Roger Berkley, left, surrogate for Democratic congressional candidate Dennis Shulman, clashes with his Republican counterpart, Kevin Lemmer, at the Bergen County YJCC.
Photos by Robert Wiener
Otherwise engaged
Where were the candidates?
Kevin Lemmer, a hedge fund executive from Tenafly, told NJ Jewish News he was approached to be Scott Garrett’s surrogate at the Sept. 16 debate at the Bergen County YJCC “several weeks ago.”
“Congress is in session, and Scott Garrett is currently voting on legislation,” Lemmer explained. “This date was scheduled without input from Congressman Garrett’s campaign. Scott has attended similar forums in the past, and it was unfortunate he was not able to be here tonight.”
“Dennis Shulman is prepared to debate Scott Garrett any time, anywhere,” said the Democrat’s campaign manager, Jeff Hauser, in an interview after the forum. “At first we were told Garrett was willing to debate. Then it was changed to consecutive appearances. But when we learned Garrett was not going to show up at all, Dennis decided to attend another event that had conflicted with the forum at the YJCC. We welcome any opportunity to stand on a stage with Scott Garrett.”
September 25, 2008
Defended by surrogates after both candidates declined to attend, representatives of Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Dist. 5) and his Democratic challenger, Dennis Shulman, clashed over foreign and domestic issues Sept. 16 at the Bergen County YJCC in Washington Township.
In one corner, Kevin Lemmer, a hedge fund executive from Tenafly, represented the four-term incumbent.
Opposing him was Roger Berkley, a textile manufacturer from Woodcliff Lake, who stood in for Shulman.
District 5 spans Warren and Sussex Countries, as well as parts of Bergen and Passaic.
The consecutive presentations offered contrasts between the candidates’ views on the Iraq war, abortion rights and stem-cell research, and energy.
As the evening’s first speaker, Lemmer praised Garrett as “a leader” devoted to Israel and the fight to halt genocide in Darfur.
Locally, he said, the congressman “secured a fairly substantial grant” for the NORCs — naturally occurring retirement communities — in Bergen County, which have been strongly advocated by the Jewish community.
Responding to a question from moderator Michael Gross, a trial attorney from Paramus, Lemmer described the economy as “a substantial financial crisis.” He said Garrett has been an effective member of the House Financial Services Committee but “could not speak for Scott” as to whether the federal government should bail out the failing American International Group, which the Treasury Department agreed to do an hour before the forum began.
“Scott feels the burdens and risks these companies took should not become a burden to taxpayers,” he said.
Asked whether Garrett would support an Israeli or American military action against Iran, he said, “Garrett feels nothing should be taken off the table, but he also feels the best solution is a diplomatic solution, and we should put a very strong sanctions regime in place.”
Perhaps drawing on his courtroom experience, Gross fired questions at the Republican surrogate.
“Scott was one of the few people who voted against the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. Why is that?”
“I do not know the answer to that question,” said Lemmer.
“Can you tell us why he did not want to continue the Americans With Disabilities Act?
“Again, I don’t know. But I will tell you that Scott is incredibly supportive of our veterans.”
In ensuing questions, Lemmer said he was unaware of Garrett’s view on privatizing Social Security and legalizing gay marriage, but said the congressman was opposed to abortion rights and funding research on fetal stem cells beyond the limits imposed by the Bush administration.
The challenger
Following Lemmer to the podium, Berkley pointed out in an opening statement that Garrett has a “100 percent rating from the American Conservative Union.”
He called Shulman a “moderate and thoughtful” person who happens to be a psychoanalyst, a rabbi, and blind.
In the style of a trial lawyer, moderator Michael Gross peppered the surrogates with questions on controversial issues.
Promising to be “equally obnoxious” to the Democrat as he was to the Republican, Gross pressed Berkley to comment on the economy.
The Shulman surrogate answered with an attack.
“The Republicans like Congressman Garrett have been in charge. This has happened on their watch. The administration, with the active support of Congressman Garrett, has backed off regulation, ignored laws in place, and essentially allowed the inmates to run the asylum.”
Asked about the high costs of energy, Berkley said, “Garrett has never voted once for money for alternative energy resources.”
“Is there any reason to believe that Dennis Shulman or Barack Obama is any less supportive of Israel than the Republican candidates?” Gross asked.
“It hasn’t mattered who is in the White House. The policy toward Israel has been remarkably consistent,” answered Berkley. “Dennis Shulman’s allegiance to Israel goes without saying.”
Questioned about global climate change, Berkley said, “Dennis agrees with the scientific community that global warming is a man-made phenomenon.”
He said Shulman was “absolutely” a supporter of stem cell research and a defender of abortion rights.
“Unlike Congressman Garrett, who voted to privatize Social Security, Rabbi Shulman is opposed. Just think what would have happened with today’s meltdown on Wall Street if all those Social Security funds had been pumped into Wall Street firms,” Berkley said.
An audience member asked why both senators Barack Obama and Joseph Biden voted against a Bush administration request that Congress declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a “terrorist organization.”
Berkley called their opposition “wise,” insisting the labeling “was unnecessary” and “whenever the Bush administration is given a piece of rope they go out and hang us with it.” He said Obama and Biden feared the administration “would use that as they used cooked intelligence before to go into Iran without the approval of Congress.”
Responding, Lemmer said, “Scott firmly supported that resolution. Our enemies pay a lot of attention to what is going on in Congress. It is never redundant to repeat our opposition to Iran’s support for terror.”
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