A YEAR AFTER LEAVING CONGRESS, TORRICELLI STILL MAKING WAVES

gannett wire via bloomberg no url | 2/13/4

[NativeNewYorker]

WASHINGTON - Former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli remains a polarizing political figure more than a year after leaving office.

Both courted and reviled, the New Jersey Democrat who gave up his seat under an ethical cloud continues to shape the political landscape through his involvement in campaigns nationwide.

His $50,000 donation to a group that ran anti-Howard Dean television ads triggered an angry retort this week from the former Vermont governor about the ``ethically challenged'' ex-senator. And his public pronouncement that he's raising tens of thousands of dollars for Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign has detractors calling for the Massachusetts Democrat to distance himself from Torricelli.

Those reactions show that the ambitious Torricelli remains active and influential, thanks largely to a bevy of contacts and $2.3 million in leftover campaign money that he can sprinkle around to allies and causes.

``Whether it's his Rolodex (or) obviously the resources that can come to bear with the money he left in his Senate campaign, he's absolutely a player in the Democratic Party,'' said Bob McDevitt, a veteran fund-raiser who was a regional finance director for Al Gore's 2000 presidential bid.

Torricelli spent 20 years in Congress, including his last six in the Senate. At one point, he led party efforts to recruit Senate candidates and raise millions for their campaigns. His aggressive fund raising helped Democrats win control of the chamber in 2001 and keep it in 2002.

But his political star faded in 2002 after the Senate ethics committee ``severely admonished'' him for improperly accepting gifts from a political donor. With his approval ratings sagging below 30 percent, he abandoned a run for a second six-year term.

When his term expired in January 2003, Torricelli said he would stay involved in politics by making donations with the nearly $3 million he had left in his campaign account.

Torricelli contributed nearly $310,000 during 2003, according to campaign finance reports. He doled out money to New Jersey legislative candidates as well as to out-of-state interests, including Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, California Treasurer and gubernatorial aspirant Phil Angelides and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Despite the donations, Torricelli's profile remained low until reports that he gave $50,000 in November to Americans for Jobs, Health Care & Progressive Values, a Florida-based organization that ran three ads against Dean in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.

The ads helped sink the one-time Democratic front-runner, and Dean described the link between Kerry and Torricelli as ``unassailable.''

``The same fund-raiser, who is ethically challenged and had to step aside from the Senate race because of that, raised money from the same donors to support both Sen. Kerry and this ... political action group,'' Dean told reporters.

(BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM)
David Jones, a treasurer for Americans for Jobs, Health Care &

Progressive Values, said he solicited Torricelli for the contribution. He said Torricelli had nothing to do with the content of the ads, which criticized Dean for supporting the National Rifle Association, cuts in Medicare and the North American Free Trade Agreement. The ad that angered Dean supporters most challenged his foreign policy experience while showing an image of Osama bin Laden.

``I approached the senator in November because he and I have a longstanding relationship,'' Jones said. ``What Howard Dean is doing now is the last gasp of a desperate, dying campaign.''

(END OPTIONAL TRIM)
Torricelli declined to comment. But one of his closest confidantes, Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., characterized the dustup over Torricelli's donation as ``a one-minute wonder'' that will disappear.

He said the former senator's departure from Congress hasn't diminished his passion or acumen.

``Bob's dedicated to Democrats taking back the House, the Senate and obviously the presidency,'' Corzine said. ``He understands political strategy as well as anybody I know.''

[cavtrooper21]

Didn't know you could make waves in a hog wallow...

[blackdog]

"Bob" should be behind "Bars". The fact that he's up to his nonsense and that he's still on the grift with firms doing business with tax dollars like port authorities, highway firms, and such means he has not learned any lesson. He is not sorry. He is not contrite. He shows no remorse.

Tap his phone, boost his bank records and lock him up for twenty.

I've lost my patience for these people.

[F16Fighter]

``Bob's dedicated to Democrats taking back the House, the Senate and obviously the presidency,'' Corzine said. ``He understands political strategy as well as anybody I know.''

IOW, Torch will stoop to WHATEVER satanic level of greed, indecency, evil, and inuendo to destrioy whatever opponent stands in his way.

[blackdog]

Actually, Bob is a very nice man. He's very likeable and speaks no ill of others as a generalization. In Washington this guy is a sweetie. He's not bitter. He tends to show compassion and tolerance of views much different than those he's been bought off to support.

[Tacis]

Torricelli will return to the Senate when he is named to replace Lautenberg when Frank dies. Vito and Guido are on vacation in Miami and the date of Frank's death has, therefore, not yet been determined.

[F16Fighter]

"Actually, Bob is a very nice man. He's very likeable and speaks no ill of others as a generalization..."

You're kidding, right?

[swampfox98]

He said the former senator's departure from Congress hasn't diminished his passion or acumen.

Or his belief that Hillary will run in 2004. Hail, hail the crooks are back, and they're going to stay.

[blackdog]

In generalization, no I am not. The torch is really a nice guy. He gets along splendidly with anyone of any party. It's easy to do when you have no ethics, morals, or principles.

His charm was one of the factors considered when weighing an indictment of him. He had friendships on both sides of the aisle. He was no Packwood or Kennedy or Wellstone. Grift has no affiliation.