The insider nursed a drink, quite possibly at the verge of despair in the bustling holiday bar, seeing Picasso images in the wine glass, and hopeful of the forms coalescing into one of two coherent faces:

either that of sitting Democratic State Party Chair John Currie;

or that of Essex County Democratic Chairman Leroy Jones.

“What do I do?” the source blurted.

“Nice guys,” was the assessment, as if it mattered in New Jersey politics, as if it weren’t, in fact, the kiss of death for both of them, which required the entrance of a third candidate into the contest.

The allies of Governor Phil Murphy were pulling on one arm.

Currie.

The allies of Middlesex County Democratic Committee Chairman Kevin McCabe were yanking on the other.

Jones.

Ever eager to play the ginger-footed occupant of that gulf between Murphy and Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3), Middlesex hated the “Jones belongs to South Jersey” narrative.

“For God’s sake, Jones backed Murphy over Sweeney for governor, could he get any more un-South Jersey than that?” someone said in the vicinity of the bar.

“True, true.”

But Currie… Murphy wanted Currie, and Murphy was that human hedgerow against total South Jersey domination. But everyone – including Currie! – starts out aligned with South Jersey before going AWOL. Why should Jones suffer that stigma, especially when he already demonstrated a capacity to go off the reservation and live to tell the tale.

The face hovered in front of the wine glass, sifting, searching.

It became no clearer.

“This is ruining my holiday,” said the source, suspended in the less than sublime ether of New Jersey politics, and a moment later added, grinning, “I love it!”