Reply #6: To use Menendez's words, it's guilt by geography

[karynnj]

Menendez stood against corruption in the 1980's in what is one of these most corrupt counties in NJ - even against his mentor and had to wear a bullet proof vest during that time.

One charge is that he rented space to a nonprofit that he got funding for as a Congressman. They had funding before Menendez was in Congress, the rent was market rate, and the amount of funding was by formula - so he didn't affect it. He says he had verbal approval that there was no conflict of interst. In hindsight, there something to be said for writing.

A second charge is that a long time friend and associate used his name to intimidate people - this is on tape. It does show his friend is a creep, not that Menendez is.

People commenting live on DU were mystified that, out of the blue, Kean said something like, "if you want to know me come to Westfield, (the town he lives in and the center of his very affluent district)" and that Menendez won't tell you to come to his "district". Menendez is from Hudson county - his district has Hoboken and Jersey City. (Menendez could claim better singers come from his district.) This is elitism at its worst. I am glad that the NYT points out that Kean is not completely clean it's Kean's only real issue!

The Kean ads are beyond disgusting - saying that Menendez has ethics problems and that he wants to give "your social security to illegal immigrants." Lautenberg has made comments that Kean's dad would never have done this. I think part of the difference in the poll results is how much they push for a choice. The one with Kean slightly ahead had 16% not choosing - very high this close to an election. The undecided probably includes a lot of Democrats who may at least partially believe the charges who don't want to say that they are still for Menendez. (That's a pattern that was seen in 2005 - with the real Corzine scandal. He won by 12 points though the numbers were neck and neck the weekend of the election.)