New York Times endorses Bob Menendez for Senate.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/opinion/30mon2.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Editorial
New Jersey’s Senate Race
Published: October 30, 2006

One of the first big decisions Jon Corzine had to make as governor of New Jersey was the appointment of a new senator to take his place in Washington. Mr. Corzine chose the less-than-charismatic Representative Robert Menendez, and as a result, New Jersey has the only Senate race this fall in which a Democratic incumbent seems to be in any danger of defeat. Nevertheless, in his race with State Senator Thomas Kean Jr., there is no question that Mr. Menendez is the better choice.

The 38-year-old Mr. Kean, a son of the former New Jersey governor and co-chairman of the 9/11 commission, is the latest in what has become a very long line of second- and third-generation politicians hoping to achieve high office on the back of their parents’ reputations. Many of his positions seem to come from a campaign playbook rather than conviction. He has called for the ouster of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld while failing to criticize President Bush for keeping Mr. Rumsfeld on.

Mr. Kean supports both balanced budgets and all of the administration’s tax cuts. Except for vague promises to vote against pork and to be tough against corruption, he fails to suggest any budget reductions to deal with the deficit. He wants voters to believe he would practice his father’s moderate brand of politics, but there is little to suggest he is much more than a conservative Republican who opposes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Mr. Menendez, 52, shows a much better grasp of the issues. In the House, where he was the third-highest ranking Democrat, he was an accomplished legislator. He opposed the resolution authorizing President Bush to go to war in Iraq, and he has been outspoken in criticizing the administration’s conduct of the war.

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[bluestateguy]

1. That's a relief

The NYT editorial page tends to endorse Democrats, but they also have a soft spot for goody government reformer types. Menendez is not so strong on those counts. However, the NYT endorsement for a Democrat is really just meeting expectations.