Frelinghuysen's Tea Party Team Is Twisting My Words, Says Rival

It is clear to me that Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s conservative Tea Party teammates are orchestrating a last-minute, letter-writing campaign to deliberately twist my position on tax relief.

They must be worried by the recent polls that show my candidacy is doing so well in our newly redrawn and now-competitive 11th Congressional District. After nine terms in office, a Democrat is finally giving him a run for all his money.

Last week’s letter-writing barrage to the news media in Passaic, Essex, Morris and Sussex counties came after I had the courage to criticize Frelinghuysen for his pledge of allegiance to Massachusetts lobbyist Grover Norquist—a clear violation of his constitutional obligation to the people he represents.

Frelinghuysen is one of seven House Republicans from New Jersey who signed the “Grover Norquist Pledge,” agreeing to whatever Norquist wants as long as he helps them get re-elected. I must explain, Norquist is an ultra-conservative who opposes taxes of any kind and believes Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security should be abolished.

Norquist, like Frelinghuysen, supports subsidies to big oil companies and tax loopholes that allow multi-millionaires and big corporations to pay lower taxes and middle-class families to pay higher taxes. They also believe feeding poor children and providing affordable health care to senior citizens and women is an unreasonable government expense. 

Frelinghuysen has already proven his loyalty to Norquist. He voted in 2011 and 2012 to endorse the reckless Paul Ryan budget plan that would add $5 trillion to our national debt and he has repeatedly voted to give whopping tax breaks to big businesses and corporations.

My position on taxes is clear. The federal government certainly does not have to raise taxes toprovide affordable education or college grants and low-interest student loans. It does not have to increase taxes to create more jobs, or to provide quality healthcare for women, or to ensure better
benefits for veterans.

To pay for these necessities, I would use my congressional seat to insist the federal government make the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share in taxes, close tax loopholes and end incentives to corporations that send jobs overseas.

Instead of bailouts for financial institutions, big oil companies, the pharmaceutical industry and defense contractors, the federal government must redirect that money to offer relief to people on unemployment and to families struggling to save their homes from foreclosure.

Unlike Frelinghuysen, I would support House measures to stimulate our economy, create more jobs here in New Jersey, reduce unemployment and provide more relief to our hard-hit lower- and middle-income families.

Instead of offering relief to people and families in the 11th District, Frelinghuysen co-sponsored only a dozen House bills in the current session of Congress. Four were to suspend import duties on preserved artichokes and oysters.

Eight bills were to suspend import duties on various chemicals from the People’s Republic of China used by pharmaceutical companies and the defense industry—industries in which Frelinghuysen holds substantial private investments, increasing his personal fortune.

I stand by my assertion that Frelinghuysen abandoned his constitutional obligation to faithfully represent the people of the 11th District. This Election Day, it is time for the people of Morris, Essex, Passaic and Sussex counties to abandon him.

John Arvanites
Democrat for House of Representatives, 11th District