Stack's Brilliant Move

Governor Christie with Mayor Brian Stack in Union City at the opening of the Colin Powell Elementary School on February 7, 2013.  Beth Mason showed up at the event but was not photographed by the press. credit: Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal

So my friend, Nasty Cleopatra (Queen of the Vile), called me yesterday to discuss Al Sullivan's column.

"Fucking brilliant!  Stack's a fucking genius!"

GA had no idea what he was talking about.

"That fabulous fuck made Beth Mason an offer she could refuse!"

Nasty-C read me this:

"Stack's problems filling his ticket

Nearly everybody accepts the fact that any Assembly candidate who runs on the ticket of state Senator and Union City mayor Brian Stack will get swept into office without a problem.  So why doesn't he seem to be able to get anyone to run with him? ...rumors say the Stacks offer to Hoboken council member Beth Mason has been rebuffed.  Some claim Stack has made too many requirements of his candidates, including open support for the reelection of Republican Gov. Christopher Christie.  Other reports suggest Stack wants to control his candidates too much for any of the more prominent figures to tolerate..."

Wow.

"Endorse the whale! Not when she's got her eyeballs on Frank Lautenberg's seat!  Hell-to-the-no, GA!"

Senator Lautenberg?  He'll be retiring in January 2015, at the age of 91.  That's The Plan?  GA had heard that both Masons believed the Mrs. would climb to the U.S. Senate some day. 

"Oh honey, if she endorses Christie its back with them to the trailer park. There's no room in that double-wide for a fat man."

Hmmm... Nasty-C's got a point. Nastily said, of course.

It is possible that Stack made his offer unpalatable by insisting that Beth Mason endorse Republican Governor Chris Christie.  This way, he gets rid of Hoboken's most notorious whack-job amicably, with a face-saving exit that doesn't cut off  his access to the Brinks Truck while shoring up her Democratic Party bona fides.

But GA doesn't believe it for a minute.  Here's why.

On Thursday, February 7, 2013 Mason showed up the Stack-Christie event  in Union City ostensibly to 'make nice' with the Governor, a Stack ally.  It was a symbolic overture, a kiss-up, if you will.  There was no reason to make that gesture, to meet the Governor on his visit, other than to show Stack that Mason was willing to cooperate, suck it up and be part of the 'coalition'. So there she was- but it appears from the photos that she was NOT allowed a seat on stage with the Governor.

Another contender for Assembly, Councilman Ravi Bhalla, did not show up in Union City on February 7.  But then GA hears that Bhalla knows Christie personally and the two have a cordial and respectful relationship.  Further, Bhalla never bought cable tv ad time to savage Christie, accuse him of "backroom deals" and sweetheart deals to developer contributors.  Yikes.

So here's what I think.

The 'Mason-rebuffed-Stack' narrative is spin.  It's the narrative she wants out there.   This is my guess:

1. Mason wanted the Assembly seat badly.  She needs to advance her name state-wide. She needs a springboard at the state level to higher office. 
2. Stack did poison the deal- if one was even offered.  Maybe he nixed her privately but agreed to let her spin it.  If he did offer the seat, the conditions were tighter than a straitjacket.
3. Mason was behind the 'Mason rebuffed Stack because of Christie' rumor via surrogates. Mason 'owns' the content in HR, and nothing gets to print that  her operatives didn't plant or that wasn't vetted with her people.   Mason wants the public to think she had the seat in the bag.  She doesn't want the truth- that she's 'damaged goods' in Hudson County- out there.
4. It is Sunday morning and the Hoboken Reporter is online- except for Al Sullivan's latest column. Where is it?  GA's never seen that happen.
5. Crossing party lines for an endorsement or simple praise - is not the Kiss of Death with your own party machine. A famous example, former NYC Mayor Giuliani.  Daily Politics Blog- Dec 3, 2012: 

America’s Mayor reached across party lines to praise Gov. Cuomo, predicting that his response to superstorm Sandy could help him if he seeks the White House in 2016.

Giuliani praised Cuomo for taking “proactive” measures like closing the mass transit system a day before Sandy made landfall, and then for being visible, and visiting communities, afterward.

He also extolled Cuomo for “staying on top” of utilities, such as Con Edison.

This was not the first time Giuliani praised a Cuomo. The former mayor roiled Republicans in 1994, when he endorsed the reelection of Cuomo’s father, three-term Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo, over GOPer George Pataki

So, while GA's commentary is not as spicy, I would agree with Nasty-C: that Stack's move (whatever it was) to avoid that train wreck was brilliant.