Hopewell New Jersey

Opinion: Why NJ's congressional mavericks voted as they did

Right after the Senate vote I received a call from a journalist in Pennsylvania who asked me to explain why one of his region’s most conservative senators, Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and one of its most liberal House members, Mike Doyle, D-Pa., had both voted to reject the compromise bill.

The call prompted me to see if perhaps the same pattern had prevailed in New Jersey’s congressional delegation. It became clear immediately that the vote results followed the same track: The most liberal and the most conservative members turned thumbs-down and the moderate members gave it their support.

Why it turned out that way tells us a lot about politics today, both nationally and in the Garden State, and also about how Congress works.

Votes to spare

The first thing that is obvious about the House and Senate votes last week is that they were not close. The House vote was 269-161 and the Senate supported the compromise bill by 74-26. What this tells us is that there were votes to spare.

What it also tells us is that the slam-dunk vote was no surprise to the four congressional party leaders – Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, in the Senate and John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in the House.

Congressional party leaders, despite whatever ideological differences they may have, all have one  

goal in common: Never go into a vote uncertain of its outcome. This is especially true on crucial votes.

When it’s small stuff like naming a federal building or confirming a minor Commerce Department official, members and senators do pretty much as they please. On big-ticket items that cause the vote to cleave along party lines, that’s when leaders can get pretty insistent that their team members stay in line.

Forearmed, forewarned

It’s the job of the deputy party leaders, the “whips,” to come up with an accurate count of how the members of their party are planning to vote. Being forearmed and forewarned, leaders then have the latitude to let their members “vote their constituencies” or their personal conviction if there is a generous surplus of votes for the leader’s position.

Danika and “Lucky” - Karin Belgrave Photography ~ Hopewell, New Jersey

What an opportunity – a beautiful girl and a gorgeous horse who are both complete naturals in front of the camera! If only the weather had cooperated…as soon as I arrived it started POURING, so we were stuck in the barn aisle for most of the shoot. The heavy rain let up for about 5 minutes, so we stole a few quick drizzly shots outdoors. I think we still accomplished their goal: Danika and her Mom wanted to capture a few memories of their wonderful experience here in New Jersey before moving south this week. Best of luck with your move!

The town records of Hopewell, New Jersey

Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Her Life

Music in New Jersey, 1655-1860, a study of musical activity and musicians in New Jersey from its first settlement to the Civil War

Revised general ordinances of the Township of Hopewell in the County of Mercer, State of New Jersey

O'New Jersey, Daytripping, Backroads, Eateries, Funky Adventures