Politics & Government

MoveOn Organized Group Pickets Rep. Lance Over Debt Ceiling

Group rallied in front of congressman's Westfield office earlier this week.

Calling for protection of Social Security, Medicare and other social programs, a group affiliated with MoveOn.org briefly picketed U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance’s Westfield office over the debt ceiling office earlier this week.

The group, arranged Tuesday morning following President Obama’s call to action Monday night, spent about 30 minutes in front of the Hunterdon County Republican’s North Avenue office. Lance, a second term congressman, has shown support for Congressional Republican leaders’ calls for budget cuts as part of a deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling. The current debt ceiling expires on Tuesday.

“It’s all about social justice,” said Berkeley Heights resident Meara Nigro. “The Republicans have made it clear over the past few months that their job is protecting the extreme wealthy in this country.”

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Roughly 25 people from around Union, Middlesex and Somerset Counties gathered in front of Lance’s district office waving signs towards on-coming traffic along the busy road. The signs carried by the group showed support for Obama’s position and called for higher taxes on the rich and no cuts to various social programs.

During the course of the rally, cars along North Avenue would honk to show support for the group.

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The group was hastily arranged through emails from the liberal leaning web group on Tuesday morning, following the president’s primetime address on Monday evening. The group said they had no leader and many appeared to have met each other for the first time when they arrived at Lance’s office.

“I basically got fed up with what is going on in Washington,” said Stephen Yellin, a Democratic nominee for the Berkeley Heights Township Council. “In the past I never got that upset with what is broken in the system.”

Yellin, who took on the role as spokesman for the group, said that he agrees that budget cuts should be made for long term deficit reduction, but said he agreed with Obama’s plan for a mix of budget cuts and tax increases, tied to raising the debt ceiling. He said he blames House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) for the current crisis.

Yellin said he has issues with Lance’s voting record in Congress. He said he preferred Lance during the congressman’s time as a state senator, where Lance was viewed as a moderate Republican.

“I respected Leonard Lance when he was a senator,” Yellin said. “In Congress he has become a member of the Republican organization.”

Lance, who has long specialized in fiscal issues, has been viewed as more conservative in recent months. Lance faced a primary challenge from three Tea Party affiliated Republicans in the 2010 Republican primary. Lance easily defeated his split Republican opposition.

Lance’s staff largely inside his office during the rally, briefly appearing to bring bottled water to the group and offering the use of bathrooms in the office. At times, participants in the rally pressed their faces up to the picture window in the front of Lance’s office, looking in on the four staffers working in the office. At one point, one Lance aide closed the door to his private office.

Members of the rally started to head inside Lance’s office to sign a guest book with their comments or leave quick notes calling on Lance to support Obama’s plan. At one point when a Lance aide said she would be with a rally member when she got off the phone regarding placing a resident in a veterans’ hospital, the rally participant said that he believed Lance wanted to shut down veterans’ hospitals. Lance aides did not respond to the comment.

Lance’s chief of staff, Todd Mitchell, released a statement after the rally explaining his boss’ position on the debt ceiling.

“The congressman supports the speaker’s efforts to enact meaningful fiscal reform while granting President Obama his request to increase our borrowing limit,” Mitchell said. "Leonard understands there is passion on both sides of the issue but also frustration that Washington has yet to figure out a solution to this problem. But he is confident that leaders in Congress can agree to a plan that avoids default and puts on Nation on a sustainable path toward fiscal responsibility."


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