The latest silliness comes courtesy of a public official running his mouth on Facebook. When will these people learn not to leave an electronic trail of idiocy?
The Rice family, a fixture of Newark politics, injected some father-son drama into New Jersey’s political scene today.
Last week Newark City Councilman Ronald Rice Jr. joked about whether the governor was "on crack" in a Facebook note expressing concern over education spending. His father, state Sen. Ronald Rice Sr. (D-Essex), publicly called on him today to apologize.
"I think he’s a little too quick on the keyboard for his own good sometimes," the elder Rice said in a statement. "I’ve been in politics a very long time, and I know that divisive, over-the-top rhetoric — whether it comes from Democrats or from Republicans — can be a distraction from the legitimate issues affecting the people of New Jersey."
Rice Sr. said his son’s concerns over education were valid, but his tone was not.
The disagreement illustrated a generational divide between older politicos and their younger counterparts accustomed to lightning-fast — and often snarky — internet dispatches. Councilman Rice is 42; Senator Rice is 65.
The Facebook post questioned whether the governor would have Newark use some of its $100 million donation from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg to replace state funding cut by Christie’s administration. "Is our Governor on crack? No seriously, is he smoking or drinking something that is illegal or at least detrimental to one’s health?" Rice Jr. wrote. "... Chris Christie is insane!!!!."
Rice Jr. did not respond to messages today, but last week told the website Politickernj.com his remarks were only in jest and a way to draw attention to important issues.
"It’s strange, very strange," Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said. "It’s not really worthy of a response."
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