of First Lady Tammy Murphy, wrote a letter to federal Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, notifying him that his office will not defend the three state statutes that prescribe how New Jersey designs its primary ballots.
Establishment types hissed “ambition” in the aftermath, already preparing for statewide candidacy of the brilliant young attorney poised to look like a progressive hero at county conventions next year.
And Fulop?
Fulop was already trying to occupy that lane when Platkin cut in front of him, requiring the Mayor of Jersey City to do his own bit of First-Lady-under-the-bus-chucking. At the tail end of Murphy’s less than stellar stagger through the convention season, Fulop, in a public statement supposedly ringing with the wisdom of Solomon and the stoic resolve of Seneca, said:
“At this point, I don’t think it’s in the state’s best interest for Tammy to continue her campaign. As the Mayor of Jersey City, I’ll do what I think is right and advocate for Andy Kim to my constituents as the best choice as the next U.S. Senator.”
His words sent the same already Platkin-seething players to cringe anew.
Others simply shrugged.
What did the Murphys expect, riding into New Jersey politics on the chutes and ladders of Wall Street money?
Loyalty???
Fulop was never loyal to the Murphys.
He comes from Wall Street himself.
As for Platkin, he was bright – maybe Phil Murphy’s brightest light in a stable full of people who ran into his arms after he got into politics, not before. “If I had just looked out for myself, and not been so damn loyal to my so-called friends, maybe I’d have done better,” an insider pondered dismally against the backdrop of self-motivated movers and shakers like Platkin and Fulop.
In the inimitable words of another Jersey City Mayor, Gerry McCann, “You don’t have friends in this business, just the people you meet in politics.”
With that in mind, if it were JUST THESE TWO running in a Democratic Primary for Governor, whom would you back? Or, in the words of another Jersey insider, irritated this week who both of them, “Who do you trust less?”
A few thoughts. Fulop as you stated owes Murphy nothing. Now, yes, his decision to bail on Tammy leaves much to be desired. But she has been sinking like a rock and has run a terrible campaign. So I can forgive him. Platkin on the other hand owes Murphy everything . He may be a wunderkind but his position on the party line is a huge slap in the face to Murphy and shows how untrustworthy and self serving he is.
The article asks whom would you vote for in the Democrat Primary for Governor in 2025? They left out the third option: None of the above.
New Jersey voters have a year and a half to get rid of the Democrat-Communist Party in New Jersey, otherwise we could be facing another half-generation of lost revenue, theft by deception, racketeering, one-party (Democrat) voting for self-serving laws that create chaos, mayhem, wasted tax monies, and that Republican voters don’t have to follow.
If New Jerseyans want major property tax relief, lower gasoline taxes, substantially less business regulations and business taxes, paved roads, getting rid of the illegal aliens by cutting off $4-$5 BILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR from taxpayers (that can be used for property tax relief), and eliminating the sanctuary state moniker in the process. We need to get government run by professionals and not by political hacks pandering to every minority and victim group out there. Since New Jerseyans have been voting Democrat-Communists into office election after election, hoping for different results, it’s well past time for all New Jerseyans to vote out the Democrat-Communist Party to stop the insanity..
Mr. Jefferson, your Republican Party no longer exists. Right wing zealots have handed it over to trump, in case you forgot. And New Jersey may have its flaws, but fascism isn’t one of them.
I’d prefer that politicians serve the interests of the people, not some Governor or party boss.
Removing the county line is a service to the people and to democracy. Any machine crony opposed to it is a clown not worthy of loyalty. 49 states do just fine without a county line, it’s time for New Jersey to join the 21st century. Or the 20th, really, the “county line” reeks of backroom party boss politics of the 19th century. It has no place in our politics.
Platkin doesn’t carry water for raging antisemites and have a plan to sell Liberty State Park in his gubernatorial initiatives like Fulop does.
I just received a text message meant for someone else- “Time for some traffic troubles in Jersey City”. If anyone knows the of the intended recipient please pass the message along.
The poll should be Fulop v Sweeney or Sherrill or Gottenheimer. That’s Kim supporter v the Tammy machine people.