Even John Adler’s Liberal Base Sees Him for the Politically-Driven Opportunist He Is

Jon Corzine with his rubber stamp, John Adler (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

John Adler mistakenly thought that serving as a member of the House of Representatives meant that he was supposed to “represent” himself.

While he tries to paint himself in DC as a moderate to save his political career, those of us in South Jersey are all too well aware of his abysmal record in Trenton as Jim McGreevey and Jon Corzine’s rubber stamp.  We see right through his facade, and we aren’t alone.

Last night, during his campaign kickoff speech, NJ 3 Congressional candidate Jon Runyan called him out on it:

“I’ll expose John Adler for his failed record in Trenton, and make him accountable for it. Along those lines, with John Adler trying to run as a moderate, I think you have to step back and look at his voting record in (Washington) D.C. His first vote as a Congressman was to elect Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. He voted for the $1 trillion stimulus plan that has cost us jobs and not created them. He voted for cap and trade, the national energy tax. And at the end of the day, for all of his moderate talk, he still votes with Nancy Pelosi 90 percent of the time.”

We shouldn’t be fooled, then, by Adler’s lip service on the national health care overhaul debate.  Runyan notes, “He’s saying he’s worried that there are no cost controls. I’m more worried that it’s a government takeover of another program.”

So what and who is John Adler? What and who does he stand for? The answer is clear – John Adler.

Runyan apparently has some help spreading this truth from one of the least likely places – the contributors and commenters on New Jersey’s liberal online haven, Blue Jersey.

Wrote Jason Springer:

I helped elect John Adler partly because he ran on his support for healthcare. This isn’t the bill many would want, but its the chance we have to move the ball forward. And instead, he’s standing in opposition. I haven’t understood the political or practical calculations of that stance all along, but that’s apparently above my pay grade. This vote by my Congressman is disappointing to say the least.

Springer’s readers agree:

At this point, progressives need to send a message. Adler does hail from a somewhat difficult district. But very rarely does a Representative cast a vote on an issue so important and every vote is needed. When the chips are truly down, Adler is 0 for 1. An batting average of .000. And that’s how he’ll most likely remain.

I won’t be happy that a Republican takes the district in November…But for the sake of the future, progressives should not support his reelection.

Wrote another:

…many Lefties like me will never vote for him again. Smart politics pissing on your base.

And another:

He went from being a liberal State Senator to a conservative Congressman almost overnight.

Clearly, John Adler votes based upon his own political survival rather than based upon conviction.  Yet, despite all his efforts, he is in for a rude awakening in November.