Spadea Says They’re out to Get Him
Bill Spadea says they’re out to get him.
Who is “they?”
Oh, that could be the “left wingers,” the “deep state,” or in this case, the state’s “establishment power brokers.”
And that apparently includes the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.
Spadea long has had a morning show on radio station 101.5 where he gives his views on state issues. He rails against not only Democrats, but Republicans he does not consider conservative enough.
All well and good, but as of last week, Spadea also is an official candidate for governor in 2025.
So, his show should go off the air, right? How can a radio station justify giving such unfiltered exposure to one gubernatorial candidate?
That’s not the case.
Townsquare Media, which owns the station, says it developed a set of rules and as long as Spadea complies, the show can go on – for the time being at least.
A legal filing by the company notes that Spadea won’t truly become an official candidate until he successfully files his nominating petition and the deadline for that isn’t until early next spring.
The rules now in place say that radio host Spadea cannot discuss his campaign, his candidacies or other candidates. And if callers bring it up, as they most certainly will, he must shut the conversation down.
The problem is that whether mentioned or not, people listening are going to know Spadea is running for governor and they are going to react accordingly.
That’s why ELEC has scheduled a hearing for Friday morning to discuss if the continuation of Spadea’s show is an “in-kind” contribution to his campaign.
Two of his opponents think so.
The campaigns of Jon Bramnick and Jack Ciattarelli have filed briefs with ELEC saying gubernatorial candidate Spadea should be off the air.
And that has prompted the Spadea campaign to respond the way he normally does. Here is how his response begins:
“Something is rotten in Trenton. The establishment power brokers are clearly panicked about the idea of our client – pro-Trump conservative outsider Bill Spadea – cleaning up Trenton. The idea of outsider Bill Spadea restoring power to the people is apparently so threatening that this Board has taken the extraordinary and extralegal action of throwing due process to the side and attempting prior restraint on the livelihood and free speech of newly announced candidate for Governor, Bill Spadea.”
Interesting rhetoric.
Further along in the response, it’s mentioned that most gubernatorial candidates have jobs.
Bramnick is a lawyer and stand-up comic; Republican Ed Durr is a truck driver and Democrat Steve Sweeney is a “union boss” and as such, interacts with political people.
But is it really the same as a four-hour radio show, five days a week?
One other note.
The hearing is set for 9 a.m., which is when Spadea is on the air. So, he’ll have to appear via video, according to his filing.
One wonders if 101.5 will broadcast the hearing live.
Bill the snowflake.
When you don’t have a legal leg to stand on, claim the system is out to get you, or give Bramnick and Ciattarelli, the same amount of air time on NJ 101.5, they can’t be any worse than the current line up of on air personalities.
Problem solved.
Spadea is more of a joke than any standup comedian. Unless he can document that Bramnick has same crowd size as his radio show, and s many days a week, it is just not comparable.Ed Durr driving a truck is not comparable.
As a Democrat I would welcome Spadea winning the R nomination, since Jon Bramnick and Jack Ciattarelli have a chance to win the governorship, and imho Spadea and his insults do not.
Spadea’s candidacy, like Spiller’s on the D side, can’t be taken seriously. These two are just pawns on the chessboard of the corrupt political establishment in this state. Spadea’s biggest booster is hoarder George Gilmore who has been accumulating millions of dollars in judgements, including many tax liens. Spiller’s biggest booster is his employer NJEA, which recently has been aligned with the Norcross Enterprise. This state is a joke.
Getting a little paranoid aren’t you Bill? Hmm, you sound a bit like a certain candidate for President who also perpetually whines that people are out to get him. Come on Billy. Put on your big boy pants and grow up
If Spadea has to give up his radio show, then I believe Bramnick, being a lawyer, must give up his law practice since he meets a lot of people (with money) to promote his business (and his campaign), and he has a lot of political and legal connections. I’m sure his donors will be well-off lawyers, judges and politicians.
Lawyers should not be running for political office because it’s an unconstitutional conflict-of-interest having a licensed member of the judiciary running for the legislature, and/or executive branch. N.J. has too many lawyers running (ruining) government (into the ground) because they control ALL three (3) branches of government (sounds like an oligarchy or dictatorship to me). Instead of “by the people, for the people, and of the people, we have “by the lawyers, for the lawyers, and of the lawyers in New Jersey and D.C.